The
ews
Journal
The 1st issue of our 84th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, April 15,1992
Republicans, Indians gaining voting strength in Hoke
It’s a slow change, but it’s a trend: the Repub
lican Party is gaining ground in Hoke County.
According to Hoke election records, the GOP
has gained members steadily over the past four
years, even after records were purged following
the 1988 presidential election.
At this time in 1988, Republicans made up 6.8
percent of the voting population; now it makes up
just over 11 percent of Hoke voters.
The Democratic Party, which still holds sway
over Hoke politics, fell from 92.46 percent of all
voters to 86.30 percent in the same period.
Another voting block that has increased
steadily over the years is those who belong to
neither party; unaffiliated voters.
In April of 1988, only 66 people had registered
without a party membership.
Now that number is up to 237—2.6 percent of
the voting rolls.
This year, Indians have gained a litde ground,
while blacks and whites have fallen slightly.
Since April 1990,194 Indians have registered
to vote in Hoke, bringing their percentage of the
voting population up from 8.08 percent to 9.37
percent.
Indians and blacks lost voters from their ranks
after election records were purged following the
1988 presidential election.
From April 1988 to April 1990, Indians lost
132 voters while blacks lost 512.
Whites, who still make up the largest voting
(See ELECTION, page 5)
fj
Hood ornament
"Atticus Fetch," a mixed Boston terrier goes along for
the ride whenever Harless Wright has any sort of tractor
duty to perform at his SouthHoke farm. The dog’s been
Hoke Rescue Squad marks 30 years
I
RE
Last charter member
calls it quits this year
The Hoke County Rescue
Squad is 30 years old in 1992 and
marked the occasion with a retire-
mentparty foritslast charter mem
ber.
Jim Wade, who called it quits
in February, was also honored as
Squadsman of the Year.
Wade has been an officer in the
squad over half of his three de
cades as a member, serving in
such capacities as vice-com
mander and treasurer.
The Rescue Squad was formed
in 1962. It began as a civic project
by the Raeford Moose Lodge
which organized and maintained
it. It’s first piece of equipment
was a Lentz Mortuary ambulance.
In 1965, it became an indepen
dent non-profit organization.
Other milestones:
• 1971 — An open house was
held at a newly constructed Res
cue Squad building on Adams
Street, the site currently in use.
• 1973 -r Hoke’s first “jaws of
life” tool (and one of the first four
purchased in N.C.) was purchased
and classes began to familiarize
members with its use. The tool is
25 years ago: Eric Allen, commander (left to right); Jim Wade, vice
commander; Neil Smith, executive vice commander with the Squad's
only vehicle.
used to pry victims from vehicles.
• 1975 — The Squad began and
completed its first emergency medi
cal tech course certifying members
for basic life support. Also that year.
Squad members began using pagers.
• 1976 — Heavy Rescue—extri
cation, rescue from high-up places
— was added.
• 1981 — The Squad’s building
was expanded. Second jaws of life
tool purchased.
• 1982—Water rescue was added
using boats and diving equipment.
• 1991 — Another heavy res
cue vehicle added to serve grow
ing county.
Last year, it answered 573 calls
performing such duties as:
• assisting Emergency Medical
Services with ambulance calls
• providing ambulance service
when EMS is on other calls
responding to vehicle acci
dents
Attendance lines
drawn for Rockfish
Will be county’s only mainly white school
S chool Board members last night voted 3-2
to draw attendance lines for Rockfish
Hoke Elementary School, now under
construction in eastern Hoke County.
Carved out of Scurlock Elementary’s atten
dance zone, Rockfish will be the only school in
Hoke County with a majority of white students.
The school will be 63 percent white, 32 per
cent black and five percent Indian, according to
figures compiled by a committee charged with
proposing attendance lines for the school.
Rockfish School will relieve only heavily
crowded Scurlock School which houses 894
students on a campus designed for about 400.
Scurlock’s student population will drop to around
525 as Rockfish takes 369 students.
Thus, the addition of Rockfish School will also
change the racial ratios at Scurlock, making it a
heavily black school.
According to school data, Scurlock’s ratios
will change from 37 percent white, 55 percent
black and seven percent Indian to 19 percent
white, 71 percent black and 19 percent Indian.
John D. McAllister and Charlotte Kelly, who
voted against the plan, said they preferred a plan
that would better balance the racial numbers.
McAllister warned the approved plan would
start Rockfish off “behind the eight-ball” by
putting it far out of racial balance.
The plan he and Kelly preferred would place
more blacks in Rockfish School, but would mean
more bus travel for some students, particularly in
the Tylertown area.
It was that extra travel time that two board
members — Chairman Shirley Gibson and Bobby
Conoly — objected to.
However, Gibson said, the ratio of races “isn’t
ideal, obviously, for all of us.”
