The
ews
Journal
No. 5 Vol. 93
50 cents
Wednesday, May 3, 2000
Visit us at
our new web location
www.thenews-journal.com
This week
Preschool on
wheels expands
education and
enrichment
page 4A
Squier, Autry
chosen top
volunteers
page 1B
Index
Births 3B
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 8-9B
Deaths 5A
Editorials 2A
Lcgals 7,1 OB
Public Record 6A
Schools 4,6B
Socials 3B
Sports 8A
TV Listings 5-6B
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
The weather has been more
like spring for the past week.
We have had some rain, but
not enough to soak the ground.
Friday night and Saturday
there was about a quarter of an
inch of rain. It seemed that
other areas got more than we
did. Maybe we can look for
ward to seasonal weather for a
while.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for the
highs Wednesday and Thurs
day to be in the high 70s or 80s
and the lows in the 50s. Friday
and Saturday the highs will be
in the 80s and the lows in the
50or60s. The forecast doesn’t
call for any rain during this
period.
* « « * * *
When you read this column
the primary elections will be
over. I just hope that the people
of the county will have gone
to the polls and voted. Most of
the polls are predicting only
about 38 percent will vote.
Let’s hope Hoke County does
better!
« * « » *
I was sorry to read about
the death of Hugh A. Gardner
of Shallotte. Hugh owned and
operated Hugh’s Texaco on
Campus Avenue here for
many years. After retiring he
moved to Shallotte. He was
buried in Laurinburg Sunday
afternoon. He is survived by
his wife and two daughters.
Both of the daughters married
men who were born and went
(See AROUND, page 9A)
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Voters and candidates formed a block party to keep track of the vote tally in a traditional gathering at The
News-Journal offices during the Hoke County election primary on Tuesday night (clockwise from top);
Lindsay Orem and Taylor Hamilton post totals; Board of Elections Director Caroline Shook (from left),
Chief Judge Ed Clanton of Stonewall Precinct and Chairman Willie McCaskill of the Elections Board verify
totals at the Elections Office. (Photos by Victoriana Summers)
Relay for Life surpasses goal
Cancer Society event tops $60,000 early on Saturday
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
Hoke County’s third annual
Relay for Life event exceeded its
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Billy Posey and jimmy Conoly walk in the “Survivor’s
Lap” during which cancer survivors are honored as
a kickoff to the 24-hour relay.
goal of $60,000 this year.
Charles Crowder, who co
chaired the event with Ricky
Sandy, said Monday, “Monies
will come in for probably the
next two weeks.
As of right now,
there is
$64,001.46.”
The 24-hour
fund-raiser for
the American
Cancer Society
was held at the
Hoke High sta
dium beginning
Friday at 6 p.m.
and lasting
throughout the
nightuntil6p.m.
on Saturday.
Cheers rang
out early Satur
day afternoon
when the an
nouncement,
“We just went
over the hill,”
was made. The
Rev. Tony Hunt,
pastor of South
Hoke Baptist
\
Church, had just handed over a
check for more than $3,100 from
the church.
Crowder said he had heard
“nothing but excellent com
ments.”
The relay was successful “due
to the good people in Hoke
County,” Crowder said. “As co
chair of the event. I’d like to
thank everyone for their hard
work.”
Crowder said he had spoken
with a man who said he and his
family had decided to get in
volved with the relay then found
out two weeks later his wife had
cancer. “It made it more mean
ingful for us,” Crowder said the
man commented.
The event was hard work for
many participants but there was
fun, too, and some moving mo
ments, particularly the first night
when the relay was led by cancer
survivors and later, as darkness
set in, when luminaries were lit
in memory of those who lost
their battle with the disease as
well asforthose in need of prayer.
