The
ews
Journal
ppened, it's new(.
No. 8 Vol. 93
50 cents
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
Visit us at
our new web location
www.thenews-journal.com
This week
X,
i
Hoke High students
make us proud
page 1B
Family searching
for man after
car crash
page 8A
Index
Births 2B
Calendar 3B
Classifieds 8-1 OB
Deaths 8A
Editorials 2A
Engagements 3B
Legals 6-7B
Public Record 8A
Religion 2B
Schools 4,5A/5,10B
Socials 3B
Sports 7A
TV Listings 4-5B
Weddings 3B
Around Town
Contributing Editor
Monday morning most of
the people I talked with had
smiles on their faces. This
came about because of the rain
Saturday and Sunday nights.
There was more rain in the
western section of the county
than in Raeford.
The rainfall in Raeford was
around one inch. The tempera
tures last week were mostly in
the 90s during the day. It is
somewhat cooler Monday
morning as I write this col
umn.
The forecast for Wednes
day through Saturday calls for
the high Wednesday to be in
the 90s and the lows in the
60s. For the remainder of the
week the highs will be in the
80s and the lows around 60.
There is a chance of rain about
any afternoon with the best
chance being on Thursday.
*****
A reminder to golfers that
would like to play in the Hos
pice Golf Tournament June 2
at Bayonet. If you would like
to play, call Charlcie Bartch at
the Hospice office 875-5132.
Also, don’t forget that this is
Membership Month for Hos
pice. So send your check to
the Hospice office on South
Main Street.
*****
Last week I received the
following letter from Betty
McLean Ritchie of Harrisburg.
“Dear Sam,
“Just wanted to let you
know that my mother, Sadie
McLean (Mrs. H. Raymond),
(See AROUND, page 3A)
Nature Cbnservancy buys 245 aaes
By VicnruiANA Siimmi;rs
Staff writer
A 245-acre plantation of young longicaf
pines nestled neartheHoke-M(K)re county
line along Stubby Oaks Road has been
acquired by The Nature Conservancy as a
.sanctuary for the red-cockaded wood
pecker, an endangered bird. Previously
owned by the estate of Barbara M.
Sullivan, the $4(K),0(K) tract of 10-year-
old pines includes several small farm
houses and a tobacco barn.
The conservation effort involves a
partnering between Bank of America and
The Nature Conservancy, which currently
owns and manages 55,000 acres in North
Carolina.
“We were thrilled when we saw who
was the successful bidder for this prop
erty,” said Jim Schroering, assistant vice
president of estate services for Bank of
America. “The Nature Conservancy has
(See LAND, page 9A)
Event planned to
unite Hoke men
Within the heart of the Sullivan estate’s longleaf forest, more than 2,000 types of plants and wildlife may
exist. (Photo by Pat Allen Wilson)
Chamber gavel goes to Li
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
It was the ladies night at Raeford-Hoke Cham
ber of Commerce’s banquet when Angel Li Uwk
over as president from Linda Richards, and Eloise
Upchurch Carter was honored for her outstanding
contributions to the community.
West Hoke Middle School’s dining room was
fi lied to capacity as emcee Dooie Leach welcomed
Chamber members. It was the 53rd such banquet
for the Chamber.
Assistant District Attorney and Democratic
nominee forDis-
surer.
Board of directors for 2()0()-2(K)l are, in addi
tion to the new officers, Larry Bullard, William
Fields, Greg Jackson, Sherry Lucas, Joe Poole,
Kristi Posey, Linda Revels, Gene Shclnutt and
Betty Smith.
In introducing the Chamber member deemed as
being an exceptional contributor to Raeford and
Hoke County, businesses, organizations, churches,
schools and the entire community, Mary Archie
McNeill kept much of her audience in suspense as
she recounted the contributions of Carter.
trict Attorney
Kristy McMillan
Newton installed
Li; Wayne
Simpson
(Unilever HPC-
USA) as vice
president; Lisa
Potts Davis
(Burlington
Taylored Fash
ions), second
vice president;
Pam Frederick
(Garry’s Paint
and Body), sec
retary; and
Charles Davis
(Tarheel Turkey
Angel Li takes the oath of office. Hatchery), trea-
"Each one of us is responsible for the
'live-ability' of Hoke County. We must
take this responsibility seriously and
show, by our actions, that we care."
— Outgoing Chamber
president Linda Richards
Carter works “diligently and quietly behind the
scenes,” McNeill said. She has “given many years
of service to the community in both the business
and private sectors, gives wholeheartedly to the
betterment of this community and especially to the
enhancement to the quality of life in our area —a
key ingredient to economic development and
growth,”
A former junior high arts teacher, Carter was
one of the organizers and founders of the first
community-wide arts festival, called the Hoke
Heritage Hobnob, in 1984 that later became the
(See CHAMBER, page 11 A)
lilton HTWilliams Sr.,
keynote speaker
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Hubert A. Peterkin is looking
for more than a few gotxl men —
he’s seeking 200 men to come
together as a “mighty fortress”
for the first Hoke County 200
Men Fellowship. The “spiritu
ally-uplifting crusade” is slated
at Freedom Chapel A.M.E. Zion
Church in Raeford on August
20.
