ews
Journal
If it happened, it’s news to us
Na33VoL99
Raeford & Hoke County n.c,
50C
Wednesday, November 3,2004
Voters keep Wright, Leach but not Strother
Incumbents elected to commission, McAUister-McRae, Richards win school board
Record turnout reported in Hoke
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A record number of 11,005 Hoke voters had the final
word to make their votes count on election day.
This, i n spite of some computer gl itches on elect ion night
and a few voting machines bloopers, causing temporary
malfunctions, that were corrected earlier on election day,
according to several voters.
“It was record-breaking,” Carolina Shook, Hoke Board
of Elections director, .said. ‘This is the highest number of
voters 1 know to have turned out.
“We are really plea.sed with the results.”
Shook said the enormous number of volunteers at the
Hoke Board of Elect ions on elect ion days helped tremen
dously in assisting citizens with any questions.
“1 real ly appreciate thecommunity support,” Slxxik said.
“1 also appreciate the work of our Elections Board.”
Compared to the al most 22,(M)0 Hoke registered voters,
the turnout totaled approximately 50 percent of voters
eligible to vote. Shook had predicted the voter participa
tion would be higher this year, and she was right.
In a highly competitive Hoke commissioners’ race.
Democrat incumbents. Commissioners Bobby Wright
and James A. L.each, claimed a victory over Republican
candidate Odell Ashburn and Libertarian opponent Pete
Camp.
Wright, winning 5,791 voles, and Leach, with 5,210
votes, swept the polls, sharing 65 percent of the votes.
Ashburn came in third with 3,771 votes and 22 percent.
Camp ended up with 13 percent of the vote, total ing 2,155
in spite of representing the Libertarian Party of only 64
members in Hoke.
The Hoke County Civic League endorsed Wright and
Leach during their campaigns.
A Hoke tobacco and cotton farmer, Wright will serve
his second term on the board of commissioners.
A senior pastor at a Moore County chu rch and co-owner
ofTri Star Convenience Store near Raeford, l^ch returns
for a fourth term on the commi.ssion.
Neck to neck in the Hoke Board of Education con
test, newcomers Hank Richards, a retired Hoke school
principal, and Rosa McAllister McRae, admissions
(See ELECTION, page 4A}
Above: Kerry/Edwards campaign worker Pauline Harris
places a candidate sticker on Peggy Owens yesterday.
(Photo by Cassie Blackard) Right: Shown in a jubilant mo
ment on election night are from left Commissioner Jean
Powell, Shirley Wright and husband, Bobby Wright, who
re-claimed his commissioners seat.
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Woman arrested for murder kills self
B'l VinORIANA Si MMI.RS
Staff writer
A woman charged with the mur
der of her husband died two days
after her arrest, apparently of an
overdo.se of prescription medicine
she took just before being taken
into custtxly.
Deborah Britt Scagg.s' death
occurred after
her arrest for the
murder of her
husband, John
Michael Scaggs.
He died of a gun
shot wound dur
ing an alleged
home invasion
on Thanksgiv-
'K
Deborah Scaggs
ing eve in 2()()() where Mrs. Scaggs
claimed she was also assaulted.
“If anyone else besides Deborah
Britt Scaggs was allegedly involved
in die murderof her husband M ichael
Scaggs three years ago tlKii she t(K)k
that secret to her grave,” said Hoke
Sheriff Hubert Peterkin, respond
ing to a news media question about
whether it could have been a murder
conspiracy.
Neither the State Bureau of
Investigation, lead investigators in
the murder inquiry, nor the District
Attorney's oflice, who also con
ducted an investigation, di.sclosed
if the murder case is .still open, or
if they are pursuing any additional
leads. TTiose agencies have al.so not
(See SCACGS, page (SA)
i
Unilever workers
giveupvacxines
page4A
‘Bring them
homeahve’,
sheriff sings
page 3 A
Hotel again
gets reprieve
page 5A
il;S
Anniversaries 3B
Births 3B
Calendar 5B
Classifieds 7-8B
Deaths 8A
Editorials 2A
Legals 6B
Religion 2B
Sdiools 4B
Socials 3B
Sports 6-7A
We’re on the web at
www.thenews-joumal.com
McNeill chosen
Raeford’s mayor
Son of former mayor takes oath Dec. 6
By Pai'Au.iin Wilson
Editor
Not i ng it has been a year si nee
Raeford Mayor Bob Gentry
passed away. Mayor Pro Tern
John Jordan nominated John K.
McNei 11111 to be the next mayor
in a surprise move Monday
night. Three other councilmen
agreed with him and McNeill
will be sworn in as mayor at
the next city council meeting
— December 6.
McNeill said yesterday, “1
look forward to serving. 1 feel
Raeford is going to grow. We
have some things coming up
that are important.” He cited a
downtown revitalization project
that will be taking place soon
— and growth. “Hopefully, we
can experience some growing
John K. McNeill III
pains,” he said.
McNeill, 57, retired after 32
years in the Hoke County school
system but ret umed to work part-
time as a counselor, the work he
did prior to retirement. His wife,
Delia McNeill, is al.so a retired
Hoke educator who now tutors
(See MA YOR, page 7A)
Ik
\
Above: Cumberland and Hoke deputies ra
dio nearby officers as they search on King
Road. RightAn agent from the N.C. Bureau
of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms readies his
weapon at Stoney Point Fire Department.
Search for escapee moves east
A fatigued Barefoot reportedly vows to not surrender
By Victoriana Summers ing 84 years
Staff writer in prison.
Barefoot
Hoke County deputies and escaped last
regional law enforcement are on week from
high alert as the massive search the Hoke
widensforfugitiveWilliamGlenn County jail
Barefoot, whoe.sca|Xxlwhileserv- wherehewas
William Barefoot
bei ng held for a court appearance
here.
He was convicted three years
ago by Hoke District Attorney
Kristy M. Newton of the at
tempted murder of a law officer
and a string of burglaries and
(See SEARCH, page 5A)
rrhe News-l journal I
News
By Ken MacDonald
General Manager
The loudest concert 1 ever attended was
Reba McIntyre’s, many years ago. I snuck
out to the bathroom and stuffed some toilet
paper into my ears so if my eardrums burst
the bleeding would be contained. If that
wasn’t bad enough, while 1 was gone to the
bathroom, 1 was told later, a woman t(K)k
her shirt off and 1 missed it.
The second-loudest was on Saturday
night at the Crown Arena in Fayetteville.
Other stuff
Our group of 21 was there to hear Toby
Mac and Third Day, Christian rap and r(x:k
bands respectively.
Because of a ticketing issue (someone
took some of our seats), I moved a little
higher up in the section and positioned my
self at the end of an isle ju.st in case I had
to go find toilet paper - and was standing
up, leaning agairest the wall waiting for the
show to begin.
BOOM!, began the bass drum as Toby
Mac took the stage. 1 was thrown against
(See OTHER STUFF, page 4A)
The Hoke High Bucks played their first soccer playoff game in the school’s history last
night.They held their ground, but were defeated by Hoggard 3-0. Story, page 6A.