The
ews
Journal
The 46th issue of our 84th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, February 24,1993
Group threatens suit against County if jail doesn’t comply
If County officials don’t resolve iail overcrowdinp. overcrowdinp nlaro? mn mnrh «irain r>n th.^ r.iH Mr. . ,
If County officials don’t resolve jail overcrowding,
they will face a lawsuit.
Representatives of Prison Legal Services said they
are prepared to take Hoke to court if it won’t make
legally-mandated improvements.
Suggested improvements range from providing a
small law library and room to exercise, to safety
features.
Attorney Michael S. Hamden with PLS said the jail
overcrowding places too much strain on the old
building and the prisoners.
“Prisoners reported to me they couldn’t .shower or
if they did it was a cold shower,” he said, because the
facility lacks adequate plumbing to meet the heavy
use.
Chief Jailer A1 Schwarchber said he submitted
three proposals to the county for plumbing improve
ments within the last year.
No improvements were made.
“The shower’s still a problem,” he said.
County Manager Barry Reed said the county fixes
plumbing problems as they arise, but a new Jail or
regional jail may make the replacements moot.
He said the $13,000 to $15,(X)0 replacements
would co.st the county too much if it builds a new jail
this summer (an option before the County Commis
sioners).
“We’re not going to ignore the problem,” Reed
said. “As something occurs, we fix it.”
But the continually rising jail population places the
need for new jail facilities on the critical list.
“The jail has a rated capacity of 31 and they often
have twice that. In terms of what that does to the
facility, the building wears out. That has an impact on
the quality of life in the jail,” Hamden said.
(Sec JAIL, page 4)
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Corie Haskins practices calligraphy. She is one of Hoke County’s home school students, whose parents have opted for teaching their children at
hone instead of sending them to public or private schools.
They take school into own hands, homes
When Jan and Dan Stanley moved to North
Carolina from Indianapolis they enrolled their
nine-year-old son, Nathan, in private school. A
product of the Indianapolis public schools,
Nathan couldn’t read.
After being told their son needed additional
tutoring, the Stanleys decided to take their son ’ s
education into their own haiids - and home.
The Stanleys are only one of an estimated
6,000 North Carolina families who made the
leap from traditional schools to home school.
This grassroots approach to education isn’t
new to Hoke County, but it is gaining momen
tum. “We’re very seriously thinking about it,”
said local prosecutor Mike Schmidt with the
District Attorney’s office. “I prosecute and I
know what can happen in the public schools.”
Another parent said her son suffered mental
abuse for two and a half years at the hands of his
teachers in public school. After at least a year of
“It’s not a school at home, it’s a
lifestyle. You don’t just learn between
eight and three. Everything’s educa
tional.’’ — Harriet Shooter
therapy, she said home school would prevent
her son from further harm.
(See HOME SCHOOL, page 10)
Raeford’s cable television rates going up again
Cablevision Industries, which pro
vides cable T.V. service to Raeford
is raising rates beginning in May.
The company says yet another in
crease may come in 1993 because of
new legislation.
CVl General Manager Ted Crane
said the company is increasing its
monthly charge for the Expanded
Service tier by $2 to $11.45. Ex
panded Service is a 19-channel tier
including CNN, EXPN, and USA
Network, which is offered in addi
tion to the company’s Basic Recep
tion Service.
Starting June 1st, the Expanded
Service Tier will also include The
Sci-Fi Channel. Sci-Fi offers sci
ence fiction movies, scries and origi
nal programs. This is a service re
quested by many in the CVI viewing
area. Crane said.
The monthly rate for CVTs Basic
Reception Service will remain at its
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Open Arms Rest Home resident Mabel Tapp turned 102 last year, but in all her years, she had never seen herself
on T.V. That changed when Willard Scott honored her Wednesday on NBC. Watching with her are two of her
children, B.rooks and J.D.
Sexual abuse
four times
more frequent
I n the three months since December, the number of reported
sexual abuse cases of Hoke children nears the total for all of
last year’s reports, law enforcement officials and social service
workers said.
“Sexual abuse is on the rise, either because more are reporting it
or it’s (incidences) on the rise,” Susan Moss said.
Moss serves as the Hoke Department of Social Services social
work supervisor.
Moss said in 1990-91 fiscal year, 15 sexual abuse cases were
reported compared to the 14 made since December of 1992.
