ews Inside - Win $60 I ournal If it happened, it’s news to us 75f No.21Vol.105 Raeford & Hoke County n.c. V^fednesday, August 4,2010 Two schools exit intervention program By Tori Hamby StaffWriter Hoke County Schools’ officials say that two schools will no longer face govern ment sanctions after meeting federal benchmarks for two consecutive years. Scurlock and Sandy Grove elementary schools have ex ited the federal Title I School Improvement program under the No Child Left Behind Act. Schools enter the program if they do not meet Annual Yearly Progress - or AYP - standards for two years. AYP goal forreading and math will forboth reading and math be- 2010. One school-Hawk Eye standards are proficiency target goals, set by the federal government, for the percent age of students performing at or above grade level in a certain subject. By the 2013- 14 school year, the AYP target be 100 percent. According to Hoke County Schools Executive Director of Federal Programs and School Improvement Stacey Stewart, Sandy Grove was in its second year of intervention fore meeting AYP standards in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Scurlock, which exited Title I Improvement in math in 2008-09, was in its fifth year of intervention before also exiting in reading in 2009- Elementary School -remains in the program. Stewart said Title I School Improvements Schools are required to offer supplemental education services - such as (See SCHOOLS, page 6A) Above, Sam Lowery, safety director,gives atourto public safety officers at the Ethanol plantSaturday.At right,firemen get a look at safety equipment on site. (Hamby photos) Ethanol plant hosts public safety officers By Tori Hamby StaffWriter As officials and employees atthe state’s first ethanol plant prepare to begin operations, public safety officials in Hoke and surrounding counties are training for a new fire risk that will hit local streets once production begins on Aug. 12 - ethanol fires. According to Doug Ar cher, general manager of Clean Burn Fuels LLC, about 20 loads of denatured ethanol, ethanol mixed with gasoline, will be transported from the plant to destinations throughout the state. Because firefighters use different methods to extinguish an ethanol blaze, fire districts must become educated on how these fires differ from gasoline fires, said Hoke County Emergency Man agement director and fire marshal Freddy Johnson. “I’m more concerned with over-the-road accidents than an on-site fire,” Johnson said. “Even in its denatured form, ethanol flames are barely visible and the fire produces little smoke.” Clean Bum Fuels’ officials invited members from all emergency service depart ments that would respond to an ethanol-related emer gency to a public safety open house on Saturday morning. Members from the differ ent departments toured the facility and were given the opportunity to ask questions about ethanol production and the plant’s emergency (See ETHANOL, page 4A) 4 file for school board Roosevelt McPherson and incumbent Barbara Buie have filed for the Hoke County Board of Education. School board terms are for four years. The Hoke Board of Elections office said McPher son declared his candidacy on the last day for filing, August 2. Filing began on July 6. Two other incumbents, Della Maynor-Bowen and Irish Pickett, filed earlier in the month. Lock your doors, says police chief Raeford Police Chief Mike Dummett urges Raeford residents to lock their doors, vehicles and gates due to a recent increase in thefts and larceny. He stated that while vio- (See LOCKS, page 6A) This Week k Raeford native finalist for Chicago recognition page 5 A WiUiams to head Flora Macdonald page6A Shooting suspect arrested page4A Conunissioners deny rezoning request page4A Calendar 3B Classifieds 7B Court 3 A Deaths 3 A Editorials 2 A Legals 4-6B Screech 3 A Worship 3B We’re on the web at www.thenews-joumtd.com Readby4,500 each week Hoke’s first vineyard intends to be ‘fussy’ Dr. Neil Griffin (center) with farm manager Jason Davis and business manager Mandy Davis. By Pat Allen Wilson It is interesting that the land of the Winecoff estate will soon be producing grapes that will be used to make wine in Wagram. They are not going to be just any grapes either; they’ll be “fussy” grapes. Dr. Neil Griffin has pur chased the 460 acres once belonging to the Winecoff family in western Hoke and has planted nine acres in grapevines. His farm carries the name, “Fussy Farms.” “We’re basically trying to do gourmet quality for the local community, and we’re going to be fussy about how we do it,” Griffin said. Last month Griffin was looking over his new vineyard with farm manager Jason Davis and business manager Mandy Davis. Jason Davis was training the vines to the trellises. The vines - there were 1,800 of them - were one and two years old when bought, according to Griffin. Some came from North Carolina, and others were started in Georgia. The plants arrived May 4 and were planted that month. Four varieties were plant ed. Carlos, a bronze grape, and Noble, a black grape, are juice grapes that will be used for winemaking at Cypress Bend Vineyard winery in Wa gram. Some may be marketed for fresh grape juice. Two varieties are for pick- your-own crops. The Su- (See VINEYARD, page 6A) When it rains, apartment dwellers warn each other by phone By Tori Hamby StaffWriter When storms rolled through Hoke County last week, knocking out electric ity for about an hour, some residents had to deal with more than just a bit of time in the dark. Those living at Raeford Green Apartments at 300 West Southern Ave. watched as about two feet of water filled their parking lot. Most Shopping center gets nod By Bill Lindau A shopping center near the Hoke campus of Sand hills Community College is in the works. The Raeford City Council approved a bid to rezone some property along U.S. 401 Business from residential mobile home to highway commercial Monday night. At its regular monthly meeting. Council held apublic hearing on an application by Sujan Neupane to rezone two parcels of land on Oakdale Gin Road and U.S. 401 Busi ness. The property has an area of 2.15 acres, according to a report from the planning board. The board met on July 20 and recommended approv al. According to Neupane’s application, the purpose of the rezoning request was to build a strip mall. The site is now a vacant manufactured home park, according to the planning (See REZONED, page 5A) A resident of Raeford Green Apartments traverses knee-deep water after last week’s heavy rain. residents were able to move their cars to higher ground before the water could cause much damage, but at least one vehicle had to be towed. Standing water also blocked the entrance to the complex. “People here are stranded and need to leave for work,” said Crystal Quick, who has livedattheapartmentcomplex for three years. “Our jobs aren’t just going to keep letting us off work every time it rains. This is about the fourth time it has happened this year.” Carlina Simmons, who manages the complex on be half of United Management II- a company located in Fay- (See RAINS, page 5A)