The
ews
The 42nd issue of our 85th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
J \\\
Raeford proved itself an earth-
friendly city last year by more than
doubling recycling totals from
1992.
The city collected 345,456
pounds of aluminum, glass, card
board, newsprint and plastic —
saving 287 cubic yards of landfill
space — compared to 140,180
pounds collected last year, city
Public Works Director Mike
McNeill said. “People are more
aware, more willing to recycle now
and 1 think the city is the instru
ment to get there,” McNeill said.
“It’s going to take a generation of
change for people to get more ac
tive in recycling.”
State mandates have revved up
recycling efforts by forcing coun
ties to reduce landfill space by at
least 25 percent, which, at least in
part, is responsible for the increased
poundage.
The other part is community ef
fort, McNeill said.
“It (recycling) has progressively
gotten more active. 1 think people
have gotten used to our schedule
— they are really looking forward
to it.”
The city schedules recycling
(See RECYCLE, page 12)
Journal
25 CENTS
Wednesday, January 26,1994
School board race
begiiis to heat up
State, national races get interest, too
W hile few filed for election in Hoke County
this week, three candidates gave a boost to
the Hoke County Board of Education race.
Also this week, national and state races saw interest
from incumbent Representatives.
In the local race:
•Incumbent Robert L. “Bobby” Conoly, 319 W.
Edinborough Ave., filed for re-election to the Hoke
school Board. He has served on the school board for
three years.
Conoly, 57, is a banker for United Carolina Bank in
Raeford. He and his wife, Sara, have two children,
Lawrence Conoly and Angela Sellers.
•Incumbent Dwight Oxendine of Walters Farm
Road is seeking a second term on the Board of
Education.
Oxendine, 33, is a pharmacist for Wal-Mart Stores,
as well as president and CEO of three corporations. He
and his wife, Cynthia, have three children: Andy, 9,
Amber, 7, and Chelsea, 3.
•Political newcomer Ann Hardin of6825 Calloway
Road, in the Quewhiffle Township, also filed for
election in the school board race.
Owner of Ann’s House of Beauty in Raeford,
Hardin has been a parent volunteer with Hoke County
Schools for 13 years. She is chairman of the Hoke
County School Safety Task Force, a Parent Teacher
Organization member and a Sunday school teacher at
First Baptist Church in Raeford.
Hardin and her husband, Brent, have two sons,
Michael, 19, and Justin, 14.
At the national and state levels:
•Congressman Bill Hefner of Concord filed for an
11th term representing the 8th District in the U.S.
House of Representatives. Hefner has served on the
Defense Subcommittee and has been chairman of the
Military Construction Subcommittee.
•Representative Ronnie Sutton, a Pembroke law
yer, filed to serve his second term as N.C. Represen
tative in the 85th District. Sutton has served on the
Transportation and Labor Relations Subcommittees
and on the Military, Veterans and Indian Affairs
Subcommittee, among others.
Those who have filed for office since Jan. 4 are:
•Incumbent Judge Craig Ellis has filed to retain his
seat as Superior Court judge.
•Incumbent Judges Warren Pate and William
(See RACE, page 7)
Bus driver threatened
by gun-wielding parent
A school bus driver was threatened by the parent of
a child who had just boarded the bus on Friday
morning, according to Sheriffs department reports.
Deputies arrested Linda Locklear, 30, of 300 Haire
Road, and charged her with carrying a weapon onto
school property, a Class I felony. She was also charged
with going armed in terror of the public and with
communicating a threat. Sheriff Wayne Byrd said.
Gwen Sconiers, 30, of Raeford, reported that the
incident occurred when she had stopped East Hoke
Middle School bus No. 133 along Haire Road around
7 a.m. After several children got on the bus, the
mother of one of the children followed allegedly
carrying a small pistol partially covered by a paper
towel. The mother allegedly proceeded to curse at
Sconiers, threatened to shoot her, and left the bus.
Sconiers then drove the bus to the school, where she
(See CRIIME, page 7)
New school
Technically, Upchurch Elementary School’s main building is not new, but practically, it is. The building has
undergone extensive remodeling and is now bright and shiny, and once again filled with students.
Recycling total doubles
Community involvement is key
to fighting drugs, officers say
Hoke’s drug problem may
stem from the county being a
“distribution point,” one law en
forcement official told Hoke
Police Chief James Murdock
Sheriff Wayne Byrd
Against Drugs members Thurs
day, but the publ ic can do a lot to
help curb the rising number of
drug arrests.
Raeford Police Chief J.E.
Murdock said Raeford has be
come somewhat of a distribu
tion point for drug trafficking
via Interstate 95. He explained
in a later interview that because
Hoke County sits in the middle
of four larger counties—one of
which includes a metropolitan
area — Hoke’s rural nature and
comparatively limited man
power make it attractive to drug
dealers.
(See DRUGS, page 7)
I
John D. McAllister — Citizen of the Year
Raeford Kiwanis Club names
McAllister Citizen of the Year
Calling him a “steadfast” citizen “true to
his faith,” Raeford Kiwanians Thursday
named John D. McAllister Hoke County
Citizen of the Year.
The award, presented each year to an
outstanding county resident, lauds the con
tributions of that person to the Hoke County
community.
“I have told him several times that 1 wished
1 possessed some of his slow and easy traits
— never showing haste or anger,” Harold
Gillis told fellow Kiwanis Club members, “
... He has set an example which many of us
could benefit (from).”
Gillis gave background on McAllister’s
family and recounted some of his lifetime
achievements as a student, serviceman,
churchman, educator and civic leader.
Around Town
Born in the Blue Springs Township in
Hoke County, McAllister was the fourth of
11 children. He was raised on a farm, and
attended Upchurch High School and
Fayetteville State Teacher’s College, now
known as Fayetteville State University. He
seiA'ed in the U.S. Army from 1941 until
1946, when he was discharged with the rank
of Staff Sergeant.
After his release from the service, he
completed his bachelor's degree in Educa
tion at Fayetteville State. Latci he earned a
master’s degree from A & T College (now A
& T University) in Greensboro and went on
to work in the Hoke County Schools as
principal of White Oak Elementary, Scurlock
Elementary and Upchurch Junior High.
(See CITIZEN, page 12)
By Sam C. Morris
The Arctic air has finally gone out to
sea and it has been liveable weather for
the past couple of days. I am glad that the
snow and ice stayed to the north and
west of Hoke County. It is hard to imag
ine the number of wrecks because of the
ice.
When one hears of 150 wrecks in a
single morning in one city, then we can
realize how lucky we were just to have
below freezing weather.
Another thing that happened because
of the cold temperatures was the large
number of school buses that wouldn’t
start or stalled on the highways during
the run of their routes. In Wake County
about 25 percent of their fleet of buses
didn’t make it to school. Don Steed told
me last week that only two of Hoke’s
buses wouldn’t start and thisdidn’t hinder
the buses arriving at the schools on time.
He also stated that one boiler stopped
during the cold weather, but that it was
repaired in time for school. This shows
that the maintenance of our buses and
buildings is in good hands.
We can look forward to warmer
weather for a few days. The highs
Wednesday through Friday will be in
the 50s and the lows in the high 30s and
low 40s. Colder weather is expected
over the weekend. There is a chance of
rain on Wednesday morning.
Many people have asked me if I have
heard from anyone who knew Evander
Smith whom I wrote about last week. I
am writing this column Sunday night
and so far I haven’t heard anything. If
anyone does know Smith or recognizes
his picture, please get in contact w'ith
me.
There have been other people in Hoke
County recently who have located rela-
(See AROUND, page 12)