The
ews
Journal
The 42nd issue of our 84th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, January 27,1993
Head Start teachers accused of overdosing students fired
Two teachers at the Duffie Head Start school
were fired last Wednesday for allegedly overdos
ing a four-year-old student in November.
The two teachers, whom officials would not
name, were removed permanently following a
suspension period while state and agency investi
gators tracked the complaint of one parent who
said the pair overmedicated her son on his Ritalin
prescription and never reported the incident to
her.
A North Carolina Daycare Licensing Agency
official in the abuse and neglect office said the
agency received a report on December 30 regard
ing the southern Hoke County center at Duffie
and was conducting an investigation in coopera
tion with the Department of Social Services.
The executive director for the grantee agency of
Head Start, Four County Community services, said
“all of our concerns have been appropriately dealt
with.”
Richard Greene, the executive director, said in
an earlier interview that his agency was conduct
ing an investigation of claims of wrong-doing at
the center.
Tammy Kahabak said her son, who began
attending the center this fall, was given too much
of his medicine by teachers. And, she said, they
never told her or the administrator on the day of
the incident.
Four County board member Charles Davis said
he was “shocked” when he learned of the allega-
(See TEACHERS, page 5)
ci
f9 ^
Mrs. King’s McLauchlin School class enjoys the company of D.A.R.E. off icer Janice Mincey. The class won a contest sponsored by program organizers.
Officers ‘D.A.R.E.’ to make a difference
By the glint in her eye and the
easy smile, you can tell Janice
Mincey likes her job.
After all, police officers usu
ally receive jeers and curses, not
hugs.
Either way, Mincey doesn’t
mind - as long as she can make a
difference.
As one of two Hoke D.A.R.E.
officers, Mincey says she gets
many hugs and even more satis
faction.
“When you have to arrest a high
school or middle school student, you
feel a certain sadness,” Mincey said.
“Sometimes I wonder what if their
lifestyle had been different, if they
had been taught a more positive al
ternative, what then?”
That “sadness” drives her to work
in the Hoke schools in addition to her
normal schedule to try to help chil
dren stay away from drugs and crime.
Mincey, a police officer with the
Raeford Police Department, said she
ihitially heard of the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education program in
Cumberland County and it impressed
her with its positive reinforcement
of children.
As a mother of five and a law
enforcement officer, she wanted to
see a D.A.R.E. program in Hoke
County schools.
“It’s geared to making them feel
good about themselves and feci
good about saying no,” she said.
The D.A.R.E. program
stemmed from a joint effort by
Los Angeles law enforcement and
its school system, where gangs
and drugs permeated even to the
elementary school levels.
To many Hoke parents, the
Los Angeles scenario may seem
more like a “not in my backyard
(See D.A.R.E., page 9)
Voters are asked to approve funding
for next phase of Hoke’s water system
February 9 will be the day of
reckoning for Hoke County’s water
system. That’s when voters will de
cide whether to approve issuance of
$3.7 million in bonds to finance ex
pansion of the current water system.
A vote for bond issuance in the
referendum will allow the county to
close out Phase 1 of the water system
and move into Phase II.
County Manager Barry Reed said
it will allow the county to bring wa
ter to virtually all geographic areas
of the county and “fill in some gaps
to make Phase I better.”
He said the primary focus of Phase
II of the three-part plan would bring
water to western Hoke without in
creasing the tax rate.
The bonds would total $3,730,000
and would cover construction and
installation of wells and water mcal-
ment facilities, water storage tanks
and include the cost of purchasing
additional land and rights of way for
the project.
Tentative plans include adding a
ii'w
Thomas named Kiwanis
‘Citizen of the Year’
Sarah Margaret McNeill (right) pins on a corsage lor her daughter, Kay
Thomas, the Citizen ol the Year.
The Raeford KiwanisClub named
Kay Thomas its Citizen of the Year,
and presented the award at its annual
Ladies Night event, held at Chason’s
Barbecue in Lumber Bridge Thurs
day.
Thomas was the second woman
honored with the award since the
club established it in 1950; Josephine
Hall received the honor in 1960.
The award recognizes the “prime
movers” in Hoke County, said club
member Harold Gillis, who re
counted Thomas’ involvement in
civie activities.
