The
ews
J oumal
It happened, it's news to
No. 10 Vol. 95
50 cents
Wednesday, June 5, 2002
Hoke's top stories
are on the web
*^ww.thenews-journal.com
This week
Museum open
house is Sunday
page 2B
Flames destroy
country home
page 4A
HokeTeC bridging
digital divide
page 6A
Three siblings
make Hoke MVA
page 5 A
Index
Births 3B
Calendar 4-5B
Classifieds 7B
Deaths 12A
Editorials 2-3A
Ehgagements 3B
Legals 5-6B
Public Record 5A
Religion 9 A
Schools 5,8B
Socials 3B
Sports 5A
Weddings 3B
Around Town
Contributing Editor
Sunday, June 2, the tem-
Ptirature was a hundred de
grees in some places in North
Carolina. I can’t ever recall
U)0-degrec weather this early
•h the year. Many parts of the
state got rain, but it seems to
fhiss Raeford and Hoke
County. Most of the crops need
rain and we might not have
fresh vegetables out of the
garden if it doesn’t rain soon.
One farmer, last week, said
wc needed a hurricane to get
the soil back to normal.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls forthe
high Wednesday to be in the
90s and the low in the 70s.
Thursday and Friday the highs
"^ill be in the 80s and the lows
irt the 60s. There is a chance of
rain on Thursday and Friday.
* * * ♦ ♦
Don’t forget the following
events that will take place this
'Veek, next Sunday and inJuly:
The Hospice Golf Tourna-
roent will be held at the Bayo
net Golf Course Friday, June
7. There will be two starting
times, and lunch and dinner
Will be served. If you haven’t
signed up, then call the Hos
pice office or the golf course.
Another event will be Sun
day, June 9, from 3;00to5:00
p.m. A reception will be held
at the McLauchlin-McFadyen
Raeford-Hoke Museum. The
rbuseum is located in the block
of East Central Avenue and
Highland Street. Invitations
Were sent out to many people
(See AROUND, page 12A)
Board still divided
Should 24 deputies who live outside
on deputy ‘perk’
Hoke drive county cruisers home?
By VicroRiANA Summers
Staff writer
Another round was fought Monday
night in the debate over whether deputies
should keep the “perk” of driving county-
owned vehicles to and from work outside
of Hoke. The issue of whether taxpayers
should foot the bill was stalled by a
divided board of commissioners at their
regular meeting. Because Sheriff Jim
Davis, who was injured in an accident
May 21, was absent, Commissioner Cleo
Bratcher said the decision should be de
layed until the sheriff could be present.
The board agreed to discuss the merits
of deputies driving outside the county on
a deputy-by-deputy basis. Some mem
bers of the board hope to reach a compro
mise on which deputies should be entitled
to drive vehicles across the county line.
Against the dissenting votes of Com
missioners Bobby Wright and Charles V.
Daniels, Commission Chairman Tony
Hunt, Vice Chairman James A. Leach and
Bratcher voted to recess the meeting until
Monday morning, June 10 at 8 a.m. in
order to resolve the situation.
On Monday night, Davis’ formal re
sponse listed 24 deputies who reside out
side of Hoke but drive patrol cars to and
from work. Davis said previously “only a
few” deputies resided outside the county.
In 1998, when Davis was seeking elec
tion, he promised citizens all of his depu-
(See DEPUTY PERK, page lOA)
i
r
Sr*'"
Happy day
It’s hugs all around for Hoke High School seniors after the school’s graduation exercises last Wednesday morning. Approximately
275 received diplomas, including George Elmer Vanhoy, a World War II veteran who decided to obtain his high school diploma after
his teenage-years education was interrupted for the war.
Hoke-
Robeson
border
inaccurate
Implications explored
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
There is no need for Hoke residents
on the border of Robeson and
Cumberland counties to panic over some
preliminary corrections in county
boundary lines, said Holly Sheminski,
Hoke’s mapping coordinator. She says
she has received a barrage of phone
calls about the issue. Sheminski re
cently received a copy of an updated
six-month report conducted by the
state’s Geodetic Survey Office that
shows discrepancies in some of Hoke’s
borders.
