The
ews
J oumal
If it happened, it's news to us
No. 6 Vol. 96
50^
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Bragg buffer plan will go to General Assembly
Advisory commission approves plan to restrict land despite Hoke commissioners’ vote
VicTORiANA Summers
Staff writer
The Fort Bragg-Pope Air Force Base
Regional Land Use Advisory Commis
sion last Thursday approved recommen
dations tor a land use plan to increase
land buffers around the borders of the
two military reservations. The proposal
could negatively impact future devel
opment of at least 7,000 acres of Hoke’s
northern land that is adjacent to nearby
military training areas, according to
Raeford City Manager Mike McNeill.
“We have the most at stake in Hoke,”
McNeill said. “Other counties would
not lose as much land as us. The biggest
thing on the endangered species list is
Hoke County. It is higher in danger of
becomingextinct than the red-cockaded
woodpeckers are around Fort Bragg,”
he said.
Though McNeill and Don Porter,
executive director of the Raeford Hoke
Economic Development board voted no,
eight other members of the commission
voted in favor of the landmark plan. It
will be presented to the N.C. General
Assembly in coming weeks.
The Hoke Commissioners previously
declined to endorse the buffer plan.
“This is a dirty deal,” McNeill said.
“The value of this Hoke land represents
about $700 million and that does not
include the development of it. It actu
ally encompasses 12,500 acres when
you count in Hoke wetlands and the
Calloway tract on N.C. 211, location of
the red-cockaded woodpecker pre
serve.”
McNeill said he voted against the
proposal because it is in the best interest
of the City of Raeford and the county to
not have more encroachment from the
{See BRAGG BUFFER, page 5A)
f
LS
I
ti
Miss MoD Hoke County finalists
The five finalists in the Miss Men of Distinction of Hoke County are, from left, Samantha Ray, Marielly Montes, Justina Carter
(the winner) Rashell Carr and Elvenikia Southerland. More photos may be found on page 8A.
Precinct official seeks
recourse in election fray
Innocent of assault, Walker accuses Rahmaan
BV Vl( lORIANA Si MMLRS
Staff writer
Hoke County precinct official Alvin
Walker, acquitted of misdemeanor as
sault after an election dispute, is upset
because he was allegedly denied filing a
similar charge against accuser Rashad
Rahmaan, ex-campaign manager of
former sheriff Jim Davis. Dissatisfied
w'ith the verdict of dismissal, Rahmaan
said he thinks Walker should have been
found guilt) in District Court of the
allegation.
Some Democratic leaders such as
Raeford Ma\or Bob Gentry supported
Walker. They urged the State Board of
Elections to investigate, but they were
given the “brush-off.” according to
Walker, a Democratic, assistant pre-
cinct
“The V ictory leaves a bitter taste for
me,” Walker said. “This man was not a
Hoke registered voter. He attempted to
illegally enterthepollsat Raeford No. 4.
My side w'as never heard in court,” he
said.
Rahmaan claims Walker’ singled him
out” because he was the campaign man-
agerofDavisduringthe primary. Walker
was campaigning for Dav is’ opponent,
Hubert Peterkin, Hoke’s new sheriff.
“I wish the State Board of Elections
would get involved,” Rahmaan said. "I
would be able to get fair justice. If Mr.
Walker had apologized to me. 1 would
have dropped the charges.
“Alvin Walker may have got away
with this in Hoke County, but he will not
get away with it in the big court’ on
Judgment Day. Even if Ray Charles had
been the judge there should have been a
conviction. \ Vtad the evidence and \ had
(See ELECTION FRA Y, page 6A)
Old and new
in Friday's
basketball classic
page 7 A
Man wants cowbell
collection returned
!)age 5A
Museum has deed
in hand
page 3A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 7B
Deaths 4A
Editorials 2A
Engagements 3B
Legals 5-6B
Public Record 4A
Religion 6A
Schools 4,8B
Socials 3B
Sports 7A
Weddings 3B
Hoke’s top stories
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www.thenews-journal.com
$280,000 grant will help Hoke schools fight tobacco use
By Victoriana Si mmi.rs
Staff writer
When students at Hoke County High
School, East Hoke Middle and West Hoke
Middle schools begin the next school year,
their curriculum will be enhanced by a
school-based tobacco prevention program
created by FirstHealth of the Carolinas.
