ews
J oumal
happened, it's news
No. 50 Vol. 92
50 cents
Wednesday, March 15, 2000
Visit us at
our new web location
www.thenews-journal.com
This week
EDENBOROUGH
MEDICAL COLLEGE
lEariy medical school.
Ichartered 1867. conduct
led bty Dr. Hector McLean.
IClosed c. 1877. Stood
Ione'half mile south.
Hector McLean
family cemetery —
lost in time
page 1B
^ Scott Poole honored
for election service
page 10 A
Index 1
Calendar
2B
Classifieds
10-11B
Deaths
... lOA
Editorials
4A
Engagements
3B
Legals
....6-7B
Public Record
4A
Religion
6A
Schools
.8,12B
Socials
3B
Sports
9A
Tax listing
....8-9B
TV Listings
. 5-64-5
Weddings
3B
Around Town
Contributing Editor
The cold weather will not
go away. Monday morning
there was frost once again.
After the rain on Saturday a
cold front came through and
the temperatures dropped. We
didn’t have any of the severe
winds that were in other states.
As stated last week Easter is
late this year, so the weather
could still be cold some of the
days.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, cal Is for the
highs Wednesday and Thurs
day to be in the 70s and the
lows in the 40s. Friday and
Saturday the highs will be in
the low 60s or high 50s and the
lows will be in the 30s. There
is a chance of rain on Thurs
day night and on Friday.
I was sorry to hear the death
of Louise Sevan Sawyer of
Burlington last week. She was
a native of Hoke County and
finished high school here in
1936. Louiseoperated a beauty
shop for many years. She was
very active in community af
fairs and especially the Shiloh
Presbyterian Church. She was
on the committee that had a
homecoming at Sandy Grove
Presbyterian Church in the
Fort Bragg reservation after
more than 60 years.
Even after her health failed
and he moved to Burlington,
she stayed in contact with her
manv friends in Hoke County
and Raeford. She was buried
at Shiloh last week. We offer
(See AROUND, page I2A)
Ten cent tax increase ftactures board
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Hoke County Manager
Bernice McPhatter was given
guidance by county commission
ers for the annual Department
Heads’ Budget Retreat bcingheld
today in Southern Pines. Try to
avoid any tax increase and
“scrunch the numbers,” the board
requested of McPhatter.
Her directive on budget chal
lenges resulted aftera recess from
the regularly-scheduled Com
missioners’ meeting Monday
night, when Commission Chair
man James Leach was absent
and budget documents weren’t
aval lable. The board reconvened
on Tuesday morning.
Commissioners are looking at
a possible 10 cents per-hundred-
dol lars tax increase for next year.
unless money is withdrawn from
the general fund balance or nor
mal tax revenues will generate
enough money to cover budget
requests.
(See TAXES, page 11 A)
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Girl Scout Week
Special activities are planned for Girl Scout Week (March 12-18), one of which is a display at the Hoke County Library put
together by local troops and leaders. Shown at the display are girls and leaders of troops 1399 (Brownies), 1166 (Juniors)
and 821 (Daisies). They are, from left, Ashley Cook, Tiffany Allen, Aubrey Rafinski, Laura Cook (leader), Brittany Cook,
Shelby Coleman, Ashley Roberts, Kirsten Rafinski, and leaders Michele Allen and Renee Kudrna. (Photo by Pat Allen Wilson)
Water lead levels endanger two families
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Hoke health officials, state water
quality specialists and the Environ
mental Protection Agency in Atlanta
are still perplexed about what links
high levels of lead to the homes of
Kenneth and Sylvia Small, Nick and
Brenda Mayo and one gas station in
western Hoke County — some seven
miles apart.
These agencies have investigated
the problem since July 1999. Soil and
water samples have yet to determine
the cause, says Jeff Eudy, a Hoke
environmental health specialist. Ac
cording to him, these are the first
known casesof lead poisoning in Hoke
County private wells in almost 15
years. He investigated only one other
incident in 1999, which involved
higher levels of lead detected in achild
due to mini-blinds in a home.
Only two things are shared in com
mon by both families and the busi
ness: Each utilizesprivate wells, which
are now providing unacceptable drink
ing water, and they all reside near the
Hoke-Moore county line. In spite of
the mystery, Eudy said both families
will be connected to county water by
(See LEAD, page lOA)
Lt. Gov. Wicker speaks at Hoke Civic League
meeting’ appearance was closed to outsiders
Wicker unaware ‘town
By Victoriana Summers
Staff Writer
Lt. Governor Dennis Wicker vis
ited Hoke County Monday night. But,
Wicker was unaware his appearance
— at what he thought was a public
forum for candidates — turned out to
be the best kept secret in Hoke County.
