The
ews
No. 30 Vol. 92
See us at
Turn your
clocks back
one hour
before bed
Saturday night!
This week
Costumed kiddies
are Halloween treat
page 1B
Next week
Can you identify
local landmarks
from photos? You'll
win if you can in
next week's contest.
Index
Births...,
4B
Calendar...,
4B
Classifieds...,
,.. 10-11B
Editorials...,
2A
Legals...,
8B
Public Record...
5A
Religion...
.6B
School...
12B
Socials...
5B
TV Listings...
6-7B
Weddings...
5B
Around Town
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By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
When 1 went out to my car
Monday morning there was
frost on the windows and
windshield. The temperature
was in the 3()s and it was the
coldest it has been this fall.
This is better than the rainy
weather we have had for the
past several weeks. Maybe the
hooded areas of the state will
dry up in the next few weeks.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, cal Is for the
highs to be in the 70s and the
lows in the 4()s. Maybe the
weather will settle down and
become seasonable again.
There isn’t any rain in the fore
cast for this period.
Jk * * * * *
I was glad to read that the
Hoke County High School
football stadium had been
named for Raz Autry. Of
course there were many people
that assisted in the raising bf
the money for this project, but
it was the driving effort of Raz
that kept everyone working
for a successful conclusion.
Many people who now live
in Hoke County were not here
when this project was started
and was completed. There
were tnany people that didn't
want the stadium built. They
wanted to keep playing at Ar-
mor\ Park. Razstatcti that the
school would have more con
trol if it was built on school
property.
With the way people be-
(See AROUND, page 7A)
J oumal
If it happened, it's news to uS;
50 cents
Wednesday, October 27,1999
www.dicksonpress.com
Bacl^ard ‘juke
joint’ raided
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Barely a half mile from the
playground at Upchurch Elemen
tary School on Turnpike Road,
Silver City resident Jake
McLauchlin claims crack co
caine is being sold in the day
time— right on Alex Baker Road
in plain view of neighbors. An
other neighbor, who wished to
remain unnamed, alleged he’s
seen the same illegal activities in
the small community that falls
under the jurisdiction of the Hoke
County Sheriff’s Department.
“You can buy anything you
want and just drive up to get it,”
the elderly McLauchlin said of
the predominantly minority
neighborhood. “You should see
the street on payday on the first
of the month!
“You can find 20 or 30 people
lined up to buy drugs. We’vjp
complained before, and the law
drives by but we never seen any
body arrested.”
However, that situation was
remedied recently by local and
state law enforcement.
Ironically, McLauchlin’sown
son, Jasper McLauchlin, of 607
Alex Baker Road, was arrested
(See RAIDED, page lOA)
This building, known as “Billy’s Barn," was the scene of a drug raid last
week.
Ready or not, the trick or treat-ers are coming
This Halloween weekend, we’ll be opening our doors to trick or treat
ers like James Thomas Jr., son of Shirley Thomas Quinn of Raeford.
The two-year-old is one of many who came to The News-Journal office
to have their photos taken for our annual children’s Halloween
contest. You can find them all in the “B" section of this week’s
newspaper. (Photo by Pat Allen Wilson)
Johnson leaves A. I .t : £A
city council race
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
One week prior to the City of
Raeford municipal election,can
didate Gregory L. Johnson, who
was see king one of the three seats
available on the City Council,
has pulled out of the race.
Director Caroline Shook of
the Board of Elections said it’s
too late to take his name off the
ballots, hoping people will be
informed as much as possible of
his withdrawal.
“The strips on the voting ma
chines have already been printed
and installed,” Shook said. “We
can’t take off Mr. Johnson’s
name. If people inadvertently still
vote for him and don’t realize
he’s no longer in the race, those
votes won’t be utilized towards
anothercandidate. The votes will
be counted, however.
“But, there’s nothing wrong
with leaving his name on the
ballot.”
On the morning of October
(See RACE, page llA)
Candidates respond to questionairre; see page 6A.
Prospect Avenue can Legion Post 20;
Occupation, site man- past executive board
ager. Fort Bragg Of- member, Hoke
fice, CAMBER Corpo- County Civic League,
ration
Family, wife, Sara
Winslett White; three
children, Eddie, Bill and
Bonnie, 7 grandchil
dren.
Education and/or ex
perience: Economics
degree, Mercer Uni
versity, Macon, Geor
gia; Masters in educa
tion, Georgia State
University; Army War
College graduate.
Brent Clark
Age: 28
Address: 133 Harris
Avenue
Occupation: shift su
pervisor, Nanodyne
Inc., Maxton
Family: wife, Dyana;
two daughters,
Kyrsten and Katelynn
Education and/or ex
perience: University of
Maryland, 3 years; U.S.
Navy, 6 years.
Earl McDuffie
Address: 309
Covington Street
Family: wife, 5 children,
9 grandchildren
Occupation: business
man
Education and/or ex
perience: high school,
business college, sales
representative of 20
years for Hormel
Company, 10 years.
