The
ews
Journal
It it happened^ it's news t^is
No. 42 Vol. 96
Raeford &
^Ol\JXY
Wednesday, January 7, 2004
Ttl
»
« n »
Mnrui
City Manager McNeill resigns
I
Mike McNeill
By Vicioki xn'V Summi-rs
Staff writer
Raeford city manager Mike McNeill
tendered a letter of resignation yester
day without warning, shocking many
city and county officials.
Afterscrvingthecity foralmost seven
years as its chief executive officer,
McNeill announced he was leaving.
During an unscheduled personnel ses
sion, requestedat the Raeford city coun
cil meeting on Monday evening,
McNeill privately discussed his deci
sion with them.
Employed with the city of Raeford
for nearly 17 years, McNeill. 54, said
there was no planning involved. The
decision to resign was “sudden” be
cause of health concerns, he added.
The recurrent shakeup in city gov
ernment during the past two months
began with the sudden death of mayor
Bob Gentry of an apparent heart attack
on October 29 and subsequent appoint
ment of John Jordan, vice president of
Fidelity Bank as mayor pro tempore.
That tragedy was followed by the retire
ment of police chief Mack Fligh be
cause of medical reasons and promo
tion of Kevin Locklear, former assistant
police chief, to chief of police.
McNeill’s temporary successor is
assistant city manager Betty Sm ith, who
was promoted to interim city manager
on Monday evening.
McNeillcitcdtheconditionof his health
as his primary reason for quitting and the
stress of the job as secondary. FIc under
went successful heart bypass surgery two
years ago. lie was deeply impacted by the
death of Gentry, a close friend.
I would like to tender my resigna
tion due to personal reasons,” McNeill
wrote in his letter to Jordan and the
councilmen. “I have enjoyed working
for the City of Raeford. I feel that it is
now time for me to take a new direction
in my life.
“Thank you for the opportunity to
serve the citizens of Raeford.”
McNeill was not required to provide
notice. The city council agreed unani
mously to accept his resignation effec
tive immediately. They also unani-
(Sce MCNEILL, page 5A)
Land use update
generates options,
not just sacrifices
By Vi('ioki.\na Simmi-.rs
Staff writer
Raeford city attorney William Fields,
a member ot the commission spear
heading the Hoke C'ounty Preservation
Project, told 30 residents at a special
meeting on Monday c\eningthat aland
use study ol the countv is essential.
I his, alter a regional Foil Bragg/
Pope Air Force Base Joint Land Use
Study recommended by the N.C. De
partment of C'ommercc was approved
by some counties last May. Flic study
was supposed to protect military train
ing around the buses.
The City ol Raeford, Hoke and
Cumberland counties rejected the plan
because they were the biggest stake
holders to lose the use of their land. If
approved by the N.C. General Assem
bly, the JLUS would permit only one
dwel 1 i ng per 19 acres on al most 5,000 to
7,000 acres of floke land and enact
various restrictions on 21,000 acres of
remaining land. The plan would also
limit water and sewer installation in
much of the northern end ofthe county.
“We have to be ever vigilant,” Fields
said of compatible land use. “This is not
going to be over within six months.
“It is going to be here the rest of our
lives.”
{See LAND USE, page 6A)
Honored
Raeford Mayor Pro Tern John Jordan, right, thanks retired police chief Mack
High for his service at a reception in High's honor Monday night.
Retired Register of Deeds Della Maynor-
Bowen received the Hoke County Native
American Club 2003 Path Makers Award. See
related story page 8A. ^
McRae makes
All Cape Fear
4 A
Golden LEAF grant
to help horse park
pFge L\
Rep. Bonner
won't run again
pBgi' ,>A
'Pink' luncheon is
for cancer awareness
Ditgi* .L\
Births
...2B
Calendar
....3B
Classifieds
.7,8B
Deaths
... 8A
Editorials
... 2A
Legals
.4-6B
Religion
... bA
Sc hools
4B
Socials
,.2,3B
S|)orts
..4,5 A
Hoke’s top stories
are on the web;
send us stories,
subscribe
www.thenews-Journal.com
Under new city pet ordinance, pets must be restrained
Law passed Monday defines nuisance animals, stops short of restricting number of pets
By Pai- Alli-.n Wilson
Editor
City Councilmen unanimously passed
a new' animal control ordinance but backed
off from limiting the number of cats and
dogs pet residents may keep — a consid
eration when the ordinance was first pro
posed.