Wicker was invited to the Hoke
County Civic League’s monthly meet
ing, which was held at Leach Springs
Missionary Baptist Church. A histori
cally black church ItKated on Arabia
Road, Leach Springs’ sanctuary was
filled to capacity, Wicker noted.
“It was a successful meeting and I
felt good about the response,” Wicker
said. “But, I thought it was open to the
public. I didn’t know it was closed.
There were also other local candi
dates there who spoke,” he said.
“I apologize if it caused any em
barrassment to news media. I didn’t
know until afterwards the news re
porter we invited wasn’t allowed to
stay,” he said.
Wicker, a Democrat candidate for
governor, directed his apology to a
news reporter from The News-Jour
nal, who was told to leave the meeting
by President Mary Kemp Thomas of
Hoke’s Civic
League. Hiscam-
paign office in
vited The News
Journal to cover
what Wicker was
told was a “town
meeting.”
Wicker’s publi
cized itinerary
said he would
“make brief remarks, respond to ques
tions from the audience and be avail
able for news media interviews.”
However, Thomas told a contradic-
(See WICKER, page 11 A)
Wicker
Multi-million
dollar shopping
center planned
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A legacy of prime cotton fields, inherited by
Raeford resident William J. McNeill, may soon be
converted into a multi-million dollar shopping cen
ter on U.S. 401 ’s corridor next to East Hoke Middle
School. Hoke’s PlanningCommission unanimously
recommended McNeill’s request for a conditional
use permit to construct a shopping plaza on the
highway site.
County commissioners will decide whether to
grant approval next month for the acreage located at
the southwest intersection of Club Pond Road and
U.S. 401. In spite of the acreage zoned highway
(See SHOPPING CENTER, page 1 lA)
NAACP rally
won’t take place
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Future plans for a rally or downtown march in
Raeford proposed by the NAACP are off, says
Onnie Dudley, a representative of NAACP’s Hoke
County chapter. According to Dudley, William
McNair, an out-of-county NAACP representative,
reportedly requested a permit application on Febru
ary 8 from Raeford City Manager Mike McNeill.
But, the organization never turned in the final paper
work forprocessing toschedule an anticipated march,
she added.
“That is correct,” said Raeford attorney Gregory
Thompson, president of Hoke’s NAACP. “There
will be no march.”
Thompson also said contrary to another “contro
versial rumor” floating among citizens*, he and
Dudley denied the local NAACP organization is
involved in obtaining signatures from black voters
—or any voters—in support of minority candidates
for the upcoming election. Dudley also indicated the
local NAACP wasn’t involved in planning for a
march, circulating a petition instead. This petition
was a result of long-range discussions and strategies
with other like-minded citizens to stand behind
county leaders, she said.
Originally, a member of the local NAACP, who
asked to remain anonymous, claimed the pending
march and petition revolved around the November
election. The source, a leader in the African Ameri
can community, insisted the first NAACP petition
circulating requested backing for black candidates,
seeking $5 contributions.
“The second petition I saw asked people to donate
$1 and was intended toshow support for all minority
elected officials instead of candidates,” the source
(See NAACP, page 11 A)
School board suspends student
long-term for essay on violence
Kristin Guthrie
Staff writer
The Hoke Board of Education de
cided last night to suspend Russell
Almanza long-term for his controver
sial English essay with violent con
tents entitled “The Hoke High School
Massacre.”
Board members supported Hoke
High School Principal Dr. Wall’s re
quest to suspend freshman student
Almanza long term in an effort to
keep the large campus safe.
In response to a growing concern
about safety at Hoke High School, the
school recently purchased 19 addi
tional surveillance cameras that will
be used to monitor the parking lots at
(See ESSAY, page lOA)
■^1
Raeford-Hoke Expo set for March 22
Since the Raeford-Hoke Expo was
begun five years ago, each subsequent
one is bigger than the other.
Raeford-Hoke Expo 2000, slated
for Wednesday, March 22, from 10
a.m. until 6:30 p.m., is filled to capac
ity. “Spaces for all booths both inside
and outside are fil led up,” said Gordon
Ragsdale, who is in charge of adver
tising for the event. “We had to turn
down requests.”
The business Expo, to be held at
the National Guard Armory on Teal
Drive, showcases area businesses,
and this year there will be 40 exhibi
tors. Admission to the event is free
and prizes, food, entertainment and
fun are on the all-day agenda.
Horse host...
A visu of Bradford pear trees, the namesake of Bradford Lane Farm, beautifies the western
Hoke countryside — home to a thoroughbred horse farm. (Photo by Victoriana Summers)