The
ews
Journal
ed, it’s news to us .
No.24Vol.97
Wednesday, September 1,2004
Gaston spawns tornados, drops heavy rain
No one injured, but damage reported as tornados strike opposite ends of county
VU'IORIANA SUMMI KS
Staff writer
Remnants of Tropical Storm CJaston
ripped into Hoke County Sunday after
noon, spawning at least two tornadis.
Although damage was reported from
Clockwise from right:
Roberto Viera’s Calloway
Road home is littered with
downed trees;Viera shows
a twisted trunk of a large
pine tree in his side yard;
a doppler radar image
showing the center of the
storm passing directly over
Raeford at 3:30 a.m. Mon
day; The tornado forms
insidea wall of rain,heading
toward McCain.
at least four homeowners on Philippi
Church Road, and more near Arm\,
Aberdeen, and ('allt)way roads, no one
was injured. The sudden twisters—cam-
oullaged by driving rain — left ;i wake
of uprooted trees and debris, according
to witnes.ses.
Wa rn i iig of t be form i ng torluidos w as
immediate, but w it bout much adv;mcc
not icc possible, accoril i ng to M i ke Str ick-
ler, intern meteorologist at the Natioiuil
Weather Service in Raleigh.
"The Doppler r;id;ii at the N;itional
We;it her Serv ice i n Ra leigh picked up t he
presence of loriKidos in I loke, ;md oiii
olTice issued a tornado warning ;it .3:22
p.m. Sunday o\erTV and nidiolbr I loke
residciils." Strickler s;iid. "We rcporteil
U)inadt)s in the center of the county.
"There were several spiral handsfrom
Ciastoii that caused the tornados.
"I loke icccived the brunt of the storm
because of these spiral bands wmpped
;iround the storm. Thc\ sp;iwned the
lumicl clouds.”
Strickler said a cili/cii also called in
to report spotting the tornado near Pil-
(Sir STORM IUMAOT:, iHific 4A)
Ptfoto by Ron Fairbanks, Skywarn
Photo by Cassie Blackard
Teen’s murder confession admissable, judge rules
Pv Vi( loKiANA Si'MMi Rs Willis's rcoiiesl after tcvicvviniievidencc [shook himliarder than I should have.
Health Center
groundbreaking held
p.;. (' ■ is
School calendar
change upsets some
Mt. Pisgah pastor
marks 10 years
I *1*; ‘ I '
Inmates charged
with smuggling attempt
Latoya McLean in court.
13V Vl( lORIANA Sl'VIMI RS
Staff writer
Hoke District Attorney Kristy M.
New ton succeeded in slopping a motion
on Priday by Wilminglonaltorncy Mike
Wil 1 is to suppress t he murder confession
ofStnilh I loke teenager LiloyaNeishawn
McLean in the battering case of her six-
week-old son last year.
'I'he con lession of Mcl xa n, w h ich vv as
obtained by the Hoke Sheriffs OlTice
in December, will still be admissible to
the jury during the pending murder trial.
I lerdefense attorney, Wilmington lawyer
M ichacl W ill is, had requested loSuperior
(\)urt Judge Craig Ellis on Lriday that
I he statements be tossed out. El I isdenied
Will is's re(|iiesl a fler rev ievvi ng evidence
presented in the case.
The l7-yc;ir-old. who s;iid she l(H)k :i
parenting class at the Moke Health De
partment. allegedly heat her son. Nasir
Aina re Jones severely.
In McLean's statements to Hoke
detectives last December, she allegedly
told them her son's crying frustrated her
and subsequently she "shook, sc|uee/.ed,
and bounced liim'and it might havebcen
"loo h;i id." She al leged ly told I hem it w as
"not the fust lime.”
McLean's prior, signed slalemenis
were introduced in court.
"I bounced him on my leg. but when I
was bouncing him, 1 must have pies.scd
him hard,” she allegedly said. “1 knew
shook him harder than I should have.
If I vv;is not so I'rii.slrated, I would have
know n not to do it.”
McLean allegedly said in the confes
sion that she "knew” she did it. hut her
"mind was not right.” She .said she had
loved her baby, and expressed lemorse
for his death.
Nasir was placed in a car scat on a
sofa, sleeping in the home ol his hither.
