The
ews
Journal
No.49VoLl00
Raeford & Hoke Co;’‘n y •
Wednesday, February22,2006
Two multi-million dollar ventures
Paraclete Body Armor branch, wind tunnel would bring 75-100jobs to Hoke County
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Paraclete Armor and
Body Equipment president
Tim D’Annunzio in St. Pauls
announced this week that he
plans to open a new $5 mil
lion company, Sky Venture
Raeford, as well as a branch
of Paraclete near the Raeford
airport.
D’Annunzio said Sky
Venture would feature the
largest wind tunnel free fall
simulator in the world. Also,
D’Annunzio plans to manu
facture ceramic components
in Hoke for the firm’s body
armor assembled in St. Pauls.
Both ventures will be located
on Doc Brown Road north
west of Raeford near Fort
Bragg’s southern boundary.
“Our firm in St. Pauls will
probably gross almost $60
million in sales this year,’’
D’Annunzio said. “We think
our branch and new company
in Hoke County will also do
exceedingly well.”
In forming the two ven
tures in Hoke, D’Annunzio
anticipates he will create from
75 to 100 jobs when the two
companies begin operations
within one year.
“This is a tremendous
advantage to Raeford and our
(see TUNNEL, page 5 A)
A depiction of the wind tunnel free fall simulator to be
built on Doc Brown Road.
Deal struck for
Parks & Rec site
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A united Hoke board of
commissioners approved the
land acquisition of 90 acres
less than two miles south of
Raeford on Monday night.
The property will be used for
the first Parks and Recreation
Department multi-million dol-
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Deaths 8A
Editorials 2A
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Public Record 6A
Religion 2B
School Menus 5A
Socials 3B
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lar building and future athletic
fields.
Commissioner James A.
Leach was the guiding sup
porter on the board. Leach, a
member of the Parks & Rec
advisory board, initially en
couraged them to establish the
center. The Local Government
Commission has tentatively
approved the project, but much
of the funding will be covered
by grants, according to com
missioners.
Parks & Rec director Da
vid Jackson, former Fayette-
villeTCumberland recreation
supervisor, will be leading
recommendations for arts and
crafts programs and athletic
activities at the future recre
ational headquarters. Jackson
inspected the pending site
yesterday with County Man
ager Mike Wood and County
Engineer Ray Sistare.
“We are excited about it,”
Jackson said. “The site lends
itself to many activities.
“We plan to install picnic
areas, nature trails and hold
nature education interpretive
programs,” he said.
“There is a creek on site for
aesthetic purposes, and land
will be available for present
and future needs.”
After returning from a
closed session, the board
(see LAND, page 7A)
Displaying the new All American Trail logo, from left, are Mike Lynch, Fort Bragg coordinator for dedication ceremonies. Spring
Lake Mayor Ethel T. Clark, Hoke Commissioner Bill Cameron, Hoke Planner Heather Brown and Fort Bragg U.S.Army gar
rison commander Col. Al Aycock.
1st leg of All American Trail opens in April
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
With Hoke County blazing
the path for the All American
Trail, the first phase of the
natural 30-mile trail will open
for the public’s enjoyment on
April 21 on Vass Road.
Designed for hiking, bicy
cling and running, the trail
is expected to showcase the
rapidly vanishing long leaf
pine forest found primarily in
the vicinity of the Cape Fear
River basin area.
Mike Lynch, Fort Bragg
coordinator for the dedication
ceremony, unveiled an official
logo for the trail at the quarterly
meeting of the Regional Land
Use Advisory Commission
(RLUAC) held in Spring Lake.
In honor of the U.S. Army’s
82nd Airborne Division, part
of its insignia is incorporated
into the design.
Raeford City Manager
Richard Douglas and Hoke
Commissioner Bill Cameron
have been instrumental in
establishing the first nine-
mile leg of the trail in Hoke.
The project was approved
last June.
“The All American Trail
committee has done great
things to found this trail,”
Lynch said. “They have also
publ ished a brochure with the
rules for operating the trail
among the joint communities
and Fort Bragg and Pope Air
Force Base.
“By founding this trail,
we hope to maintain the
biodiversity in the area such
as protecting the endangered
red-cockaded woodpecker.”
Using the sandy perim
eter road that surrounds Fort
Bragg and Pope, the trail will
ultimate include Moore and
Cumberland in the next two
phases. Lynch said work is
currently underway in Hoke for
expanding areas adjacent to the
trail for parking lots. However,
the All American trail will be
kept in its pristine state, accord
ing to Jim Daugherty, executive
director of the RLUAC.
Distinguished as the gateway
to the Sandhills rare long leaf
(see TRAIL, page 7A)
Election filing continues
Thomas, Shepley, Hodges, D'Annunm in. Smith is out
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Poised for another fast-paced
week, Hoke Board of Elections
Director Caroline Shook indi
cated filings for the upcoming
May primary and November
election were somewhat slower
than anticipated.
However, news traveled
quickly late yesterday afternoon
when Raeford attorney Russell
C. Smith disclosed he was back
ing out of the race for the Hoke-
Scotland counties judgeship. He
had already filed his statement
of intent that he would run, but
he not yet filed officially.
A Democrat, Smith was
planning to compete with Hoke-
“It ’s only Tuesday, but things
change from day to day."
— Board of Elections Direc
tor Caroline Shook
Scotland chief public defender
Regina Joe, a Democrat who
filed for the judgeship last
Monday. The seat of Hoke
-Scotland Chief Judge War
ren Pate is available since Pate
announced he would retire
at the end of this year. This
leaves Joe as the only Hoke
candidate thus far vying for
the judge’s seat.
“The reason I am not
seeking the office is that an
opportunity presented itself No.44ShamiaBrown puts upashotas No. 30 Bianca Shaw screens out the defender during
(see FILING, page 5A) Hoke High’s first round win over Wilmington Ashley High. Story and photos on page 4A.