The
ews
Journal
'If it happened^ it's news to us'
No. 39 Vol. 89
50 cents
Wednesday, December 31,1997
Kwanzaa
celebrated
tonight
5A
You can't
git thar
from h'yar
3A
Pepsi celebrating
100 years
IB
Get Your Money’s Worth!
DRINK
LARGE 12 Si.,
Index
Business/Farm 4A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 7B
Deaths 5A
Editorials 2A
Legals 6B
Public Record 5A
Religion 6A
TV Listings 4-5B
Weather 3A
Socials 3B
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
The weather for Christmas
was nice, after the rain of
Christmas Eve. The tempera
ture on Christmas Day was in
the low 60s and the sun was
shining. Itstayedthis way until
Sunday and then the thermom
eter dropped and the cold rain
came. Many places in the state
had snow and the roads were
bad for driving. As this is writ
ten Monday afternoon, we
haven’t had any sleet or snow.
1 don’t believe it would stick
on the roads or ground.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday,callsforthe
highs Wednesday and Thurs
day to be in the 40s and the
lows in the 20s. Friday and
Saturday the highs will be in
the 50s and the lows in the
30s. No rain or snow is in the
forecast.
*****
In talking with people Mon
day morning in the office, I
didn’t hear of any bad inci
dents over the holidays.
Raeford and Hoke County
were quiet.
♦ ♦♦♦♦
I received a Christmas card
(See AROUND, page 7A)
It was a year to remember
From liquor-by-the-drink, to Ferguson’s conviction, to Hicks’ indictment
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
In this, the last issue of the last
day of the year. The News-Jour
nal ouWinessomc of the top news
stories. Read on for a recap of
what went on month-by-month.
January
Hoke County commissioners
began the year by considering a
county-wide curfew for teens.
The idea stemmed from the Rev.
Tony Hunt’s request that a cur
few be set up in the South Hoke
community where he lives and
works.
Commissioners voted 3-2 for
the issue of 1 iquor by the drink to
be put before voters on May 6.
And in town, Raeford police
initiated a bike patrol.
An issue of Business North
Carolina stated Hoke County’s
net migration rate between 1992
and 1996 was 38.3 percent —
well above surrounding coun
ties’ migration rates. County
Planning Director Al Mitchell
said this was the result of more
people moving into the western
part of the county from Moore
County and into new subdivi
sions on the east from
Cumberland County.
Dr. Riley Jordan, family medi
cine practitioner here since 1953
and former county commis
sioner, was named Kiwanis Man
of the Year. He was honored for
making a significant difference
in the county.
Hoke High seniors exceeded
goals in math and reading, ac
cording to tests taken at random.
Science scores ranked students
just below average.
February
A year-round school for grades
K-8th is considered.
Autumn Care Nursing Home
expanded, adding 40 new beds
to the Fulton St. facility. The
state’s elderly population is ex
pected to increase by 52 percent
by the year 2000.
March
The Hoke Board of Education
voted that pubi ic school students
in grades K-8 will attend classes
year round in the future. More
than half of affected parents fa
vored the year-round plan. Su
perintendent Don Steed said stu
dents will have academic advan
tages under the new schedule.
County commissioners, the
planner, residents and Dept, of
Transportation representatives
met to discuss a three-prong land
use plan to prevent future zoning
problems. An adopted 1990 zon
ing plan has not been adhered to.
Some churches united to fight
the sale of mixed beverages in
the county. The effort is led by
the Rev. C.S. “Dallas” Morales,
Hoke Baptist Mission pastor.
Police were showered with
glass bottles while trying tocalm
a crowd in Robins Heights.
County back-up was called in
and six, mostly juveniles, were
arrested. The local Community
(See REVIEW, page 8A)
Teen curfew starts
Thursday for county
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
A curfew for juveniles 16
and under goes into effect Jan.
1.
County commissioners
passed the youth protection or
dinance in October after a com
mittee studied the issue for four
months.
County commissioners
passed the youth protection or
dinance in October after a com
mittee studied the issue for four
months.
The curfew is on a six-
months trial basis and does not
include the city limits of
Raeford.
Beginning Thursday at 11
p.m., juveniles ages 16 and un
der are restricted from public
places between 11 p.m. and 6
a.m. every day of the week.
Juveniles not attending school
are also prohibited from visit
ing public establishments be
tween 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
on school days.
Provisions of the ordinance
allow for adults 18 years or
older to accompany juveniles
at such times the curfew is in
effect.
Juveniles reacting or re
sponding to emergencies are
excepted from the ordinance as
are married juveniles. Also ex
empted are juveniles are trav
eling to or from, by direct route,
school or religious or recre
ational activity that is super
vised by adults and sponsored
by a school, county or other
government, civic or other or
ganization that accepts respon
sibility for the youth.
