V
» ^ 4 I
The
ews
Journal
* If it happened, it's news to us
No. 48 Vol. 94
50 cents
Wednesday, February 27, 2002
INSIDE!
This week
She looks after
community's
spiritual well-being
page 1B
Retired Green Beret
talks on CNN Live
page 1OA
Teenager killed
in head-on crash
page 8A
Lady Bucks
take conference title
page 7A
Index
Births 3B
Calendar 4B
Classifieds 7B
Deaths 6A
Editorials 2-3A
Engagements 3B
Legals 5-6B
Public Record 6A
Religion 5A
School.... 2,8B;9A
Socials 3B
Sports 7A
Weddings 3B
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
The weather is still going
from hot to cold, according to
weather forecasters. This is
the warmest winter on record.
I also believe it is the driest
time for this time of year. We
have had one snow and very
little rain. We could be seeing
plenty of insects this summer.
Maybe this cold weather that
is in the upcoming forecast
will help.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for
highs Wednesday and Thurs
day to be in the 40s and the
lows in the 20s. Friday and
Saturday the highs will be in
the 50s and the lows in the
40s. There is no rain in the
forecast.
*****
Walter Coley came by the
house last week and he brought
some of his famous pepper
mint ice cream and some
pound cake. He said he breaks
up peppermint candy to make
the icecream. It was delicious.
He also brought me a bro
chure on the National D-Day
Memorial that is being con
structed in Bedford, Virginia.
This memorial is being con
structed in Bedford because
the National Guard unit from
that place lost 21 young men
on D-Day, according to the
brochure. The lossof21 young
men in a community of 3,2(X)
gave Bedford the highest pro-
(See AROUND, page lOA)
County faces huge budget shortfall
^ « • • « « A. IP Itll —
State cuts, Medicaid deficit, tax losses conspire
By Vicioriana Summers
Staff writer
A massive state shortfall and a Medic
aid deficit exceeding $1.2 million of
Hoke’s current budget has county com
missioners scrambling for solutions
and that estimate docs not incliuli ill
projected shortages toi the 2()(t2-2()(l.'
fiscal year.
Thus far, the board has rejecletl am
hiring freeze. There has been no mention
"I .1 .Kill ii-(luctioi) or future tax increase
to last linaneial lo.ss, according to the
i'oniinis',inm‘ij,
hi iIr Inst six months of this year
C'lnpaiol to last \ear. there was an in-
■ " ase In spending of SdOO.OIIO," County
Man.ii'ei Mike Wood said. "Our debt is
dso liudici this \ear than in the past."
According to Wood, lU)ke was previ
ously in a ‘■break-even" position — as
suming cxerything would have gone a;
planned. With the unexpected shortfalls.
Wood said the county’s balanced budget
for 2001 -20(12 became insufficient.
"We hear reports of problems in neigh
fVee BUDdl l SHORT} 'A!.I , page HA)
Paintball Tournament draws hundreds
' ' ' 8 y
4
^ m
It
Hoke Commissioner James A. Leach files for the N.C. House on
Tuesday with Caroline Shook, board of elections director.
Leach fQes to run
for N.C. House
Sheriff, commission candidates file
Painting the Towr^
Some 230 paintball player s on
46 teams gathered over the
weekend in Hoke County foi
the first tournament of the
Carolina Field Owner Associa
tion season. Playei s from as far
away as Georgia pumped thou
sands of rounds of paituballs
per game at each other on four
fields at Wildwood, off Philippi
Church Road Several hundred
friends and family nietrtbers
gathered to watch th^ action.
By Vicioriana Si mmi ks
Staff writer
1 lokc Commissioner James A. Leach made history yesterday as
the first knovxn African American candidate from Hoke to run for
N.C. House of Representative. His filing comes as a Friday at noon
deadline for local election filing nears.
Leach is running in the 48th Hou.se district against incumbent
Rep Donald Bonner, a Dem(x:rat, of Rowland, according to the
elections office.
"Alter serving in local government for the past ten years in our
county. I know the needs and I feel the hurt of our taxpayers when
hinds arc cut off at the state level," Leach said. “I want to make a
difference.
"I want to he a voice and vision for the people."
