The
ews
Journal
The 6th issue of our 84th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, May 20,1992
Hoke’s hopes dashed as Kinston gets cargo airport
To the dismay of many Hoke County citizens,
the Kinston Regional Jetport was chosen Tuesday
over the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport to host a
proposed state industrial airport.
Hoke Countians waited with baited breath
yesterday as the Air Cargo Authority deliberated
in Chapel Hill; Gov. Jim Martin had earlier
narrowed the choices to Kinston and Laurinburg.
Representatives from both airports made
presentations to the Authority yesterday, starting
late in the morning. After spending two hours
behind closed doors, the Authority voted 13-1 for
the Kinston site in Lenoir County, east of
Fayetteville.
Factors cited in choosing Kinston over
Laurinburg included higher value of property.
buildings and utilities, an existing control tower
and a bigger, stronger runway.
Backers of the Laurinburg site had predicted
thousands of jobs and massive economic devel
opment would come to the region — including
Hoke — if Transpark came here.
Leaders from Maxton and Laurinburg had
voted to donate the airport and thousands of acres
of land to the state if it sited the huge industrial
park at Laurinburg-Maxton, just across the Hoke
County line.
Hoke joined Scotland and Robeson Counties in
donating money to a lobbying campaign; two
South Carolina counties bordering Scotland
County endorsed the Laurinburg proposal along
with South Carolina lawmakers.
Powell wraps up
case against Morston
%
y
rosecutors in the trial of Kerry
Morston, accused of murdering Southern
Pines police detective Ed Harris, fin
ished presenting evidence to jurors yesterday.
Since Thursday, District Attorney Jean Powell
and Assistant Attorney General William Farrell
called witnesses, policemen and state investiga
tors who painted a picture of an alleged drug
dealer — Bernice McDougald — so angry at
having to flush an ounce of cocaine down the
toilet he directed the murder of the drug detective
who caused the loss.
The night of the murder
Harris was among several police who re
sponded to a report of gunfire the evening of
April 4,1991 at Holiday Town Apartments, a
public housing development in Southern Pines.
Several witnesses testified Harris, during a
search for a gun, found what appeared to be 12
hits of crack cocaine in or near a trash can close
to the apartment of McDougald’s girlfriend. After
seeing McDougald enter tlie apartment, witnesses
said, Harris told McDougald through the front
door that if he had any drugs in the apartment, he
should hide them well because he was going to
get a search warrant.
McDougald later said he had flushed an ounce
of cocaine down the toilet after Harris’ warning,
testified Scott Fairley, who said he was in the
same room with those who were later charged
with killing Harris.
Fairley said McDougald told others over a
bottle of gin to “go out and shoot the hell out of
him.’’
McDougald proceeded to give orders to several
other young men, Fairley said, including Shannon
McKenzie, who was to ring the doorbell at Ed
Harris’ home.
McKenzie, who pled guilty earlier to lesser
charges, testified Thursday he rang the doorbell
to Harris’ western Hoke home and ran away
while Morston shot Harris several times with a 9
millimeter pistol.
Led by McDougald, eight men armed with
three high-powered rifles and, it later turned out,
a 9 millimeter pistol piled into a car to look for
Harris, McKenzie said.
They first went to the Southern Pines police
station “to see if he was there or if he had left,’’
McKenzie said.
When they didn’t find Harris’ green Ford at the
police station, McDougald directed driver John
Chisolm to Ed Harris’ house on Calloway Road
in Hoke County, McKenzie told the jury. The car
stopped just past the house, he said.
“We got out the car,’’ he said. “We walked
down the road.”
While they watched Harris’ house, a car pulled
into the driveway and dropped off a passenger
who entered the house.
“Terry (Evans) and Bernice said it was his
son,” McKenzie said, referring to Anthony
(See TRIAL, page 5)
0"
School Board seeks raise
of $336,221 for budget
Two-fisted action
Hal Siler, president of the Sanford Area Chamber of
Commerce, shows off his ability to draw two Bart
Simpsons at the same time during the Raeford-Hoke
Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet last night.
Siler was featured speaker, poet and cartoonist at the
dinner, at which Clyde Upchurch was honored as Per
son of the Year and the first Leadership Hoke partici
pants received certificates.
Citing state cutbacks, rapid growth and the cost
of running three new schools, the School Board
asked county commissioners Monday night for a
$336,221 raise to be funded by Hoke taxpayers.
The state last year cut back half the money it
sends local school boards for energy — gas,
electricity and fuel for buses. For 1992-1993, the
state will cut the rest of that money.
Hoke Schools will lose $168,(X)0 due to the
cutbacks.
