The
ews
Journal
It happened^ it's news t
No. 46 Vol. 96
Wednesday, February 4, 2004
Audit shows Hoke
did well last year
Attributed to one-time windfalls
Doggone good
Corporal Joseph Snowden and K-9 partner Aron of the Hoke Sheriff s Office captured third place in a Fayetteville
Police Department regional competition. See page 3A for the story.
Vl( lOKI W \ St MMI KS
Staff writer
llokc ('ounl\'s finances looked espe-
eially good Iasi year because of a one-lime
“u indfair' of cxira revenues, according lo
Raeford CPA l-‘rank Baker, annual audilor.
Baker prescnied llie preliminary audil
finding for Ihe fiscal year ending .lune 200,3
- normally given in a final repori in
November — to Hoke commissioners al
Iheir annual relreal al ('amp Roekfish
ycslerday. Me announced lo an elaletl hoard
Ihe counlv accrued approximaielv ,Sl..3
million in pure “profil," placing finances in
sound shape.
"Ilalfof ihc excess revenue came
because of grovvlh. and Ihe oilier half
resulled from good managemenl." Baker
said. “This additional revenue will not
recur next year, however.
“1 call il 'extraordinary money.'"
This good news came after former
county auditors Cox. Ciibhs and Thomas
showed Hoke ending with a delicit ol Sl.l
million in 20(12.
Baker’s final audil will he delivered lo
the board later this week. The county was
granted a deadline on the extension re-
t|uired by the slate. The late audit was due
lo the new rct|iiirements under (iASB-.3 t
governmental standards, rules similar to
those used in a commercial financial
report.
“In talking with the I,ocal (iovernmeni
Commission - of Ihe 2.'i counties Ihe si/e
of I loke — only two audits have already
been received bv the state.” Baker said of
Ihe new, complicated aiuliling svstem
Noted in the combmcil balance sluci loi
Hoke, the general fuiul b.il.ince is listcil as
$7.2 million compaied lo '!>().I nnllion m
2002. Ot those luiuls, $4 ” million npu'
senteil Ihe available, undesignalcil luiul
balance in 2(I(H. a signilicani mcieasi
Only $3.4 million icprcsented ImuK not
eaimaiked lot piojccls oi speiKlnit' in
2002.
“ I hat means the counlv has about 2 ’.()
percent in reserve that vvoiikl pav lor ihiei
anil-one-hall months ol opeialmg, ex
penses," Baker said. "Il is a healthv sum.
but Ihe stale notmallv iccomnieiuls a 3s in
40 percent peiceni loi a counlv ol Hokr lo
holil in icseive."
However. Baker said, Ihe stale ier|uiies
only an eight peiceni icscivc liiiul balance
for an auilil lo he a|)|iiov eil. He iiulicaleil
Hoke's highei |K'icenl still earns il a
linancially solvent rating.
In spite of an incieasc in revenues.
Baker cautioned Ihe boaid that the counlv's
“legal debt" totaled $10.S million in 2003
Hoke ;dso accumulalcil S4,4 millmn m
total liabilities last ve.ii.
“The counlv did reduce its debt bv
$740,000 last veai, which is a good sig.n,"
Baker said. "Obviously, the eounty has lo
generate more prolil to ciwer its debt."
In actuality, Hoke oflicials spent $10,0
million in 200.3. representing moie than Ihe
total revenues collected of $10.() million.
Despite the deficit, the S34'^.74N in ovm
spending was cancelled out because ol Ihc
one-time revenues received, he added.
f,Sr ( OUNIYA L 'DIT, 4.1 ^
Nature Cbnservancy buys land rights from 2
Deal prevents development on 680 aaes adjacent to Fort Bragg, allows owners to keep land
AIDS is killer
of blacks
,uv.
Bv ViCrOKIANA Sl'MMI KS
Staff writer
The Nature Conservancy purchased
two separate conservation easements to
taling 680 acres on Monday. Owned by a
county elected official and a prominent
Hoke farmer, the properties will be re
tained by them with restrictions placed on
future development.
Bordering Fort Bragg in northern 1 loke,
the easements will create a one-and-a-
half mile military buffer and protect Ihe
natural habitat of the rcd-cockaded wood
pecker. an endangered species, according
lo Rick SludenmuncI, program director of
the non-profit.conservationorgani/alion.
Hoke commissioner Jean I’owell and
farmer Julian Johnson each relinquished
the development rights lo Iheir tracts of
land located off June Johnson Road.
Johnson sold .S4.3 acres, a portion of his
agricultural land holdings. Powell sold all
of her 146-acre tract, which is in a natural
stale, harboring long leaf pine forests,
wild turkeys, deer, and rcd-cockaded
woodpeckers.
“I think il is wonderful that we can use
this land for conservation purposes and
still work with Ihe landowner lo manage
and make a living off of it," Sludenmund
said. “By achieving this, we can assiiie
that the land will never be developed.”
