The
ews
I oumal
Mf it happened^ it's news to us'
No. 35 Vol. 91
50 cents
Wednesday, December 2,1998
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www.dicksonpress.com
Saralyn Smith
to perform
in 'Nutcracker'
9A
Hoke 4-H Club
Page 1B
Index
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 9-1 OB
Deaths 4A
Editorials 2-3A
Legals 7-8B
Public Record 4A
Religion 7A
Sch(K)l 5A
Socials 3B
S|X)rts 6A
TV listings 4-5B
Weddings 3B
Around Town
By Sam C. Mokkis
Contributing Editor
The lemperaturesdon’t feel
like we expect in December.
The temperatures have been
in the high 7()s or low 8(ls for
the past week or so. The morn
ings are cool but it warms up
during the daytime. What we
need is some rain. Sunday, at
church, someone said that the
streams and creeks are about
as low as they have ever seen.
With all the leaves falling, it
makes it very dangerous in the
woods for fires. So everyone
should be careful when walk
ing in the wimkIs.
The forecast tor the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls lor the
same kind of weather. The
highs will be in the VOsand the
lows will be in the 4()s. There
is a chance of rain late Satur
day.
An event that I l(K)k for
ward to everv year is the an
nual Raeforci Kiwanis Club
Pancake Supper It will be held
Thiirvd'iv t'>i-ci*rnti(“r ^ at the
Gibson Cafeteria. The lime is
from 5:00 to 7:(K) p.m. There
will be all you can eat and also
good fellowship for the
(See AROUND, page lOA)
( ‘ I
Election board
sets hearing
s«
Mullet Roast a success
Last night’s 15th Annual Mullet Roast was held at the Civic Center where some 200 attendees heard
positive end-of-the-year status reports from area businesses and industries as well as the school board and
others. Harold Gillis served as emcee while Sheriff Wayne Byrd presided as “chief chef. There was chicken
on the menu for those who didn’t like their dinner staring back at them. The Raeford-Hoke Chamber of
Commerce played host to the event. (Knight Chamberlain photo)
By Pat Allen Wii^on
Staff writer
The Hoke County Board of
Elections yesterday set a time
and dale for a preliminary hear
ing into alleged election viola-
tionsduringtheNovember3gen-
eral election in which Jim Davis
defeated Wayne Gardner in the
sheriff’s race.
Davis, a Democrat, defeated
Gardner, an unaffilialed candi
date, by 265 votes.
The stale board directed the
county board to withhold or re
scind Davis’ certification assher-
iff. Davis’ letter of certification
was returned to the county board
yesterday.
At the special meeting held
yesterday. County Attorney Neil
Yarborough reviewed the state
board’s three-page letter to the
county board as well as statutes
and codes relating to elections.;
The meeting was held in the',
county conference room, and
Yarborough said his aim was to;
“let parlies know what is ex
pected soeverybody will be sing
ing out of the same hymnbook.”
The hymnal he was referring to
is the book of state statutes relat
ing to elections.
(See DA VIS, page M)
School system
Lumbee language a barrier receives arts grant
to formal tribal recognition?
By Pam Smith
Speciairrhe News Journal
Make no mistake about it.
More than 43,()(M) Lumbee in
Robeson and Hoke counties
know they are ethnically and
culturally Native Americans,
says renowned linguist Dr. Wall
Wolfram.
So why have the Lumbee
struggled unsuccessfully for de
cades to gain complete formal
recognition from the federal gov
ernment? Many believe the loss
of their ancestral language may
be one fundamental barrier.
Current research by Wolfram,
North Carolina State University’s
William Friday Distinguished
Professor of English, and a team
of researchers indicalesthal while
the Lumbee lost their ancestral
tongue generations ago, they
have developed a unique Lumbee
English dialect. They look to his
tory as the primary force that
shaped a dialect characterized
by particular patterns of pronun
ciation, grammar and vocabu
lary.
The Lumbee English dialect.
Wolfram says, bears the imprint
of the early colonization by the
English, Highland Scots, and
Scots-lrish. Moreover, Lumbee
Native Americans’speech isdis-
tinctly different from their Anglo-
American and African-American
neighbors.
Historical evidenceshowsthat
the Lumbee have been speaking
English for more than two centu
ries. As early as 1730, European
settlers were surprised toencoun-
tera large tribeof English-speak
ing Indians in the region. Just
where and when they learned it is
a matter of conjecture, says Wol
fram.