Animals are to be kept under restraints,
be properly cared for, have rabies shots
and may not be nuisances. Failuretoabide
by the ordinance is a civil disorder and the
owner of the animal is subject to a $50
fine.
An animal is under restraint if it is on or
within a vehicle being driven or parked;
within a secure enclosure; iscontrolled by
means of a chain, leash or other like
device; or is on the premises of the custo
dian and attended by and under the con
trol of a competent person.
An animal is a nuisance if it molests
passersby or passing vehicles; attacks
other animals; damages property; habitu
ally barks, whines, howls,crowsor makes
other noises or threatens the comfort,
health or safety of others; is an uncon
fined animal in season; habitually def
ecates or urinates on the property of oth
ers; destroys plants, shrubs and the land-
scapingon property other than itsowners;
results in excessive odor or other unsani
tary conditions; or is vicious and not con
fined.
Cruelty to animals is covered in the
ordinance as are instructions on how ani
mals are to be seized humanely.
Cows, goats, horses sheep and cattle
may not be kept on land of less than an
acre and must be kept at a certain distance
from other residences. Only five chickens
may be kept and they may not run at large.
Sw ines are not allowed and horses may
not be ridden on sidewalks.
The feeding and harboring of stray
animals is forbidden.
Decisions of the animal control officer
regarding civil fines may be appealed to
the city council through a written request.
Attorney William Fields, whodrew up
(See PET ORDINANCE, page 7A)
Hoke annual audit delayed
for 3 months due to law change
By Victoriana Summlrs
Staff writer
Raeford CPA Frank Baker, county
auditor,said the N.C. DepartmentofTrea-
sury has granted an extension to Floke
County until January 31 for submitting its
annual audit that was due by October 31,
2003. The fiscal report for 2002-2003 is
almost complete, according to Baker.
He said I loke’s delay in sending in its
audit report for approval to the Local
Government Commission, a division of
the Treasury department, was due to a
requirement to use new accounting stan
dards. GASB-34, the Governmental Ac
counting Standards Board, will be used
(See AUDIT, page RA)
ne news
News
sTJoumal
1
Other stuff
:
nil/
Autopsy closes case on woman’s death
By Victoriana Summlrs
Staff writer
The autopsy report was officially re
leased on December 29 by the Chief
Medical Examiner at Chapel Hill of
Raeford resident Cheryl Baxley
Ashburn. The cause of death was listed
as“inhalationofmotor vehicle exhaust,”
according to Dr. Anthony C. Soldano, a
pathologist who issued the findings.
Her body was discovered three
months ago off McPhaul Road after she
was reported missing by her husband,
Odell Ashburn.
According to the autopsy comments,
Ashburn, 51, was known to have a
(See CASE CLOSED, page 7A)
By Ken MacDonald
General Manager
One of the prettiest trees in the South is
the live oak, so named, Tm guessing, to set
the record straight, because if you look
closely at them you’ll think they’re dying.
Though a live oak tree might be mostly
green, much of the trunk and many of the
limbs can be dead, and not just dead, but
rotten, giving the appearance that the tree is
doomed. These huge old trees call attention
to themselves by dropping their rotten limbs
on driveways, cars, slow-moving pedestri
ans and Roadrunner cable lines.
But even more annoying is their habit of
dropping leaves. To be such big trees, live
oaks are covered with teeny tiny, middle-
finger-shaped, rake-proof leaves. Neither
evergreen nor deciduous, the trees arc insid-
Lious, twirlingthose little devilstothe ground
from the first of January until the end of
March.
Almost everyone else in town rakes once
toward the end of November and doesn’t
worry about yard work again until it’s time
to cut grass. Not me. 1 have six large live
oaks, and 1 am paying for the beauty of the
South.
(See OTHER STUFF, page 5A)
V.
M-
m
v:
Raeford firefighter Jason Branch, left, and Raeford Police Officer johnny Jarman,
center, were honored for saving the life of a CVS Pharmacy employee who suffered
a heart attack in the store. Raeford Fire Chief Dickie Lippard made the presentation
at Monday night’s city council meeting.