Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Jan. 5, 2005, edition 1 / Page 1
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ews If it happened, it’s news to us. Journal wmm, 50r Na42VoL99 Raeford & Hoki County n. Wednesday, January 5,2005 DSS forfeits $179,000 in daycare funds Daycare provider, some parents complain, directors blames staffing issues By Victoriana Summers Staff writer Some parents and at least one daycare provider that runs two facilities forthild care want to know why the Hoke Department of Social Services staff did not spend $ 179,416 that was budgeted for childcare subsidies for woiic- ing parents and needy families who are seeking jobs. This lack of spending resulted in tlie funds being sent back at Old hotel faces wrecking ball Demolition to begin in Febmary By Pat Allen Wilson Editor The new streetscape planned for downtown Raeford will be minus the Bluemont/Raeford Hotel. A final effort to preserve the dilapidated and vacant building at the comer of Main Street and Central Avenue did not come to fruition, and demolition is to begin the first of February. City Manager Richard Douglas told council members Monday night, “The possibility of rehabil i- tation has fallen through.” He said the developer he had been work ing with began “making large demands of city services.” Councilman Eddie McNeill, noting that the property would first be offered for sale, said the lot the state’s request in October 2003 for other counties to use in spite of 405 children placed on the waiting list in Hoke for child care subsidies. Hoke DSS director Bob Mercer confirmed the state took back the money from the local budget. He said continuous vacancies in the childcare subsidy program re sulted inabacklog of applications, but a supervisor and assistant have recently been hired. He said a large number of the applica tions have been processed since October, reducing the children’s waiting list to almost half “We will do our best to make the childcare subsidy moneys go as far as we can, but there will always be a waiting list because we get more seasonal requests in the summer and at Christmas when children are out ot school, and our population is growing, Mercer said. “We will do ail we can to qualify children for the pro (See DSS STAFFING, page 6A) 'iv should not be left empty. He sug gested a memorial paiic replace the hotel and asked for “thoughts and ideas and rough sketches” for such an undertaking. The city has already accepted a bid of $178,726 from T-Rex Construction of Durham to take down the building. The city obtained the hotel in October 1999 after its own ers faced foreclosure by United National Bank, which donated the building and land. The three-story hotel with 42 rooms first opened in March 1927 and later became the “heartthrob” of the city. Through the years it housed teachers and a baseball team here for spring training and at one time served as a bus stop. It remained in operation until (See HOTEL, page 3A) Taking the office of office, from left, are assistant public defenders Regina joe, Celia Vissor, Herman Thompson and Jonathan Meinnis. 1 J' ‘Deployment dog’ needs a home page4A Ornaments brighten yards pagelB Qty firefighters get FEMA grant page3A Winston Salem minister is King event speaker pageiA S Births 3B Business/Farm 5A ('lassifieds 7-8B Deaths 6A Fxiitoriiils 2A legals 5-6B Religion 2B SlIkh)! Menus 4B Socials 3B Sports 4A We're on the web at www.thenews-joumal.com By Victoriana Summers Staff writer A divided Hoke board of com missioners debated on Monday evening whether to pursue plans foraproposed Hoke Agricultural- Business Complex. Agreeing unanimously to advertise for architectural firms that cou Id be quali fied to construct such a project, the majority of the board remained uncommitted about building the center. This, after County Manager Mike Wood told the board that The Wooten Company has completed a needs assessment study on the potential project. The study cost the county ap proximately $5,000 with $2,768 already paid to The Wooten firrh. If the board plans to move (See AGRIBUILDING, page 3A) Left: Rick Jackson, public defender for Hoke-Scotland District 16 A, takes the oath. Right: Hoke District Attorney Kristy McMillan Newton is sworn in. Newton takes oath for second term By Victoriana Summers Staff writer Taking the oath of office on Monday, Kristy McMillan Newton, district attorney for Hoke and Scotland counties in District 16 A, reclaimed her key judicial post for an other four years while friends and colleagues applauded. A Democrat, Newton won the DA’s seat in the presidential election by acclamation after no opponents competed with her in the primary race. Newton’s staff of assistant district attorneys was also sworn into office, along with public defender Rick Jackson and assistant public defenders serving in Hoke and Scotland jurisdictions. “I enjoyed the second race even more,” New ton joked of the uncontested November elec tion for her post. “I appreciated running unop posed tremendously.” Beginning her second term, Newton was first elected in 2000, according to Robeson County Superior Court Judge Frank Floyd, who presided at the swearing-in ceremony on Monday. “She was the youngest district attorney to ever be elected in North Carolina,” Floyd told guests attending the Hoke Courthouse event. A guest quipped back to the judge: “She is also the prettiest.” Newton, a lifelong resident of Hoke, is also distinguished as the first DA in Hoke-Scotland to be serving in the new millennium. Floyd, will be serving in the Hoke district for six months. “Her legal competence and credibility has more than made up for her experience,” Floyd said. “She does as good a job as any DA in the state. “1 have served on the Superior Court bench for eight years,” Floyd said. “She does a might fine job because she is always prepared as a district attorney. They (her staff) have their notebooks and (See NEWTON, page 5A) Irhe News-! Journal I News Othj|;^yuff By Ken MacDonald Publisher As a New Year’s tradition, watching a ball drop in Times Square has never really done it for me. So when my friend Charles propi)sed a New Year's Eve river paddling and camping adventure I jumped at it. In Brasstown, N.C. they dropapossum; in Atlanta, it’sapeach; in Portland, it’sa20-foot, 600 pound fiberglass walleye. So I figured when you’re deep in a swamp on the Lumber River, the possibilities are endless. Our third paddler was to be a friend of Charles’ named Martin who is a city plan ner in Raleigh. Could be some interesting potential for jokes, I thought: “Raleigh city planner? Isn’t that a little like ‘military intel ligence’ or ‘Microsoft Works?”’ Charles arrived a day early, and that, we thought, gave us ample time to do some advance packing. After all, we had three solid hours before bed to figure out how (See OTHER STUFF, page 4A) Creek bordering Mackall site of potential sanctuary Nature Conservancy plans purchcase of next Hoke tract By Victoriana Summers Staff writer Even as va.st ti mber holdi ngs are bei ng commercially harve.sted in Hoke County and some residential subdivisions are springing up in former wotxled areas. The Nature Conservancy is embarking on a $ 1 million project to preserve more than 500 acres in southwestern Hoke. Planning to acquire Hoke land ne Highway 15-501, TNC’s objectiv would be to protect clean water ai wildlife preserves from developmei according to Rick Studenmund, exec live diieclor ofTNC. With a quest for “saving the last grt places,” TNC, a non-profit conservatii group, has applied for a grant fru (See PRESERVE, page 5A)
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Jan. 5, 2005, edition 1
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