Bill Harrison, superintendent of Hoke Schools,
said the proposed budget included only necessary
increases.
Downtown may get
permanent stage
Downtown Raeford could get a
permanent stage this year if two
Turkey Festival officers get their
way.
Jackie Lynch, director of the
festival, and Marvin Lynne Max
well, a past president, have the
green li^t from the county and the
library’s board of trustees to build
a permanent stage next to the Hoke
County Public Library. But not yet
from the body that owns the land.
Members of the School Board,
which owns the library’s property,
told Lynch and Maxwell they
wanted to see a site plan for the
proposed stage—which would be
built with donations — at their
meeting last Tuesday.
“Hopefully they can call a ses
sion ... to get it approved,” Lynch
said later. “Then we’ll go from
there.”
“This is not a Turkey Festival
stage,” Maxwell told the School
Board last Tuesday. “This is for
the community, the school sys
tem, churches, any organization
that would like to use the stage.”
‘The Turkey Festival is just ini
tiating this and getting the action
done,” Lynch explained.
The North Carolina Turkey Fes
tival sets up a temporary stage next
to the library for entertainment each
September. After seven seasons,
that stage is wearing out.
The North CarolinaTurkey Fes
tival board of directors plans to
build a new “library stage” any
way Maxwell said yesterday.
(See STAGE, page 9)
Fayetteville man
arrested in shooting
“1 think if we took away the new schools...
and some of those things that we have little or no
control over, this would be a little growth or no
growth budget,” Harrison said.
Among other things, the proposal asks Hoke
taxpayers to:
• raise salaries from $175 to $250 per tenured
teacher. Teacher salaries are paid by the state, but
most school systems offer locally funded supple
ments.
“Our teacher supplements are not anywhere
close to being competitive with surrounding
(See BUDGET, page 12)
Around Town
A Fayetteville man shot another
man three times after he found his
esuanged wife and the man together
atamotel early Sunday, according to
a sheriffs report.
Martin Steven Parker, 47, was
charged with trying to kill David
Draughon, 52, an unemployed
Raeford man, according to the re
port.
Parker fired six shots from a .38
caliber pistol at Draughon in a room
at the Raeford Irm about 2:15 a.m.
Draughon was hit once in the chest
and twice in the legs, according to
the report.
Draughon returned fire with a .22
caliber rifle, according to the report,
shooting 10 times at Parker but miss
ing.
Parker was arrested by Ken
Weston, a trooper with the State
Highway Patrol, who was first law
man on the scene.
Detectives recovered both guns,
and a bullet from Draughon’s ankle,
said Mike Underwood, acaptain with
the Hoke County Sheriffs Depart
ment.
Parker was released on $10,000
bond.
Man charged
with molesting 5-year old
A Hoke County man was charged
Friday with molesting a five-year
old girl in April.
Wilburt Cecil Thompson, 50, of
1189 Poole Road was charged with a
first degree sex offense that he alleg
edly committed April 20, according
to a sheriff’s report. Thompson was
released on $5,000 bond.
An April 24 examination of the
girl by Chapel Hill doctors revealed
sexual trauma, according to the re
port.
(See SHOOTING, page 4)
By Sam C. Moms
The weather for the past week
was very seasonable. The tempera
lures during the day were m the 80s
and the lows at night were in the 50s
and 60s. We had some rain last
Wednesday and again Monday night
and Tuesday. )t helped, but with the
wind and warm weather it is dry
again.
The forecast calls for a cool front
to move through the state Tuesday
and the temperatures for Wednesday
and Thursday will be in the 70s dur
ing the day and the lows at night will
be in the 50s. Friday and Saturday
the highs will be in the 80s and the
lows will be in the 60s. There could
be some rain on Thursday.
* * *
T his coming weekend will be Me
morial Day holidays.
Most people will take Saturday,
Sunday and Monday. Many people
will be traveling to the beaches and
the mountains to spend these days.
So if you and your family are going
to be on the highways over the holi
days please drive safely. The life
you save may be your own.
« «
Recently I wrote in this column
that Raz Autry said that he could
place wheel chairs with people in
need. The item brought forth two
wheelchairs and they have both been
placed in homes with people who
need them.
Now Raz says that he could use
some more chairs. So if you missed
the last request, how about looking
in your basement or attic and let Raz
pick up a wheelchair that isn’t being
used. I know that it will be put to
good use and I know that you will
feel better knowing that someone in
need has been helped by you.
* * *
It is just over a week before we
will go to the polls again to elect two
county commissioners for Hoke
County. There are four candidates
running for the two seats and so far
(See AROUND, page 12)