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Journal
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& Hoke County N.c,
Wednesday, September 13,2006
Raeford on National Historic Register
Year-long efifort pays off with creation of district encompassing 50 builaings
of district encompassing 50 buildings
By VicTORiANA Summers
Staff writer
The luster of preserved antique
bricks, ornate earthquake rods
impaled in historic downtown build
ings and intact structures dating as
farbackas 1903 are putting Raeford
on the map permanently.
Downtown Raeford hasofticial ly
made the National Register of His
toric Places, according to Mary
Archie McNeill, a driving force
behind the downtown streetscape
project.
With the near completion of
the project, which was also led by
Raeford realtor Steve Connell and
Raeford attorney Williams Fields,
the city has taken another step in
improving downtown, McNeill
says.
“We are very excited and proud
of this honor,” McNeill said.
Through the efforts of Raeford's
Downtown Redevelopment Com
mission, the yearlong project suc
ceeded, honoring 50 buildings that
contribute to the historic character
of Raeford. Thirteen other build
ings in the area, including The
News-Journal, are within Raeford’s
historic district, yet not considered
quite old enough to contribute to its
historic flavor.
Raeford has joined the ranks
of Southern Pines, Aberdeen and
Maxton as historic places in the
Sandhills region.
“I think it is a great accomplish-
(See HISTORIC, page 8A)
Parade ushers in
Turkey Festival
Forecast is good for big day
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
The Hoke High Fighting Bucks defeated Cape Fear 7-3 in
the Turkey Bowl, the first event of the N.C. Turkey Festival.
It was a good opener.
Then the weather was kind and Raeford’s streets were
lined with folks who came to view the parade — a parade
that was not held last year because of ongoing downtown
renovations.
The parade went off without a hitch. “We’re off to a good
start,” William Daniels, executive director of the 22nd annual
festival, said after the event.
The street fair this coming Saturday will end more than a
week of festivities. “We’re expecting approximately 50,000
people this year,” Daniels said.
Because of the renovations, now completed, the street
fair, traditionally held on a blocked-off Main Street, was
concentrated in an area in the vicinity of Donaldson/Stewart
.streets last year. That is where it will be this year becau.se
2(K)5 festival-goers evidently enjoyed having the shade from
large pines.
Main Street will not be closed off, according to Daniels.
When asked what will be new and exciting this year,
Daniels said a new company, located on U.S. Highway 401,
called Lazer Tag, will be present “for children of all ages to
test their skills.” They will be located alongside the tennis
courts in McLauchlin Park near the KidZone.
Daniels is also pleased at the number of vendors who
will be present — 110 arts and crafts, food and information
booths. These activities will
This Week
O’* -5
Seniors served
fish, fellowship
page3A
Marijuana found
from air
page5A
Bucks win
Turkey Bowl
page4A
Index
Births 3, lOB
Calendar 4B
Classifieds 8-9B
Deaths 8 A
Editorials 2A
Engagements 3B
Legals 5B
Public Record 5A
Religion 2B
Schools 4B
Socials 3B
Sptrts 4A
Weddings 3B
VIe’re on the web at
ivww. thenews-joumaicom
Read by 3,000 each week
be available from 9 a.m. until
4 p.m.
“There are more food
vendors, a great variety in
an effort to please everyone’s
palate,” Daniels said. Foods
and drinks on sale will be
beef/chicken kabobs, on
ion spirals, cotton candy,
(See FESTIVAL, page 3A)
iWMil
i
. /J
Hold County High School \
ARMY JROTC |
R**tord, NC
Tbe focus of Saturday’s N.C.Turkey Festival Parade was on gratitude — to
citizen soldiers.They headed up the parade on the NCTF float and also
marched in the parade as did future soldiers — members of the Hoke
High ROTC. Uncle Sam was almost 10 feet tall as he maneuvered Raeford’s
Main Street on stilts. More photos may be found on 6A and IB.
Couple charged with stealing identities, faking IDs
ties in the largest identification theft ment and fake identifications already said. “Identity theft has continued to
Catalina and Juan Capote
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A Hillcrest couple has been arrested
for allegedly stealing people’s identi-
and forgery scheme “ever stumbled
on” in Hoke County, according to
Hoke Sheriff Hubert Peteikin.
Based on information received in
an unrelated undercover operation,
the major crimes division of the Hoke
Sheriff’s Office searched the home
of 50-year-old Juan Capote and his
27-year-old wife, Catalina Capote,
227 Hillcrest Drive, on September
5. The Capotes were subsequently
charged with felony identify theft
after detectives seized forgery equip-
printed up.
The Capotes are currently in the
Hoke County Jail. Each is being
held on a $250,000 secured bond.
Their children were at home during
the 10:30 p.m. raid, but detectives
ensured relatives residing nearby were
able to take care of them. Peterkin
said the couple owned their home
where the illegal operation was being
conducted.
“We acted on this information
within a 24-hour period,” Peterkin
be a serious threat across the state.
“The Capotes were very organized
- like a one-stop shopping plaza at
home. People were apparently paying
from six to seven hundred dollars to
get an entire set of fake identifications,
or from fifty to two-hundred dollars
for individual ID cards,” he said.
“Those who sought the illegal iden-
ti fications did not want to go the legiti
mate route to obtain those I Ds. Most of
these cards would help people get jobs
(See IDENTITY THEFT, page 7A)
Trhe"l^ew,s4 Journal
News
Other stuff
Autopsy shows toddler drowned
By Ken MacDonald
Publisher
Now that just tears it! 1 have been
mistaken for a Chicken, the East Hoke
Middle Eagle and Big Bird, but for the
first time, during this year’s Turke\
Festival parade, I heard people yel I i ng.
“AFLAC!” in reference, 1 suppoNC.
to the insurance company’s mascot,
which is a duck.
Look, simpletons, I am the Turkey
-the N.C. Turkey Festival Turkey. My
,T)
job is to bring joy and happiness to all
the little children (that I don’t scare
witless) as 1 shake or high-five their
little hands and hug their little heads.
My job is to get out there and shake
my tail feathers, strut my stuffting)
and ham it up.
1 should have known the AFLAC
quacking, w hich began even before the
parade got underway, was ominous.
Phis year’s parade wasn’t one of my
better moments.
(See OTHER STUFF, page 5A)
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Autopsy results in the death of a
two-year-old Lumber Bridge toddler
found floating in a neighbor’s swim
ming pool on July Fourth weekend
were released on August 29, accord
ing to the N.C. Medical Examiners
Office in Chapel Hill.
State pathologist Deborah L.
Radisch determined that the cause
of death on July 2 of Austin Curtis
Jimmerson, residing at 124 Helen’s
Lane, was drowning. Austin was
reportedly found by his uncle, 17-
year-old Noah Jimmerson, on the
Sunday prior to the Fourth of July.
Although Radisch detected
“moderate contusions” on the child’s
body, the incident was deemed ac
cidental in the autopsy report. In the
toxicology testing, no evidence was
found of any substances relating to
his death. Nor were other injuries
found contributing to his drowning
in the pathology report.
Hoke sheriff Hubert Peterkin said
an investigation is still continuing
into the circumstances surrounding
Austin’s death. Peterkin expressed
concern over the lack of supervision
(See AUTOPSY, page 6A)