The
ews
J ournal
If it happened, it’s news to us
No.49Vol.l06
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, February 15,2012
‘Hokee Pokee’ festival new for spring
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The same team that produced the
Hoke County centennial carnival
last year is preparing for a new event:
the Hokee Pokee Barbecue Festival/
Contest, set for March 28-April 1.
The carnival next to East Hoke
Middle School was such a success
last year that the committee decided
to bring it back with abarbecue cook
off as the main event, committee
member Hubert Bullard said.
“That’s going to be a lot of fun,
and very tasty, of course,” he said.
Certified judges from the North
Carolina Pork Council will pick the
best barbecue in the whole hog and
pork rib cook-off categories. About
20 contestants are expected to en
ter, Bullard said. The winner will
receive prize money and a chance
to compete at the state level.
After the judging and awards,
people can buy tickets to sample
the barbecue. Tickets will be $1
each with a minimum purchase of
10 tickets.
The competition will also have
an “Anything But” contest, where
cooks can prepare other kinds of
barbecue.
“It has to be anything except
pork,” Bullard said.
Guests will also be able to buy
plates from that contest category.
Money from the Hokee Pokee
festival will benefit the Hoke County
Schools’ Exceptional Children
Department/Special Olympics and
East Hoke Middle’s student initiative
program.
There are several new additions
planned for the carnival this year.
The event will feature a stage with
local performers, and radio stations
WKML and Eoxy 99 will drop by
to offer entertainment. Foxy 99
(See FESTIVAL, page 5A)
John Arnold, Alan Langley, David Conklin and Jerry Ritter of the Golf Capital Chorus barbershop quartet strike up a romantic
song forValentine’s Day. (Ken MacDonald photo)
‘Won’t you B-flat my valentine?’
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
When roses wilt, jewelry doesn’t make
the cut and candy isn’t dandy enough for
your valentine, whaddaya do?
A solution for the besotted and bewil
dered: you call the Golf Capital Chorus.
When only a song will suffice for your
sweetheart, the Sandhills’ own plaid-clad
harmonizers are there to bring a little
baritone to brighten the day.
Alan Langley, John Arnold, David
Conklin and Jerry Ritter have been per
forming barbershop quartet music for
more than 30 years, but they introduced
their craft to a new audience when they
started performing for the spouses of
military members who couldn’t be there
in person to share the love on Valentine’s
Day.
“One of our members is a military
guy and he decided we should help with
the troops, so he arranged for an email
to be sent to everyone overseas and they
give us the names and addresses of their
wives,” Langley said. “So we sing two
songs and give them a rose and a box of
chocolates.”
(See VALENTINE, page 5A)
Caroline Shook fills out the paperwork for Bobby
Wright (left) and James Leach, who are filing for office.
Three file for
local election
The filing period for
many local and state races
opened Monday at noon,
and several candidates
were quick to stop by and
officially file their bid for
election.
Register of Deeds On-
nie Dudley, County Com
mission Chairman James
Leach and Commissioner
Bobby Wright were the
first local candidates to
file to run for re-election.
The filing period runs
from Eeb. 13 to Eeb. 29
for most races. The filing
period for the soil and
water conservation super
visor position is from June
11-July 6 and the filing
(See FILING, page 5A)
Clark announces
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County Democratic
Party Chairman Robert B.
Clark III announced this week
he will step down from his
position to run for election to
the state Senate.
Clark seeks to represent
state Senate District 21, which
Clark
now includes Hoke County and part of Cumberland
County.
Sen. Eric Mansfield, a Democrat from Fayetteville,
(See CLARK, page 5A)
Hunt crowned
MissUNCP
page4A
City may be closing
in on police chief
page4A
Fireman hurt
page4A
Judge tosses
House of Raeford case
page4A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 5B
Deaths 3 A
Editorials 2 A
Legals 3-4B
Sports 5 A
Worship 2B
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Qiild’s lunch at West Hoke makes Rush Limbaugh
State inspector deemed lunch from home not nutritious, gave her chicken nuggets
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
A child attending pre-kindergarten
at West Hoke Elementary last month
ate school-provided chicken nuggets
instead ofherhome-packedlunch, and
now her story has made the Atlanta
Constitution and the Rush Limbaugh
Show.
The four-year-old’s homemade
lunch of aturkey and cheese sandwich.
banana, potato chips and apple juice
was supplemented with a school lunch
tray including chicken nuggets when a
state employee at the school deemed
the child’s lunch didn’t meet state-
mandated nutrition requirements.
The child’s mother, who wished to
remain anonymous out of concern for
backlash against her child, reported
receiving a bill for $ 1.25 for the school
lunch. The child told her mother
she ate only three chicken nuggets
from the lunch tray and didn’t touch
her home-packed lunch, the mother
reportedly informed state Rep. G.L.
Pridgen’s office.
“She couldn’t understand that
they tell her child her meal’s not any
good and then they end up giving her
chicken nuggets,” Pridgen said Tues
day. The incident was ‘ ‘very upsetting’ ’
for the child, the representative said.
The larger issue behind what
happened lies with state rules sup
posedly meant to promote nutrition
for preschoolers. All lunches, even
those brought from home, served in
pre-kindergarten programs are sup
posed to contain “milk, two or more
fruits or vegetables, meat or meat
alternative, bread or bread alternative,’ ’
according to the state Division of Child
Development and Early Education, a
part of the Department of Health and
Human Services.
(See NUGGETS, page 5A)
Firefighters from Puppy Creek, Hillcrest and Rockfish fire stations put out
a blaze Tuesday morning at this Stone Ridge subdivision home on Congaree
Drive.The house was occupied but the homeowner was not there when the
fire started, officials reported.Authorities were still investigating the cause.
Johnson named top fire chief
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County Eire Marshal and
Emergency Management Director
Maj. Ereddy Johnson was recently
named the state’s top volunteer fire
chief for his work with the Stoney
Point Eire Department in Cumberland
County.
The North Carolina Association
of Eire Chiefs honored Johnson as
Volunteer Eire Chief of the Year at
the annual banquet Eebruary 4 in
Concord. Johnson’s family and asso
ciation members managed to keep the
announcement quiet until the banquet,
so it was a big surprise. Association
Director Kenneth Mullen said.
“Ereddy’s a very deserving guy and
does a lot of great work for the state
and I know he does in his community,”
Mullen said.
Johnson was one of four vol
unteer chiefs nominated for the
(See FIRE CHIEF, page 5A)