Peterkin expressed a personal
philosophy about this fellowship
event.
“As men, we sometime forget
that a relationship with God is a
gift,” Peterkin .said. “We don’t
earn it; we can’t buy it and we
can’t boast or feel a sense of
accomplishment about achiev
ing it,” he said.
“God gives us this gift out of
love for us and a desire to be in
relationship with his people.”
Peterkin, an investigator with
the Fayetteville Police Depart
ment, first conceived the con
cept of uniting men of all cul
tures and faiths for fellowship
last year, when he was major-
chief deputy at the Hoke County
Sheriff’s Department. As chair
man of the annual men’s pro-
Hubert A. Peterkin,
fellowship founder
gram for 2000 at Freedom
Chapel, Peterkin’s mission is to
coordinate an evening of inspi
rational music combined with
keynote speakers, where mem
bers of all Hoke communities
can join in fellowship under one
roof.
“We’re trying to bring the
community together and espe
cially targeting the men of Hoke
County from all affiliations and
organizations,” Peteikin said.
“We’re not limiting participa
tion in the fellowship to just
churches,” he said.
“We’re hoping to instill a
strong unity among all men and
bring our county together.
Women are also welcome to par
ticipate,” Peterkin said.
The Rev. Milton H. Williams
Sr. of Hoke County, presiding
elder for the Laurinburg District
of 19 A.M.E. Zion Churches,
which includes five churches in
Hoke, has been invited as an hon
ored guest speaker for 200 Men
Fellowship. Williams, who
earned his honorary doctor of
divinity from Teamer’s School
of Religion in Charlotte, received
his master’s degree from East
Carolina University.
(See MEN, page 11 A)
Sheriff Davis warns against involvement in pyramid scheme
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
Hoke County Sheriff Jim
Davis warns residents against a
pyramid scheme that is making
its way around Hoke County.
His office is actively investigat
ing the scheme, often referred to
as a gifting program.
The scam was brought to the
attention of The News-Journal
in mid-April by an anonymous
caller who said the scheme was
targeting older African-Ameri
can residents here. “People on
fixed income can’t afford to lose
on this. Some people are bor
rowing money,” she said.
“Yourcaller iscorrect,” Davis
said yesterday. He said he has
contacted the District Attorney’s
Rockfish residents circulate
petition for improvements
Office, SBl, FBI and Alcohol
Law Enforcement. “We are con
ducting an active investigation,”
he said.
The pyramid scam perpetra
tors charge an entry fee for people
to participate and operates out of
private homes, uses the mail or
even fax machines, according to
the sheriff.
The anonymous caller said
li
some meetings had been held in
area churches and that some
people are soliciting by going
from house to house and knock
ing on doors.
“The organizers promise great
wealth through participation.
Gifting programs are really a
form of money musical chairs
where only the organizers are the
winners,” Davis said.
Davis explained, “The goal is
to bring in eight new people who
each pay money to the organizer
who then leaves that down line
with the cash. The remaining
participants split into two new
down lines, each having eight
new vacancies for recruiting new
people. The process repeats it
self with the organizers often re-
(See PYRAMID, page I2A)
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Some RtKkfish residentsthink
Hoke County Parks and Recre
ation has struck out in providing
recreational services for the ru
ral eastern Hoke community. A
petition circulating in the Rock-
fish community has already
gleaned more than 200 signa
tures, protesting the lack of up
keep at the Rockfish Commu
nity Center, a converted, historic
school used for social and civic
functions.
Rockfish citizens plan to
present the petition to the county,
asking for it to repair the neigh
borhood gatherin^place.
Although not ihcluded in the
petition drive, the design of the
new Rockfish Community Park
recently completed also has
Rockfisheitizens concerned. Due
to several design flaws, residents
say they can’t play softball and
baseball in the ballpark, or use
the jogging trail.
“We’rejust Rockfish, because
we’re notin Raeford,” said Selina
Desjardins, wife of chiropractor
Dr. Dennis Desjardins. “Yet we
have almost 4,500 people in a
one-mile radius in Rockfish that
rivals Raeford’s population,” she
said.
(See PETITION, page IGA)
lili
IrV V
44
■A
Ik
Children’s book author visits Smart Start Da)f
Cameron resident Kimberly P. Johnson autographed copies of her books, “The Adventures of the Itty Bitty
Frog” and "The Adventures of the Itty Bitty Bunny” at Smart Start Day, held last Wednesday at the National
Guard Armory. The event was an open house to introduce the community to Smart Start's programs.
(Photo by Pat Allen Wilson)