Funded by a $280,000 grant provided by
the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund
Commission, FirstHealth will partner with
Hoke County Schools to implement the
three-year plan, according to Allen
Strickland, Hoke School Superintendent.
Strickland said primary goals will fo
cus on intervention of early tobacco use
by teens, promoting health awareness and
preventing social problems associated with
smoking, and to encourage smoke-free
school environments. Even though Hoke
Schools already participate in a tobacco
prevention plan. First Health’s program
will include expanded services for stu
dents. he added.
“About 145 of our students were in
violation of Hoke Schools’ tobacco use
policy when the grant was written,”
Strickland said. “Our three-year goal is to
have 100 percent, smoke-free schools.
“Second-hand smoke is mentioned in
the grant as well.”
With 30 percent of Hoke’s population
consisting of teenagers. Strickland said
preventing tobacco usage by students is a
critical issue. He cited statistics indicating
approximately 23 percent of Hoke’s teens
attending school are currently smoking, a
se\’en percent increase above the state
average. Those numbers do not include
students who may be using smokeless
tobacco products, he said.
"We have already been proactive in
Hoke in an alternative to suspension,”
Strickland said. “We have a four-hour
clinic students may attend if they are caught
smoking.
“Hoke has been commended for having
an alternative program already in place.”
Strickland said the initiative also in
cluded the possibility of hiring some tem
porary staff on a 40-hour basis to imple
ment the program without any cost to the
school system. He praised Peggy Owens,
director of student support services, who
will supervise Hoke’s plan.
Other counties participating with
FirstHealth include Moore and Montgom
ery.
“There is no dollar amount earmarked
for us specifically,” Owens said. “Once
we start the program, there will be incen
tives for the schools. There was no match
(See TOBACCO, page 8A)
Dana’s kidnapping saga televised Monday on NBC’s John Walsh Show
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
“They had me locked up, but I escaped
from the house where 1 was staying; Hec
tor tracked me down,” a trembling Dana
Pevia told a national TV audience on the
John Walsh show Monday morning. Dana
recounted the story of how she fled the
home of Hector Frausto’s family to stay
with Nigel, a Mexican worker who helped
licrescape. “Hector and his father jumped
the fence and put a gun to the head of
Nigel’s lO-year-old brother,” she said.
“He said if I did not leave that they would
kill him.”
Forced to return to Frausto’s house,
Dana was again aided by Nigel, said NBC’s
Walsh.
“I was so scared and tired,” 15-year-old
Dana said of her abduction and four-year
struggle to return home. “Sometimes I
thought when they got tired of me that
they would kill me.”
Dana was 11 and a student at West
Hoke Middle School when she was taken
as she walked to meet a .school bus.
Walsh said he was “thrilled” to finally
meet Dana. He had shown Dana’s photo
graph on his show, hoping for her safe
return. Walsh described Dana’s return in
March 2003 as “nothing short of a miracle.”
After U.S. Embassy authorities located
her photograph on the National Register
of Missing and Exploited children, an
agency Walsh helped found, she flew
home. She was accompanied by her two
children, a daughter by Frausto, and an
infant son by Nigel.
A bounty of 70,000 pesos has allegedly
been offered by Frausto’s family for the
death of Nigel. When Walsh’s show was
video-taped, he was unaware of that alle-
(See DANA, page 8A)
By Ken MacDonald
General Manager
First, an apology for the shameless Apri I
Fool’s story that ran in the paper recently.
The article on the state’s efforts to fund
education in Hoke County - namely the
filming of a new TV sitcom called “Rock-
fish Creek” to replace “Dawson’s Creek”
and the placing of beer ads on school
buses - was a great big hairy hoax.
Sotothosewhodidn’tgoto McLauchlin
park to watch filming and didn’t call the
superintendent to express outrage, my sin
cere apologies that the story wasn’t writ
ten well enough to fool you.
See JOURNAL, page 4A)
**96.
J.
I \
Children’s Day
More than 170 children enjoyed the third annual Hoke County Children’s Day
sponsored by Child Care Connections and Smart Start organization last Thursday.
Spaghetti plates, lots of storytelling and other activities were served up for
youngsters and 64 adults who participated.
Working 9 to 5 and then some
Mae Carroll, secretary of the Public Works
Dept., City of Raeford, was named 2003
Administrative Professional at the Raeford/
Hoke Chamber of Commerce and
FirstHealth of the Carolinas 2nd Annua!
Administrative Professional Day luncheon.