ews
Journal
The lOlh issue of our 83rd year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, June 19,1991
New district plan angers pnblic, leaders
L ocal leaders plan to go to Raleigh to
challenge legislators over what they think
is an unfair plan to divvy up the county’s
representation.
A state House of Representatives commit
tee made its final proposal last week to redraw
districts for the state house.
Even Rep. Danny DeVane of Raeford
says he doesn’t like it, and he was in Raleigh
when it all got put together.
'fhe new map, which has drawn criticism
from almost every faction in the county, would
split Hoke into three districts, each of which
would have a sizable majority of voters from
Robeson County.
Raeford is effectively split between two
districts on the proposed map. Precincts One and
Two are in one district; Raeford #3, 4, and 5 are
in another.
In some areas, one person will have one
representative; his neighbor across the street will
have another.
“It’s confusing as hell,” said county
commission Chairman Wyatt Upchurch near the
end of Monday night’s board meeting.
Right now, Hoke is in the 16th District,
which is made up of Robeson, Hoke and most of
Scotland Counties. The 16th District is repre
sented by three lawmakers: Danny DeVane of
Raeford, Adolph Dial of Lumberton and Pete
Hasty of Maxton.
Each of the three new districts would
have only one lawmaker.
The new 16th District, which has a major
ity white population, would be made of parts of
(See DISTRICTS, page 8)
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Rescue workers remove Capt. Judd M. Herman from a biplane that crashed Saturday into a garden off Gatlin Farm Rd. Herman died later at a hospital.
Plane crash kills soldier
■Mr
A small hoinc-built biplane crashed
Saturday into a garden just north of the
Raeford Airport killing the pilot, a Fort
Bragg Special Forces captain.
Capt. Judd Michael Hcnnan,29,dicd
in surgery after Hoke County Rescue
Squad members and other emergency
workers and volunteers pulled him from
tfie cockpit of tlie plane.
Children playing ball next door said
tire plane swooped low over a liouse,
pulled up and tlicn nose-dived in a spin
into the ground.
It crashed Just off Gatlin Farm Rd.
about 30 yards from a house belonging
to Carol CaphclI. She said she heard
what souiuled like a bomb going off
when the plane crashed.
Other wimesses said the plane ap
peared to be having engine problems.
Herman reportedly bought the plane
ov'cra ycarago and had been working on
itasahobby. llconlyreccnilyHew itfor
die first time.
He had been stationed ai Ft. Bragg
since 1989 and is survived by his par
ents.
Drug bust
targets 28
Cocaine violations alleged
Eleven Hoke County residents were anested last night on
charges of selling cocaine and lawmen expect to arrest 17 more
before the sting is over.
The arrests are the results of a team of undercover drug agents
buying cocaine from area dealers, a drug officer said.
“This was an undercover buy campaign conducted by the Hoke-
Robeson Drug Task Force during a period of six or seven months,”
said Mack High, the Raeford Police Department’s representative
on the task force,
High said the task force was helped by the police department
and the Hoke County Sheriff’s Depanment.
The following people were charged;
Eddie Clyde Cash, 19, of 223 Scotland Avenue; possession with
intent to sell or deliver cocaine, selling or delivering cocaine;
S25,(KX) bond.
Aaron Albert Goode of 508 Forrest Street, Raeford; possession
with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, selling or delivering cocaine;
$15,000 bond.
Rose Marie McN’eill, 28, of Jackson .Mobile Home Park; selling
cocaine within 300 feet of a school; $25,000 bond.
Darryl Garret McRae, 25, of U.S. 401 Nonh; possession with
intent to sell or deliver cocaine, selling or delivering cocaine;
$35,000 bond.
John Wesley Monroe, 28, of Culbreth Estates Mobile Home
Park; possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, selling or
delivering cocaine.
William Edward Parker, 39; possession with intent to sell or
deliver cocaine, selling or delivering cocaine.
Rasheen Simmid Peterkin, 18, of 517 E. Sixth Street, Raeford;
possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, selling or deliver
ing cocaine; $15,000 bond.
Connell Ray, 32, of Route 2, Raeford; possession with intent to
sell or deliver cocaine, selling or delivering eextaine.
(See DRUGS, page^d)
V '•‘I
Turkey plant wins labor case
W."
A bystander is comforted after Herman was removed from the plane.
Defense moves
to dismiss case
against sheriff
An administraiive law judge has dis
missed all charges against the House of
Raeford turkey plant stemming from an
August, 1988 walkout by eitiployccs
and subsequent election on whether to
unionize.
The more than 50 labor-related al-
legaiions were filed by the United Food
and Commercial Workers (UFCW) af
ter unionization was voted down by
employees 420 to 391 in October, 1988.
Judge Bruce C. Nasdor not only ex
onerated House of Raeford and its man
agement, but said many witnesses lied
or labricated incidents, and House of
Raeford “attempted to understand the
problems and resolve the walkout.”
In a 54-page decision issued June 12
and made available to I'he News-Jour
nal Tuestlay, Nasdor recounted each
complaint, the testimony from the hear
ing and his conclusion, one after an-
otlicr.
Of one witness Nasdor w rote his tes
timony was “completely com rived” and
“concocted.” Of anoilicr he wrote “Sel
dom have I seen a witness openly dis
play “sucli hale, rancor and hostility.”
riic case stem med I rom a mass wa Ik-
oul that virtually shut down the process
ing plant. Workers complained of long
hours and sought a pay increase. Two
unions, the National Maritime Union
and UFCW, attempted to sign up work
ers (tfic National Maritime Union later
withdrew).
