The
ews
J oumal
Hoke County's iu'wsp.iprr since 1907
No. 21 Vol. 92
50 cents
Wednesday, August 25, 1999
-1-
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I Ins
Sometimes a house
needs a
woman's touch
page 1B
Storms bring
lightning strikes to
southern Hoke
page 3A
Index
Births 6B
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 7B
Deaths 8A
Editorials 2A
Engagements 3B
Legals 6B
Public Record 4-5A
Religion 8B
School 7 A
TV Listings 4-5B
Weddings 3B
Around Town
rNtniiiK
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
The weather has finally
started being normal again.
The 100 degree temperatures
have gone and we also had
some rain. There was a ter
rible thunderstorm one night
and it seemed that before one
bolt of lightning would flash,
another would follow. The
county got anywhere from one
and a half inches of rain to two
and a half inches. My air con
ditioner was knocked out and
the repair man said that mine
was the fifth that he had re
paired that day. It was nice to
have it repaired before it be
came hot again.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for the
highs to be in the high 80s or
low 90s and the lows will be
around 70. The report says
that we could get rain about
any day of the week.
A couple of weeks ago I
reported in this column that
the Museum at Red Springs
was open on Tuesdays and'
Saturdays. Sunday I received
a call from Mrs. Grace Britt
and she stated that I had made
a mistake. The museum is
open on Tuesdays and Sun
days from 2 to 5 p.m. She also
stated that people from
Raeford had come to visit the
museum since the item ap
peared.
I hope that the mistake
didn ’ t cause someone to make
(See AROUND, page lOA)
. . V'. IT-
The first EastTloke Middle School Jazz Band rehearses with their Band Director Paula Mascho.
Shown (left to right, I st row) are students Jeremy Barnes and Allen Thomas, both seventh graders,
and Jessica Hanson and La Cole Stevens, sixth graders, (2nd row) Mrs. Mascho, Chris Horne, Traven
Harrington, Jason Leyva and Joshua Frana, all seventh graders.
Band director plays in hit ‘Grease,’
founds East Hoke Middle Jazz Band
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Night and day.... Band Di
rector Paula Mascho plays
music.
Nightly, she’s performs as
a professional, saxophone
player at the Cape Fear Re
gional Theatre’s production of
the hit musical, “Grease.” It’s
currently running through
August 29 in Fayetteville.
Daytime, the dedicated
teacher instructs her band stu
dents at East Hoke Middle
School on every conceivable
instrument from trombone to
drums. She even established the
first Jazz band ensemble at East
Hoke last year, with students
from ages 11 to 14 years old.
Some may perceive Mascho
as a celebrity, bestowing kudos
for her versatile performance in
“Grease.” Others are awed she’s
‘sat-in’ with the famous Ray
Charles in a Myrtle Beach con
cert.
However, Mascho empha
sized her main interest lies in the
enrichment of the kids at East
Hoke.
“My priority is much more in
my students than being on stage,”
Mascho enthused. “These stu
dents at East Hoke are the
heart of my labor.
“Some of my students love
music and will continue to play
for years to come. “
Musical background
Mascho began playing the
clarinet when she was 8 years
old, later learning to play the
“sax.” Inspired by her grand
mother, Pauline Moore of
Wilmington, she fondly calls
her“Mema.” Mascho grew up
listening to the tunes of
Lawrence Welk and the swing,
Grover Washington, Dexter
(See JAZZ, page 9A)
Rossie Floyd still active in home
extension club founded in 1955
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Some people seek recognition,
while others are simply born to
serve.
Rossie Floyd, past president
of “The Morning Club” in
Raeford, has been inspired to
serve others since the inception
of this County Extension Club
founded back in 1955. As the
North Carolina Cooperative Ex
tension Service’s 85th Anniver
sary was celebrated on August
24, this local octegenarian in
sisted her greatest satisfaction
has been sharing her home eco
nomics knowledge with others.
Not even a bevy of state and
Rossie Floyd, a member of The Morning Club, Raeford’s Cooperative
Extension Club, displays the 1995 Governor’s Award she received
from Gov. Hunt in recognition for outstanding service as a volunteer.
Woodpeckers
may get land
2,500 acre preserve to cost $3.8 million
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
The North Carolina Depart
ment of Transportation is paving
the way to purchase a vast area of
land in Hoke County.
“It’s not for future use as a
highway,” DOT Biologist Hal
Bain said last Thursday. “The
DOT is trying to be more pro
active in protecting the eco-sys-
tem of our environment and con
ducting business in an efficient
fashion.
