The
ews
Journal
If it happened^ it's news to
No. 49 Vol. 96
50^
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Land use plan for Bragg buffer is shelved
With legislated zoning ‘unlikely,’ Pentagon prefers voluntary conservation easements
\ I' InkI \\ \ Si MMl KS
Staff writer
Ihe ionlro\i“isi;il plan to create a
one mile Iniller aroiiml l-'ort Bragg by
lestnclmg ilevelopment is dead. The
miliiaie will instead seek to convince
owneis of land .uljacent to the base to
SI. 11 coiikeiv .ition easements rather than
allow the land to be de\ eloped.
'■ I he |iioposed Joint Land Use Study
planloi I OH Biagg Pope Air F-orce Base
will lemain historical, in mv opinion,
but tiot legally enlorceable."ChiefPlan-
net Jim i)ougheit\ of'I'he N.C. Divi
sion ol CommunitN /Xssistance said on
Monda\.
Doiigheits. facilitator of the JLUS.
said local eiiticism was heard all the
wa\ to the Pentagon in Washington.
I).( ilown to the governor's office in
Raleigh.
"Its (.11 US) impact has come and
gonc."l)ougheit\.anemplo\eelheN.C.
Department of Commerce, said. "It was
like .1 wa\e. and it crashed.
" 1 he long and short of it is the N.C.
(icnei;il \ssembl\ docs what it wants,
and it is highiv unlikely they whll do
most ol these things recommended in
the study." he said.
"I w ant to reassure people this prob
ably means that il(j)ioposcd implemen
tation) IS in er."
One ol the biggest stakeholders and
opponents of the plan, I lokc County,
risked growth restrictions on almost
21.out) acres if the study would have
been endorsed by the state legislature.
l.oc;il leailcis expressed concern over
three ol the recommendations: Limit
ing one dwelling per 10 acres in some
areas; prohibiting dcnelopment of wa
ter and sewer infrastructure on land
deemed critical or important to sustain
adjacent training at Port Bragg; and
forbidding industrial or commercial
grow'th within a one mile buffer around
the bases. With a prediction that Port
Bragg's growth w ill increase by .SO per
cent in the next .^0 years, Dougherty
said, military and state officials are tak
ing a more cooperative approach to land
accjuisition in counties around the base.
Property owners will be encouraged to
M)luntarily selltheirdcwelopment rights,
and individual counties will be given
the option to control local development
and growth in a onc-milc buffer around
the bases, he added.
"It is a means to protect training
around the bases and still promote the
local tax base," Dougherty said.
This sudden development was an
nounced after more than .SO ilignitaries
(SVe lANl) liUl-l'l.K, page SA)
Clockwise from immedi
ate left; Hoke Commission
Chairman Bobby Wright
and former Raeford resi
dent jimmy Teal, a mem
ber of the Fayetteville Plan
ning Department; In the
red, projected growth pat
terns around Fort Bragg;
William Fields, founder of
the Hoke Preservation
Project, and Col. Greg
Bean, head of the Army
Environmental Center;
Commissioner Jean Powell
and Steve Connell of the
Preservation Project.
■ "f
T" ;'X-
A. •
Southern Pirx
>y
1 Pinehur»l '
i Fort Bragg ‘
•r ;
' V' 1
L
latt]
i -t
* j > ^ I_i
[ r«y«t(eviil* I
I Raefoo
Western Hoke has
unique ecosystem
School chief
appeals case to Hayes
Legislators
cautiously
optimistic
\nniviMs.irics 2B
Business t .iiiii bA
( .ilend.u JB
( l.)ssili(‘(ls S-6B
I )(Mths bA
I (liloii.ils 2A
leguls J-4B
Religion 7A
S( bools 5 A
.So( itils 2B
Spoils 4A
Hoke’s top stories
are on the web;
send us stories,
subscribe
www.thenews-journal.com
Assistance team reports progj'ess to Manning
Superintendent defends system, criticizes team for trying to take credit for work in progress
B> VieiORI \N \ Si MMl RS
Staff writer
An analysis of Moke County’s school
system sent to Superior Court Judge
Howard Manning includes complimen
tary and concerned messages.
I loke’s school system was analy /ed in
a ‘)()-day educational progress report hy
the state Department of Public Instruction
on February 9.
The reports are required hy a court
order.
Tlie DPI’s team is assigned to Hoke
until the N.C. Court of Appeals settles a
low wealth lawsuit between the county
and tlie stale after it protested the verdict
in Hoke’s favor.
"Ironically, the stale and assistance
team crilici/c Hoke’s professional devel
opment plan on the one hand and ttien turn
around and praise it on the other,"
Strickland said. “The court firmly cslah-
lishcd that teacher turnover and retention
was a significant prohlem and challenge
for Hoke County.