The track was surrounded by
(See RELA Y, page 8A)
City tax rate may remain unchanged
By Kristin Guthrie
Staff writer
During a detailed budget
workshop session Monday
evening. City Manager Mike
McNeill led city council mem
bers through the specifics of the
proposed 2(K)0/2001 budget. Per
haps the most significant out
come of the proposed upcoming
budget showed no increase in the
current $.47 per $100 valuation
tax rate. McNeill’s budget sum
mary also stated that the budget
would allow the city to maintain
a 40 percent fund balance in the
general fund and 100-plus per- (See TAX RATE, pageSA)
Bids secured on county offices complex
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Bids for the future Hoke
County Administrative Facility
were submitted to Boney Archi
tects and Hoke Building Direc
tor Dennis Baxley last week, and
the matter was placed on the
consent agenda to be approved
by county commissioners Mon
day evening as a routine item.
However, Commissioner L.E.
McLaughlin questioned why the
board should approve bids when
financing for the project is still
uncertain.
Subsequently, the consent
agenda item was held, awaiting a
decision later on by the commis
sioners on selecting bids.
“Financing hasn’t been se
cured on this particular project
yet,” County Manager Bernice
Newton victor
in close race
Defeats Southerland, McRae for D. A.
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
It’s not official yet, but Kristy
McMillan Newton garnered the
most votes in Hoke and Scotland
counties to become the Demo
cratic nominee for district attor
ney for District 16A, which en
compasses both counties.
Last night’s vote tally indi
cated a close race with Newton
defeating Harry Southerland, a
Hoke County opponent, by 135
votes. Both defeated a third con
tender, W. Philip McRae, of Scot
land County.
The Democratic nominee
faces no Republican opposition
in November’s general election.
“The only thing 1 want to say
is thank you very much to all my
supporters in Scotland and Hoke
counties who worked for me,”
said the 28-year-old senior dis
trict attorney, who has served for
five years undercurrent DA Jean
(See DA, page 7A)
Wright, Leach,
Blue, Knott head
for showdown
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
In a fast-paced May 2 primary
that Director Caroline Shook of
the Board of Elections described
as “smooth,” Democrats James
A. Leach, incumbent, and Rob
ert A. “Bobby” Wright won bids
for two commissioners’ seats
available in the upcoming No
vember election. For the first time
in Hoke County’s history, two
Republican commissioner can
didates, Buddy Blue and Jim
Knott, who edged out party op
ponent Kevin Epps, will also
compete in the election for the
same available positions.
“This was a tough race,” Blue
said. Knott expressed disappoint
ment more Democrats and Re
publicans didn’t turn out to vote.
Topping the voters’ choice,
Wright, a Hoke farmer for 36
years and lifelong resident of
Hoke, carried 51 percent of the
vote in the commissioner’s race.
Wright garnered 1,971 votes on
the Democrat ticket. Leach, cur
rent commission chairman and
senior pastor of Love Church,
placed second on the roster, earn
ing 1,883 votes, which was 48.6
percent of the vote. Leach isseek-
(See COMMISSION, page 7A)
House bums, was origin
of furniture business
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
The wood frame house was
old when John Luther Wood
bought it sometime during the
depression, and there is no way
to say exactly the age of the old
home on Sanders Road was when
it burned to the ground Thursday
evening.
Firefighters called to the scene
at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday re
ported flames had already over
taken about half the house. They
worked to keep the fire under
control and prevent it from
spreading into nearby woods, and
then they knocked down the
chimneys which would have
posed a safety hazard.
(See HOUSE BURNS, page 8A)
cent fund balance in the water/
sewer fund.
Further, the budget showed
that the city plans to maintain
current water and sewer rates
and maintaincurrentservice rates
with some insignificant fee in
creases, while still providing a
MePhatter said.
However, in a positive letter
to Baxley from Boney Archi
tects, project architectural firm,
architect W. Elliott O’Neal Jr.
indicated bid figures were suc
cessfully within the range of the
budgetestablished by the county.
Boney recommended awarding
contracts to the low biddeis, to
taling all construction contracts
(See BIDS, page 8A)
West Hoke volunteer firefighters apply water to control a blaze that
destroyed an old home on Sanders Road. (Photo by Cary A. Wilson)