(See LEACH, FILING, page lOA)
Community buries ‘angel in blue’
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
The church was filled to capacity Friday after
noon as friends, family, fellow officers, and a
community said farewell to Sgt. Clifford Stauffer
Jr., a Raeford police officer who was killed in a
traffic accident February 18.
Law enforcement officers came as far away as
Raleigh for the funeral of the big 33-ycar-old man
who was remembered for giving love and service
to his family and the community.
The Rev. Rich Vaughan, who spoke at the
funeral held at Raeford United Methodist Church,
said the service was to “celebrate the life of a good
young man.
Cliff Stauffer was "not an ordinary man; was
unique in the eyes of those xvho worked wiip him."
the minister said.
Stauffer was not only a police officer
volunteered as an emergency medical lec-hnician
with the Hoke County Rescue Sipiad. "Cliff's life
was not short, it was full." N'aiighan said." Wluit he
lacked in quantity was filleil with quality,"
Vaughan spoke of a life filled xx ith lo\\- t\,r hjs
family, friends and co-workers. He.said life is often
measured by the “words spoken alrout y ou xeben no
one knows you are listening."
His former partner. Patrolman Robert ('aughey,
(See TUNERM, page HA)
^ r
Officers lined the sidewalk as the coffin of Sgt. Cliff Stauffer is borne
from the church.
Judge Manning sends mixed signals in education lawsuit
Wake Superior Court Judge Howard
Manning agreed with attorney Robert
Spearman that good teachers hold the
key in providing a sound, basic education
for North Carolina students. Yet Man
ning said he remained unconvinced fund
ing for higher salaries and more school
equipment is the answer. He will likely
issue a final ruling this spring on u law
suit filed by Hoke County against the
state, said Robert Tiller, co-counsel with
Spearman and partners in the Raleigh
law firm of Parker, Poe. Adams and
Bernstein.
“It is a tough decision that will be far-
reaching ('or the future of public cduca-
'7 agree / 00 percent that good teachers are
the key,... when we look in our file, there is
zero applications."
- Mitch Tyler, Hoke Schools Superintendent
“We are hopeful that Judge Manning
will rule in our clients’ favor,” Tillersaid.
lion in North Carolina.”
The legal team presented final argu
ments to Manning last Friday in a hearing,
representing Hoke as the lead school dis
trict in a civil lawsuit for “low-wealth”
counties. They also represent Robeson,
Cumberland, Halifax and Vance counties
in the suit, suing the state of North Caro
lina for allegedly failing to provide at-risk
students with a sound, basic education.
The legal battle, followed by a trial, has
been waged by Hoke against the state
since 1994 when the N.C. Supreme Court
(See EDUCATION SUIT, page HA)
MePhatter seeks
retirement money
By V1.CT0RIANA Summers
Staff writer
Former Hoke county manager
Bernice MePhatter was apparently
less than 10 years away from quali
fying for an early retirement when
she resigned on October 11 amid
controversy. While the State Bu
reau of Investigation continues its
(See MCPHATTER, page 9A)
McPhaul is unaffiliated candidate for commissioner
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
In announcing his candidacy
for one of three available com
missioner seats, Scurlock resi
dent Freddie McPhaul said he is
running as a citizen for county
commissioner “with emphasis
on ‘citizen.’”
“My stand is that county of
ficials are appointed bythe cili
zens to serve the citizens, and
me citizens should always have
input on any matter that will
alfect their communities either
positive or negtitive,” says
McPhaul. “Citizens should not
be sliut out ol the decision-mak
ing progress.”
McPhaul thinks common
sense is the main ingredient
missing from the county deci
sion-making proce.ss. “Simple
decisions should not be made
so technical (hat people don't
understand th 'in.''
McPhaul says the ncxibilily
of not belonging to a party ap
peals to him. He plans to run as
an unaffiliated candidate and
will need the signatures of 700
registered Hoke voters in order
to be certified to run in the gen
eral election this fall. His name
will not be listed with candi
dates on the May 7 primary.
“ I wi 11 not be a candidate that
will play the proverbial three
monkeys: ‘see no evil, hear no
evil, speak no evil,’” McPhaul
says. “1 will not be a party to the
good old boy network. We
should deal with issues based
(See MCPHA UL, page lOA)
A.
Freddie McPhaul