The
ews
75z;
I ournal
Hoke County’s newspaper since 1905
No.20Vol.110
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, July 22,2015
County prepares for audit, reports progress
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
County officials are finalizing
the paperwork from the 2014-
15 budget and getting ready for
a yearly visit from the auditors,
Interim County Manager Letitia
Edens said.
The eounty will undergo its an
nual audit starting in August, she
reported.
As of July 14, Edens and other
eounty staff were still working
with representatives from the
Local Government Commission
on addressing issues with how the
county has handled its finances in
the past. So far, the LGC has ap
proved of the steps Hoke commis
sioners have taken to improve the
situation, Edens said.
The LGC asked to see any new
polieies that the eounty passed
for the new budget year, and the
county shared that information
with the group, Edens said.
“They liked our new policies.
We sent up our purehasing poliey.
They liked that we ineorporated
that we would encumber contract
in the new fiseal year, so that was
part of our purchasing policy.
They liked that,” she said.
The LGC also approved of the
eounty raising taxes by two eents.
spending less money and adjusting
its revenue estimates for 2015-16
to be more conservative, Edens
said.
“Our budget, all in all, they
seem to be pleased with it,” she
said.
Other procedures the county
(See AUDIT, page 4)
Emily Johns, a sophomore at Hoke County High School, climbs behind the wheel with All-The-Way Driving School instructor Carol
Locklear pointing out the controls. (Catharin Shepard photo)
Funding for driver’s ed runs out
Who should pay? Parents? Schools? The state?
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
State funding ran out this year for
driver’s education classes that teens must
take before testing for their license, leav
ing school systems and parents looking
for ways to get student drivers safely
behind the wheel.
The driver’s edueation program eosts
Hoke Sehools between $125,000 and
$145,000 eaeh year. Typieally, freshmen
in high school take the eourse, whieh is
taught by All-The-Way Driving School.
In some eounties, parents are respon
sible for paying a fee to cover part of the
cost for their ehild’s driver’s education
lessons. In Hoke County, where most
schools have a high number of students
receiving free or redueed-priee lunch, ed
ucators have avoided putting the finaneial
burden on families, according to finance
director Wannaa Chavis.
(See DRIVER’S ED, page 7)
3 challengers
now in race
for council
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Six people have filed to run for three seats on
the Raeford City Council in this year’s munieipal
election, including three ineumbents and three
new candidates.
Candidates Shirley Hart, Jeremy Holling
sworth and Jackie MeLean filed to run for
eleetion to the board, while ineumbents Robert
“Bobby” Conoly, John Jordan and Mary Neil
King are seeking reeleetion to their positions.
The filing period ended Eriday at noon. The
city council is nonpartisan, so there was no
primary election.
The representatives elected to the board this
November will serve four-year terms. The five-
(See COUNCIL RACE, page 4)
Sex offender
jailed under
$1 million bond
The United States Mar
shals and the Hoke County
Sheriff’s Office tracked
a eonvieted sex offender
down and arrested him af
ter he spent months on the
run from law enforcement
by hiding in abandoned
buildings and sheds in the
Robeson County area, ae-
eording to officials.
Graham
(See SEX OEEENDER, page 7)
This Week
Road improvements
in store
for NC2I I, US 401
Page 2
Calendar 7
Classifieds 8
Deaths 6
Editorials 3
Sports 5
Worship 7
Look for
this symbol
to find stores
that sell The
News-Journal
Get your t-shirt now
at Poultry Festival store
By Melissa Pittman
The offieial store
for the N.C. Turkey
Festival opened the
first time 31 years ago
with shirts that were
donated by Faberge,
known today as Uni
lever, whieh, by the
way, is still a
(See SHIRTS, page 10)
Teaching assistant funding
uncertain, clock ticking
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The North Carolina General Assembly
is still debating the state budget, leaving
school leaders trying to plan for the up-
eoming school year without knowing how
mueh money they’ll have for paying teaeher
assistants.
State legislators are considering a plan
that over the next two years would add
about 2,000 teacher positions to public
schools, but cut about 5,000 teacher assis
tant positions. Supporters of the plan believe
that the ehange would help reduee class
sizes by putting more teaehers in sehools,
with the ultimate goal of having one teacher
(See ASSISTANTS, page 10)
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www.raefordnj.com
By Ken MacDonald
As we walked up the 45-degree driveway in the piteh-
black dark, I heard a ery of “Aaiiii” and a loud thump
from behind the house. On the walk home from evening
worship, Td sent our sole boy—Ramon—on ahead in
the dark to eirele the mountainside house and pop out at
the front door where several of our girls were waiting for
us, beeause they’d gone ahead and I had the key. A little
friendly prank to get the blood going; just another night
in the life of a youth group on retreat in the mountains.
When we reached the front door, there were no girls—^it
was apparent they’d found another way in the house,
(See OTHER STUEE, page 2)
A barn in the backyard of a home on the 300 block of Brewer Drive, just off of Cope Road,
burned to the ground Monday afternoon, as the heat index topped I lO.The building was fully
engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. No one was injured, according to responders at the
scene. (Catharin Shepard photo)