The
ews
J oumal
Hoke County s newspaper since 1.
No. 26 Vol. 92
50 cents
Wednesday, September 29,1999
See us at
www.dicksonpress.com
In A
School chums get
together, help with
flood relief
page 3A
InB
! !
First Health Medical
Mall molds history
IB
Index
Births 9B
Business/Farm 8A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 8-9B
Deaths 11A
Editorials 2-3A
Engagements 3B
Legals 7B
Public Record 4,6A
Religion 9B
School 10B
Sports 5A
TV Listings 5-6B
Around Town
p
liiM
Bv Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
The weather last week had
some cold nights. When the
temperatures get into the 40s,
it is time to change from cool
to heat. For a couple of days a
jacket was needed. But as usu
ally happens this time of year
it will warm up, so that means
that you must go back to cool
on the heating system. As this
is being written Monday morn
ing it is in the 70s and we are
getting more rain. This is one
thing that the people in the
eastern part of the state don’t
need. The fall season came in
last Thursday so we should
start having cooler days. The
forecast for the remainder of
the week, Wednesday through
Saturday, calls for highs on
Wednesday and Thursday will
be in the 7()s and lows around
60. Friday and Saturday the
highs will be in the low 70s or
high 60s and the lows around
50. Rain will end Wednesday.
*****
Jeanette Jordan, chairman
of the Raeford Baptist Church
Centennial celebration, was by
the office Monday morning
and gave me some details
about their big day, Sunday,
November 21.
There will be a worship ser
vice beginning at 10:30 on
that Sunday morning. There
will be four former ministers
ofthe church that will have 10
minutes during the service.
These ministersare as follows:
the Reverends Judson Lennon,
' (See AROUND, page 11 A)
- -vT-‘‘A ■.Tsu.'jjf'sT/ta
Hoke’s education plight heard in Raleigh
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
It’s a long and winding
road....”a journey we’re trying to
take the court system through
and show all the dynamics of our
school system,” expressed lead
spokesman Jeff Moss, Hoke
County Schools’ Associate Su
perintendent, involved in low
wealth lawsuit proceedings this
Retaining teachers a huge problem
By Victoriana Summers
Staff Writer
The State is failing to meet the
basic, sound educational needs
of Hoke County’s student popu
lation— that’spartofthe premise
Hoke School Superintendent
Don Steed and other educators
(See TEACHERS, page I2A)
week in Raleigh.
Substandard education... sub
stitute teachers.... aging and out-
of-date equipment... lack of sup
plies ... losing teachers that flock
to surrounding counties for
higher supplements...
“Our teachers and our Board
of Education are working hard
for the education of our students,”
Moss said. “We just need more.
Folks don’t like change all the
time, but we live in change. It’s
Subdivision change
on board’s agenda
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
On their October 4 agenda,
Hoke County Commissioners
will be looking at a decision on
whether to keep or change the
10-acre minimum for parcels of
land not regulated by the county’s
subdivision ordinances. They are
also being asked to make a zon
ing change that would allow ex
pansion of an industry that resi
dents of the area oppose.
Another request requiring a
decision from commissioners is
a request for a rezoning from
residential to neighborhood busi
ness that would allow businesses
at Scull and Fayetteville roads
east of Raeford. That request has
had no opposition.
All three requests have been
recommended for approval by
the Hoke County Planning Com
mission.
The proposed parcel size
(See SUBDIVISION, page lOA)
Flood relief springs
from all. over Hoke
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Outpourings of goodwill in
response to the devastation of
Hurricane Floyd are flowing
bountifully in Hoke County as
food, clothing and money dona
tions continue to be collected.
Across hurricane-ravaged
North Carolina, the path of floods
and heavy winds have left at least
47 people dead, 3,000 homes
destroyed and close to 40,000
people have applied for disaster
relief through FEMA and state
assistance.
Hoke Emergency Manage
ment is still organizing food
drives. A large truck of dona
tions was transported to
Fayetteville to the Food Bank on
Friday.
“We’ve had a very good re
sponse for the drive,” said Emer
gency Management Coordinator
A1 Schwarcbher, also the County
Fire Marshal. “We’re pleased
with the response.”
Hoke’s Assistant Emergency
Management Coordinator
Debbie Locklear said the com
munications center has been be
sieged with people asking ques
tion about Hood victims and how
(See RELIEF, page 9A)
i
r» X
Imagine yourself a teenager
who has been displaced by flood
ing from Hurricane Floyd— no
home, no clothes, no toilet ar
ticles, your life, including your
education, has been disrupted,
and you’re concerned about miss
ing relatives and friends. Hoke
County High students have
shown themselves to be sympa
thetic to the plight of students at
another school— Jones County
High School— who are under
going those experiences.
Dr. Barry Wall, principal at
Hoke High, was visiting on the
Internet and found a site listed as
“Adopt a School.” He felt a kin-
important for me to feel, regard
less of the outcome, we have
made a difference for these chil
dren and future generations.
“I’m seeing the good with the
bad. One of the factors is the
socio-economic status of a num
ber of children living here in
poverty. The County Commis
sioners fund as much as they can
fund in their budget. But, there’s
only so much money in the pot.”
