The 29th issue of our 85th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, October 27,1993
Youths supposed to be in school, were robbing homes
A group of Hoke teens, supposed to be in school,
were actually roaming the County breaking into homes
and stealing, the Hoke Sheriffs Department says.
Detective Greg Beard says with the arrest of four
youths, 12 break-ins and 13 larcenies in northern and
western Hoke were solved. Raeford Police Chief
James Murdock says their arrests may solve two
break-ins in the City. Beard said the four were stu
dents at Hoke High School and on many morning,s,
would ride a bus to East Hoke Middle School where
they were supposed to transfer to another bus and
continue on to Hoke High.
Instead, he says, on some days they would gel off
the bus at East Hoke Middle and break in to homes in
the Highway 401 Business and Rockfish areas. Then,
they’d return to East Hoke Middle and ride the bus
home.
On other days, Beard says, the four would ride the
bus to Hoke High where they’d leave the campus and
break in to homes in western Hoke.
That they weren’t in school came as a shock to the
youths’ parents. Beard says. “They were like, ‘Man,
we thought they were in school,”’ he said. “If they get
on the bus in the morning in front of their house and
then if in the evening they get off the bus in front of
their house, then the parents don’t know they haven’t
been in school,” he said.
(See CRIME, page 13)
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Moderate
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^55 of voters
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‘Babes in Drugland’
Ole King Cole (Joshua Davis) made a bad mistake — he abused tobacco and drugs. Stephanie Linthicum is amused, but at a different problem. The ole
king was also having microphone trouble. The play “Babes in Drugland” was performed by Ann Shannon’s McLauchlin School class as part of Red Ribbon
Week, held to promote drug awareness.
Medical Center’s first year a success
Center may become model for other rural areas losing physicians
Hoke’s medical experiment —
the Hoke Family Medical Center,
Inc. — has ended its first year,
and from all indications things
are going well. In fact, the center
is seeing an average of 128 more
patients per month than in the
days when it was strictly a
private practice.
Two students
injured in wreck
on practice field
Two Hoke High School students
were seriously injured Monday
when the pickup truck in which
they were riding across the school's
football practice field struck a pine
tree.
Raeford Police Chief James
Murdock says the truck, driven by
Roger Allen Oldham, 16, of Rt. 1,
Shannon, was traveling at approxi
mately 40 miles per hour as it ap
proached a line of pine trees on the
campus' south side. Murdock says
the driver aimed for a break in the
tree line and applied brakes, but
skidded into a tree at an estimated
(See WRECK, page 14)
Ann Himmlewright, president
of the citizen board that governs
the center, says the goal now is to
recruit additional medical provid
ers and extend operating hours.
The center was formed to
answer a problem facing Hoke
County — and many other rural,
poor counties — how to attract
physicians. Many rural areas face
the loss of their doctors to retire
ment and have no hopes of
finding replacements. Doctors
cite low pay, long hours and
professional isolation among
factors leading them to locate
elsewhere.
“The need to replace the
retiring doctors is crucial,”
Himmlewright says. “This has
not been a field that has attracted
a lot of doctors in the past.” she
says. “They specialize.”
Since the experiment began,
Himmlewright says, several goals
have been met. The building on
(See MEDICAL, page 18)
Mayor, City Council seats
only local races on ballot
oderate turnout is expected Tuesday of Hoke County
voters going to the polls to decide a new mayor for
Raeford and two new Raeford City Council members.
Voters across N.C. will also decide bond issues that could bring
$300,000 to Hoke County for renovation work at Sandhills Com
munity College here, and money for water and sewer infrastructure
work.
Hoke Elections Supervisor Caroline Shook says the state issues
may help the local ones. “With the bond referendum being held at
same time as city election I feel like we should have a better than
average municipal election turnout.” she said.
In local elections, Raeford Mayor Bob Gentry is challenged in
his bid for reelection by City Coiincilrnan Steve Phillips.
In the City Council race incumbents Eddie McNeill and Benny
McLeod are challenged by Charles Fields, Elle Graham, George
McGuire, Clyde Thomas and Eric Wowra.
Statewide, voters will consider a constitutional amendment
permitting the slate legislature to enact laws allowing the issuance
of bonds without referendum to finance public economic develop
ment and commercial projects.
There are also four bond issues on the
ballot;
•$310 million for University of North
Carolina improvements /
•$250 million for Community
College System improvements
•$145 million for clean water
projects
•$35 million for state parks /
projects / ^
Polls will open at 6:30 a.m.
Tuesday and will remain open
until 7:30 p.m.
Shook says although lines
will probably be short all
day, the best time to vote is
between 9-11 a.m. and 2-
3 p.m. 'S,.
In Hoke County,
9.023 citizens are
registered to vote; in the City,
1,782 are registered.
(See ELECTION, page 13)
Around Town
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Halloween scene: Dale Connell, 109 Magnolia St., prepared this elaborate spooky spectre. Halloween will be
celebrated Sunday — it has not been rescheduled, according to Raeford Police Chief James Murdock.
By Sam C. Morris
The fall weather continut and we
did get some rainfall since last week
The rain wasn’t enough to help much
with any dry conditions. There was frost
in some parts of the state Sunday morn
ing, but 1 haven’t heard of any around
here.
The forecast for the remainder of the
week calls for the highs to be in the 6()s
and the lows will be in the 40s. Maybe
we can say that fall is here to stay. The
outlook for rain is very slim.
♦ * ♦ *
Last week 1 really goofed on the
dates for the ingatherings for county
churches. Instead of writing Thursday,
I wrote Wednesday and used the dates,
also. So 1 will attempt to make amends
this week. It is too late for Antioch, but
I attended last Thursday and I believe
that they had a record attendance.
The correct daiesand times are Shiloh
Thursday, October 28 starting at
4 00 p m.. Bethel — Thursday, Novem
ber 4 starting at 11:00 a.m. The Happy
Hobby Harvest, put on by the Raeford
United Methodist Church, will be Satur
day, November 13. Hours are 11:00
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00
p.m. There are many other church af
fairs that are listed in the calendar and
they also appear in ads in the paper.
♦ * ♦ ♦
The time for the election of mayor
and two members of the City Council
will be heldTuesday, November 2,1993.
There are two names on the ballot for
mayor and there are seven names on the
ballot for the two seats on the council.
Last week in The News -Journal, each
candidate answered questions submit
ted by the press. 1 read every line of each
candidate and I hope that each voter in
the city did the same. Most of the
(See AROUND, page 8)