“I think we’re seeing an increase in the number of male victims
that we investigate,” Moss said.
Classically, Moss and her staff said, Hoke’s most rampant abuse
came as neglect. But they said that trend is shifting to sexual abuse.
Substantiated sexual abuse cases of children rose statewide
14.42 percent from the 1990-91 fiscal year to the 1991-1992 fiscal
year, according to the North Carolina Division of Social Services
Central Registry Data.
Overall abuse reported statewide rose during the same period
123.08 percent.
(See ABUSE, page 5)
1992 level of $11.50. Basic Recep
tion Service, channels4-13, includes
local broadcast stations and the cable
superstations WTBS-Atlanta and
WGN-Chicago.
Basic Reception Service and the
Expanded Service tier, in combina-
(See CABLE, page 4)
Man charged
with shooting
half brother
A Hoke County man was shot alleg
edly by his half-brother on Friday.
According Sheriff s Detective Wayne
Gardner, 29-ycar-old Bobby Mims and
Douglas Thomas went to a local pond
off Chisolm Road to relax Friday after
noon.
The two men, and a friend, were
drinking beer, Gardner said, when the
two men began to argue. Allegedly Tho
mas pulled out a pistol and shot Mims in
the stomach.
Mims was taken to Cape Fear Valley
Medical Center and is reported to be in
satisfactory condition.
Thomas, 42, was arrested and charged
with assault with a deadly weapon in
flicting serious injury. He’s being held
(See CRIME, page 5)
Family’s hope fades
as child nears death
Seven-year-old Christian
Rhodes walked into pre-op at
Duke Medical Center playing her
keyboard and dancing. Hours later
on that October day, she didn’t
walk out.
Now her keyboard sits idle as
she lost most muscle control and
she can no longer sing or dance;
she can’t even walk or speak, ex
cept to say a warbled “hi.”
“Cricket,” as she’s known to
family and friends, sits propped
on pillows as her mother waits
eagerly to help her move - they
cannot afford the specialized
wheelchair forthe child. And with
Medicare only partially covering
medical expenses and no insur
ance to offset the over $8,(X)0 in
medical bills. Cricket’s family
can’t establish credit to borrow
money to purchase her equipment.
“She went into the operating
room playing her keyboard that
morning and dancing,” mother
Debbie Manning said. “Everyone
knew her at Duke because of her
Christian Rhodes
key
board.
She u.scd
to be able
to do ev
erything
with it.
Now she
just can’t
get up
there at
it.”
Cricket has so far survived a
breech birth, hydrocephalus, sev
eral tumors, seizures, pneumonia
in both lungs, paralysis of the vo
cal chords, blood clots, chemo
therapy, hearing loss, hormone
treatments, and bleeding on the
brain.
She missed her first birthday
party due to a three and one-half
hour grand mal seizure.
Cricket first adopted the key
board about a year ago. Manning
said. Sheclaimed it from herolder
sister.
(See FADES, page 5)
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
The weather goes from one extreme
to another. Last Friday the temperature
showed a high of 40 degrees.
On Monday the high was in the 70s.
There was a thunderstonn early Mon
day morning and the thunder and light
ning was rough for about 45 minutes. If
it didn’t wake you up, then you are a
sound sleejrer. 1 don’t know how much
rain we had, but it must have been more
than a quarter of an inch.
There was snow in the northern and
eastern part of the state Saturday. This is
thefirstrecordcdsnowfall in thrce years.
Jacksonville, on the coast, had one inch
of snow. We had only rain.
The forecast calls for a cold front to
come into die state Tuesday and the
mercury will drop in die thermometer.
The highs on Wednesday and Thursday
will be in the40s and the lows in the 20s.
On Friday and Saturday we will see the
highs m the 50s and the lows in the 30s.
There is a chance of rain on Thursday
and Friday. So far the winter weather
hasn’t been too rough.
I found the following note on my
desk Monday morning.
Dear Sam:
Just an update on the “Covington
Deer.” We are diligendy contacting art
ists in regard to the restoration of the
deer and are ready to accept contribu
tions toward this endeavor. A bank ac
count has been opened through the
Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce
and gifts may be left at the Chamber or
mailed to 101 North Main St., Raeford,
NC2S376. Make checks payable to Deer
Restoration (lax deductible).
Thanks,
Gladdie Harrison.
If you are interested in the restoration
of these deer, then send your check to
(See AROUND, page 10)
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