“The reason so many people
come here to North Carolina is
because of the diversity of its
natural resources.”
DOT announced on August
18 it proposes to buy 2,504 acres
of property in Hoke for $3.8 mil
lion. Bain said this proposed price
includes the $3.7 million ap
praised value of the property,
plus an associated cost for man
agement expenses. According to
him, DOT Manager Bill Gilmore
of the Planning and Environmen
tal division will be in charge of
(See PRESERVE, page lOA)
Woodpecker an
interesting bird
By Tom Squier
Special to the NJ
People who know anything
about the red-cockaded wood
pecker seem to be polarized
into two groups. They either
love it or they hate it.
Farmers have had to forego
(See BIRD, page 8A)
Burlington workers
are promised relief
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
Workers here who were laid
off by the closing of the
Burlington Industries weaving
plant have been certified eligible
to receive special assistance to
find new jobs or enter training
programs.
In a press release, the state
Employment Security Commis
sion says it has requested addi
tional benefits for the Burlington
Industries workers to ensure that
assistance programs would have
other options available to them.
The Federal Trade Act pro
vides special benefits under the
Trade Adjustment Assistance
(TAA) program to those who
were laid off or had their hours
reduced because their employer
was adversely affected by in
creased imports from other coun
tries.
The North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) pro
vides special benefits under the
NAFTA-TAA program to those
those not covered by regular trade (See RELIEF, page 9A)
First regional Spanish
magazine premieres
county awards can take the place
of her hope she made life more
enjoyable for others.
After almost a half century is
close to passing, Floyd, 84, rep
resents the oldest as well as the
only original member of The
Morning Club to still be active in
club events.
“I’m the only member left
from the start,” Floyd said with
nostalgia. “Two of the former
members that helped us estab
lish the club are still living—
Betty Wright and Christine
Cochran.
“But, most are dead and gone.”
However, the memory of ca
maraderie and achievements
from the past will never be erased
in Floyd’s mind.
“We were the first Coopera
tive Extension Club to be started
in town,” Floyd reminisced, “the
late Miss Josephine Hall was the
Hoke Home Economics leader
at the time. Then Ellen Willis
followed in Miss Hall’s footsteps.
She’s living at the Laurinburg
Presbyterian Home now.
Things were a lot different
then as now. We first met in the
homes of members.”
Home demonstrations were
emphasized back then, Floyd
said. Learning how to can and
freeze vegetables and embroi
dery and crocheting lessons were
conducted. She said grocery
stores and retail stores didn’t have
the selection of goods and food
(See EXTENSION, page 8A)
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A new Spanish publication
will soon reach out to the rap
idly-emerging Hispanic popula
tion in North Carolina.
Dickson Press Inc. and The
News-Journal in Raeford are
introducing “Acento Latino,”the
first Spanish language magazine
to be established in southeastern
North Carolina.
Dickson Press will publish the
brand new publication, launch
ing the first issue during the first
part of September. It will con
tinue printing Acento Latino,
which will be written by “His-
panics for Hispanics” in their
native language on a monthly
basis. Plus, non-Hispanics, who
are bi-lingual and are familiar
with the language and culture,
will contribute additional articles
to the magazine.
“This new publication is in
direct response to the burgeon
ing Spanish population in our
area,” Robert Dickson, publisher
of Dickson Press, said. “It will
address the interests and con
cerns of Hispanics also moving
(See SPANISH, page 9A)
Festival turkey flags on sale
With the North Carolina
Turkey Festival less than a
month away, the festival store
has a new item available for
sale to commemorate the 15th
anniversary of the event.
The 2' X y flags sell for
$20 each and sales are re
ported as brisk since their
arrival at the festival office,
located in the Chamber build
ing at the railroad depot in
downtown Raeford.
The flag is white and fea
tures and red white and blue
turkey on each side and can be
used year after year at festival
time.
Festival planners ask that
citizens and businesses “flock”
to the store and purchase a flag
so it can be displayed through
out the festival.
Turkey,
Talk
The festival is scheduled
this year for September 16,17
and 18. Festival events will
include a parade, street fair,
beach concert, and turkey
cooking contest and numer
ous other activities.
Powell to lead
festival parade
Hoke County District At
torney Jean E. Powell has been
named the grand marshal for
the 1999 North Carolina Tur
key Festival.
Powell was elected the
(See MARSHAL, page lOA)