The
ews
Journal
If it happened, it’s news lo
Na 13VoL 102
Raefokd & Hoke County n.c.
75t
Wednesday, June 13,2007
Petition: rename South Hoke school
Group asks board of education to change name to Hawk Eye Elementary
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A group representing the Hoke Native
American community implored the Hoke
Board of Education last evening to switch
the name of South Hoke Elementary School
to its original name, Hawk Eye Elementary
School.
Lynette Dial, Hoke Public Library supervi
sor, spoke on behalf of the Lumbees, present
ing a petition with more than 350 signatures.
A delegation of tribal members accompanied
her, with the school board assembly room
overflowing.
Dial told the school board no one cou Id seem
to explain why Hawk Eye, which was initially
an Indian school, had its name changed in
1968. The Hoke school board changed the
name to South Hoke in April during the time
of integration, she added.
“Native Americans of the Lumbee Tribe
have roots that are rich and widespread in
Hoke County, with native people being proud
of our culture and Indian heritage,” Dial read
in the petition. “The first school for Indians
was called Jacob’s Point School House back
in the early 1900s, as recognized by the Hoke
County Board of Education.
“Our founding forefathers fought for the
r
- iA
O
\ V
Lt. L.E. Morgan Jr. (above) shows a booster seat to Lorena San
chez while three other children in a van (right) wait their turn
for safety seat checkups at the Hoke Health Department
This Week
Church hopes thief
will return cooker
pj^e3A
Lilmar reaches
into mailbag
page 1B
U13 Force
wins state
page4A
Civic League youth
perform
page6B
Students win
essay contest
pageSA
Calendar 2B
Qassifieds 5B
Deaths 3A
Editorials 2A
Legals 3-4B
Schools 4A
Socials 5A
Sports 4A
Weddings 5 A
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Families take advantage of car seat help
Traffic deaths of infants can be reduced by 71 percent with use of child restraints
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A caravan of cars and SUVs were lined up at the Hoke
Health Department yesterday, as families sought to have
their child safety seats checked out, or to receive newer ones
to keep their children secure on the highways.
This local safety day comes at a time when the U.S. Center
for Disease Control estimates motor vehicle injuries were the
leading cause of death in 2006 among children in the U.S.
Approximately 1,451 children ages infant to 14 years old
died in cra,shes last year across the nation. Nearly half of the
occupants were unrestrained, according to CDC statistics.
The risk of deaths to infants can be reduced by 71 percent
with the used of child safety restraints.
tin children ages one to four years old, the risk of deaths
could be effectively reduced by 54 percent by using child
safety seats, CDC reports.
“As you can see, this event today has brought out a crowd,”
(See CAR SEATS, page 6A)
right to educate our children and foresaw the
vision and importance of education to our
Native American people,” she said.
“We, the native people of Hoke County,
are requesting, as part of our heritage, that
the name of South Hoke be changed back to
Hawk Eye Elementary School in this the year
of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Signing the main petition’s request were
(See HAWK EYE, page 7A)
Lumbee
bill clears
House
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Fifty-one years to the day
after the U.S. Congress on
June 7, 1956 recognized the
Lumbee tribe as Indians, the
House of Representatives
voted to support a bill that
would also entitle Lumbees to
financial recognition already
garnered by many Native
American tribes.
In a landslide, the House
passed the Lumbee Ac
knowledgment Bill 256-128
last week. The vote paves
the path for the U.S. Senate
to vote on the issue. A dual
victory in Congress would
enable President Bush to sign
the bill into law.
The state of North Carolina
officially recognized the Lum
bee trite in 1885. Although
the federal government has
conferred recognition and
benefits to the Cherokee na
tion in eastern North Carolina,
the Lumbees were deprived in
their quest for similar recog
nition. The Lumbees’ origin
dates to 1724 on the Lumber
River, formerly known as
Drowning Creek. Lumbees’
(See LUMBEES, page 6A)
A -
School system begins annual teacher recmitment effort
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A wave of teachers is leav
ing Hoke County Schools
this year - many retiring,
others tendering resignations
because of dissatisfaction or
to seek career opportunities
elsewhere.
However, almost 20 per
cent of teachers exiting
Hoke schools were asked
not to return because of
performance deficiencies,
according to human re
sources statistics.
In teaching positions alone
Hoke Schools currently has
50 vacancies, according to
Dr. Cheryl Benson, assistant
Hoke school superintendent
of human resources. Benson
said 30 of those retired.
Eighteen resignations were
accepted.
“That is not a large num
ber,” Benson said. “It is
workable lo replace them.
“During this time of year,
many personnel changes
are made to match up our
schools.”
“We are participating in
an upcoming regional job
fair this Saturday at Triton
High School in Erwin.”
Benson said special incen
tives are being advertised to
recruit highly qualified teach
ers, including an extra $ 1,500
sign-on bonus and $500 al
located for moving expenses
to Hoke. These inducements
(See TEACHERS, page 7A)
Child thrown from car, killed in wreck on Highway 211
By Victorixna Summers
Staff writer
A mid afternoon collision yesterday
left a young boy dead after he was
thrown from the vehicle in which he
was a passenger. The driver at fault
might also face felony charges, ac
cording to the N.C. Highway Patrol.
“The child was ejected from the
vehicle, where he was a passenger in
the rear seat,” N.C. Highway Patrol
Trooper D. Clark, investigating officer,
said. “His vehicle overturned several
times after the driver, according to a
witness, tried to turn onto Shannon
Road as he was traveling southbound
from Raeford on Highway 211.
‘The driver crossed into the path
of a van that struck his vehicle on the
right side when he could not clear it
in time.
“The ten-year-old boy landed with
(See WRECK, page 7A)
By Ken MacDonald
Publisher
Sunday night, a yute was telling me he was
about to depart for vacation - a fami ly camping
trip. Those two words - family camping - in
spire in me more fear than any others, except
pciiiaps sewer clog or ‘ spaghetti squash.”
It’s because when 1 was little, we once
committed family camping.
My grandmother had purcha.sed a place
at the teach. To a teenage mind this meant
2 guilty of child sex crimes
we’d soon be water skiing on the Intracoasta
Waterway, checking out (and most a.ssuredly
being rejected by) the chicks at My rtle Beach,
sneaking off and smoking the sea oats in the
dunes - what? 1 ike you never tried that? -deep
sea lishinn, and relaxing on the front porch
overlix^kinp the (X'can an;' stu. ' s is.
Turns out her place was a lot, it was about a
day’s h i ke from the ocean and was probably the
set for 197()sOff commercials. In fiict, not only
was the lot nowhere near beachfront it wasn’t
(See OTHER STUFF, page 8A)
By VirroRiANA Si mmi rs
Staff writer
Hoke Special district
attorney Mike Hardin won
convictions of felony child
molestation and child rapes
without a jury last Fiiday.
WtlL'
involved.
With Harnett superior
court judge Frank Lanier pre
siding over the trials the two
defendants waived theirrights
Nicely
Ho
to defend themselves.
Visiting in Hoke’sjurisdic-
tion, Lanier sentenced one
defendant, Michael Steven
(See CONVICTED, page 8A)