The
ews
I ournal
Hoke County’s newspaper since 1905
No.25Vol.l08
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, August 28,2013
FirstHealth hospital opening set
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County will celebrate
the opening of its first hospital
Sunday, September 22 during the
closing events of the North Caro
lina Turkey Festival.
FirstHealth of the Carolinas an
nounced an afternoon of activities
planned to recognize the grand
opening of FirstHealth Moore
Regional Hospital - Hoke Cam
pus. The hospital will feature eight
acute care beds and a 24-hour,
seven-days-a-week emergency
department. The hospital will
open to patients for the first time
on Tuesday, October 1.
Weather permitting, the grand
opening event will begin at 2 p.m.
with a freefall jump by four mem
bers of the All Veteran Parachute
Team. One of the team’s members
will be carrying an American
flag, which will be raised by a
color guard to fly over the hospital
campus.
FirstHealth Chief Executive Of
ficer David Kilarski and a number
of other FirstHealth officials will
attend the opening to welcome
guests.
“FirstHealth made a commit
ment to serve Hoke County more
than a decade ago, and we look
forward to opening the doors of
the community’s first hospital,”
Kilarski said.
Hoke resident and long
time businessman Julian King,
who served as chairman of the
FirstHealth of the Carolinas Board
of Directors, will also participate.
(See HOSPITAL, page 6A)
Fire marshal wins
national recognition
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County Emergency
Services Director and Eire
Marshal Ereddy Johnson
has been named Fire Chief
magazine’s volunteer Fire
Chief of the Year for 2013.
Johnson, who began his
service as a volunteer fire
fighter in 1975, has worked
with the Hoke County Sher
iff’s Office and Emergency
Management since 2001.
He continues serving as
the chief of Stoney Point
Volunteer Eire Department
in Cumberland County, a
position he has held since
1980.
The fire marshal is the
subject of an article in Eire
Chief magazine’s Septem
ber 2013 edition.
“Improvements spear
headed by Chief Johnson
resulted in an ISO rating
of Class 3, the only depart
ment in North Carolina
to achieve this rating,” ac
cording to an excerpt from
an article published online
by Fire Chief “He led a
(See JOHNSON, page 4A)
Underinsured can see
doctor for $25 at clinic
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
North Carolina resi
dents who are uninsured
and meet certain income
requirements will be able to
receive primary health care
services for $25 per visit
at a new state-supported
health care clinic opening
in Raeford next week.
The RHCC Hoke
County Community
Health Center in Raeford,
set to open September 3,
is supported in part by
the state-funded Medical
Access Plan (MAP) grant
administered through the
state Department of Health
and Human Services. The
grant will provide cover
age for primary health care
services for people who are
uninsured at 19 state-des
ignated rural health center
locations in North Carolina.
If a person qualifies for
MAP coverage, a doctor’s
visit at the clinic will cost
$25, according to informa
tion from DHHS Secretary
(See CLINIC, page 4A)
Time to get back to work
Wearing red to support schools
Top: Don Steed Elementary fourth grade students Jaylen Bryant, Austin Hendrix, Gallon Smalls and Anthony Florred enjoy
their lunch break on the first day of the 2013-14 school year. Many students and teachers wore red August 26 in a show of
support for public education, Principal Kim Gray said.Above left:A kindergarten student shows Gray how to spell his name.
Above right: New kindergartner Justin Huggins works one-on-one with teacher Brandi Calloway. (Catharin Shepard photos)
Despite funding cuts, Hoke keeps all teachers
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
After a summer of uncertainty
regarding state funding for public
education, Hoke County Schools
settled on a way to keep all teach
ers and teacher assistants on the job
even though it meant less money for
other areas.
According to the Department
of Public Instruction’s fiscal year
2013-14 allotment documentation,
Hoke County Schools ultimately
received $1.7 million less in state
funding than it received the previ
ous school year. The state budget
came with some surprises for the
local school system, school Finance
Officer Wanna Chavis said.
“When we got the final budget
numbers, we realized we were cut
28 and a half teachers, one media
or guidance position. We had a
(See SCHOOLS, page 6A)
This Week
5 arrested in
drug bust
See page 6A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 5B
Deaths 3 A
Editorials 2A
Legals 3-4B
Worship 2B
Turkey Festival forms gospel choir for flock
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Patrick Grace (left) leads the new Turkey Festival gospel choir. (Catharin Shepard photo)
It’s a question North
Carolina Turkey Festival of
ficials have heard for years:
Is there anything specifi
cally offered for Christians
who want to participate in
the festival activities?
About 30 people gath
ered at St. James United
Church of God Monday
night to get ready to answer
that question as the Turkey
Festival Community Choir
rehearsed for the first of
several gospel music perfor
mances set for the festival,
which will run from Sep
tember 13-21.
Festival president Valerie
Livingston said she had re
quests for more faith-based
activities during the annual
event, and this year she
decided to lead the charge
on the project herself
“I started with some of
the members who are here
now to see if we could get a
choir started,” she said. The
group has been meeting
for the last several months,
preparing for the festival
performances.
David Purcell, who
works with the Hoke Area
Transportation System,
volunteered his services and
experience with per-
(See CHOIR, page 6A)