Special permits for excep
tions may be applied for at the
Hoke County Sheriff’s Depart
ment.
Parents, guardians and es
tablishment owners are respon
sible for violations. Juveniles
who violate the curfew could
be sent to juvenile court. Adults
found guilty of violating the
ordinance are subject to fines
of no more than $100.
“We’re taking it slow on en
forcement — especially since
school is out now,” said a
county spokesman.
Wayne Gardner, chief
deputy of the sheriff’s dept.,
said a first-time offender will
be taken home to his or her
parents or guardians if the of
fense is only a curfew viola
tion. The second time a juve
nile is caught violating the or
dinance, he or she will be
charged.
Sheriff Wayne Byrd is meet
ing today with County Attor
ney Neil Yarborough and
County Manager Mike Wood
to discuss how best to enforce
the ordinance.
Notices of the curfew have
been posted throughout the
county and at the courthouse
and public library in Raeford.
TT
i
7
I
Pat Wilson/News-Joumal
Detective J.P. Brock shows some of the items recovered from recent break-ins.
Burglary ring believed busted
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff Writer
A dragnet set up by the Hoke
County Sheriffs Dept, was helped
along by an alert citizen and an
arrest, with more arrests expected,
has been made in the burglaries of
several homes.
Ricky Morrisey, 18, o^’Stoney
Pt. Rd., is charged with five counts
of breaking and entering and lar
ceny with more charges pending.
He is charged with burglarizing
homes on Overton St., Sparrow
Dr., Walter Ct., Carriage Ln. and
Sheffield Q.
Officers believe they have bro
ken a burglary ring in which per
petrators kicked in the doors of
houses then went in and quickly
took only items they could grab in
a hurry.
Officers were out in full force to
catch the thieves, according to
Sheriff Wayne Byrd, and because
of that, they were able to close in
after a man called and gave a de
scription of a man and a vehicle he
believed were involved in a break-
in of his neighbor’s home on Dec.
23.
Units quickly responded to
“close the net” and stopped the
suspect vehicle on Galatia Church
Rd. as it left Ridge Manor subdivi
sion in the northern part of the
county, according to Detective J.P.
Brock said. Other officers arrived
and the four people inside the ve
hicle were placed in separate pa
trol cars and questioned without
being able to confer with one an
other, Brock said.
Officers also went to the scene
where the neighbor saw what he
considered criminal activity and
found a footprint on the door.
Three of the men were deemed
not to be involved in the break-in,
but Morrisey confessed and was
arrested, according to Brock.
Some missing property was re
covered — found hidden in the
woods near Morrisey’s home.
Morrisey is in Hoke County
Jail under $35,0(M) secured bond.
m
7^
e.r-
• i'l
Knight Chiimbcriain/Ncws-Journal
Wreck injures Raeford woman
A two-car wreck at the intersection of Edinborough Avenue and North Magnolia Street sent Ruby
Nichols of Raeford to Moore Regional Hospital with broken ribs and lacerations to her face, scalp and
leg Tuesday morning. Above, emergency workers offer comfort as they prepare to extract her from
her vehicle.
First ice wreck of season
leaves pickup in aeek
By Pat Aieen Wiison
Staff writer
Twin Bridges, in the western
part of Hoke County, is so-named
because of a pair of bridges, less
than 3(K) yards apart, that span
Rockfish Creek on Golf Course
Rd. near Phillipi Church Rd.
That section of the county is
low, and maybe that is why the
two bridges were the only ones in
the county to ice over early Mon
day morning in a cold, drizzling
rain, says stale Trooper Kemp
Cnimpler. A pair whose pickup
ended up with one side in five feet
of water in RtKkfish Creek prob
ably consider themselves lucky
and are remembering the yellow
and black road signs which re
mind us, “Bridges Ice Before
Roads.”
The driver was travelingeast on
Golf Course Rd. when her vehicle
slid on one ice-covered bridge and
went out of control into the creek
on the left side of the second bridge,
according to Trooper Crumpler.
The truck was submerged to the
window on the driver’s side, and
thedriverand herpassengerexited
thevehicleonthepassenger’sside,
where water was not so deep, he
said. Neither passenger reported
any injuries.
Rockfish Volunteer Fire Dept.,
Hoke County Rescue and
FirstHealth personnel responded
to the scene. A Dept, of Transpor
tation truck arrived a short time
after the accident, and sand was
applied to the bridges.
Cm mpler rem i nds motorists not
to apply brakes on ice, and to
remember that bridges ice first.