“People do not need, to worry,”
Sheminski said. “For any land we may
lose to Robeson for tax purposes, we
will probably gain some in the south
eastern border between Hoke and
Robeson.
“We will probably break even once
the boundaries are appropriately desig
nated.”
(See. COUNTY BORDER, page 8A)
Former police chief denies
Peterkin involved in cheating
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Former Fayetteville police chief Ron
Hansen put to rest rumors that Hubert
Peterkin, a Democratic candidate for
Hoke County sheriff, was involved in
“police-test cheating.”
A Fayetteville Observer article dated
1993 was distributed in a Raeford restau
rant yesterday that implicated Peterkin, a
Fayettevil le police officer, in the so-called
cheating incident. Previously, Hoke depu
ties said they were required to distribute
similar allegations about Peterkin along
with a questionnaire form. Some depu
ties said Sheriff Jim Davis required they
give the information to citizens each time
they responded to a call. Peterkin served
as Davis’ chief deputy for more than a
year prior to resigning to rejoin the
Fayetteville Police department.
Davis, also a Democrat, is seeking
reelection.
Hansen, who was in command of the
Fayetteville Police Department in 1993,
said emphatically “it is not true” that
Peterkin was involved in cheating and he
was not suspending for cheating.
Peterkin has also denied it, saying it
was an attempt to smear his reputation.
The Observer story, written by the late
Pat Reese, was passed out while Demo
cratic candidate for sheriff Joe Troxell
was having breakfast with a Peterkin sup
porter, Alvin Walker; some members of
the Republican Party; and a county de
partment head.
Troxell said he did not know in ad
vance the news article would be circu
lated by a supporter of his candidacy.
“The fellow who was doing this is out
of my control; he is not on my campaign
committee,” Troxell said of the story dis
tributed in his presence. “I am sure he is
talking to folks for me. 1 will ask him to
not do it any longer.”
Peterkin said opponents are trying to
discredit his reputation. “1 did not cheat
(See PETERKIN, page lOA)
I think i can, I think i can
A grimace gives this cyclist (left) more power as she competes in the North-South
Carolina District Road Race this past weekend at Five Points. Male and female riders
donated $1,000 to the Pinehill Volunteer Fire Dept., whose members manned safety
checkpoints along the route.
(CUHIJI .Yfriw.h
(^crtificMc of
&
Fifth-graders
awarded
Some 160 Hoke fifth-
graders received the
President’s Award
for Educational Ex
cellence last week
during a program at
West Hoke Middle
School. Brooke Sosa,
daughter of David
and Amelia Sosa, was
one of them. She was
a student at West
Hoke Elementary.
Hoke High valedic
torian Melissa
Plummer also ad
dressed the students.
Candidates address residents of nursing home
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
Most of the local office seekers spoke at a
candidates forum at National Senior Living of
Raeford Monday morning.
Candidates spent most of the three minutes
allotted them introducing themselves and
speaking of their qualifications. Sheriff’s can
didates were allowed to speak first, and will be
introduced here in the order in which they
appeared before residents and staff at the as
sisted living facility.
Sheriff’s candidate Hubert Peterkin (D)
promised three things. He said he would be a
“sheriff for everybody” and be “fair” and that
a person’s color would not matter. He said he
would be “a sheriff you can come to anytime”
and that he would deal with one of the prob
lems people complain about most in the com
munity — drugs.
Peterkin said seniors and young people
would be a priority. He also said he thought he
“should conduct himself like a sheriff right
now.”
Robert Crull (R) put his hand on Peterkin’s
shoulder as the two walked by one another,
before telling those gathered, “I’m going to be
your next sheriff because I’m a people per
son.” He said he “likes people and likes work
ing with and for people.”
(See CANDIDATES, page 8A)