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Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, January 21,2009
Celebration honors Dr. King, Obama
By Jason Beck
Staff Writer
Usually, Hoke’s annual Dr. Mar
tin Luther King Jr. Day eelebration is
all about history. However, Monday’s
22nd annual version of the event was
more about the present.
Held a night before 44th President
Baraek Obama was sworn into of
fice as the nation’s first minority
commander in chief, the mood was
celebratory as the hundreds in at
tendance proclaimed the fulfillment
of King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech
held only four decades ago.
“God has blessed us to be here on
the eve of one of the most historical
events in the history of our nation, the
inauguration of Barack Obama as
44th president of the United States,”
said Minister Eula Hines, who
presided over Monday’s ceremony,
sponsored by the Hoke County Civic
League. “As Mr. Obama takes office
tomorrow... we know he will not
be able to please everyone but we
know he’s going to do a mighty job
for this country.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Maurice
Wallace, who spoke for a second
consecutive year, explained the
responsibility that comes with
new leadership. Wallace is a noted
theologian and professor at Duke
University.
“Tomorrow, against all odds,
we will witness the fulfillment of
a dream dreamed four decades ago
by the ebony skinned, silver tongued
prophet,” Wallace told the jubilant
crowd. “After 40 years of suffering,
sacrifice, closed doors and glass ceil
ings. .. after forty years, tomorrow
might be our most shining moment
yet. It may very well be our shining
moment.
“I submit the sobering proposi
tion that our shining moment... lest
(See CELEBRATION, page 4A)
Carlos, Diana and Jabena Hernandez throw snowballs at each other over a mound of snow. Right, Lauren and Orion Hoskins show off their snowman and her carrot nose. (Beck Photos)
This Week
i
Chickens spill during
ride to slaughterhouse
page4A
Vision Van visits
Raeford
page IB
FSA offers loans to
disadvantaged farmers
page2B
Index
Calendar 6B
Classifieds 5B
Deaths 3A
Editorials 2 A
Legals 2-4B
Sports 5 A
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Snow is good for kids, bad for motorists
By Jason Beck
StaffWriter
Heavy snowfall yesterday
brought joy to area children,
but wreaked havoc on motor
ists and emergency service
personnel forced to deal with
the slick powder.
Raeford received between
three and four inches of snow,
with some areas receiving a
half-foot of the white stuff
during yesterday’s morning
commute. Roads quickly be
came slippery, forcing Hoke
County Schools to cancel
class and the Hoke County
Offices to close.
Children took advantage
of the snow day and took to
their yards to build snowmen
and have snowball fights.
The snow was thick enough
to cover the tallest blades of
grass and turn the area into a
wintry paradise.
The snow also turned
area roads into a nightmare.
as temperatures quickly fell
below freezing, catching
some motorists off guard.
Fayetteville Road was lined
with vehicles in ditches dur
ing the morning drive. As of
(See SNOW, page 6A)
Fire destroys South Hoke home
Staff Reports
Crews from several area fire departments work to extinguish
a structure fire on Haire Road. (Beck Photo)
Fire gutted a house yester
day, leaving the home’s owners
out in the cold.
A kitchen fire sparked a
blaze that destroyed a home
at 178 Haire Road shortly after
2 p.m. that sent more than five
local agencies scrambling in
the snow to help. Though there
were initial reports of someone
trapped inside the home, no one
was injured in the blaze.
The first call to the county’s
911 center stated the residents
of the home were stuck in
(See EIRE, page 4A)
Luke Langley patrols the night for the Raeford Police, even
when the action is slow. (Beck Photo)
I.
iM'hc News-f Journal
2
News
Other stuff
41:
Police busy even
on quiet nights
By Ken MacDonald
Sometimes you just have to let yourself be
carried along by a sea of people. Literally and
figuratively, it turns out.
The inauguration was like that.
To tell you the truth, I hadn’t really thought
about what it would be like at the actual
moment power changed hands, the moment
history was made.
When my wife suggested we make the pil
grimage to Washington my manly side kicked
in, and I never got past logistics. Travel along
1-95 with millions of people, frigid weather,
lens choice for the camera. (My heart goes
out to an older guy from Massachusetts. We
met him in a parking lot when we stopped for
supper. He rapped on my window to ask the
exit number of our stop so he could tell Triple
A. His wife, he said in a thick Yankee accent,
overpacked the car despite his warnings, and
now his springs were busted.)
But it wasn’t until Tuesday at 11:30, when
(See OTHER STUEE, page 6A)
By Jason Beck
StaffWriter
The wee-morning hours
in Raeford were dark and
desolate. Temperatures barely
breaking into the single digits
kept the streets empty except
for one man — Officer Luke
Langley.
When most of town has
drifted off to sleep, citizens
take their safety and the
police presence for granted.
However, officers like Lang
ley have a job to do, whether
there’s a crime spree or a quiet,
lonely night.
Either way, Langley knows
you can’t sit around waiting
for the crime to come to you.
His patrol starts at 7 p.m.,
and five minutes later (after a
quick equipment check) he’s
circling some of Raeford’s
high crime areas.
“I ride around and check
(See POLICE, page 4A)