Acquisition of these properties is part
of a mti jor plan by Fort Bragg and Po|U’
Air Force base olficials lo |)ievenl high
density develo|)menl around Ihe perim
elers of Ihe mililaiy installations. " Fhis is
Ihe first time in Ihe Sandhills legion we
have ever piirchaseil conseivalion ease
ments rather than piiichasing the entire
(S'ee/,I\7)/(/(.’///S'.oD
(Commissioner Wright opposes concept
Kiwanis pick
Squier, Lucas
IB
Deputy and dog
make good team
pdg(* .>A
Sch(X)ls get good financial report card
Births 3B
Business/Kirm 7 A
('alendar 2B
Classifieds 6-7B
Deatlis 8A
Editorials 2A
Engagf'ments 3B
Legals 5B
Public Record 8A
Religion 6A
Sc bools 4,8B
Socials 3B
Sports 4,5A
Hoke’s top stories
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By Victoriana Summi-.ks
Staff writer
A united Board of Education recently
approved the findings of the annual inde
pendent audit report for Hoke County
Schools’ 2002-2003 fiscal year. The slate
has also approved the results of the audil,
according to Hoke School Superinten
dent Allen Strickland.
“Our audit report wasgCHHl,”Strickland
said. “Our school system is in good finan
cial condition.
“Oil r now fi nance officer. Cat hy J acobs,
is doing a fine job.
“I feel great that there were no material
weaknesses found in the audil.”
Strickland predicted the local school
system would he in even better financial
shape after next year's audil.
In an elaborate 63-page written report,
Raeford CPA Frank Baker is.sued a satis
factory report card to the school board. Il
(Sir Si HOOLS A UDIT, page 7A)
Bv Vl( lOKI VNV Sl'MMI KS
Staff writer
liven tiuuigh I loke Commissioner Jean
Powell and farmer Julian Johnson re
cently sold Iheir development rights lo
The Nature Conservancy, Commission
Chairman Bobby Wright said he person
ally opposes the concept.
“I respect them for their decision be
cause they both wanted their properly to
never be developed commercially,"
Wright said. “They will still he taxpayers
and own their land.
“For them, I think il was the most
beneficial route to take.”
Wright sits on Ihe board with Powell,
and Johnson is his hrolher-in-law. The
Wright family owns approximately one-
fourteenth of Ihe acreage proposed in
northern Hoke to he included in a one
mile military bullet aioimd Foil Buigg
as proposed by a Joint Land Use Study.
The Joint L;md Use phm isdesignetl to
promote compatible land use helvv ecu the
military bases and owners ot propeitv
surroiindingtlieinstallationsal Fort Biagg
and Pope \ir Force Base. Deviseil imtler
the leadership of the N.C. Dcpailmcnt ol
Commeice, Ihe plan is aimed al [vrotecl-
ingmilitary Irainingcxerciscs. Rcpicsen
talives from counties in the C.ipe I ear
region approved Ihe plan in Mtiv iinil June
20B.3. except for Ihe Citv ol Rttelord.
Hoke, and Ciimbcrlantl Coimly. They ic-
jected the study, saying il severely le-
stricted commercial and lesidenlial de
velopmcni.
According to Wright.'1 he Ntilure Con-
/,$(’(' WRKiUI', pagePAi
lews
News
M Journal
A
Other stuff
NJ writer wins investigative reporting award
By Ken MacDonald
General Manager
It’s time in our household to find a
college, and this weekend we did .some
touring.
Some children like to stay near home,
I’ve heard, near home-cooked food, wash
ers and dryers, and in-house ATMs. Oth
ers seem to want to venture out a tad and
experience life a few miles from home.
Our round-trip journey took us nearly
700 miles.
\ Mil/
We visited a small college and a large
one. When 1 say small, I mean a .school
that has roughly the same number of stu
dents as Upchurch F'lcmcnlary.
“If you want everyone to know you on
a first-name basis and to know your busi-
ne.ss, then this is the .school for you,” the
president said in an introductory session.
“Well, lime lo go,” our young student
said, because that is NOT her goal.
But I was thinking, “Let’s hear them
out.” There was, after all, to be twopanels
(See OTHER STUFF, page 7A)
The News-Journal staff was honored
with a top award in Ihc annual N.(’. Press
Association’s 2003 News, Editorial and
Photojournalism Contest in Chapel Hill
last Thursday. The local newspaper com
peted with more than 100 other commu
nity newspaper entrants.
Victoriana Summers, staff writer al
The News-Journal, w on first place in the
category of Investigative Reporting for
the second consecutive year. Summers
won the top award in the division ol
community newspapers with circulations
of 3,500 to 10,000.
“I do not think there are many commu
nity newspapers that have won investiga
tive awards three years in a row like The
News-Journal” Robert Dickson, piih-
lishcr of Dickson I’rcss Inc., said.
Summers' series of articles was lilletb
“McPhatler to he tried in Cumberland
County.” The investigative stories cen
tered on the cmbc/./lcment allegations
against former Hoke county manager
Bernice MePhatter. It was based on an
internal inquiry launched by The News-
./onruM/lhat spanned three vearsof exam
ining counlv records. A Cumberland
( ounty jury convicted Mcl’hatter ol lour
counts ofembez/ling almost $270,()0() of
county funds and on 63 counts of forg
ery and uttering in November 21)03.
“The reporter clearly has a grasj) of all
(SeeAWARD, page 7AI