The
ews
Journal
Tf-i
No. 10 Vol. 93
Visit us at
our new web location
www.tbenews-journal.com
This week
50 cents
Wednesday, June 7, 2000
f
Confederate soldier's
monument is moved
page 1B
Habitat For
Humanity again
breaks ground
page 6A
Index
Births 4B
Business/Farm 8B
Calendar 5B
Classifieds 10-1 IB
Deaths 4A
Editorials 2A
Engagements 4B
Legals 8-9B
Public Record 4A
Religion 5-6B
Schools 2,12B
Socials 3-4B
TV Listings 7-8B
Around Town
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By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
Many people that I talked
with Sunday and Monday
were happy about the rain. As
I write this column Monday
morning we have had about
an inch of rain in Raeford over
the weekend. It is still cloudy
and the forecast cal Is for show
ers this afternoon and Tues
day. So far there haven’t been
any power failures in Raeford
or trees blown down. It has
happened in other parts of the
state. We should be thankful.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, cal Is for the
high Wednesday to be in the
70s and the low in the 50s.
Thursday highs will be in the
80s and the low in the 60s.
Friday and Saturday the highs
will be in the 90s and the lows
in the 60s. There isn’t any rain
in the forecast.
♦ * * ♦ *
Last week I had an item
about the death of veterans in
1999. Since then Tom Squier,
Hoke County Veterans Ser
vice Officer, has been told of
the deaths of two additional
vets. They are Paul Saunders
and Leonard Dunn. If anyone
has been missed, call me or
Tom Squier.
Tom also told me that The
Veterans Office on East
Elwood Avenue was a drop
off point for aluminum cans.
The funds from the sale of
these cans will go to the Habi
tat for Humanity organization
of Racford/lloke County.
t ♦ ♦ * ♦
(See AROUND, page 9A)
Commission kills plan to build offices
BY ViriORIANA SlIMMlIRS
Staff writer
The new $2.5 million Hoke County
Administrative Facility is history. Hoke
Commissioners voted Monday night to
cease construction and will not enter into
an “installment purchase contract” for the
project on West Palmer Road. After the
board nixed the building, it received an
ovation from more than 150 citizens op
posed to the office complex moving out
of downtown Raeford.
Commissioner L.E. McLaughlin led
the move initially to delay it after the
public hearing, then amended his intent to
“deny completely” the county office
project. McLaughlin, backed by Com
missioner Cleo Bratcher Jr. and a decid
ing vote from Commissioner Charles V.
Daniels, who previously voted in favor of
the complex, carried the majority vote to
cancel the building plans.
(See OFFICES, page 11 A)
I ' 51 T’
n
M
*
Hoke High School Class
of 2000 graduates Friday
Despite heat in the 90s, 238 Hoke High School
seniors walked across a stage (top) erected on the
school’s football field Friday evening and re
ceived diplomas.
The ceremony included short speeches from
school principal Dr. Barry Wall; the class’s Vale
dictorian, Jason Hop;, Salutatorian, Rebecca
Tatum; and class president, Todd Galberth. The
school’s band played “Pomp and Circumstance”
as seniors marched onto the field (left).
2 Hoke teens die in Robeson wreck
Two boys remain hospitalized, one in critical condition
By ViCTORiANA Summers
Staff writer
Residents of a Robeson
County neighborhood where a
fatal crash tKCurred attempted to
help the five teenagers who were
involved in the accident Thurs
day afternoon. Two died and two
others are still hospitalized, one
in critical condition.
Alex Brent Williams, a 16-
year-old Hoke High junior, of
126 Hickman Court, and Nico
Marshall, 16, of 116 Hickman
Court, who attended Hoke High
until November 1999, both died
at the scene.
One passenger, Hoke High
junior football player David Tho
mas, of Overton Road, remains Valley Medical Center, and 17-
in critical condition at Cape Fear (See WRECK, page HA)
Scene of a Robeson County accident which killed two Hoke High
students last week. (Photo by Pat Allen Wilson)
Mystery still surrounds Holmes’ death,
preliminary report indicates drowning
The preliminary results of an
autopsy on Michael Angelo
Holmes, the 33-ycar-old Vass
Road man whose brxiy was found
in a pond off June Johnson Road,
indicate he died of drowning.
