The
ews
No. 24 Vol. 91
See us at
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E.E. Smith
edges Hoke
in Turkey Bowl
17-14
8A
•rnRixiWTA*
•IT' OWSlt*
’A 9
Cartoonists'
field day — IB
Index
Births....
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Calendar
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Classifieds
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Editorials....
2-3A
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Public Record....
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9A
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Weddings....
6A
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
The weather was cool for a
few days and then warmed up
over the weekend. Some of us
older folks had jackets on for
a few days, but they were put
away when the thermometer
rose again into the 90s. We
haven’t had any rain and I
know that the Turkey Festival
people want it to hold off for
another week.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for
cooler weather the latter part
of the week. Wednesday the
highswillbeinthe90sandlhe
lows in the 6()s. Thursday,
Friday and Saturday the highs
will be in the low 80s or high
70sand the lows will be in the
low 60s or high 50s. There is a
chance of thunder showers on
Thursday.
*****
The Turkey Festival will
get underway Thursday with
the opening ceremonies being
held at the stage beside the
Hoke County Library. The
parade will begin at 5:30 p.m.
and will follow the usual route
along Main Street. Events will
be staged every day and the
(See AROUND, page 7A)
Journal
Mf it happened, it's news to us'
50 cents
Wednesday, September 16,1998
www.dicksonpress.com
State BOE: No election improprieties reported
By Knight Ciiambiirlain
Editor
State Board of Elections
Chairman Larry Leake says the
state Board of Elections “has re
ceived no reports from the State
Bureau of Investigation which
indicate any election impropri
ety in Hoke County” in connec
tion with allegations made by
Jim Davis and his campaign
manager, Gregory Thompson,
last July. In a letter dated Sep
tember 9,1998 and addressed to
Thompson, Leake also urged
Davis and Thompson to attempt
to get along with the Hoke County
Board of Elections, “without any
sense of paranoia.”
Davis, the Democrat nominee
for sheriff, opposes Wayne
Gardner, a candidate by petition,
in the general election. Davis
defeated Sheriff Wayne Byrd in
the May primary. Gardner is the
Sheriff’s Department chief of
deputies.
Leake reminded Thompson
that “the North Carolina State
Board of Elections is an admin
istrative agency, a quasi-judicial
agency, and we are in no position
to advise you of each and every
communication that our office
may receive that involves an in
dividual.
“If anyone was to make a com
plaint with regard to Mr. Davis
involving an allegedelection law
violation, we would certainly
advise your client and you of that
fact,” the letter stated.
Leake’s letter to Thompson
was in response to a letter from
the Hoke County Board of Elec
tions to Leake, dated Aug. 10,
1998, requesting his help.
r\ n
The Turkey Festival Board welcome everyone to the 14th Annual Furkey Festival. Members include, from
left, Carol Herrington, Brenda Jacobs, Connie Marlowe, Patty Webb, Frances Gordon, Carl Pevia, Glenda
Clanton, johnny Wallace, jean Hodges, Charles Tapp, Marvin Lynn Maxwell, Bobby Strother, Jackie Lynch,
Russell Smith, Judy Morris, Carrie Posey, Tommy Jacobs, Betty Smith, Judy Pittman, Don Foster, Kristi
Posey and Cathy Brown. Not pictured; Ronnie Wilson, Erick Wowra, Mary Malone, Darlene Moss, Mike
McNeill and Clayton Singletary. (Ken MacDonald photo)
Raeford ready for Turkey Festival
From staff reports
The community of Raeford
invites you to celebrate three days
of rollin’good fun and festivities
at the 14th Annual North Caro
lina Turkey Festival, September
17-19.
Since its beginning in 1985,
this festival has grown from a
local celebration with 10,000
visitors to a widely-recognized
and much-anticipated festival
attracting more than 50,000
people from across the state and
beyond. Honoring an industry
that ranks North Carolina as the
nation’s leader, the Turkey Fes
tival features everything festival
goers care to gobble up; free non
stop music and entertainment,
(See FESTIVAL, page UA)
k
Planning director
A1 Mitchell resigns
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
Al Mitchell, Hoke County’s
part-time planning director, re
signed last Wednesday, ^nd in
terim County Manager Bernice
McPhatter says she plans to ask
commissioners for a full-time
director.
Mitchell’s resignation was
immediate, and he was not at
Thursday night’s meeting of the
Hoke Planning Board.
A Fayetteville resident,
(See MITCHELL, page 11 A)
Mike McNeill
Probation
on McNeill
lifted
By Pat Allfn Wiison
Staff writer
Monday night, the Raeford
City Council lifted a six-months
probation that had been imposed
on City Manager Mike McNeill
at a meeting held on June I.
McNeill had been placed on
probation and $2,500 was de
ducted from his pay because he
failed to meet city residency re
quirements.