These inequities continue to
be portrayed in a protracted court
battle between five low wealth
counties and the State of North
Carolina.
The low wealth lawsuit, which
was filed in 1994, is composed
of plaintiffs including school
systems in Cumberland,
Robeson, Vance, Halifax and
Hoke counties. Defense plead
ings are currently being heard by
the court in Raleigh, with a pro
(See COURT, page 12A)
DECA students who participated in a food drive for flood victims
Saturday are, from left, Maurice Price, Ben MacDonald, Amanda
Goosby, Monica Dial, Marquette McBryde and Kim Farmen. Not
pictured are Melissa Plummer, Thomas Oldham and Megan Willis.
(Contributed photo)
Hoke High helps in relief effort
\
'W
fif.
i
Mechanic-in-training
Standing on a cola cartoon and appropriately dressed for the occasion, three-year-old Christine Byrd
uses a ratchet like a professional “grease monkey” at her father’s vehicle repair shop, Byrd’s
Alignment. She is the daughter of Tracy Byrd and Richard Byrd.
Sheriff’s advisory board picked,
links community, law enforcement
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Some citizens perceive it as a
golden opportunity to know
what’s happening around the
county. Sheriff Jim Davis visu
alizes the first Hoke County Sher
iff Citizen’s Advisory Board as a
stepping stone for every day
people, serving as a liaison for
community awareness and crime
prevention.
Davis announced last Thurs
day the final selections are com
pleted for participants in the
Advisory Board. Invitations were
mailed last week, informing 15
citizens they were chosen to join
the board.
A meeting was held on Tues
day at the Hoke Public Library,
where the advisory committee
members were inducted officially
by Davis.
“Tuesday night was be a time
to get to know each other and
share information and ideas,”
Davis said. “The Advisory Board
is composed of all volunteers
from around the county.
“We are very pleased we had
the number of responses we did
receive.”
Davis expressed a positive at
titude, predicting more opportu
nities would be available in the
future for others to become in
volved.
Among the honorees selected
as members of the advisory coun
cil are: Willard Page; Vandelyn
Barber; Jeff Sumner; Joe Mon
roe; Susan King; Jane Quinones;
Lester Baker; Jimmy Bunce;
John Harry; Thomas Squier;
Thom Berg and Mary Roper.
Also, Woodrow Cooper,
Brenda Taylor, Carl Pevia, who
was unable to attend the first
meeting, Rick Barber, Art
Watson and Neil MePhatter.
Interim officers were chosen
at the meeting. Among those
appointed are: Squier as Media
Relations spokesman, Taylor as
Chairwoman, Rick Barber as
Vice Chairman and Vandelyn
Barber as the recording secre
tary.
“This is a concept 1 talked
about during my candidacy for
sheriff,” Davis said of his moti
vations. “1 jiad experienced this
before from the federal sector.
It’s one piece of the concept of a
community-oriented police.”
Davis said he received numer
ous phone calls since the board’s
selection—’’all positive” con
gratulatory remarks about the
citizens. He praised the Advi
sory team as a “diverse group of
citizens” from around the county.
Davisconsiders it one which will
be “community-based,” involv
ing interest in crime prevention
(See ADVISORY, page lOA)
Republicans name Melissa Pittman chairperson
dred in Jones County High
School in that it is considered
one of the low-wealth counties
in North Carolina— as is Hoke.
The school, located in eastern
North Carolina in Trenton, has
been hard hit by flooding. Wall
spoke with the assistant princi
pal, a Mrs. Lassiter, who told
him that students there were “in
dire need of clothing.” Blue jeans,
T-shirts and tennis shoes were
among the things needed as well
as personal hygiene items and
non-perishable foods.
Wall spoke with students at
Hoke High, and they all said they
(See HIGH SCHOOL, page 8A)
In Hoke
County,
many ofthe
2,645 regis-
tered Re
publicans
are between
the ages of
30 and 40
and a ma-
Hefissa Pittmin jority of
these voters
arc women, according to the new
Hoke Republican chairperson.
The new Republicanchairfalls
into both those categories.
Melissa Pittman, 33, was re
cently chosen to head the party.
Former Chairman Marc
Hennemann accepted a job trans
fer that took him to Florida.
“We felt it was time to get a
young, energetic person who is
aware of what’s going on in the
county and city and the political
environment,” said Gene
Shclnutt, a former chairman and
secretary-treasurer.
Pittman, a lifetime resident of
Raeford, isthedaughterofJimmy
and Judy Pittman. She .said she is
honored that members of the
Republican Party have the faith
in her to hold the chairperson
position. She said she looks for
ward to bringing new and fresh
ideas to the party.
Pittman released this state
ment, “1 hope that more people
will start to become involved in
the Hoke County Republican
Party. We all have a voice but for
that voice to count we have to get
involved. We, ascitizensof Hoke
County, have to not just wish a
difference would be made but
actually get involved and make
that difference. Citizens need to
become actively involved in the
national, state and local level of
politics.”
Republicans meet on the sec
ond Saturday of each month.
Pittman encourages all members
of the party to attend the meet
ings. She said people must be
willing to work to make a differ
ence. “There are a lot of good
things beginning to happen in
(See REPUBLICANS, page lOA)