The
ews
Journal
'If it happened, it's news to us'
No. 27 Vol. 91
50 cents
Wednesday, October 7,1998
See us at
www.dicksonpres5.com
A
Cautious Optimism
— Editorial
Page 2A
B
Handy with
a camera
Page 1B
Business 5A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 11-12B
Deaths 4A
Editorials 2-3A
Engagements 3B
Legals 9-1 OB
Public Record 4A
Religion 6A
School 9A
Socials 3B
Sports 7-8 A
TV Listings 7-8B
Weddings 3B
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
The warm weather has fi
nally gone away. The tem
perature Monday just did get
to 70 degrees. We also had
about an inch of rain over the
weekend. We could still use
more rain.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for the
fall-like weather to continue.
The highs Wednesday and
Thursday will be in the 7()s
and the lows will be in the 5()s.
Friday and Saturday the highs
will be in the 80s and the lows
in the 6()s. There is a chance of
rain on Friday and Saturday.
Maybe the electric bill will
go down since the air condi
tioners will not be running
night and day.
* ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Philippi Presbyterian
Church in Hoke County will
celebrate its I lOth year on
Sunday, October 11, 1998. It
will begin at 10:00 o clock
with Sunday school and will
be followed bv the worship
service at 11:00. A covered
dish picnic dinner will follow
the service in the fellowship
hall.
(See AROUND, page I4A)
County moves to attract industries
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
Responding to a letter from
the Hoke County Economic De
velopment Commission, county
commissioners agreed Monday
night to have county engineers
present design plans and esti
mated costs of three sewer
projects identified as needed for
business and industrial develop
ment.
Those projects are hookups to
the line which extends from the
city to East Hoke M iddle School,
extension of city sewer to High
way 20, and an extension from
Public Works Commission in
Cumberland County to serve the
Wayside and Rockfish commu
nities.
Commissioners stopped short
of actually funding one or all of
the projects,but have looked into
setting up a capital reserve fund
for sewer projects. Commis
sioner Tom Howell has said the
county needs to balance the resi
dential growth Hoke is experi
encing with industrial and com
mercial growth.
County Attorney Neil
Yarborough recommended the
county “do everything up to the
point of actually spending big
money” and move forward to the
design stage. He said the county
shouldn’t spend money until
there is a prospect. “This is a step
closer,” tie said. “If we do get a
prospect we can say we have a
plan.”
Yarborough said the county
can get economic development
funds from the state if there is a
prospective client. “We can say
we do have a plan,” he said.
It was pointed out that a pro
posal to rezone 150 acres in the
East Hoke Middle School area to
highway commercial will go be
fore the planning board later this
month.
Howell noted that some of the
proposed sewer projects are not
“high dollar.”
In the letter to commissioners.
Derrick Staten, chairman of the
Economic Development Com
mission, pointed out that at a
workshop held in late March,
experts agreed that one of the
first steps for economic growth
would be the installation of sewer
service toareasavailable for com
mercial and industrial develop
ment. “The opinion of the ex
perts was that our area would not
even be considered for economic
and industrial development until
sewer and water service were
provided to locations available
for development,” he wrote.
(See COUNTY, page I3A)
Flap has Haddon on hot seat
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By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
Hoke Democratic Party Chair
man Ben Haddon is among a
growing number to find them
selves on the “hot seat” as the
race for Hoke County sheriff
continues to heat up.
On September 17, a group
called Concerned Democratic
Citizens of Hoke County wrote
Barbara Allen,chairmanof North
Carolina Democrats, and re
quested a speedy hearing into
Haddon’s removal from office.
They cited as reasons that
Haddon had failed to support or
endorse any of the local Demo
cratic Primary winners for the
upcominggeneral election. They
identified him as“thedirect cause
of party division in the county.”
The Concerned Democratic
Citizens are chagrined because
they say Haddon will not support
their candidate, Jim Davis, the
man Democrats chose as their
man for sheriff in the May pri
mary. Davis defeated current
sheriff Wayne Byrd.
Wayne Gardner, Byrd’s chief
of deputies, has since filed as an
unaffiliated candidate Tifter his
supporters presented a petition
to the Hoke County Board of
Elections with more than 1,400
signatures. Gardner, a Democrat,
began a leave of absence from
the sheriff’s department on Mon
day so he could concentrate on
(See HADDON, page 13A)
V
Boat accident claims buddy’s life
A'
•-Ail
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
A boating accident Friday
morning on the Intracoastal Wa
terway at Southport resulted in
the death of one of three fishing
friends with Raeford ties.
