Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / April 21, 1993, edition 1 / Page 1
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The ews Journal The 2nd issue of our 85th year RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA 25 CENTS Wednesday, April 21,1993 Nurses’ aid program jeapordized by lack of teachers Almost 20 years passed before Dahlia Singletary walked back into a classroom as a student. The working mother of three said if nurse’s assistant classes were not offered locally, she might not have her degree or new job. But now the popular program may fizzle if an other teacher cannot be found. Sandhills Community College Hoke Center may look small, but its contribution to the community isn’t, say former students. Singeltary worked for 19 years with a laboratory while rearing her children. Then, with one at home and two at college, the chance came for her to make a career change. \ ' « Alice in Wonderland? No, just 4-year-old Brittany h/icManus enjoying the Madhatter mural at the Hoke Health Department. Brittany accompanied her aunt, employee Blaire Smathers at the Department’s Health Week luncheon Tuesday. The mural was painted by a Hoke art student. Health Center works to counter health issues pressing County AIDS, pre-natal health problems and heart disease press upon Hoke County. Officials hope people will take the time this week. Public Health Week, to find out what services are available here and take a closer look at the courity’s pressing health issues. “It’s all about teaching people to take care of themselves,” said Michelle Kralicek with the Hoke County Health Department. Kralicek, a recent addition at the department who serves as the center’s health educator, said people should find out more about preventive health meth ods. “We try real hard to offer things not just for our “There are lots of jobs out there. There’s just not enough people in this field right now,” Singeltary said of the health industry. While the rest of the country worries over rising unemployment rates, the health industry booms. And some Hoke residents could boom with it. According to 1990 Census data, about one-fifth ol Hoke Countians live below the poverty level. Only 8.36 of Hoke’s adult population graduated from college. Singeltary and her colleagues said Sandhills’ (See NURSES, page 11) Board kills transfer station Fires County Manager Reed A fter months of study and the subsequent purchase of 20 acres of land, the Hoke County Commission turned down a con ditional use permit for its own waste transfer site Monday night, effectively ending the project. The Commission also fired County Manager Barry Reed, citing “an accumulation of things.” Reed had already turned in his resignation — a week ago — effective April 30. The transfer station the commission rejected was a key part of Hoke’s plan to dispose of garbage for the next 21 years. It would have been a collection and compaction site for the County’s garbage. Gar bage trucks would have unloaded at the site so more efficient tractor trailers could truck the garbage to a landfill in Cumberland County. Reed predicted the scrapping of the site could ultimately cost the county $5 million or more over 30 years. The Commission took the action following a recommendation by the Raeford-Hoke Planning Board, which was concerned about the proximity of a food processing plant to the site, off US 401. Planner Karen Burd said the Planning Board based its recommendation largely on the advice of a food .science expert from the N.C. Cooperative Exten sion Service in Raleigh. John Quinn, owner of food manufacturer Quinn Specialties, told commissioners he asked the food science expert to attend the Planning Board meeting because he was concerned the transfer site would harm his business. Hoke Cooperative Extension director Carol Birckhead read a prepared statement saying the expert’s appearance violated Extension policy be cause local Extension officials weren’t notified. Had they been, she said, they would have provided a balanced panel. She said the person who spoke admitted he didn’t know what a transfer station is. “The solid waste system depends on this site. This has costly ramifications for the County if the project doesn't go through. ” —Reed Commissioner Cleo Bratcher first moved to deny the conditional use permit for the station, but his motion died for lack of a second. He said he wanted to heed the Planning Board. Commissioner Tom Howell then moved to grant the permit, and the move was seconded by Riley Jordan, but the subsequent vote was two to two, Bratcher and James l^ach opposing. Because Chair man L.E. McLaughlin was absent tor health rea sons, the tied vote meant failure for the permit. Ironically, Bratcher was a member of a Commis sion committee that recommended purchase of the site last year. The committee recommended the concept for the transferstation to cope with the imminent closure of the Raeford-Hoke Landfill. Another committee member, Tom Howell, vis ibly disgusted with the Commission decision, re signed from the committee after Monday’s vote. “We have got to have a site for a transfer station,” he said before the vote. “We’ve got some serious time problems here.” Reed said after the meeting, the County will have to truck garbage directly to Cumberland County in the short term, bypassing the more efficient transfer station. He predicted the County will end up build ing a transfer site at the landfill on available land there, but at a cost. He said monitoring requirements (See CQUNTY, page 6) Zoning change approved for planned shopping center With a recent controversy over denying the location of a shopping center still fresh on their minds, Hoke County Commissioners quickly approved the rezoning of land along US 401 Bypass to per mit construction of another shop ping center Monday night. The 21-acre tract of land is at 401 and Johnson Mill Road, near the Hoke-Cumberland county line. Unlike the previous shopping cen ter, access to the site would be from a side road, not US 401. The con cern of traffic congestion and other problems caused the Raeford-Hoke Planning Board and Hoke Com mission to turn dow n the previous shopping center, also near the county line. Hoke citizens, anxious for development and an increase in the tax base, reacted vocally when the previous proposal was first killed. At Monday night’s meeting Planner Karen Burd made it clear (See BUSINESSES, page 5) clients, but for the general public,” she said. One issue on the rise is childhood immunizations. During recent years Kralicek said the fear of child hood diseases faded, and parents became lax in immu nizations of their children. “People think polio no longer exists.” But the very real threat still exists, she said, and parents need to take advantage of increased immuni zation funding to care for their children. Parents need also worry about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Hoke. As a former AIDS task force worker, she said more (See HEAl TH, page 4) Police warn illegal parkers ChiefJames Murdock with the Raeford City Police warns careless parkers around town to expect more parking tick ets if they don’t start comply ing with parking laws. Murdock said many park illegally in town by making a left turn and parking in the wrong direction in parallel spaces. Also, with spring and sum mer rains approaching, Murdock reminds drivers that if you operate windshield wip ers, you must also burn full (See POLICE, page 14) Around Town By Sam C. Morris The rain last Friday left the fields wet again and it seems that before they can get dry enough to plow, it rains again. The temperatures have been about nor mal for this time of year. We did have a low reading on Sunday morning and Lauchlin Macdonald said that he saw frost at his home. After the cold night the temperatures got near 70. On Monday and Tuesday we saw high readings in the 7()s and 8()s, and lows in the 50s. The forecast calls for the tempera tures to drop into the 60s Thursday and Friday and the lows will be in the 30s and low 4()s. On Saturday we w ill see 70 on the thermometer. There is a chance of more rain on Wednesday. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ If the weather stays fair and the tem peratures remain warm, we should have plenty of peaches this year. Other farm products cannot be planted because the fields have been too wet to get the farm machinery working. So let’s hope that the rain and cold weather will go away for a few weeks. * * * * Have you purchased a ticket to the affair which is sponsored by the Hoke County Democrats Friday night? The event will be entitled “A Night To Re member,” with Speaker of the House Dan Blue of Raleigh as the featured speaker. Time of the event w ill be 7 p.m. at the West Hoke Middle School. 1 will say that rumors are going around that some other top-notch speakers will be on the program and 1 am not talking about pol iticians. Maybe it will be worth your time to attend this event. Tickets are on sale at Howell Drug Co. or they can be purchased from offi cials of the Hoke County Democratic Executive Committee. (See AROUND, page 7)
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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April 21, 1993, edition 1
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