Mel Ciiii's boyli lend Willie .loiies, when
the l.ilal injiiriesallegedly occiiried. She
vv as ;il leged ly sleepi iig vv it h Jones, 25. on
a pallet on the llooi. Awakened by the
baby's cries, she said, she coiilil not gel
him to slop crying.
Nasir died the next d;.y December I,
(See CONI ESSION, iHi}>e SA)
Greensboro firm to raze Raeford Hotel, maybe in October
Business/Fcirm lOA
Qilendar 2B
Classifieds 7-8B
Deaths 8 A
Editorials 2A
Engagements 3B
Legals 5-6B
Religion 4B
Schools 3 A
Socials 3B
Sports 6-7A
Weddings 3B
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I3y RaV Ai I l N Wll .SON
Editor
Raeford 1 lotel. formerly known as
The Blucmont, is a.step closer to being
a part of the city’s history.
Councilmen approved a bid to
demolish the dilapidated three-story
bu i Id i ng a I Cc nl I a 1 a nd M a i n at a ca I led
meeting Thursday.
Five cont i actors subm it ted bids, aiid
anincilmen followed the recommen
dation of Bill Biz/x'll of the Woolen
Company, the engineering, planning
and architecture firm that is assisting
with Ihecity'sdowntown revitalization
project. They awarded the contract to
the lowest low bidder, LME Inc. of
(Jrcensboro, for $124,838.
Bizzell commented on the wide
range of bids received in City Hall
August 19. Webster Environmental
of Ruffin, North Carolina bid almost
$500.1)00. Other bids were $235,3(M)
from IJnda Construction of Char
lotte; P&J Contracting of B;iltimore,
Maryland, $285,200; and DH Griffin
Wrecking of $278,745.
"Ouite a range.” Bizzell said, ”1
couldn't tell you why.”
I le said IvME had called and asked
more questions than other contrac
tors.'I'he hotel project is complicated
because it contains asbestos, a cancer-
causing substance whose removal is
strictly governed by slate and federal
safety regulations.
Bizzell checked references supplied
by EME, he .said, and two projects
were completed in Asheboro, where
his firm is headquartered. 'Fherc,
(See RAEFORD HOTEL, puj-c 6A)
'N, *1
^ ■'ir
The old Raeford Hotel. Its days are numbered.
f3v Ki n MacDonai o
General Manager
Those of you who sang in the
Hoke High Chorus or Chorale
under Mary Archie McNeill's
direction should know by now
that an encore reunion of singers
is going to be held next April. It's
being called ChoralFesI 2005 and
will be held April 22-23 here in
Raeford. The event was inspired
by the Choral Fest 2000, at which
s4 Journal
News Other Stuff
\ iiiD
156 of McNeill's former students
gathered here to honor her, and
rehearse and perform in a concert
at the high school.
A committee has been trying
to notify former students, but of
course some of them are hard to
find, If th;it's you, and you don't
get a letter in the next few days,
email me (kenfathenews-journal.
com) and I’ll put you in contact
with the head counters. Make sure
not to include any of these words in
First round of cockfighting
sentences handed down
your email: toner cartridge, stock
market, mortgage, mortgage, mor.
tgage, valium, Viagra, diet, 759'c
off or enlargement.^*
Hoke County is alxiut to be on
the big .screen, and no, this is not
one of my /\piil 1 vhiI's jukes. Well,
technically, it's not really the big
screen; we're about to be featured
in a documentary. And I suppose
you could say it's not really set in
(See OTHER STUFF, page 9A)
By Pai Al 11 n Wll son
Editor
By Vk iorian V Summi rs
Staff writer
Continuing a crackdown
on cockfighting. District
Court Judge Warren Pate last
Wednesday is.sucd suspended
sentences to two men last
Wednesday who admitted
they were spectators at a
cockfight.
A standing-room-only
crowd thinned after most of
the cocklighting cases were
postponed until October 6.
"'File district attorney
cleared out some of the c;ises
this morning.” Pate said at
10:40 a.m. “That is the te;isoii
for the file M irt ”
'I'he two ol lenders. Ricky
Jackson and L’ugeiie Oxendiiie.
admitted they were specta
tors at an illegal "chicken
fight” event held in Hoke in
(See COCKi lGHT, /xige 5A)