The
ews
J oumal
'If it happened, it's news to us'
I No. 37 Vol. 89
50 cents
Wednesday, December 17,1997
Thompson
comes home
to practice dentistry
4A
Hoke boys',
girls' basketball
results
5A
Luminaries grace
Raeford this Sunday
IB
Index
Business/Farm 4 A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 9B
Deaths 9A
Editorials 2A
Legals 8B
Public Record 9A
Religion 8A
School 6-7A
Sports 7A
TV Listings 6-7B
Weather 3A
Weddings 3B
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
Sunday was a cold day in
Hoke County. I don’t believe
that the temperature reached
50 degrees. It was cold Mon
day morning, but the frost
wasn’t as heavy as usual be
cause of a light wind. The sun
came out and as I write this
column the temperature is in
the 50s. Winter doesn’t arrive
until next week, so maybe we
will have a cold winter. I hope
not!
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for the
highs to be in the low 60s or
high 50s. The lows will be in
the low 40s or the 30s. There
isn’t any rain in the forecast.
So get out and complete your
Christmas shopping.
While on the subject of
Christmas shopping, remem
ber that there are people watch
ing and waiting in the shop
ping malls to relieve you of
your packages or your money.
You read or hear on television
every day about people being
attacked in malls while shop
ping. So remember to be on
the alert and if possible try to
(See AROUND, page 12A)
Deputy indicted by grand jury
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff Writer
It took a grand jury less than a
half hour yesterday to come back
with a true bill of indictment
charging Hoke Deputy Frank E
Hicks with voluntary manslaugh
ter in the death of David M ichael
Sivak on Aug. 29.
Hicks, 41, has been' on paid
administrative leave since he
killed Sivak, 32, in western Hoke
County. The officer said he shot
Sivak when he tried to run him
down with his van.
Sivak’s mother-in-law, Joan
Miller, said, “Thank you, Jesus,”
when she read the bill of indict
ment. “We can’t bring David
back but we can get justice for
the family.” She requested cop
ies of the indictment then went to
get her cellular phone to tele
phone Sivak’s widow, JoAnn
Sivak, with the news.
Hicks had pursued Sivak about
two hours before an autopsy re
port says he was shot dead at
11:30 p.m. The officer had
stopped to check out Sivak’s
parked van at a convenience store
at the Highway 211 and Army
Rd. intersection. Hicks reported
Sivak pulled off and in a pursuit
that followed, Hicks said Sivak
slammed on his brakes in an ap
parent attempt to cause a colli
sion and also tried to run him off
the road. The chase took them to
Stubby Oaks Rd., where Hicks
lost Sivak’s vehicle near Fred’s
Turkey Shoot.
Nighthawk Loop runs off
Stubby Oaks Rd., and a couple
there called the sheriff’s dept, to
report a van was parked behind a
(See INDICTED, page 11 A)
Sheriff’s officers react
to grand jury decision
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff Writer
When asked about the mo
rale of officers of the Hoke
County Sheriffs Dept., Sher
iff Wayne Byrd responded,
“It’s hard to gauge it. The con
cern now is like what am I
supposed to do now if I’m
doing the best under the cir
cumstances...” He stopped and
invited the News-Journal to
visit officers at the department
and ask them how they felt
(See REACT, page 11 A)
Study: County needs
master sewer plan
%
j. ■
By Kristin Guthrie
Staff writer
After completing an in-depth
study of the Hoke County’s needs
and present conditions, Ron Huff
of Hobbs, Upchurch, & Associ
ates recommended Monday that
the County Commissioners start
the wheels in motion to develop
a long-term plan master sewer
system plan.
Huff emphasized that the
county’s industrial and commer
cial development all across the
county hinges on the establish
ment of a long-term sewer plan.
“Commercial development is
really going to suffer without
sewer offerings,” Huff said.
Other areas of Hoke County
will also remain under devel
oped or undeveloped as a result
of soil restrictions tied in with
the lack of a sewer system. “Resi
dential development at competi
tive development costs will re
quire that denser development
be allowed with sewer,” Huff
also said.