His wrecked car was found
the evening of Saturday, May
20, about 6(K) yards from the
pond; the body was found by
campers six days later.
Dr. Karen Chancellor of the
state Medical Examiner’s office
said the final results of the au
topsy will not be made available
to the pubi ic for 60 days, and she
could not release information on
Holmes’ time of death.
SBI Special Agent Janie
Pinkston said yesterday she had
spoken with the medical exam-
inerand more testsare beingcon-
ducted. Holmes’ body was
partially in the water when
found. Pinkston said it has not
been determined yet if his
body was found at the same
place in which Holmes had
entered the water.
“It’s my understanding no
one who found him touched
him or moved him” prior to the
(See MYSTERY, page lOA)
Council okays
Raeford budget
By Kristin Guthrie
Staff writer
Raeford City Council mem
bers voted Monday night to ac
cept the 2()()()/2()01 budget with
no tax increases, hikes on water
and sewer rates or any other sig
nificant fee increasesfor services
the City offers. The tax rate will
remain at $.47 per $100 valua
tion, while still providing a 3.5
percent cost-of-living increase
for all employees.
In an unrelated item of busi
ness, the councilmen gave per
mission to City Manager Mike
McNeill and City Attorney Wil
liam Fields to negotiate a con
tract with A«&R Railroad. A&R
Railroad has agreed to give the
city the right away on a section
of railroad property in exchange
(See CITY BUDGET, page 9A)
Hospice GolfTournament drop-in
Skydivers from Raeford Skydiving dropped in at the annual Hospice GolfTournament Friday at Bayonet
Golf Course. The tournament was the course’s largest ever, attracting approximately 180 golfers. Winners
were Tony thacker, Lenn Taylor, Glen Bangs and Harry Sanders. In second place were Dooie Leach, Don
Porter, Bill Smith and Charles Crowder.
County pares budget
to eliminate increase
Employee COLA increases nixed
By Vk'ioriana Summers
Staff writer
Hoke Commissioners sent a
concise message to taxpayers on
Monday night, eliminating any
worry about taxes being in
creased when the new budget
officially begins July I. The rec
ommended budget is approxi
mately $19.6 million, an esti
mated increase of nearly $4.4
million above the past year’s
budget. Taxes are proposed to
remain the same at 74 cents per
$100 property valuation.
“The board Itas decided not to
raise any taxes,” Commission
Cliairman James Leach said.
“This board has stated there will
not be a tax increase in that (2000-
2001) budget,” Leach repeated.
Leach’s promise was a pre
lude to a preliminary budget pre
sentation by County Manager
Bernice MePhatter, regarding
expenditures targeted for the next
(See COUNTY, page lOA)
I
t %
4.
Democrat head Charlotte Kelly, front, reads a prepared statement
calling for party unity.
Democratic party head calls
for unity, cites ‘divisive tactics’
Unaffiliated candidates are
vying in the general election for
the offices of county commis
sioner and register of deeds. Kelly
staled, “This is a ploy that took
shape duringthe highly contested
and racially divisive Hoke
County sheriff’s race of 1998.
While the offices sought are dif
ferent and the races of the unaf-
filiatcd challengers are different,
the ploy is still the same.”
Evidence of the racial divi
sion was obvious at the Hoke
Demwratic convention held in
Apri I which was attended by only
six whitc.s.
Kelly announced a unification
rally scheduled for August 26 at
East Hoke Middle School.
Democratic primary winners
statewide are scheduled to at
tend as well as the N.C. Demo
cratic Party leadership.
There was no question and
answer session following the
press conference which look
place on the courthouse steps at
12:30 p.m. I’riday.
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
Charlotte Kelly, chairperson
of the Hoke County Democrats,
called for party unity in the county
at a press conference held last
week.
“I want to .strongly encourage
Hoke County Democrats to re
main loyal to the party and elect
Democrats on the local, state and
national level in the fall,” Kelly
said in a prepared statement.
“It is important that we show
unity. Where there is unity, there
is strength,” she said.
Kelly said she does not en
courage switching parlies pur
posely to divide the community.
“If we are Democrats, let us be
Democrats and remain united.”
A release announcing the press
conference — attended by repre
sentatives of two Hoke publica
tions—stated that divisive tactics
have been employed in the
county’s politics “which threaten
successful elections in the fall.”