The
ews
Journal
It happened, it's news to us
50(t
No. 41 Vol. 95
■ fr
Wednesday, January 1, 2003
Education team’s visits taxing Hoke schools
Superintendent, board chairman frustrated that much of the team’s work seems redundant
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
State teams from the Department of
Public Instruction are continuingtoscru-
tinize Hoke County Schools, ensuring it
is utilizing all of its resources for at-risk
students. However, since the state task
force was mobi lized several months ago.
progress has been backsliding, accord
ing to Hoke School Super! ntendent A1 len
Strickland.
Hoke, the pilot county for the educa
tional task force, is under the micro
scope because it sued the state over
educational funding and won. Wake
Superior Court Judge Howard Manning
demanded the state send a team to Hoke
to assess the situation because he was
not satisfied with the state’s progress
with disadvantaged counties. He ordered
the state to seek solutions to help eco
nomically disadvantaged counties such
as Hoke and then to report back to him.
“We won the lawsuit that said all
students are entitled to a sound basic
education,” Strickland said. “Yet, we
have not received one dime of addi
tional low wealth funding to improve
our programs.
“Our teachers have been stay ingafter
school working extra hours so they can
accommodate the interviews beingcon-
ducted by the state team. It is really
taxing our school system, but we are
trying to cooperate.”
“We know what to do with the low
wealth funding they are sending us, but
it is not enough.”
Hoke School Board Chairman Russell
Smith said he was astounded at the
state’s attitude.
“They said they wanted to come back
and assess the climate in the hallways,”
(See DPI VISIT, page 4A)
First black female firefighter
in Hoke receives top award
ti?
IV
I
n
1.
North Raeford Volunteer Fire Department names Keyatta Parker “Firefighter of the Year.”
By Victorian a Summers
Staff writer
When the siren sounds at North Raeford
Volunteer Fire Department, Keyatta Parker
responds to the emergency call as the first
African American female firefighter in Hoke.
Parker’spcrseverance to serve the Hoke com
munity in 2002 has helped her attain the
“Firefighter of the Year” award at North
Raeford, said Assistant Fire Chief later Baker.
Parker recently received her pump opera
tor accreditation from Robeson Community
College. She is the only certified water pump
operator in Hoke. Currently a student at
Sandhills Community College, she is study
ing to become a surgical technician, minoring
in radiography.
“Keyatta is a valuable asset to our fire
department.” Baker said. “She is a remark
able young woman. We based our decision to
lecugnizc tier tieeausc of itic liaining tiours
she put in, her overall attendance for fire calls,
and the effort she put forth.”
Parker said she was completely surprised
when she heard about the award.
“1 would like to give a .special thanks to the
North Raeford Fire Department for voting me
on,” Parker said. “To me, they are the
firefighters of the year all the time.
“They deserve to share this award.”
The 20-year-bld, who hails from New York,
said fellow firefighters fondly nicknamed her
“Koala” after the tiny Australian tree-climb
ing animal. A Hoke resident, Parker was
accepted on North Raeford’s roster last sum
mer, serving as a fire truck driver and depart
ment secretary.
“My first fire was a house fire, and it was so
tragic,” Parker said. “Fortunately, no one was
in the house. The husband and wife came
back from Food Lion with their children, and
they had lost everything
“That could have been me or you. You can
lose everything, but once somebody loses his
or her life that cannot be taken back.”
Parker said people in Hoke need to be more
conscious about fire safety at home.
■wnen she is not atiemling college or an
swering fire calls, Parker is employed as a
substitute bus driver with Hoke County
Schools.
“I think of these firefighters as my broth-
(See FIREFIGHTER, page 6A)
Young equestrians
compete at Holly
and Ivy Show
page 1B
Blaze takes
firefighter's home
page .3A
Democrats
to nominate
register of deeds
: /.
page
Girl Scout cookie
countdown begins
page 3B
Business/Farm 3A
Calendar 3B
Classifieds 6B
Deaths 4A
Editorials 2A
Legals 3-5B
Public Record 4A
Religion 5A
Socials 3B
Hoke’s top stories
are on the web
www.thenews-journal.com
Sheriff, commissioners elections, MePhatter
indictment, Tyler’s death top stories of 2002
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
Politics dominated the year 2002 with
campaigning already begun the previous
year, a primary that was delayed four
months, and eventually election results
that have already brought changes in the
way things are done in Hoke County.
