The
ews
I ournal
Hoke County^s newspaper since 1905
No.44Vol.l08
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, January 8,2014
Protested convenience store gets nod
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
At the first scheduled meeting
of the new year, the Hoke County
Board of Commissioners unani
mously approved the appointment
of Barry Mayo as the county’s
new finance officer.
The board also approved a
controversial convenience store on
Wayside Road.
Mayo, who most recently
served as the finance officer for
Warren County, started in the new
position Monday.
Mayo will earn a starting salary
of $89,716, according to County
Manager Tim Johnson. Mayo is
originally from Hillsborough and
has degrees in business and public
administration from St. Augustine
College in Raleigh and N.C. Cen
tral University.
The county commissioners vot
ed in July to hire a new officer but
also chose to keep former chief
finance officer Garvin Ferguson as
an assistant.
Residents protest store
After hearing from several
county residents opposed to the
plan, the commissioners voted
four to one in favor of approving
a conditional use permit allowing
a convenience store with gasoline
sales on a two-acre lot at 1970
Wayside Road. Commissioner
Tony Hunt voted against approv
ing the permit. The county plan
ning board recommended denying
the permit.
During a public hearing, five
(See STORE, page 6A)
Another arrest made
in Rockfish break-ins
Authorities arrested last
week a third suspect in
connection with multiple
breaking and entering cases
in the Rockfish community.
Deputies with the Hoke
County Sheriff’s Office ar
rested Cody Morris-Stew-
art, 18, of the 100 block of
Kirkland Place in Raeford
on charges of seven counts
of felony breaking and
entering of a motor vehicle,
one count of felony larceny,
one count of felony pos
session of stolen property,
five counts of misdemeanor
Morris-Stewart
larceny
and five
counts of
misde
meanor
posses
sion of
stolen
property.
The Sheriff’s Office
previously charged two
other people in connection
with the same set of break-
ins that mostly occurred
between December 18-24,
2013. Investigators arrested
(See ARREST, page 4A)
Sex assault charges filed
Incognito
Mr. and Mrs. James Bradley, and dog Alley... um... brought in the new year at a fiesta held by Family Chiropractic New Year’s
Eve. Only the dog was brave enough to reveal her face.
A man from Raeford was
charged last week with al
legedly sexually assaulting a
sleeping juvenile, according
to the Hoke County Sheriff’s
Office.
Deputies arrested Rakeen
Dillard, 23, of the 200 block
of Quail Drive in Raeford on
a charge of first degree statu
tory sexual offense.
Dillard was arrested in
connection with an alleged
incident on November 19 of
last year. The victim, whose
name was not released due to
state privacy laws protecting
juveniles, reported to their
mother that they had been
assaulted while asleep. The
victim’s mother confronted
the suspect, who fled the
victim’s house on the 400
block of Rockfish Road.
Deputies were able to
locate Dillard after the ju
venile’s mother called on
December 31 with informa
tion about his whereabouts.
Dillard was arrested and
taken to the Sheriff’s Office
where detectives interviewed
him, then brought him before
a magistrate.
He was held under a
$50,000 secured bond.
Team sports take students beyond Special Olympics
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Now Exceptional Students can enjoy sports year-round.
For many years, the only
time exceptional children
in Hoke County had the
chance to participate in
sports was through the
yearly Special Olympics
- but that’s changing now
through Project Unify.
“Project Unify is trying to
bridge the gap with excep
tional children and sports,”
Hoke County Schools ath
letic director Gary Brigman
said.
The program, which is
now catching on in many
North Carolina schools, of
fers exceptional students the
chance to play sports year-
round. That’s something
many children with special
needs have never gotten the
chance to experience. Brig-
man said.
Brigman, working in con
cert with Richmond County
Schools’ athletic director
Kevin Mabe and with both
counties’ exceptional chil-
(See UNITY, page 4A)
This Week
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 4B
Deaths 3 A
Editorials 2A
Legals 2-3B
Sports 5 A
Worship 2B
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FirstHealth restricts visitors due to flu
FirstHealth of the Caro-
linas is trying to protect
patients, visitors and staff by
trying to limit the spread of
the flu at its hospitals this flu
season.
From December 15-Janu-
ary 4, 57 patients visited the
FirstHealth hospital in Hoke
emergency department with
the flu. In that same time
period, 124 patients with
the flu visited the Moore
Regional emergency depart
ment with the flu, spokes
woman Emily Sloan said.
So far this flu season, 13
people have died of the flu
in North Carolina, accord
ing to the state Depart
ment of Health and Human
Services.
The FirstHealth hospital
system is asking visitors
who are visiting people in
the hospital to take some
precautions. People who
have flu-like symptoms such
as a fever, cough, sore
(See EEU, page 6A)
Monday’s temperature drop from the 60s to I 1.5 degrees.
By Ken MacDonald
Hope for Hoke gives away blankets
I’m legendary in my house for sitting at the kitchen table,
eyes glued to the laptop screen for every radar frame update.
“It’s going to startraining... wait for it... wait for it... now!”
My daughter once walked through the kitchen and said,
“Why doesn’t Dad just look out the window?”
Hmpf
If you’re a weather nut, you understand.
And if you’re a weather nut and live in Hoke County,
(See OTHER STUFE, page 6A)
Hope for Hoke conducted
its fifth annual blanket give
away on December 21 out
side of Bo’s grocery store.
“The people were very
patient and grateful. There
were some immediate needs
addressed on the survey
forms that hopefully with
community help through
donations of resources, time
and labor can be addressed
with assistance,” Hope for
Hoke founder Lynn Baum
said in a report about the
blanket giveaway. “There
were acts of kindness al
ready shown from the Hoke
County community. Bo’s
grocery store allowed us for
the fifth year to utilize their
parking lot to give out the
blankets. Harbour Laun
dry Systems donated free
washing and drying of the
used blankets both on Main
Street. Volunteers such as
Mr. Earl Dockery, Mr. John
Anderson, Mr. Blurt and
Mr. Wall (or relative of)
helped Hope for Hoke give
out blankets.”
“A young man from Ra
eford donated a roll of plastic
bags and an elderly woman
(See BLANKETS, page 4A)