The
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75t
No.43VoLl00
Raeford & Hoke County ii.c.
Wednesday, January 11,2006
Schools to lease ‘mobiles’ to address growth
Modulars too ugly, with mihtary-related growth on horizon there’s no time to build
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Hoke’s Board of Education unani
mously approved the leasing of at least
20 additional mobile classrooms for next
school year to alleviate overcrowding in
schools.
Col. A1 Aycock, garrison commander
of Fort Bragg, was also present at the
board’s meeting last evening, listening
to concerns about the influx of military
children.
According to Hoke School Superin
tendent Allen Strickland, the need to
lease 36 more mobile huts would not be
“out of the realm’’ of possibilities. The
school system is currently leasing 18
huts at $ 175 each per month. However,
Hendrix said he could not guarantee that
rate might not increase to $300 to $425
each because of the demand across the
state for extra classroom capacity.
“For the last three years, Hoke schools
have been growing at the rate of500 stu
dents per year,” said Strickland, who is
anticipating the trend will continue. “We
need to provide additional classrooms
with troops moving to Fort Bragg and the
influx of students coming to our area.
“We are growing by leaps and bounds.
We were just allotted anotherthird grade
Many face paring
of childcare help
Subsidies being cut Jan. 15
teacher at Rockfish Hoke Elementary
after Christmas.
‘Twelve students enrolled one day and
six (students) another.”
Describing “dire” conditions, Strick
land told the board there are currently
15 roving teachers without classrooms
(See SCHOOLS, page 6A)
VQj'
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Almost 25 percent of Hoke
children in daycare will lose a
Department of Social Services
subsidy January 15. Some daycare
providers are worried that many
1 of Hoke’s children in low-income
families are in danger of becom
ing “latch key” children without
adult supervision. State cutbacks
in 2004-05 and demand across
the state for childcare subsidies
doubling since 2002 has forced
counties such as Hoke to rein in
spending.
“We are trying to keep up the
faith,” Gwen Locklear, executive
director and owner of Rockfish
Childcare Development and
Hawkeye Children’s Develop
ment Center, said. “I am praying
that those parents who have lost
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their subsidies for childcare for
their kids will find a way through
God’s help to take care of their
young ones.
“Some are seeking alternatives
such as help from relatives, but it
IS very difficult, especially with
single-parent families.”
Locklear said she has seen a
significant number of families
—a total of 18 children—forced
to drop out of her programs. She
said the impact would also be
drastically felt among Hoke’s
childcare centers that she says
are trying to stay in business
to provide quality daycare for
children.
“Parents are very upset,”
Locklear said. “We have had so
many layoffs since 2002 in Hoke
County where people are being
re-trained for jobs and going back
to college.
“These are the parents that
will suffer and their children
will suffer because of the state
not providing adequate funding
for childcare.”
Barbara Brooks, director of
Hoke DSS, said that translates
into 193 children from infants to
12 year-olds who are no longer
eligible for childcare or after
school services. Unlike Medicaid,
childcare programs are not an
(See CHILDCARE, page 4A)
^1
*
Congressman Robin Hayes points to progress downtown last Wednesday as he joins a tour of streetscape work. Hayes presented a $200,000
check for phase two of the project. An array of streetscape photographs and goals for the coming year will be featured in next week’s News-
Journal.
McLeod back on Raeford City Council to replace Blue
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
Raeford City Council unani
mously selected James B. “Ben
ny” McLeod to return to the
council seat he vacated in No
vember.
After serving 34 years as a
councilman, McLeod chose not to
seek reelection this fall. Julian H.
“Buddy” Blue ran unopposed for
McLeod’s seat, but died shortly
before he was to take office in
early November.
The council’s decision, made
without discussion Monday
night, was not without opposi
tion; Kathryn McPhatter spoke
in public forum shortly after the
vote was held.
Stating that she was not a Ra
eford resident but a Hoke resident
of 71 years, McPhatter asked and
received permission from Mayor
John K. McNeill 111 to address
the council.
McPhatter said it “would have
been nice” if the public forum
had been on the agenda before a
vote was taken. “Don’t you think
there are other people who could
have served?” she asked. “Do
you think there is no African
American qualified to serve on
the council?”
McNeill pointed out McLeod’s
experience. “We felt like he was
our best choice,” he said.
But McPhatter persisted, say
ing the vote was “not quite fair”
to the citizens. “Didn’t (McLeod)
resign?” she asked. “All of a sud
den he’s ready to come back on
the board?”
McPhatter said the council
made a mockery out of both
African Americans and Cauca
sians. “The city council belongs
(See MCLEOD, page 6A)
Proposed agriculture center may go back to the drawing board
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
As the Hoke board of commis
sioners cultivates ideas for the pro
posed Hoke County Agriculture
Office Building, the size and cost
of the structure are also growing,
according to Commissioner Bill
Cameron.
Because the structure is cur
rently in the preliminary design
phase, the Local Government
Commission in Raleigh must
still approve the multi-million
dollar agriculture complex prior
to construction.
Commissioners hope to attract
more exhibitions to Hoke and
enhance the area with a farmer’s
market that would be constructed
on the site.
“The last time it was at $4.5
million, and now we are up to $6
million,” Cameron, a farmer and
livestock grower, said. “I think
we need to hold off on plans until
we talk to the Local Government
Commission in February.”
Fayetteville architect Gordon
(See AG CENTER, page 5A)
Sustainable Sandhills wants citizens to embrace
vision of economic growth, care for environment
Keith Owen, a technician with ES&S, demonstrates a voting machine
attachment that allows handicapped people to vote. Watching are
elections officials Whiteford Jones (L-R), Caroline Shook, Joan Baker,
and Jim Wade. Flossie Henderson tries it out.
By ViaoRiANA Summers
Staff writer
Hoke County leaders are urged
to join a new initiative. Sustain
able Sandhills, to pre.serve the
environment of the Sandhills re
gion and to perpetuate economic
gamth in the home of the long
leaf pine forests.
Jon Parsons, executive director
of Sustainable Sandhills, will dis
cuss plans for the new non-profit
organization at a special outreach
meeting his organization is host
ing on January 18 in Raeford.
By attracting key community
leaders. Parsons hopes to recruit
members into Sustainable Sand
hills who will promote construct
ing more energy-efficient homes
and commercial buildings, ensure
air quality in the region, practice
new sol id waste management, and
improve mass transit.
Funded by a major grant of
$26{),()(X) from the U.S. Environ
mental Protection Agency, Sus
tainable Sandhills Is composed
of volunteers from Fort Bragg,
the N.C. Department of Environ
ment and Natural Resources, the
state Department of Commerce,
environmentalists and bu.siness
leaders.
Counties participating in
the program to protect the
Sandhills region include Hoke,
(See SANDHILLS, page 8A)