The
ews
I ournal
Hoke County’s newspaper since 1905
No.33Vol.l08
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, October 23,2013
Cape Fear breaks ground on hospital
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
For Hoke County residents, it’s
one hospital completed and one in
progress.
Cape Fear Valley Health Sys
tem broke ground Monday on its
41-bed, full-service hospital now
under construction behind Health
Pavilion Hoke on Highway 401.
“We’re so very proud to begin
construction on Hoke County’s
first full-service hospital,” Cape
Fear Valley Chief Executive Of
ficer Mike Nagowski said during
the ceremony.
The 41-bed hospital will have
three floors, two operating rooms
and a 16 bay emergency depart
ment. The hospital will also offer
the only maternity ward in the
county complete with four birth
ing suites, which will be capable
of delivering babies and perform
ing Caesarian sections.
The Cape Fear Valley hospital
is being funded through loans
from the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture’s Rural De
velopment program. The USDA is
providing $30 million in a direct
loan and over $27.3 million in a
guaranteed loan to help with con
struction of the new hospital. In
total, the USDA has invested over
$90 million in the entire Cape
Fear Valley health development in
Hoke, agency officials said.
(See HOSPITAL, page 6A)
Cruise-in
A classic car fan enjoys the display of shiny vehicles old and new at the Raeford Cruisers cruise-in on Main Street Saturday
night.The cruise-in featured vehicles from many different decades, as well as music, food and fellowship.The Home Food
grill opened to offer to-go refreshments. Larry Williams organized the cruise-in. For more information on joining the
Raeford Cruisers for their next event, contact Williams at 904-3230.
Investigators still
probing murders
Two murders that happened last week in Hoke County
are still under investigation with no arrests yet, according
to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office.
In two separate and unrelated murders, a 16-year-old
Hoke High student and a 28-year-old man from Shannon
were shot and killed.
De’Andre “Papa” Ricketts, 16, was shot dead at a friend’s
birthday party on the 800 block of South Bethel Road in
the early morning hours of October 13. Sheriff Hubert
Peterkin reported that investigators believe several people
fired multiple shots from weapons. Ricketts’ mother, Sharon
Murchison, said her son was shot in the crossfire.
Chad Lynn Blanks, 28, who lived with family in Robeson
County - not on Goose Pond Road as previously reported
in The News-Journal - was shot once in the back and died
on the way to the hospital on October 14. Sheriff Hubert
Peterkin said the shooting may have been drug-related. The
shooting took place on the 600 block of Goose Pond Road,
according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators continue seeking information in the two
cases. Anyone with information is asked to call the Hoke
County Sheriff’s Office at 875-5111.
Names to be added to memorial
Careful, ‘Halloweenies’
hit the streets Thursday
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The names of two young soldiers killed
in action in recent wars will be added to
the veterans’ memorial in front of the
Hoke County Courthouse this fall.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10
Commander George Balch asked the
Hoke County Board of Commissioners
Monday for approval to place a new
monument stone at the memorial. The
board unanimously approved the motion
made by Commissioner Ellen McNeill.
The Veterans Monument Committee,
formed in the 1990s, worked to place
memorial markers in front of the court
house on Main Street that included the
names of local service members who
were killed in action.
“At the time we placed the monument,
we knew that we would probably have to
place another monument stone out there,’ ’
(See MONUMENT, page 6A)
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Fall is in the air and candy is on the minds of youngsters
as several organizations in Hoke work to provide fun, safe
Halloween activities for local children.
Trick or treating for Raeford and Hoke County will be
from 6 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 31. Several area churches
(See HALLOWEEN, page 4A)
He had to fend off bear with baseball bat
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Dr. N.W. McPhatter and
Eldress Artie McPhat
ter were married October
10, 1943 in Bennettsville,
South Carolina and have
stuck together through 70
years of raising children.
This Week
Murder charge
filed in Moore
slaying
Page 3A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 7B
Deaths 3 A
Editorials 2A
Legals 3-6B
Sports 7A
Worship 2B
managing careers and enjoying life.
The couple celebrated their 70th anniver
sary last week with a party thrown by their
family members, which include children
Johnnie, Betty, Wesley and Helen, seven
grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
The key to staying married?
“Don’t go to bed angry,” McPhatter said.
Early in their marriage, the couple lived
in a two-bedroom log cabin in Georgia that
had no running water. The first or second
night they were there, McPhatter had to
use a baseball bat to defend his wife and
child from a bear that tried to break into the
cabin. The couple farmed cotton while they
lived there.
Mrs. McPhatter gave birth to their second
child in the cabin, during a snowstorm that
sent snow through the roof The attending
doctor had to stay the night because of the
conditions. The McPhatters moved to Lum
ber Bridge in 1946, where their son Wesley
was born. The couple bought their first
vehicle, a Model A Ford, which they used to
go to services at Lilly’s Chapel Presbyterian
(See ANNIVERSARY, page 6A)
The McPhatters have seen it all in 70 years of marriage.
By Ken MacDonald
With predictions of cold weather looming, I knew it was
time to roll up the sleeves and move plants into the green
house. Before I put my 15-year-old helper Ramon to work
Saturday, I warned him to put on some gloves, because, I
said, in the spring, when we were clearing the greenhouse,
my son found a snake amongst the plants.
I didn’t have to tell him but once.
In fact, we were both a tad on edge as we talked,
cleaned, straightened, repaired and readied the green
house, then began moving plants.
I told him that two weeks ago, when I’d been in Cary
doing a little raking at Leighanne’s house, Ben scooped
up a copperhead in the leaves. I’d read since then, I told
Ramon, that copperheads don’t usually deliver fatal bites
unless you’re really old and, before he could joke about my
age, continued to assure him that a copperhead bite would
ruin your whole day.
After a few minutes of this kind of talk, we both had
(See OTHER STUEE, page 6A)
Homecoming
Teeyah Williams (left) was
named Hoke High School’s
Homecoming Queen and took
a lap around Raz Autry Sta
dium Friday with Matt Dawson.
Tobias Edge-Campbell (above)
used his helmet to honor
De’Andre “PaPa” Ricketts, a
Hoke High student, who was
killed last week. (Hal Nunn
photos)