Carl Michael Lee, 46, of
Parkton died when the 17-foot
fishing boat he was in hit a navi
gation marker. His brother-in-
law Wayne Beasley, 53, a
Raeford businessman, and friend
Noah A. Hendrix of Raeford re
ceived bruises and scrapes in the
accident, according to the Coast
Guard.
The men left the N.C. Wild
life boat ramp and were east
bound, on their way to do some
spot fishing, when the mishap
occurred, according to Senior
Chief Robert Bradford of the
Coast Guard station at Oak Is
land.
The boat, owned and operated
by Beasley, was traveling about
20 mph at half throttle speed
(See ACCIDENT, page 12A)
Fire Dept, seeks to dedicate building
Barbara Lippard and some of the children of Hillcrest Baptist Church
deliver a wagon load of pennies to BB&T to be used to support Baptist
Children’s Homes. (Pat Allen Wilson photo)
Church kids go ‘extra mile’
for Baptist Children’s Home
the money translates to:
• a month’s groceries for a cot
tage of 12 children;
• clothing allowance for 22
children for one month;
• one month’s supply of milk
for 11 cottages;
• 42 pairs of jeans or 20 winter
coats;
• three days of electricity or
natural gas for Mills Home cam
pus;
•11 days of water/sewer ser-
(See PENNIES, page I3A)
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
The ch i Idren of Hil Icrest Bap
tist Church went that extra mile
and then some.
They were told it takes 84,440
pennies— or $844.40— laid edge
to edge, to equal a mile.
They were also told that
amount of money would make a
significant difference in the lives
of the children of Baptist
Children’s Home. For instance.
Strong flu
season
predicted
By Knight Chamberlain
Editor
The Center for Disease Con
trol is forecasting a particularly
strong tlu season ahead and Hoke
County residents are urged to get
vaccinated.
This month, the I loke County
I lealth Center will participate in
a statewide prevention effort.
Senior Vaccination Season, by
playing host to a series of flu and
piicuiiiiiiit.i vateinution clinics
for adults 65 and older. Medi
care B consumers will have no
out-of-pocket costs for these
(See FLU, page I3A)
By Kristin Guthrie
Staff writer
Raeford Fire Chief Dickie
Lippard appeared before the City
Council Monday night to request
that the City grant the Raeford
Fire Department permission to
dedicate the department’s build
ing in memory of the late
Crawford Thomas Jr. Lippard
said the department plans to
mount a plaque on the front of
the building stating its dedica
tion to Thomas, Jr.
In other news around town,
Raeford residents will soon see
an island at the corner of
Edinborough and Magnolia
Street. City Council members
voted to install the island with a
ne\Y,curb and gutter sidewalk in
an effort to make the intersection
safer. City Manager Mike
McNeill said they plan to install
the island right away in hopes
that it will help cut down on the
frequency and severity of acci
dents at this particular corner.
(See CITY, page 13A)
Lumber River deemed wild and scenic
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
In a ribbon-cutting ceremony
held Saturday at Princess Anne
landing near Fair Bluff in
Robeson County, the Lumber
River became part of the U.S.
Department of Interior’s National
Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The Lumber joins North
Carolina’s New, Horsepasture
and Chattooga rivers in achiev
ing the status which is bestowed
on rivers which have clean wa
ter, natural beauty, undeveloped
banks, abundant wildl ife and rec-
reational potential.
Eight-one miles of the 115-
mile river have been designated
Wild and Scenic. About 22 miles
of the designated stream makes
up the border between Hoke and
Scotland counties. The remain
ing designated section is in
Robeson County.
Under its new status, the Lum
ber River has complete protec
tion from federally funded dams,
(See RIVER, page ISA)
^ .j *
i
Wreck injures one
A woman who is eight months pregnant is assisted by EMS personnel (left photo) after a two-vehicle accident in the Ashley Heights on Aberdeen
Road Tuesday, September 29, shortly after 10:30 a.m. One person was injured in the two-vehicle crash which left a pickup in a field (right photo)
about 150 yards from its impact with an Isuzu Trooper. The accident occurred about 12 miles west of Raeford. (Pat Allen Wilson photos)