While thecompany held group meet
ings with employees, the union staged
protests in front of the plant, and the
week of the election, brought in Presi
dential candidate Jesse Jackson for a
rally with employees.
The union also alleged sexual ha
rassment, safety problems, and wage-
hour violations. It actually filed only
unfair labor practice charges.
The union alleged the company in
timidated workers into voting down
unionization by threatening to fire them
or 10 close die plant. More specifically
the Union alleged the company and
management:
•Improperly fired Michael Wash
ington, Phillip Freeman, Heyward Davis,
Alfreda Hammond, Larry Jones, Mae
Helen Daniel and Ernestine Bethea.
•Threatened employees with ter
mination if they joined other employees
and engaged in “protected and con-
(S^ce DISMISSED, page6)
Randy Gregory, lawyer for the de
fense, admitted Sheriff Alex Norton may
have made mistakes, but said he should
be judged by the voters, not a judge.
District Attorney Jean Powell said
die shcriffhad acted corruptly and should
be removed from office now.
Donald W. Stephens, a superior court
judge from Raleigh, heard those argu
ments Friday after Gregory moved to
dismiss a petition to remove Norton
from his job as sheriff for lack of evi
dence.
District Attorney Powell and County
Attorney Duncan McFadyen filed a pe
tition seeking Norton’s removal on May
7. The trial has ran eaeh weekday from
June 5 to last Friday.
Tlic trial recessed until next Monday
morning when Stephens said he would
make a decision on the motion first
thing. Stephens is taking a week off for
a judges’ conference.
“They have shown some potential
problems,” Grecorv admitted. “Thev’vc
shown maybe some bad judgement, but
they’ve never shown criminal intent.”
“They have picked out some isolated
incidents and have pla\ ed Monday morn
ing quarterback,” he said.
“Some allegations are extremely se
rious and some allegations arc not nearly
as serious,” Powell said.
But Powell, who said tfie sheriff had
to display only one instance of willful
failure to perform his duties to be ousted
from office, said his decision not to
charge Lillie Ann Locklear with a felony
is a clear case of corruption.
The felon with a gun
The petition claims tfie sheriff knew
Lillie Ann Locklear, a drug felon on
probation who worked as a jail cook,
owncrl a gun and diti not charge her with
a felony. It is a felony, as well as viola
tion of probation, for a felon on proba
tion to own a gun.
“There is no question that the sheriff
(See SHFRIFF p.age M
Complaints aired
about taxes, fees
Around Town
I lokc County citizens came to a pub
lic hearing Monday night on the pro
posed budget before the Board of Com
missioners to complain about a new
garbage fee and 4-ccnt tax increase sug
gested by the county manager.
Some even told the board to chal
lenge tftc slate when it mandates pro
grams that must be paid for by county
taxpayers.
In his proposed budget. County Man
ager Barry Reed told commissioners the
county necils new fees to pay for solid
w asie disposal and new taxes to pay for
more suite- and federally-mandated so
cial .services. Tfie hike would also make
up for money lost because HokeCounty’s
population did not grow as fast as ex
pected
“What hapiKiis if you just plain ig
nore the stale of Nortfi Carolina?” asked
Raeford citizen Agnes Mac Campbell.
“Plca.se don ’ t gi \ c i n to the sui le,” s he
said. “Tell them we’re broke.”
“I’m tired of taxes going up,” she
said. “You say you’re doing so much,
but you’re not.”
County Atlomcy Duncan McFadyen
explained the sutie has widespread pow
ers to punish counties that go against its
orders.
“They can sue you in court and get
court orders lhai would eventually make
the county do what they say,” he said.
Olliers complained alxiut the new
gimbage fee; under Reed’s plan, the
county would charge landowners $69
(.See BI inOFT pane 51
By Sam C. Morris
Tfie weather for the past week has
been hot. The thermometer has been in
the 9()s during the day and the lows at
night have been in the 6f)s and low 70s.
The rain last Sunday night was wel
comed by all of us, but especially by the
folks with a garden. I haven’t heard of
any damage from die severe lightning
tJiat came with die siomi.
The forecast for the remainder of the
week calls for the high temperatures to
be in the 90s Wednesday through Satur
day. The lows will be in the 70s. There
is a chance of thundershowers any ilay
with these 90 degree readings.
Anyway, summer will come in next
week. What do we have to look forw ard
to at that lime?
* t *
Peggy Currie told me last Monday
night that she had been to Savannah, Ga.
to visit an uncle of her late husband. The
uncle was Neill D Currie who lived in
this county many years ago. He told
Peggy that he wanted her to give me his
correct zip code for his paper. He said
diat he has been taking die local paper
since 1925 and maybe he is the oldest
subscribcrio TheNews-Journal forcon-
tinuous years.
Neill must have started uiking the
HokeCounty Journal that was published
by die late D. Scott Poole. Paul Dickson
started the Hoke County News about
1927 and purchased Mr. Poole’s paper
in 1928 and combined the two papers
and called it The News-Journal.
So Neill, if 1 don’t hear from some
one who was Uiking the paper before
1925, you are now #1. Your zip code
will be corrected.
* ★ +
Clara Robinson, Post Mistress of the
Raeford Post Office, was by die office
Monday. She said that pieople were still
coming by the office and asking about
(See AROl 'ND page 6)