» =
Friends together again for a cause
Akemi-joi Gavin and Hope
McPhatter have been friends since
middle school. However, the friends
parted after graduation from Hoke
County High School in 1999. Their
individual aspirations and interests
took them to different universities.
Because the two share a common
desire to help others, they both be
came a part of the University Campus
Ministry — Gavin at North Carolina
Central University and McPhatter at
East Carolina University in
Greenville.
Ultimately this interest placed the
two friends together again. Gavin and
McPhatter have just returned from a
two-week mission trip to Haiti. They
were part of a small delegation of
Christian missionaries made up of
students and ministers who went to
that country to offer assistance to the
Haitians.
The missionaries worked in the
areas of agriculture, health and edu
cation and ministered to those in need.
While there, the delegation lived in an
orphanage that had limited facilities.
Gavin and McPhatter said the mis
sionary work was "rewarding" and
they look forward to going to South
Africa on the next mission scheduled
in early 2003.
Gavin will enter her senior year at
NCCU this fall, where she is major
ing in social work. She was initiated
into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority this
spring.
McPhatter enters her senior year at
ECU and is majoring in health educa
tion. She was initialed into Sigma
Gamma Rho Sorority last fall.
Hope is the daughter of Bridget
and James McPhatter. and Akemi is
Hope McPhatter, left, and Akemi-
joi Gavin
the daughter of Mildred Alleyne Gavin
and Joseph Gavin.
The friends plan to continue their
education and obtain their master de
grees.
Community invited to tech fomm tonight
The Hoke Technology Consortium
is extending an invitation to the Rae-
ford-Hoke County community to a
public forum at East Hoke Middle
School on Wednesday, May 29 from
6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
The forum’s theme will focus on
connecting Hoke County’s families
to "a better future through technol
ogy” and explore ways to solve real-
world problems together. Participants
will have the opportunity to speak
with vendors showcasing how e-tech-
nology is being used in many real
world arenas of banking, business and
government, and share information
and their ideas toward mounting ef
forts to bridge the digital divide.
The public is invited to attend and
enjoy free food, take part in commu
nity fellowship and atld your voice to
shaping local technology plans for
Martin
(Continued from page 2A)
decline in economic activity always
results in the decline in tax revenues
to the states. In this respect. North
Carolina is not alone. Many other
states are facing their own budget
crises as a result of the nation's eco
nomic downturn.
2. The tax cuts in the mid-9()s.
If these taxes were still in place,
the stale would have about $1.5 bil
lion more in projected revenues —
enough to fill most of the states pro
jected shortfall.
These tax cuts were passed after
Republicans took charge of the North
Carolina House of Representatives.
Almost everyone knew these tax cuts
would be painful when their full force
was in effect. But the tax cut propo
nents believed that the only way to
reduce the size of government effec
tively was to choke off its income
stream. The pain that the state is
suffering is not an accident. It is a
result of a deliberate strategy to re
duce the size and the activities of
government.
3. New and expanding programs.
At the same time the state legisla
ture reduced its revenue stream, it
added and provided for the expansion
of a whole series of spending commit
ments. For instance, the state’s com
mitment to the gradual expansion of
the Smart Start program added ex
penditures each year. The successful
university and community college
bond referendum locked in a growing
commitment to service interest and
debt repayment costs.
Tve heard some people say that
Governor Hunt is responsible for all
these additional spending require
ments. But he had a lot of company.
These folks learned that the best way
to get a good—but expensive—pro
gram started is to begin very inexpen
sively. 'The new program thus has
almost no budget impact during its
first couple of years. Only in later
years does the legislature have to find
the money to fund the commitments it
made for free in earlier years.
4. Increasing health care costs.
The state has almost no control
over its share of the rising costs of
participation in federal health-care
programs.
5. North Carolina's old economy.
Our state is not bouncing back as
fast as it used to after econoni ic dowm-
turns—or as fast as most other states
in the nation. In past years, after an
economic downturn, textile and fur
niture manufacturing came back
strong. Not this year. Most of the
mills and factories that closed down
during the slowdown are going to stay
closed. Some will be relocated to off
shore locations. Perhaps, in the long
run, the loss of these relatively low-
wage manufacturing jobs will be part
of a positive trend for North Carolina.