Through research findings re
veal some similarities in Lumbee
and Outer Banks speech, the i.so-
lated examples aren’t strong
enough to support the popular
theorythat links the Lumbeewith
the Lost Colony. In pronuncia
tion, for example, both use “hoi
toiders” (high tiders); in vocabu
lary, both try not to“mommuck,’’
or make a mess of it” and in the
grammatical useofweren’t,both
might say “She wt'rc/i’r here.”
“We were surprised to find
examples of dialectal affinity to
the Outer Banks.” says Wolfram,
“but they are isolated examples."
He suggests that more I ikely, both
speech communities shared a
common Scots-lrish English dia
lect influence, which also is ap
parent in Appalachian speech.
Wolfram and a team of gradu
ate students have been conduct
ing community-ba.sed language
studies in Robeson County since
1993 as part of his North ('aro-
lina Language and Life Project.
The goal of the I umbee study,
funded by the National Science
Eoundation and the William C.
Friday Endowment, is to pro
mote dialect awareness and a
(See LUMBEE, page lOA)
By KNKiirr Chamblklain
Editor
The Hoke County school sys
tem has received a $5,346 grant
from the North Carolina Arts
Council to pre.sent various per
forming artists tostudents around
the county.
In addition, the Arts Council
of Fayetteville/Cumberland
County has received a $4.()()()
grant to support professional de
velopment of artists in Hoke,
Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett,
Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Rich
mond, Robeson, Sampson and
Scotland counties.
The N.C. General Assembly
gave the Arts Council a one-time
increase of $335,750 this year
for the Grassroots Arts Program
which allocates funds for local
arts programming in all IIKIcoun-
ties on a per capita basis. An
additional $1,336 from the legis
lative increase will come to Hoke
County.
The N.C. Arts Council awards
(See GRANT, page lOA)
Byrd agrees to stay on
By Pa I Ai lln Wii.son
Staff writer
Hoke County Sheriff Wayne
By rd, whose term was to expire
December 7, has been asked to
stay on in the office until Jim
Davis, who was elected on No
vember 3, is sworn in.
Davis’ certification was taken
away by the N.C. Board of Elec
tions because of complaints he
campaigned inside polling areas
on election day.
Byrd said Tuesday he was
asked by Susan Nichols, the law
yer who handleselection matters
for the N.C. Attorney General 's
office, if he’d remain in office. “1
told her I would as long as
needed.” Byrd said.
Byrd said he has the option of
“going home December 7, ” but
chooses to continue his term. He
will not be sworn into office
again, he said.
Dollar General set to
open Thursday morning
Fkom siaek ri pokts
Customers in Raeford will
have a new place to shop for
consumable basic merchandise
when Dollar General opens its
new store located at 105
Fayetteville Road. The grand
opening is scheduled for Thurs
day, December 3, at 9 a.rn.
The new 8,()()() square-foot
storewillemploy sixto It) people,
including the store manager.
With more than 3,.5()0 stores
in 24 states thrt)ughout the Mid
west and Southeast, Dollar Gen
eral serves customers with a va
riety of basic items including
home cleaning supplies,
housewares, ftH)ds/snacks, health
and beauty aid.s, and basic ap
parel.
“For nearly 60 years, we have
tried to be responsive to the ever-
changing needs of oui custom-
eis, said chairman and L bUCal
'Furner Jr. “'I’oday, we are much
more than a retailer that buys and
sells merchandise — rather, we
are a customer-driven distribu
tor of the consumable basics.”
Dollar General was the first
true “Dollar Store” retailer, in
that it founded the concept of
even dollar price points. Today,
customers can find more than
1,500 items, priced at just $1,
and few items in the store cost
more than $25. The company’s
low, even-dollar price points of
fer customers great values every
day and because of that, there are
no sales at Dollar General.
“Our customers are the most
deserving, hard-working people
you’ll ever meet; smart, too,’’
said rurner. “They have to be.
Whether it’s a mother working
by herself to keep three kids in
school clothes, a person on a
fixed income, or young families
trying to make the payments on
their first home, our customers
must be smart shopjKns."
Dollar ticncral generally tar
gets small to medium markets
for new store locations. Through
an aggressive new store devel-
(See DO LIAR, page IGA)
V
•A
«L I
rn
World AIDS Day observed in Raeford
The I Ith observance of World AIDS Day was held last night in downtown Raeford next to the Hoke
County Public 1 ibrarv A candlelipht ceremony sponsored by the Hoke County Health Cenror
commemorated those directly and indirectly affected by the disease. The theme, “Be a Force for Change,”
was to recognize the millions of people worldwide who are affected by HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day linked
communities throughout the United States in a unified obseryance when the White House lights were
dimmed from 7:45 to 8 p.m., signifying the commitment to defeating the disease. (Knight Chamberlain
photo)