That is why The News-Journal selects
the elections as the top story of the year,
followed by the indictment of former
county manager Bernice MePhatter on
embezzlement charges as the second top
story; the untimely death of superinten
dent Mitch Tyler and other happenings
affecting Hoke Schools is chosen as the
third top story.
Other local stories to round out the top
ten for the year are a special audit and a
reorganization of the county’s finances;
weather-related news from drought in the
summer to a winter ice storm; advances
made toward establishingaRaeford-Hoke
Museum; cutbacks at Burlington Indus
tries; a daytime murder in the street in
Robbins Heights resulting in six arrests;
and a guilty verdict for two who went on
a 2001 crime spree through Hoke and
neighboring counties and seriously
wounded a Scotland deputy.
Elections
In December of 2001, Hoke Sheriff
James Davis had political opponent and
his former chief deputy, Hubert Peterkin,
in court on charges of speeding, failure to
stop for a blue light and siren and careless
and reckless driving; Peterkin was found
not guilty. A year later Peterkin was in the
(See TOP STORIES, page 7A)
Unilever boost in sales brings stability to Hoke
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Editor’s note: This is the second in a
series of articles on economic develop
ment in Raeford and Hoke County.
Chicago’s loss has been Raeford’s gain
since Unilever Home and Personal Care,
an international manufacturer of personal
care products, transferred its entire de
odorant operation to Hoke County two
n.'i
Yvette Smith, administrative assistant, and
Kevin Beck, Unilever plant manager.
years ago. Even though the national
economy still appears somewhat de
pressed, business is booming at Unilever
in Hoke and throughout the world, ac
cording to new plant manager Kevin Beck.
Unilever is the world’s largest manu
facturer of consumer products. It attained
$49biIlion insales
in 2001. It pro
duces and markets
foods and personal
care products such
as Lipton, Ragu,
Calvin Klein,
Rave, Aqua-Net,
Caress, Lever
2000, Brut and
Suave.
“Cost is king
andthe dollar isthe
key to success,”
Beck said. “As the
New Year arrives,
we want to raise
our local plant to a
world class level.
“We will go to
the top to ensure
the survival of our Raeford plant.”
Unilever’s local plant employs 850
people. It operates seven days a week on
a 24-hour basis.
“Profits are up with no staff reductions
in sight at this time,” Beck said. “We are
doing welI because our total sales volume
has been $675 million annually at the
Raeford plant. This plant is very impor
tant to Unilever.
“It is the sole source of the supply of
deodorant we produce in North America.”
An aerial view of the 67-acre Unilever site in Raeford.
Popular personal care products such as
Dove body wash, Therma-Si 1 k hai r spray,
and Degree deodorant are but a few of the
items of hair sprays, mousse, deodorants
(See UNILEVER, page 6A)
Dudley seeks
register of deeds
nomination
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Hoke civic and church leader Onnie
Dudley, retired assistant register of
deeds, seeks to return to the Register of
Deeds office after abriefhiatus. Dudley
announced yesterday she will ask mem
bers of the Hoke Democratic Party to
endorse her as their register of deeds
nominee on Saturday. If she is selected
as the successor of retiring Register of
Deeds Della Maynor Bowen, Dudley
will be distinguished as the first African
American register of deeds in Hoke
County.
Hoke Democratic Party chairman
A.K. “Dooie” Leach confirmed that
Dudley is one of three people who have
contacted him, expressing an interest in
the job as register of deeds. (See the
related article inside.)
The 63-year-old Dudley said her ex
tensive experience as former second-in-
command at the deeds’ office could
likely make her the Democrats’ choice
to replace Bowen.
(See REGISTER OF DEEDS, page 4A)