In the short run, however, the impact
is disastrous.
6. Two-party partisanship.
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May 29, 2IMI2
THE NEWS-JOURNAL
Karford. N.C.
3A
Gentry to head LRCOG again
Raeford Mayor Boh Gentry has
been chosen chairman of the Lum
ber River Council of Government
(LR('OG) board of directors. It is
his second time to chair the COG
board, having served in 1995-
97.
The city’s COG representative
for more than 12 years. Gentry has
also represented the COG on the
statewide Joint Regiontil Fo
rum.
Elizabethtown Mayor Kenneth
Kornegay was chosen as vice chair
man and Maxton Mayor IJIlie
McKoy was reelected as treasurer.
The LRCOG board of directors
is composed of 28 elected officials
from the four-county areaofBladen,
Hoke, Robeson and Scotland. The
board oversees COG’s operations
and budgeting totaling almost $17
million.
■fhe majority of these funds are
contracted to local agencies for job
training activitiesor passed through
to the counties to purchase services
for older adults. COG also provides
local and regional planning activi
ties for its member governments
and administers a number of other
progrtims.
\
^ \
Bob Gentry
Lumbee tribal council adopts first ordinances
the future.
For more information, interested
citizens and residents may contact
D('nna Sullivan at 9 ll)-9()4-6536e.xt.
3; Kim Williams at 9 l()-9()4-b547; or
Christina Davis- McCoy at 910-904-
0312.
'I'his forum is sponsored as ptirt of
the e-NC Initiative of the Rural
Internet Access Authority of North
('arolina.
If it were not for our two-party
system, the legislature could deal ef
fectively with the budget crisis, as
difficult as it is. But with the battle for
control of government so close, both
parties are afraid to take any action
that might give an advantage to the
other side.
If there were no party competition,
the legislators could face the crisis
with common sense rather than a con
stant eye on political advantage. And
they would, most likely, come up
with a comb illation of budget cuts and
revenue increases that would keep
state government on an even keel.
7. The one-time emergencies.
The extrii one-time expenses that
hit the stale after Hurricane 1 loydand
as a result of losing big lawsuits to
retirees and intangible taxpayers ate
up all the stales reserves. So the state
hiis no cushion to help with this years
crisis.
8. You and I. •
When it comes right down to it,
though, perhaps the biggest reason
for the budget crisis in Raleigh today
is you and 1 —and other citizens like
us, who want the government to do
lots of things for us and for our favor
ite programs. And we want somebody
else to pay the bill.
D.G. Marlin is Carolinas Director
of the Trust for Public Land, a na
tional conservation organization that
preserves land for people.
By At I \ Baki K
Special to The News-Journal
The Tribal Gouneil of the l.,unibee
Tribe of North Carolina adopted two
ordinancesonThursday,May lb. The
first ordinance outlines the process
and defines tribal ordinances and reso
lutions. I'he second ordinance pro
vides for tribal enrollment, establish
ing the Lumlree Tribal Enrollment
Office and Records and charges the
office with responsibility to maintain
a current roll of tribal members. The
second ordinance also defines eligi
bility for enrollment and requirements
for maintenance of membership.
The ordinances will be posted for
30 days at the Lumbee Tribal Office
at 707 Union Chapel Road in I’em-
broke and may be inspected during
regularoffice hours, Monday through
Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Af
ter the posting period, the ordinances
will be presented for the signature of
Tribal Chairman Milton R, Hunt. The
chairman must sign them within 30
days or the ordinances will be consid
ered as having been vetoed.
The adopted ordinances may be
viewed at: http://
w w w, I u m bee t r i be. com.
Other actions, reports
The Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program (HHEAP) re
ported that the Winter Crisis Program
was completed on April 2b, 2002. A
total of $290,957.25 was issued in
energy assistance through LIHEAP
with the Winter Crisis program. The
Summer Crisis program will begin on
June 3, 2002. The Lumbee Tribal
Council through subcontract to the
Lumbee Regional Development As
sociation Inc. administers this tribal
program.
