The
ews
No. 42 Vol. 93
Visit us
on the web
www.thenews-journal.com
This week
Best
and
• •
I
Worst
of 2000
IB
Five charged with
store break-in
page 4A
Free depression
screenings offered
lOA
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
The weatherfinally warmed
up so that it makes one think
of spring. We had a little rain
over the weekend, but just
enough to settle the dust. The
heat is working again in my
house and at the Raeford Pres
byterian Church. So now I
don’t have any excuse for not
going about my life as usual.
We can be thankful that we
don’t have the electric short
age as many other people do.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, cal Is for the
high Wednesday to be in the
40s and the low in the 30s.
Thursday, Friday and Satur
day the highs will be in the 50s
and the lows in the 30s. There
could be rain on Wednesday
or Thursday.
* ♦ ♦ ♦ is
Last week I wrote about the
death of May Foust Plonk
Weaver of Greensboro. Since
then I have received two more
notices of her death. The fol
lowing letter from Bill Cox of
Gastonia also had an obituary
of Mrs. Weaver.
“Dear Sam: Enclosed is an
obituary which appeared in
the January 5 issue of The
Charlotte Observer. 1 wasn’t
acquainted with the deceased
but 1 know she was from a
very prominent family in
Kings Mountain, some 10
miles west of Gastonia. Per
haps some of her former stu
dents in Raeford wilt remem
ber her.”
(See AROUND, page 3A)
J oumal
-JU
appened, it's news
50 cents
Wednesday, January 17, 2001
County adopts waste plan, averts fines
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A resolution to update the county’s 10-year solid
waste management plan was unanimously approved by
Floke commissioners on Tuesday evening. In a separate
discussion, the county agreed to consider a proposal
from Safety-Kleen Corp. of St. Pauls that would dispose
of county residents’ hazardous waste materials, offering
front-door pickup, or transporting items to a selected
site.
Hoke’s solid waste requirements, a plan required to be
updated every three years, will be submitted to the N.C.
Department of Natural Resources and Raeford’s city
council for approval before taking effect. County Man
ager Bernice MePhatter said. Last year, toxic chemicals
as well as traces of mercury were found in ground wells
tested at Hoke’s landfill. This situation caused pressure
on Hoke officials to complete the 10-year plan or risk
penalties, state engineers said.
According to consultant Charles Whittenton of
Fayetteville, Hoke has been required to operate its own
plan since the Bladen/Cumberland/Hoke project closed
(See WASTE, pageSA)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet
Carter: move ahead
in economic areas
Raeford teens
reign
at academy ball
page 2B
Index H
Births
2B
Calendar
3B
Classifieds
..6-7B
Deaths
.... 4A
Editorials
.... 2A
Legals
5B
Public Record
.... 4A
Religion
.... 5A
Schools
. 6-7A
Socials/Family
2B
TV Listings
..3-4B
Weddings
2B
Around Town
Dr. Paul M. Carter addresses the assemblage at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. banquet.
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
Don’t depend on politics to move
ahead; rely on
intelligence
and eco-
K n 0 m i c
1empow-
I erment.
This was
the mes
sage of
Dr. Paul
M. Carter,
chief
surgery
Cape Fear
Valley Medical Center,
who was the keynote speaker at the
Martin Luther King Jr. banquet/
celebration Monday night.
The surgeon, also a community
activist, was critical of schools that
give “apassive” education and said
churches should lead the way in
teaching economic education and
preparing children for the future.
Carter may have stepped on some
toes with his frank delivery, but his
audience was appreciative of his
words of advice and gave him a
standing ovation at the end of the
speech.
Speaking of the need to learn
financial intelligence and oversee
the education and development of
the children. Carter said, “The
things in the past are minor com
pared to the things we have to pre
pare our children for in the future...
We have to develop our commu
nity better than we have... We have
to look beyond, we can’t just con
tinue to react.”
King was beginning to focus on
finances when he was assassinated.