City Council.
And, the winner is...
Technical consultant Gene Barnes of Virginia checks Hoke County
voting machines for any necessary repairs on October 14 with
Director Caroline Shook of the Board of Elections. The machines are
stored at the old North Carolina National Guard Armory on Central
Avenue being prepared for the City of Raeford Election on November
2. See related article, page 7A. (Photo by Victoriana Summers)
Public hearing approaches
for county dog ordinance
Bv Victoriana Summers The hearing is set for 7:30
Staff writer p.m. on November 1 at the Com
missioners’ Room in the Pratt
Dog owners and animal lov- Biiildingat227N.MainStrectin
CIS alike \cill he able to ackliess Raeford.
concerns, or requests at a public “We’re encouraging citizens
hearing scheduled to address the to gather with us so we can get
proposed Hoke County Dog Or- their input into the proposed dog
dinance. (See ORDINANCE, page lOA)
John O. Jordan
Age: 36
Address: 1019 East
Donaldson Avenue
Occupation, branch
manager. Fidelity Bank
Family: wife, Polly
Education and/or ex
perience: Wake For
est University, B.S.
degree in business; 2
years, Raeford City
Council.
Jim White
Age: 59
Address: 214 West
Clyde A. Thomas
Jr.
Age: 45
Address: 918 North
Jackson Street
Occupation: retired
military, U.S. Navy;
retired U.S. Postal
employee
Family: wife, four chil
dren
Education and/or ex
perience: 3 years col
lege, majoring in busi
ness administration
and accounting; 4
years. City Council; 8
years in finance and
budgeting in the U.S.
Navy; 13 years. Dis
trict 4 representative
for the N.C. Council
of American Postal
Workers Union AFL-
CIO; member, chair
man. Trustee’s Board,
The New Shady Grove
Baptist Church; life
member. Disabled
American Post Chap
ter 17; past com
mander, Alfonso
Pickett Veterans of
Foreign War Post
7930; member. Ameri-
\,
Wayne Mills
Age: 53
Address: 819 East
Prospect Avenue
Occupation: semi-re-
tired sales
Family: wife, Teresa;
son, Jamie, daughter,
Melissa
Education and/or ex
perience:
10 years (teacher,
coach, administrator),
Hoke County Schools;
IS years owner. Auto
Parts and Equipment;
I year owner, J&L
Food Market; I year
employee, Raeford
Hardware; 7 years,
president, CEO, JML
Corporation.
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
An SOS plea by Fayetteville
architect Robbie Ferris to save
downtown Raeford may have
gone unheeded for the visionary
planner.
Ferris dreams of a concen
trated hub of county, city, retail
stores, banks and a picturesque
residential community for the
City of Raeford, which he de
scribes as remarkably unspoiled
and preserved.
As Ferris was representing the
Raeford Downtown Revitaliza
tion Committee, he encouraged
the new Hoke County Adminis
trative Facility to remain in the
heart of town rather than move to
the outskirts. He addressed the
Raeford Hoke Chamber of Com
merce and the County Commis
sioners about the potential of
downtown.
Simultaneously, Ferris was
conducting a capital needs study
for Hoke County, regarding de
mographic and financial analy
sis and existing building reuse
solely for county use.
Now, Ferris has been dis
missed by the county, putting the
capital needs project in limbo
temporarily.
“Robbie Ferris was fired last
Thursday,” Director Dennis
Baxley of the Building and Main
tenance Division said. “We felt
there was a conflict of interest. 1
met with Bernice MePhatter, our
County Manager, and we felt it
was in the best interest of every
body for us to terminate the con
tract with Architects Shuller
Ferris Lindstrom & Associates.
“They were trying to present
(See ARCHITECT, page 11 A)
Business
owner beefs
up security
after break-in
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
“You can bet my boots that
I’m prepared to protect my busi
ness now!” said Carl Mounts,
owner of the Rockfish Cafe and
Rockfish Video and Tanning.
Mounts, whose business was
targeted recently among the rash
of break-ins around Hoke
County, declared he’s aiming to
fight back.
“Some of the.se business are
staking out their own places,”
said Mounts. “They’re armed to
the teeth at night to catch the
bandits. They’re lookinglorany-
thing suspicious and watching
out for strange cars.
“I’m afraid if these robberies
continue that somebody is going
to get hurt.”
Rockfish Cafe was reportedly
robbed on October 15 at about
2:15 in the early morning.
“My security alarm company
called me and automatically
called the Sheriff’s Department,”
Mounts said. “The deputies
showed up about 20 m inutes later.
They were on the other side of
the county.”
Mounts said he’s concerned
about the lack of deputies patrol
ling at night.
“The problem with these
crimes is caused by a combina
tion of things,” Mounts said.
(See SECURITY, page 12A)