The
ews
Journal
If it hai ‘I iened, it’s news to us
50t
No.46VoL99
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, February2,2005
Firemen want to ensure water for protection
in some areas not sufficient to sustain addition of houses
Water pressure
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
More growth sweeping the county and
the potential threat of less water pressure
to fight fires have some Hoke fire chiefs
seeking solutions.
“Without a better water supply, many
are concerned higher density housing
would create a problem for firefighting,”
said Chief David Willis, Puppy Creek
Fire Department’s chief.
Most fire chiefs say there is no such
thing as having “too much water” when
it comes to fighting a fire, but they think
water pressure is still sufficient to fight
most residential fires. They rely heavily
on mutual aid to share water tankers from
other districts to obtain more water.
In spite of challenges, local fire chiefs
credited county commissioners, county
manager Mike Wood and Hoke fire mar
shal Freddy Johnson with attempting to
improve the regional water systems.
“They do very well for us,” Dennis
Ridley, Stonewall Fire Department chief,
said. ‘They do know we are volunteers,
and we work on limited resources.
“Once we bring things to their at
tention, they do investigate it. Major
Johnson really does get out and question
people and reports back to the county
manager.
“If we have needed something, I have
(See WATER, page 4A)
County finance
director resigns
Edwards leaves for better offer
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
After leading Hoke County
through the turbulent embezzle
ment case against former county
manager Bernice McPhatter,
Hoke finance director Scott Ed
wards announced his resignation
last Friday.
Edwards will briefly address
the commissioners at their an
nual reueat scheduled today and
tomorrow at Camp Rockfish. He
will update them on the status
of the county’s financial forecast
for next year.
“I feel very accomplished
with what I have achieved here,”
Edwards said yesterday. “I
sWeek
Soldiers welcomed
home
pi^elB
Rush trial set
March 14
page3A
Thomas turns over
Civic League gavel
pi^e4A
Wrestlers prepare
forregionals
page 6 A
gl
Business/Faim 5A
Calendar 5B
Classifieds 7-8B
Deaths 8A
Editorials 2A
Legals 5-6B
Religion 4B
Schools 2B
Socials 3B
Sports 6A
Weddings 3B
We’re on the web at
www.thenews-journal.com
Scott Edwards
have greatly
enjoyed my
job assisting
the taxpay
ers who have
supported
me through
out my life
here in Hoke
County.
“I have tried to serve the
public’s best interest.”
Commission Vice Chairman
Charles V. Dan iels said Edwards
leavi ng was a “tremendous loss”
to the county.
“Scott Edwards was the best
thing that ever happened to our
finance department,” Daniels
said. “We wilTreally miss him.
He was so fanvHiar with every
thing, and it will be very hard
to replace him.
“I think he was very profes
sional.”
Edwards said he has been
offered at least five lucrative
career moves — one in Ra
leigh. He said he has accepted
an offer from an established
Fayetteville CPA firm where,
he will be employed as a staff
accountant. Already complet
ing requirements to attain
Certified Public Accountant
credentials, Edwards plans
to take the exam this year.
He will continue to reside in
Hoke with his wife, who is an
assistant principal with Hoke
County Schools.
(See EDWARDS, page 6A)
L 4
*
A?
A home in the Hollies at West Gate is constructed using a panelized technique which enables builders to complete a home in nine days.
West Gate opens as largest subdivison
Community of 800 homes brings such firsts as houses built in nine days
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
In a vast field entwined with
wetlands, the luxury community
of West Gate is now open.
West Gate, divided into the
Oaks, Pines and Hollies sec
tions, will eventually become a
neighborhood of 800 country
and estate homes. The project, on
Adcox and Lindsay roads on land
once owned by the June Johnson
farming family, will become the
largest residential development in
Hoke over the next seven years.
The sales center, which will
eventually be transformed into
a .satellite office for the Hoke
Sheriff’s Office, opened last
week.
Partners Watson Caviness
and Ralph Huff, principals of
Caviness and Cates Building
and Development and H & H
Investments, respectively, will
simultaneously be constructing
two different styles of homes in
the upscale Oaks and Pines sec
tions, with the homes starting at
$170,(K)() and above.
Huff, his wife Linda, and
brother Ron, of H & H Con
structors are using a “panelized”
construction method in the first
(See WEST GATE, page 7A)
Chason speailieads benefit coneert
for victim of motorcycle accident
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
When popular southern gospel singer
Larry Chason visited his mother at Au
tumn Care nursing home, he decided
to help Hoke native Michael “Brent”
Hardin, a patient at the facility.
Hardin, paralyzed with only limited
mobility in his head, had recently been
transferred to Autumn Care to receive
better care after being severely injured
in a motorcycle accident last fall. Hardin
said the wreck was like a blur. His son,
Justin Hardin, said it appeared another ve
hicle may have turned into Hardin’s path
when he was preparing to make a turn.
(See BENEFIT, page 3A)
Fight over dog setded by magistrate
Now everyone seems happy, including dog
rhe .News
News
7 Journal
Othji^ stuff
Bv Ken MacDonald
Publisher
W hen Jessica Kel lermann, a 2(X)3 gradu
ate of Hoke H igh and a student at Carolina,
announced her plans to go to Ghana for a
semester, 1 rolled my eyes and said, “Why
can’t you be like everybcxiy else and study
abroad in Europe"!" But she knew I was
kidding, and 1 quickly followed it with,
“Cool! Go for it!”
That’s because Jessica is not like every
body else, and because I’m glad she took
the road less traveled. Besides, they wouldn’t
have written a poem about it if breaking away
from the crowd isn’t a good thing.
Jess is one of those rare Anne of Green
Gables-types who walks into a place or a
life and leaves them better. Now don’t get
me wrong. She’s obnoxious at times and
always hardheaded—and thankfully she’s
two days flying time away as 1 bravely write
this - but there is no one out there who cares
(See OTHER STUFF, page 4A)
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
After Cindy Bristow, an animal ad
vocate and rescuer of displaced pets,
narrowly missed hitting a small “mutt”
romping in the middle of Aberdeen
Highway in December, she stopped and
rescued what she thought was a stray dog.
Thinking she had done a good deed in
saving the dog, Bristow had no idea her
actions would unleash acontroversy with
Raeford resident Terry Dooley.
He later claimed to be the owner of
“Bandit.” Dooley thought Bristow had
stolen his dog, whom he proudly said
came from a “mutt bloodline” of a border
collie and a golden retriever. Contrarily,
Bristow said she rescued a stray dog
without a collar or identification.
Accompanied by a Hoke deputy,
Dooley went to Bristow’s in December
after witnesses said she was keeping his
pet, and demanded she return Bandit.
Bristow declined returning the dog at
first because Dooley could not produce
any identification, rabies certification, or
proof of ownership.
“If I had to do it over, I would do it
again,” Bristow, owner of Solutions for
Terry Dooley with Bandit
Animals Inc., said. “1 rescued the dog
from being killed by a car. Nothing
would stop me from providing safety to
an animal that is in danger.”
Indeed. Dooley turned out to be
the owner of Bandit. In his efforts
to ensure Bandit was reunited with
(See BANDIT, page 5A)