The
ews
Journal
The 20th issue of our 84th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, August 26,1992
Medical center controversy resolved with signing of lease
After a spring impasse followed by weeks of
negotiations, members of the Hoke County
Medical Complex, Inc. and the Hoke Family
Medical Center, Inc. signed a lease for the South
Main Street building.
According to Dr. E. Harvey Estes of the Kate
B. Reynolds Foundation, members of both boards
approved a lease after continual negotiations over
price and time limits. Estes, one of the instru
mental organizers of the new Hoke Family
Medical Center, said Ann Himmelright of the
new organization and Younger Snead of the
HCMC signed a lease last week.
“The monthly lease price was set at $3500 a
month. There was an agreement that the (old)
group would make available an amount to match
$88,000 for any improvements to the building,”
Estes said.
The owners, HCMC, also accepted responsibil
ity for upkeep and general maintenance of the
building, constructed originally to bring in new
doctors to Hoke County.
“That figure does not include utilities, but it
does include maintenance,” he said.
The general terms of the lease, he said, will
allow for a three-year rental of the facility, with
the option to renew the lease at the end of three
years.
Estes Said at the time of the renewal, they wiU
also renegotiate the monthly price tag, “to be no
more than local community standards”.
(See LEASE, page 12)
Junkyard decision
expected in court
me
It
A fter nearly four years of dormancy, a Hoke
County ordinance may finally come out of
limbo.
The so-called “Junkyard Ordinance” awaits a
Court of Appeals decision before the County pur
sues prosecuting more violators under the 1987
local law.
That decision is expected this week.
The initial property owners prosecuted by the
county were Huey 1. Byrd and his wife, Zenobia,
who operated a welding and repair shop.
The Cumberland County couple, according to a
1991 judgement, said the enforcement of the ordi
nance would cost them too much to continue oper
ating their business.
But County officials persevered in the case.
One important issue regarding the “junkyard”
law is the cost of fencing in or planting around the
property’s perimeters.
The Byrd’s attorney presented an estimate of
over $ lOCiOforplanting shnibbery along the grounds,
and an approximation of about $6,700 for wire
fencing.
Regardless of the cost. County Attorney Duncan
McFadyen said the County intends to enforce the
regulation until a court tells it to do otherwise.
But enforcement of the law hinges on the Byrd
case.
The Byrds appealed the 1991 judgement, and if
the Appellate judge agrees with them, the county
will no longer have a junkyard law.
McFadyen said if the judge upholds the earlier
decision, other cases will soon follow.
In fact, he said, several cases are pending, wait
ing for the appellate decision.
If the Court reaches a favorable decision for the
Byrds, junkyard owners and operators will not be
given a free reign of operation.
The state Junkyard Control Act will still be
enforced in the county where it applies.
If a violator fails to comply with the state lav',
their case can be turned over to the state Attorney
General’s office for further action. In fact, three
businesses along US 401 were notified that they
were not in compliance with the state law in 1988.
Sonny Uphole with the Division of Highways
office in Aberdeen, Hoke’s district, said his office
recently received a complaint of a junkyard viola
tion on GS 401 involving several old, decaying
trailers. He said he also received a few complaints
of property owners located along highway 211, but
they were out of state jurisdiction.
Turkey Festival all set
“Hello school operator?
“I need an outside line." Holly Carver found her first day of school in kindergarten at Rockfish-Hoke most rewarding,
but she did seem to want to check in on the home front. Alas, no outside lines from Verna Barnhill’s class. So it’s
back to work, or rather play. (Related stories, page 3.)
Turkey Festival time is just
around the comer and “loose ends
are being tied,” says President
Lynn Worley.
The Festival board of directors
met Monday and determined ev
erything is pretty much falling
into place.
The schedule is set (a printed
version is available at the depot),
entertainment is lined up, 88
craftsmen are signed up to date.
food vendors are lined up, and
even a new turkey suit is re^dy for
duty with a new head, new feet
and tail feathers.
The Festival, Sept. 17-19, is
North Carolina’s official tribute
to the turkey, one of the state’s
top industries. In recent years it
has drawn upwards of 50,000
people, and revolves around the
hallowed turkey cooking contest,
which again this year will be held
at the Hoke Library Thursday, the
17th beginning at noon.
Another top draw this year will
likely be hot air balloon rides by
Bungee Masters, Inc. of
Fayetteville. The $ 10 rides are for
all ages.
Some other new things:
• A Richard Petty safety dis
play. Sound boring? Think again.
This is a hi-tech Petty robot that
(See FESTIVAL, page 9)
Rain: boon or bust for local crops
Eight days of rain left Hoke crops
soggy, but farmers aren’t predicting
major field damage yet.
“We’vecenainly faired belter than
our neighbors to the east,” Gary
Warren of the Cooperative Exten
sion office said.
According to the News-Journal/
Farm Chemicals weather computer,
5.43 inches of rain from August 13to
August 21.
“It’s been a little heavier than
normal,” Warren said of the rains.
“It’s been a little more than we like to
see at one time.”
Warren said the fields should be
dry ing up enough this week for farm
ers to get back into them.
“We had ample water, probably a
(See CROPS, page 5)
Hoke residents asked
to help hurricane victims
The Highlands Chapter of the
American Red Cross has issued
an appeal to Hoke County resi
dents for financial assistttnce for
victims of Hurricane Andrew.
The Red Cross provides emer
gency food, clothing and shelter
and other assistance for those af
fected by disasters.
Direct assistance is given in
the form of purchase vouchers to
allow the victims to purchase ex
actly what is needed. This method
allows the families to “participate
in their own recovery and sup
ports the economy of die affected
area,” the Red Cross says.
“Making a direct cash contri
bution to relief efforts is the most
efficient way of helping,” said
BobZiegler, executive directorof
(See DISASTER, page 12)
Around Town
With fields still too wet from rain for ground-based spraying, many farmers turn to aerial spraying for pest control. Larry Upchurch, pilot of this plane, says
crop dusting is booming.
Some readers of this Column
seemed to doubt the rainfall m the
city and county last week because of
the source of my informaiioix. These
sources tell me that the figures are
correct. Maybe 1 should gel Robert
Gatlin to supply me the information,
since he wasn’t doubted while he
furnished the figures.
I am glad that the Hurricane An
drew kept on its westward course
and hit Florida rather than North
Carolina. It was far enough south
that we didn’t have any effects from
the storm. 1 hope that as it works its
way across the gulf it will reduce
windspeed and play itself out.
Summer did return this week, but
not with the 100 degree weather of
last month. The forecast for the re
mainder of the week calls for the
highs Wednesday through Friday to
be in the 90s during the day and the
lows at night will be in the 70s.
Saturday the high will be in the high
80s and the low will be in the 60s.
There is a chance of rain Friday and
Saturday.
* * +
The political season is now here
and it is not only the national candi
dates, such as president and vice-
president who want your vote. Dur
ing the past two weeks 1 have re
ceived letters from senatorial candi
dates and letters from congressional
candidates.
What is strange to me is that this
year I received letters from both the
Democrat and Republican candidates
for the office of senator. The letters
(See AROUND, page 12)