McNeill, who lived in the
county, was hired as city man
ager in December of 1996 after
serving as acting manager. At
that time, he was given a year to
move into Raeford. In January of
this year he was given a six-
months extension because of his
wife’s health problems. It was at
the end of that extension that
council members decided he had
(See COUNCIL, page lOA)
C.U.E. helping in search
for Troy Lee Jacobs
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
Troy Lee Jacobs’ family wants
to know what happened to him,
and Community United Effort
(C.U.E.), a nonprofit organiza
tion based in Wilmington, has
joined the family and the Hoke
County Sheriff’s Department in
efforts to locate his whereabouts.
Jacobs’ disappearance twoand
one-hal f years ago is bei ng treated
as a homicide, and most family
members say they believe he is
dead and that he was murdered.
On Sunday, C.U.E. represen
tatives met with Detective David
Newton and family members as
well as other concerned citizens
to begin a campaign to “blitz”
Robeson and Hoke counties with
information on Jacobs and his
disappearance. Flyers and post
ers are being distributed to busi
nesses and stores throughout the
two counties.
Jacobs, who was 22 when he
was last seen at a convenience
store on Highway 211 in Red
Springs, disappeared on Febru
ary 26,1996. The descript ion on
flyers states he was 5’6" tall,
weighed 130 pounds, had brown
eyes and dark brown hair, and
was wearing a long-sleeve white,
light blue and dark blue shirt that
zips up the front, black jeans,
Carolina Tarheel cap and white
Nike tennis shoes. Other descrip-
(See JACOBS, page lOA)
[i
In the letter, Hoke Board of
Elections Chairman Delbert
Minshew, Secretary Franklin
Teal, and member Scott Poole
noted that “although nocvidence
was submitted by Mr. Davis that
indicated any improprieties on
the part of the Hoke County
Board of Elections and certainly
your board requested no investi
gation of the Hoke County Board
of Elections, it appears that some
Hoke County citizens have the
impression that the opposite oc
curred.
“The followingisaquotefrom
an area newspaper following the
meeting: ‘Davis said the hearing
was a success. He interpreted the
board’sdecision as meaning that
the board would work with the
SBI in the investigation. That is
our concern and we accom
plished our purpose,’ he said.
This is surely misleading.
“We understand that these cir
cumstances were beyond youn
control. However, we respect
fully request your help in assur
ing our citizens that the Hoke
County Board of Elections is not
being investigated.”
Wayward teens lead
officers on wild chase
By Pat Ai lln Wilson
Staff writer
Twoteenage probationers who
were assigned to a militarv -style
boot camp program in Hoffman,
Richmond County, are in Hoke
County Jail after a wild ride
through Hoke County in the
clothes of a woman whose house
officers say they broke into.
Michael Tate, 18, Burlington,
and Bryan McNeill, 19, Raeftrrd
have multiple charges against
them and are being held in jail
under bonds of $ 1 OO.OOO each.
The two men were working
with a program called IMPACT
when they walked away at ap
proximately 10:30 a.m. on Sat
urday. Trina Juarez found them
in her home on Aberdeen Road
between noon and I p.m. They
had gone through a back window
of her mobile home near Ashley
Heights, taken off the jump suits
that would have identified them
as escapees, put on her clothing,
and were drinking her beer, ac
cording to a report.
Hoke County Detective David
Newton said Tate held a kitchen
knife to her seven-year-old son’s
neck and took the keys to her
1979 Toyota Celica.
Juarez called the Sheriff’s
Department, and Newton was on
the way to her home when he
saw her Celica on Haire Road,
south of Raeford. He turned his
vehiclearound but Tate, who was
driving the Celica, would not
stop, he said.
“The chase was on,” said New
ton. Newton drove his vehicle
39.7 miles with speeds up to 95
mph before catching up with Tate
(See TEENS, page IIA)
Marvin Johnson was inducted into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of
Fame on August 28, 1998. At left, congratulating Johnson, is N.C.
Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Graham. (Contributed photo)
Johnson inducted into
Poultry Hall of Fame
Troy Lee Jacobs
SpECTAI/TiII Nl WS-Joi’KNAI
E. MarvinJohnson hascomea
long way since he and one of his
brothers sold live turkeys on the
streets of Rose Hill to make a
little money during the Depres
sion.
As an indication of just how
far he has come, the North Caro
lina Poultry Federation inducted
Johnson, who owns House of
Raeford, into the North ('arolina
Poultry Hall of Fame on \ugust
28, 1998.
Johnson was born in South
eastern North Carolina into a ru
ral farm family described as “hard
working and close knit.” After
graduating from Rose Hill High
School in 1942, he served a two-
year stint in the Merchant Ma
rines.
I’hat first venture on the streets
of Snow Hill with brother Bizzell
involved turkeys raised on the
farm of their parents, Nash and
Mary Sue Johnson.
Nash, Marvin and Bizzell built
the first feed mill in Rose Hill in
1955, calling it Nash Johnson
and Sons Inc. Four years later,
(See JOHNSON, page 11 A)