Board member Dwight Oxendine said he
(See SCHOOLS, page 5)
Candidates tackle the issues
riding atop the tractor from his puppy days. He doesn’t
seem to mind the engine’s heat, and hasn’t noticed
there’s only one seat on the tractor.
This week, The News-Journal pre
sents a list of five questions posed to
canidates for Hoke County Commis
sion, District Attorney and Register of
Deeds. What follows are their answers,
begi nning first with candidates for Com
mission.
What is Hoke’s biggest
problem? How do you
plan to meet this chal*
lenge?
Charles Crowder: Many of tiie prob
lems in Hoke County stem from being a
poor county.
I would work to recruit new industry,
as this would increase the tax base, as
well as create new jobs. This would also
help keep taxes down for the citizens of
Hoke County.
Jean Hodges: Hoke County’s biggest
problem is the economy. Good edu
cation, good law enforcement, adequate
fire protection and recreational facilities
all contribute to our quality of life and all
depend on a sound economy.
I would like to help create a sound,
viable plan to increase business and in
dustry which includes building a trained,
educated employment base. It’simpera-
tive that we expand our area with, the
right type of economic growth, broaden
ing the tax base rather than increasing
the taxes.
Maggie Hunt: Hoke’s biggest problem
is rapid growth in the eastern part of the
county by Cumberland County devel
opers and residents. The commissioners
must be ready to accept this growth and
prepare for the future.
1. New economic planner must work
with the developers in the eastern part of
the county to ensure good communica
tion between commissioners and new
industry.
2. Provide water and sewage to new
industry.
Elizabeth Jones: Illiteracy and the wel
fare programs. I think we need to edu
cate the people in the work force better.
Make it mandatory that children stay in
school and to check on our social ser
vices recipients alittle closer. This would
be a start. Next thing we need to do is to
make available more shopping places so
our revenue will stay here.
Riley Jordan: Apathy, reluctance to get
involved, district—get people involved
in talking with each other — various
(See ELECTION ’92, page 8)
(See RESCUE, page 4)
Leadership Hoke groups detail
ideas on education, recreation
Over the past week. The News-Jour
nal interviewed five participants in the
first annual Leadership Hoke institute.
These, the first of a series of interviews,
are aimed at letting institute participants
share a little of what they learned while
preparing case studies of important as
pects of Ihe county.
All five of the participants were im
pressed with the program. All agreed
Leadership Hoke’s biggest contribution
was getting to know leaders in the com
munity.
“It educates you as to who to see if
you’ve got a problem,” Don Sanderson
said.
“I might have been too quick to Judge
some of them,” Kent Vesser said of
government employees.
None felt the program made him an
instant leader, but Sanderson said it
would be much easier to take on leader
ship in the community. “I feel better
prepared if that was the route that I
wanted to take,” he said.
Leadership Hoke is sponsored by the
Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce
and Sandhills Community College; par
ticipants have spent one full day each
month since August making themselves
familiar with aspects of Hoke County—
its government, history, schools,
economy and more.
Taking on the schools
Wowra, personnel manager at House
of Raeford’s turkey plant, describes him
self and his two partners as community
leaders.
“I think you’re seeing three guys here
who give a lot of time and effort,” he said
near the end of an interview Friday.
Even so, with Ken Tedder, produc
tion manager at Hoke Rubber Co. and
Kent Vesser, personnel manager for
Burlington Industries, the three at first
seemed an unlikely group to study edu
cation in Hoke County.
Look again.
(See LEADERSHIP, page 12)
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
The weather did warm up last week
and the weekend had temperatures i n the
80s. The 60-degree temperature Mon
day felt cool and with the wind out of the
north it was unpleasant at times. The
rain Sunday night was needed, but we
can use some more.
The forecast calls for the thermom
eter to start rising again. The highs on
Wednesday and Thursday will be in the
high 70s and on Friday and Saturday the
readings will again be in the 80s. The
lows will mostly be in the 50s for this
period. Rain is forecast for Friday and
Saturday, but only showers.
The forecast for Easter Sunday is for
the highs to be in the 70s and the low will
be in the 50s. We could have some rain
on Easter Sunday.
4 * *
Most churches in the city and county
should be crowded on Easter, as the little
children show off their Easter outfits.
With the lovely forecast the Easter Pa
rade at church this Sunday should bring
out many who wouldn’t attend at other
times.
* ^ *
The cold weather hurt some of the
crops and it also hurt some of the azalea
bushes around the city. The warm
weather last week brought out most of
the azaleas and they are now on display
at most homes in the city.
It seems to me that more and more
people are taking care of their yards and
lawns than ever before. Of course the
advertised gardens are beautiful, but if
you will take the time and drive around
Raeford you will see some beautiful
azalea bushes and many other plants and
flowers. This is a good advertisement
for Raeford. Keep it up!
♦ ♦ ♦
Politics is on the minds of many of
our citizens. It seems that there is a
(See AROUND, pagel6)