Election board members
The Lumbee Tribal Elections
Board announced the election of
Lemark Harris as chairman, Naomi
Chavis as vice-chairman and Emma
L. Locklear as secretary.
At the meeting of the Tribal Elec
tions Board on May 2, three candi
dates for the District 6 election were
certified. Certified candidates are
Wilma lAicklear Godwin, Tony Hunt
and Larry Townsend. The voting site
for the District b vacant seat will be at
the 'fribal Office on Saturday, June
29, 201)2 from 8 a.m. until b:30 p.m.
Absentee ballots procedures are
designed to be "people-friendly.’'
1 ribal members who are either out of
town or sick will be provided a Re
quest for Absentee ballot. The board
authorized that the request and ballot
might be issued simultaneously ex
cept that the ballot will not be counted
until the elections board determines
the absentee voter to be an eligible
voter. I'he board also reported that
the deadline for voters in District 6 to
return their absentee ballots will be
Wednesday, June 2b, 2002.
Housing contracts
Harley Hunt, Housing Supervisor
for New Construction and Rehabili
tation, reported the release of $387,
006 in bids awarded to local contrac
tors for home rehabilitation. Thirty
homes have been selected for reha
bilitation services since April 12,2002
and the Housing Program anticipated
awarding bids for an additional 13
homes by this past Tuesday. The
housing program will continue to ac
cept applications for certification of
additional contractors. The certifica
tion process consists of attending a
pre-construction workshop, verifica
tion of American Indian status, credit
and quality of work references and
verification of insurance. Applica
tions and more information are avail
able at the Tribal Office.
Tfie Tribal Council approved a re
vision to the FY 2001 Indian Housing
Plan and an application for the FY
2002 Indian Housing Plan. The total
for both years is expected to be in
excess of $16 million dollars. If the
Office of Housing and Urban Devel
opment are approved to utilize 2000
Census data, the FY 2002 grant award
eould be considerably more.
Cultural Center
The Lumbee Tribal Festival Com
mittee reported planned activities for
July 1-6, 2002 at the North Carolina
Indian Cultural Center. The Lumbee
tribe will host an Indian arts and crafts
exhibit at the Longhouse to recognize
and highlight the variety of skills and
talent of local American Indians.
Categories will include original draw
ings, paintings, beadwork, carvings,
basketwork,canning,quiltirjg, mixed
media, herbs and artifacts. Entries
w ill be accepted at the Tribal Office
on July 3 or onsite at the Longhouse.
Kidsfest At Tribal Festival
Activities are planned fo^ Ameri
can Indian youth ages 7-12 as a part of
the LumbeeTribal Festival, a wagon
train will start on Friday, Jufie 28 and
will end on Saturday, June 29 at the
North Carolina Indian Cultural Cen
ter. Participating youth are to register
at 3 p.m. Friday.
On Monday, July 1, an wernight
camp for Lumbee youth ages 7-12
will also be held at the North Carolina
Indian Cultural Center. Participants
will register from 10 until rioon, and
activities will involve storyteq I ing, tra
ditional dance, arts and crafts, special
performances of talent, and participa
tion in the Daughtersof Tratjjtion and
Sons of Tradition Program.
On Tuesday, July 2 a special over
night camp will be held for Lumbee
women, daughters, and grandmoth
ers.
Family Day will be Thursday, July
4, with food, radio remote, and a spe
cial fireworks display.
Friday, July 5, a gospel singing is
scheduled that will feature Carla and
Redemptions and other gospd groups.
Saturday, July 6 the 1 .umpee Tribal
Festival will close with a fishirig tour
nament from 6:30 a.m. until ] ) a.m.
and a Dinner Theatre Experience that
includes a steak dinner and a ticket to
the first 2002 performance "Strike
at the Wind.” Tickets are novv on sale
for the Dinner Theatre Experience.
The first official Lumbee Logo t-
shirts are also available for sale. All
shirts sport the official triba) logo and
may be ordered in red, blue, white or
aqua. Children's sizes are from 7-14
and adult sizes are small, medium,
large, X-large, XX Large ^nd XXX
Large.
All shirts are available for pur
chase at $15 each. Shirty may be
purchased at the Tribal Office and can
also be ordered by calling (910) 521-
7861.
Tribal Council will meet June 20.
The next scheduled meeting of the
Tribal Council will be 6:3() p.m. on
Thursday, June 20.
ASPIR
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