Gillis said the award goes to the
person who “enhances the quality of
life of our people” and best typifies
Grass roots
planning
kicked off
Committee picks officers
new tank and well in the Arabia area
and a well in the airport area. Also
slated for the next step is the take
over of the extant McCain water
system
and U-catment facility in the west
ern part of the county.
Reed said 1 ast year that the McCai n
(Sec WATER, page 9)
the Kiwanis motto of “we build.”
He said Thomas’ church and civic
contributions had a “thread of assis
tance woven throughout everything.”
She has served in various offices,
includingpresidency,ofthe Raeford
Woman’s Club, and was the club’s
Clubwoman of the Year in 1979.
Gillis said her leadership wasinstru-
menlal in establishment of the
campership program for underprivi
leged children; The Attic, the fore-
runnerofSharc-Your-Christmas; and
Hoke County’s Festival, part of the
celebration of the Bicentennial.
She has been involved with RIF
(Reading is Fundamental), the
(See CITIZEN, page 5)
“Change comes whether you
want it or not. Do you want to
sit back and probably be over
whelmed ?" — Jim Dougherty
H oke’s growth will
have direction if a
grass roots group
has its way. On Monday night,
leaders from around the county
formed a steering committee for
strategic planning in Hoke.
After a presentation by
representatives from the Lumber River Council of Government,
Pembroke State’s Office of Economic Development and the state,
the group of about 25 selected Kay Thomas as president to guide
the steering committee through the beginning stages. Other execu
tive officers are Jean Hodges as vice president, Barbara Buie as
secretary and Jan Dial-Smith as treasurer.
Just what this new committee will do rests largely with mem
bers and the community, speakers said.
The committee must “take all the issues and boil them dowm
and come up with three to six key issues.” Bruce Maddox told the
prospective committee members. Maddox, with PSU’s economic
development office, worked with several counties to fonn their
individualized grow th plans.
“We’re not here to tell you what to do with your community,”
Jim Dougherty, chief planner with the North Carolina Department
of Natural Resources and Community Development’s Fayetteville
Regional office, told the assembly.
He said the steering committee would, w ith the aid of task
forces, help spark action among community members to carve out
a plan for Hoke’s future.
“You’ll see positive results that will advance Hoke County and
move it where you want it to be,” Dougherty said. “You need to
decide the most important three to six issues facing Hoke County.
Develop a range of things that are achievable and inexpensive, but
highly visible. The most important things you think will move
Hoke County ahead. You’re actively involved in making the
future the way you want it to be.”
The consensus seems to be that growth is the future.
Hoke’s last census count of approximately 22,(X)() residents
(See STRATEGY, page 4)
Axe falls on local Sears
Raeford will lose an old friend as
the Sears catalog store prepares to
close its doors.
Operator Canoll Scarborough
said he was surprised when he heard
the news Monday morning that the
company will close the store some
time this year.
The “Big Book” will fall to the
wayside amid company cutbacks and
following what retailers believed to
be a revamping.
Scarborough said about 100 of
(See SEARS, page 5)
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
I don’t believe that we need any
more rain for a few weeks. Thursday
and Sunday it rained, and with the
ground already soaked, it left
puddles in the fields. There was
wind and lightning on Sunday and I
read where power lines were down
in the western part of the county.
The temperatures over the weekend
had highs in the 70s, so part of the
weekend was good for outdoor
activities.
The forecast calls for the tem
peratures on Wetlnesday to have a
high of about 50 and the low will be
in the 20s. On Thursday, Friday and
Saturday we will see the highs in the
50s tuid the lows in the 30s. There
could be some rain on Wednesday.
So far this winter we have
escaped the snow and sleet, but we
have had several big frosts.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ *
The Raeford Kiwanis Club held
their annual ladies night last Thurs
day night at Chason’s in Lumber
Bridge. Every year since the late
1940s the club has announced the
“Citizen of the Year’ at the banquet.
This year the 1992 Citizen of the
Year for Hoke County was Kay
Thomas. (See article about her
achievements in the writings
elsewhere in the paper).
Kay is the second woman to win the
award. The other winner was the late
Josephine Hall. We want to offer our
congratulations to Kay and 1
(See AROUND, page 12)