Carter said. His death had the ef
fect of sheep whose shepherd was
taken away. “Unable to put together
a master plan, the sheep scattered,”
(See BANQUET, page 9A)
It’s up to grant writer to save Rockfish Park
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Almost 4,500 Rockfish residents will benefit if Hoke
County Parks and Recreation makes a home run in grant
writing. Hoke commissioners recently approved seek
ing a $94,988 parks and recreation trust grant from the
state, which must be equally matched in funds from the
county. If the grant is received, the $186,976 will be used
for renovations at Rockfish Community Park and to
acquire an additional one-half acre for a children’s
playground.
“1 commend the county commissioners and County
Manager Bernice MePhatter for applying for this grant,”
said Eddie Brock, a Hoke realtor. “We have all been
working very hard to establish a park that will be a
legacy for our children.”
MePhatter told the board the Rockfish community is
committed to the proposed project, indicating they may
hold some fund-raisers to assist the county. Commis
sioner James A. l^ach praised the board’s decision,
saying, “This is a way for us to put our best foot forward.
We need something in that area of the county for our
youth.”
Proposed plans submitted to the state included costs
for new construction and renovations at the existing
facility that already includes a baseball diamond and
dugouts.
In the master plan for Rockfish Park completed on
(See ROCKFISH PARK, page 9A)
X'i
Ui
Suspicious fires bum
two vacant homes
Firefighters battle a house fire on Aberdeen Road.
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
The old home had been deserted for
years, and cane surrounded it so completely
it could not be seen from Aberdeen Road
unless one was searching intently for it.
The wooden frame house at McCain that
was last occupied by the John Linthicum
family is no more. Flames consumed it
Friday afternoon. “The building rekindled
several times so it is down to the ground,”
says Hoke County Fire Marshal A1
Schwarcbher.
Later that night, another vacant house, a
white two-story dwelling on Doc Brown
Road, received damage from fire and was
saved, according to Schwarcbher, “thanks
to the outstanding response of the fire de
partments.”
Both fires are “suspicious in nature,”
Schwarcbher said.
The State Bureau of Investigation is
investigating the fire at 965 Doc Brown
Road that was listed for sale or rent by Ann
Locklear Realty Company of Fayetteville.
Neighbors reported the fire at 10:15 p.m.
Fire damage was confined mostly to the
garage area with the remainder of the build-
(See FIRES, page 8A)
Sandhills offers brush-up courses
' ^ ^
Pictured, from 'eft, English 090 class members Peaches McNair, Joann
McLean, instructor Jim Nealon, LaPortia Manuel and Renee Bethea.
Not shown are students Gary Tillman and Cathy Sue Adkins, also
instructor Christie Allen
By Kristin Guthrie
Staff writer
Jim Nealon, a new part-time instructor at
Sandhills Community College, Hoke County Cen
ter, moved all the way from Ohio to teach pre
curriculum courses to students who need a little
brushing up before they officially begin their col
lege career.
Nealon currently teaches seven students En
glish 090, a composition strategies course with an
emphasis on paragraph to essay writing skills, and
six students Reading 090, a course aimed at teach-.
ing students to read w ith advanced skills for under
standing.
These two courses piggyback behind English
080 and Reading 080, a level I writing course
which teaches sentence to paragraph writing tech
niques and one which seeks to improve college-
level reading skills, respectively.
Students take English 080 and Reading 080 in
the fall and then complete the year-long program
in the spring with English 090 and Reading 090. In
addition to these two courses, students can also
choose to enroll in Math 060 in the fall and Math
070 in the spring, both courses taught by Alisa
Williams.
Nealon said students take the courses for a
“strongerbasisbeforetheircollege-level courses.”
He said he has really been impressed with the
persistence of his students. In addition to classes
Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12:30
p.m., many of the students currently enrolled in
this cluster of classes work 40-plus hours a week,
many of them 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; are married and or
also have children. “They’re doing so much and
yet trying to be academic,” Nealon said of his
students.
Even through the students range from age 19 to
mid 40s, Nealon said, “They’re sort of a tight-knit
group. Because it’s such an intense course, they
(See BRUSH-UP COURSES, page 9A)