The
ews
Journal
Hoke County’s newspaper since 1905
751
No.5Vol.113
Rae ford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, April 4,2018
5 newcomers vie for commission
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Angela Carter Jones
David Frump
Graham Poole
Therman Little
Terrell McMillan
Three incumbents and six candidates are seek
ing election to three available seats on the Hoke
County Board of Commissioners this year, with
seven running as Democrats and two running as
Republicans.
Democratic incumbents Tony Hunt, Harry
Southerland and Allen Thomas are each seeking
another four-year term on the board, and Repub
lican candidate Clifford Overby previously
(See NEWCOMERS, page 3)
Raeford commits to $6 miUion rehab of plant
By Ken MacDonald
Roy Guinn is happy to pour treated water onto his hand. It’s cleaner than creek water, he says. (Ken MacDonald photo)
The years have been unkind to the Raeford
waste treatment plant, and city leaders are pre
paring for its rehabilitation, a project that will
cost an estimated $6 million.
Yes, city residents’ sewer bill will go up before
it’s all done in perhaps 2022, says City Manager
Dennis Baxley, but, he says, it’s too early to say
how much. “The amount of increase necessary
and implementation will be gauged next year af
ter the impact of the meter replacement project is
realized. We don’t want to charge anymore than
necessary to cover the debt service,” he says.
With unanimous action last week from Ra
eford City Council to act on an engineering plan,
the process is really just beginning.
“We’ve been putting on Band-Aids, and the
Band-Aids have been getting bigger and bigger...
that’s the problem,” says Trudy McVicker, Ra-
eford’s operations manager who’s also in charge
of environmental compliance. She, Baxley and
Utilities Director Roy Guinn showed the plant
and its challenges during a tour on Thursday.
“This fiscal year,” says Baxley, “Trudy keeps
showing up at the office with purchase orders
that are getting bigger and bigger and bigger for
replacing and repairing, so it’s time to nip it once
and for all, at least for the next 20 years.”
The plant is humming along, adequately
treating the million gallons or more of waste that
comes in daily, and its output into Rockfish
(See TREATMENT PLANT, page 12)
Inmates clog drains,
cause spill into creek
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Inmates flushing large amounts of detritus down
the toilets at the Hoke County Jail ended up causing
a clog in the city of Raeford’s drainage system that, in
turn, led to a wastewater spill into Rockfish Creek last
week.
There are two sewer lines that come out of the jail,
located in Raeford, and hook onto the city’s sewer
main, Raeford City Manager Dennis Baxley said. In
one of the connections, where there’s a manhole, the
county installed a bar grate to catch any items that
might be flushed down the toilets from the jail.
(See SPILL, page 12)
Economic developer steps down
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County Economic Develop
ment Director Don Porter has resigned
from the position he has held for nearly
two decades, and the search is on for a
new director to market Hoke County to
businesses and industries.
Porter tendered his letter of resigna
tion last month, with an effective date
of June 30.
“Since assuming my duties with the
county in 1999, it has been a pleasure
to work with you and many others on
bringing new jobs and capital invest
ment to Hoke County, and improving
the quality-of-life for all who call it
home. I look back with great pride on
what we’ve been able to accomplish
working together to leverage our finite
resources,” Porter wrote in the resigna
tion letter, addressed to Chairman Al
fred K. “Dooie” Leach of the Raeford/
Hoke Economic Development Board.
Porter thanked the development
board for its trust and confidence in
him over his 19 years of work with
Hoke County, and additionally stated
his “heartfelt gratitude” to local au
thorities including the Hoke County
Board of Commissioners, Raeford City
Council and Raeford Mayor John K.
(See PORTER, page 11)
Porter speakingto a banquetaudience.
(File photo)
Look for
this symbol
to find stores
that sell The
News-Journal
‘Elements of Class’ team steps up
Follow
us on
Focebook
www.thenews-journal.com
The youth step team Elements of Class,
founded by Coach Jeffery Carthens last
year, has been busy attending competitions
and bringing home trophies at many step
team events throughout the southeast.
Elements of Class was named Grand
Champion in the HBCU Classic show in
Sumter, South Carolina and in the Step to
the Stage show in Charlotte. The group
won first place in both of those competi
tions, as well as placing first in shows in
Clinton, Rocky Mount, Greenville, Virgin
ia Beach and Garner. Other performances
include participating in National Night
Out, events at the Rockfish Motorsports
Speedway, Jamming for Jesus, the MLK
Celebration in Lumberton and the Black
(See STEP TEAM, page 11)
By Ken MacDonald
The Elements of Class step team.
The 16-month-old grandbaby was down for the week
end. She communicates mostly with sign language. If she
wants MORE (smashed bananas, pummeled avocado,
what looks like regurgitated peas), she taps her two little
hands together and resembles a squirrel, playing with seed
on my birdfeeder.
If she wants specifically BREAD, which she often does,
she taps an arm and resembles one of those guys on an
aircraft carrier signaling to the pilot. EINISHED is flick
ing her bib, like “Get this nasty pea residue off of me.”
There are signs for I-want-to-go-outside, I-want-to-go-
inside, grandmother, grandfather, (in that order), mama,
daddy, and I-want-to-ride-the-Roomba. Joking about the
(See OTHER STUPE, page 6)