With these concerns and oth
ers on the forefront of the
comm issioner’s m inds. Huff sug
gested that the Board adopt a
master plan with a mission. The
plan’s purpose includes:
•providing a tool to evaluate
sewer needs and the cost of pro
viding facilities to meet the needs
for a 20-year period
•prioritizing needs based on
population growth patterns and
identifying areas of needed com
mercial and industrial growth
•investigating the willingness
and ability of neighboring sys
tems to accept wastewater from
Hoke County
•investigating other wastewa
ter treatment alternatives, with
cost estimates included
•identifying specific and gen
eral projects to meet the county’s
needs
•investigating the feasibility
of providing sewer with regards
to
residential development
•protecting the county from
environmental damage caused by
septic tank failure
In an effort to plan ahead into
the year 2000 and even further,
(See COMMISSION, page lOA)
* ^ m T ^ t
A
Pal WilsonNew.s-Journal
SBI Agent Kim Hefner and County Fire Marshal Al Schwarcbher look through the remains of a home that
burned Sunday morning.
Raeford home declared a total loss
Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
A two-story home that burned
early Sunday morning was de
clared a total loss.
Noneoftlie 10 occupants were
at home when the fire at 412
Wilson Hill Rd. was reported at
3:32 a.m., said Hoke County
Marshal Al Schwarcbher. The
dwelling belonged to Benny
Locklear.
The house, located at the end
of a dirt road which runs off Alex
Baker Rd. northwest of Raeford,
was valued at $104,000.
Firefighters from North Raeford,
Hillcrest, Pine Hill, West Hoke
and Tylertown volunteer fire
departments responded to the
blaze. Also responding were
emergency medical services and
rescue personnel. The last
firefighter left the scene approxi
mately four hours after the fire
was reported.
There were no reported inju
ries. The fire is under investiga
tion.
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6
Mfish
Drug roundup nets 11
100.3
Kristin Gulhrie/Ncws-Joumal
Huge trucks and all types of other equipment were hard at work last week clearing the land for the new
elementary school in the eastern part of the county. The next step in the process will include awarding
construction contracts for the project.
Board of Education re-elects
chairman, vice-chairman
By Pat Wilson
Staff writer
A drug round-up by Raeford
police which began Aug. 1 has
resulted in the arrestsof 11 people.
Policefiled 17drug-related charges
plus three additional charges. Of
ficers were assisted by the State
Bureau of Investigation in con
ducting undercover drug buys.
Charged are:
•Willie Gene McArthur, 29,
1517 CtKkman Hill Rd., posses-
Bible as literature
to continue in Hoke
sion with intent to sell and deliver
crack cocaine;
•Joyce McRae, 30, 202
LamMont St., possession with in
tent to sell and deliver crack co
caine;
•Matthew Peterkin, 28, 702
Saunders St., possession with intent
to sell and deliver crack cocaine;
•Dudley Rudolph Wendell, 37,
420 Vass Rd., possession with in
tent to sell and deliver crack co
caine;
(See DRUGS, page lOA)
By Kristin Guthrie
Staff writer
During the regular December
meeting. Board of Education
members demonstrated their faith
in the current leadership when
they re-elected John McAllister
chairman of the board and Leland
Strother as vice-chairman.
Upon their re-election,
McAllister begins his seventh
year as chairman and ninth year
on the board. Strother, a little
newer to the education board,
begins his second term as vice-
chairman and sixth year on the
board.
Board plans to award construc
tion contracts to area companies
to complete all the stages in
volved with the building of the
new elementary school in the
eastern part of the county were
delayed until a later date.
The clearing of the land for
the school, across from Sandy
Grove United Methodist Church
on Old Wire Road, is already
well under way at this time.
By Kristin Guthrie
Staff writer
An initial call to the State
Department of Public Instruc
tion led Hoke County school ad
ministrators to believe that all
classes taught at Hoke County
High School had to be taught by
a certified instructor, but follow
up calls to the same department
indicate that the Bible as in Lit
erature class currently taught at
the high school can legally be
taught by a pastor, as is being
done at this time.
“I was told you have to have a
certified teacher to teach the
class,” Superintendent Don Steed
said, but Associate Superinten
dent Jeff Moss said he called the
State Department again. “They
said they ’re going to consider it a
local decision—whether to offer
it for credit or not since it’s an
elective,” Moss said.
Moss said the local school
system decided to allow the pas
tors of the Raeford Ministers
Association to continue teach
ing the class at the liigh school.
“We’ll leave it in the hands of the
Ministers Association—if they
(See BIBLE, page lOA)