News-Journal
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Raeford & Hoke County n.c
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Wednesday, August 9,2006
Five contend for 3 seats on school board
Two file in last hour, will face three incumbents in November election
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Two contenders for Hoke Board
of Education filed just an hour before
the deadline Monday. The Rev. Ray
Owens Sr. and Della Maynor-Bowen
will square off against three incum
bents who filed on opening day.
Owens, j)astorof Freedom A.M.E.
Zion Chapel Church, and Maynor-
Bowen, who ran unsucessfully for a
school board seat in 2004, are vying
to unseat twoof the three incumbents
in the upcoming nonpartisan elec
tion in November. Although they
were the last candidates to file this
week, both had previously expressed
an interest in running for the school
board.
They will compete against in
cumbents Russell C. Smith, school
board chairman, Tom Pilkington
and Irish Pickett. Smith and Pilk
ington are seeking third terms of
office while Pickett is running for
her first permanent term after re
placing William Hollingsworth 11.
Pickett was appointed by the school
board to fulfill the unfinished term
of Hollingsworth after he resigned
in March.
Maynor-Bowen said she had
known she “would run again” for
the school board, but it was only a
question of when. “I Just decided to
do it,” she said. “But, my decision
was not sudden.”
As Hoke retired register of
deeds, Maynor-Bowen served as
(See SCHOOL BOARD, page 5A)
McDuffie
makes bid
official
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Red Springs Police Chief
Troy McDuffie filed a decla
ration of intent on Monday to
run for Hoke sheriff. He also
submitted a required petition,
containing 270 signatures of
registered voters.
Of those, 217 were certi
fied by the Hoke Board of
Elections Tuesday as valid
registrations. One of the 53
rejected signatures was dis
qualified because the person
signed as the bogus “John
Hancock,” an error the board
deemed to be a “mistake.”
Another voter is being sent a
letter by the board because he
signed his wife’s name, which
is illegal on u voting petition.
The elections board approved
the petition after an hour
review, comparing petition
signatures with signatures on
voter registration cards.
McDuffie will be the
(See MCDUFFIE, page 7A)
This Week
fi-’}
r
‘Dream team* plans
Hoke High
improvements
page IB
Con artists prey
on elderly
page8B
Numerous dri^
robbery arrests made
page3A
Index
Bulhs 3B
Calendar 4B
Classifieds 6-7B
Deaths 8A
Editorials 2A
Engagements 3B
Legals 5B
Public Record 3 A
Religion 2B
Schools 1B,7A
Socials 3B
Sports 6A
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r
Dora Mae Bullard Clayton A. Bullard
‘Grandmom,
grandpop’
busted for drugs
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Brown-bagging took on a new mean
ing when the Hoke Sheriffs Office raided
the home of an unsuspecting South Hoke
“grandma and grandpa” on Friday, arresting
them on rnultiple drug charges, according to
Hoke Sheriff Hubert Peterkin.
“Officers in our narcotics unit loaded up
brown evidence bags with a cache of hand
guns, rifles and a deadly SKS assault rifle that
can penetrate almost anything,”Peterkin said.
“A stash of drugs and almost $1,000 in cash
were also uncovered.
The search of the residence and entire
operation took almost six hours, according
to the sheriff.
”Our I-9 squad led by Angel and Aaron
was vital in helping us locate the drugs,” he
said.
Peterktn said sometimes people mistakenly
think only younger people are involved in
illegal drtig operations.
“Thes^ were mature people supplying
drugs,” Feterkin said. “Their granddaugh
ter was fitting on the sofa when our team
(^ee DRUG BUST, page 7A)
Sheriff Hubert Peterkin looks over weapons and drugs confiscated in Friday raid in South Hoke.
City council sets timeline for western annexation
Plan to add 131 homes, four businesses would expand tax base by $12 million
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
If things go as planned, the city of
Raeford’s borders will have expanded
by 132 acres by January 1,2008.
The cit^ council adopted a Reso
lution of Intent and an annexation
timeline its regularly scheduled
meeting Monday night.
The Ltirttbee River Council of
Governments, which drew up a study
of the are^ proposed for annexation,
describes the study area as located
between or adjacent to West Prospect
Avenue and West Palmer Street on the
north and west and the property on
either side of College Drive and Cole
Avenue to the east and west. The area
is currently served with city water, and
sewer lines are adjacent to the area.
The area encompasses 131 residences,
four commercial sites, and three each
institutional and governmental sites
with the properties valued at more than
$12 million. It holds a population of
340, according to estimates.
The schedule of annexation pro
cedures were presented by LRCOG
Chief Administer James Perry. He
said once the annexation “clock” is
started, by law, specific criteria and
times have to be attended to. “There
can be a little variation from the time
lines but not much,” he said.
A special meeting will be called
to approve the annexation report/ser
vices plan with a statement of financial
impact to be delivered on August 21 at
7:30 p.m. A map and list of property
owners will be posted with City Clerk
Betty Smith.
Notices of intent and public meet
ings will be mailed to property own
ers August 28-30. Residents in the
planned annexation area are invited to
attendapublic informational meeting
at City Hall on September 25 at 7:30
p.m., and a public hearing will follow
on October 23 at 7:30 p.m.
The annexation ordinance is to be
adopted by November 6 at the city
council’s regular meeting. This will
be followed by filing a map with the
Register of Deeds and the Board of
Election. Clearance with the state
(See ANNEXATION, page 2Aj
Graham uses radio show to reach teens
Shakera Qraham:“lt’s the kids.”
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
“It’s about the children,” Shakera
Graham says about her half hour
show, “Now Generation,” that airs
on WMFA in Raeford and WSKL in
Sanford every fourth Saturday morn
ing at 9-9:30.
It was areluctant Graham who took
on the radio show Just for teens in 2003.
After moving back to Hoke County
from Sanford, Regina Carpenter, host
of “Town Talk,” encouraged her to
begin the show as a “really serious
ministry” to work with teens.
“I had no cool about radio,” sujS
Graham, who had her doubts until
she prayed for insight.
Armed with her new new-found
courage and the conviction that God
would use her to encourage or men
tor teenagers through the media,
Graham’s first show aired November
2003. She remembers the show well;
it was about date rape, chosen because
she had met victims of the crime.
The show’s format features teens
talking about issues they face. Gra
ham is the host but somet i mes teenag
ers also serve in that capacity. “The
show helps teens open up more and is a
venue for them,” Graham believes.
Now Generation first reached out
fo high school students then Graham
realized middle school students also
have a “great need.”
Graham goes to the high schools
once a month for program ideas. She
leaves registration forms and ques
tionnaires for teens to fill out and that
is how guests are selected. Her guests
and guest hosts don’t all come from
Hoke; some are from Cumberland
and Moore counties.
“Now Generation” has dealt with
teen pregnancy, peer pressure (a
popular topic), learning to maximize
education, healthy teen relation
ships, and choosing friends wisely.
“Who are you rolling with?” is the
t(See GRAHAM, page 8A)