“I loke's position on this has been and
still is that Hoke lacks the resources, fi
nancially and otherwise, to draw highly
qualilied teachers to the district and to
retain teachers in tlie district."
Strickland’s rchukc to DPI comes after
Hoke and four oilier low wcallli counties
sued the stale and achiev cd a legal v iciorv
last year after a nine-year court battle.
Vlanning ruled students in poorer coun
ties, who are at *risk. should receive a
(Sir .\/ \,V\7,V(; REPORT, pa^e 7Aj
Report urges more certified teachers
Bv \'l( IKRI VN V Si MMl MS
Staff writer
Despite problems in Hoke’s school
system, the state Department of Public
Instruction said the system is showing
evidence of improvements — "impres
sive and hopeful. ” 'I’hc local educators
were commended for utilizing existing
re.sources. But DPI officials said it was
vital to hire more certified teachers.
A primary objective published by DPI
is to ensure the ninth grade class of 2004
will experience 100 percent of its students
graduating from Hoke High. While the
(ScrCERTIEILn TEACHERS, pa^e 7A)
N.C. Bar delays trial seeking disbarment of Raeford attorney
By VicroRiAN v Si'Mmiks
Staff writer
The N.C. State Bar postponed a trial
scheduled for last Friday by its disciplin
ary hearing committee, pressing for dis
barment of Raeford attorney Harry
Southerland.
At the rcquc.st of his recenlly hired
defense attorney, Southerland was granted
a temporary reprieve from appearing. I le
hired Fayetteville lawyer Glenn Adams
to represent him, according to Root
F.dmonson, legal counsel for the Bar.
A new trial date has not heen set yet,
F.dmonson said.
In a civil complaint filed against
Southerland on October 8, the Bar alleged
he engaged in “dishonesty, fraud, deceit,
misrepresentation, and numerous crimi
nal acts."
The Stale Bar.consistingof legal peers.
regulates the conduct and ethics of North
Carolina law yers, issuing their licenses to
practice law. The agency alleged
Southerland breached the Revised Rules
of Professional
Conduct by allegedly misrepresenting
clients and misappropriating their mon
eys.
Southerland denied the allegations.
The State Bureau of Investigation, in a
separate criminal probe, is also investi
gating Southerland.
A member of the Hoke Board of lidu-
cation and former part-time foreclosure
attorney for Hoke County, Southerland
said he has not done anything w'rong. He
insists the Bar’s allegations are invalid
and not researched accurately. He did not
comment on the SBI inquiry.
.Southerland responded in a November
12 rebuttal to the Bar. denying all the
(See TRIAL DEL \YED, page Mj
lews
News
s-1 Journal
They turn cans into homes
By Ki n M vcDon m d
General Manager
I imagine you too have sacred ground,
a place that figures soprominently in your
life that you consiucr its value somewhat
higher than would the tax man or the
realtor
I’m not talking about the kilchenorthe
shower, though 1 suppose you could make
a ca.se for those places too.
I’m talking about a place where when
you visit occasionally and walk around,
Othff Stuff
■ II11^
you hear voices and smell fragrances from
the past.
Or if you’re old, you say to your kids,
“When I was your age, we carved our
initials on that tree right over there.”
1 was at (’amp Monroe near Laurel Hill
over the weekend, walking the same trails
as whv.li I was 11.
1 slept on the porch of the same cabin -
and probably in the same bed - as when I
was a counselor at age 19.
Our group - there for a youth confer-
fStr OTHER STUFF, page 3A)
BV I.XWRIN
Sill I’XKI)
Staff writer
You can’t turn
an aluminum can
into a home for a
family of four.
Unless, that is, you
work for the Alii-
Robert Hawker minum (';ins Build
Habitat for Humanity Homes program, a
Habitat for Humanity project organized
and funded by the aluminum industry.
Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity lias
worked to build more than 1 .S(l,0()() houses
in 89 countries around the world, accord
ing to the program’s website. Habitat has
constructed two homes in Hoke County
and plans to build more.
“We could do a lot better if we had
funds,” said Robert Hawker, one of the
AC’BHHH volunteers in the county. Rob
ert and Janet Hawker have donated their
time and money to the Hoke program for
several years.
“It’s been very rewarding,” said Rob
ert ILixvkei. “It seemed to bring the com
munity closer."
As part of the AC’BHHH program, the
Hawkers collect aluminum beverage cans
in a trailer that they purchased and do
nated. The trailer is parked on Central
See CANS INTO HOMES, page 6A)