The
ews
Journal
Hoke County’s newspaper since 1905
75^
No. 12 Vol.114
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, May 22,2019
Closed health center fails to get grant
South Central Community had pinned hopes to reopen on getting money
Closed; health center fails to get grant. (File photo)
Two charged
in dramatic
dmg bust
The Hoke County Sheriffs
Office, United States Homeland Se
curity and the North Carolina State
Bureau of Investigation collaborated
on a drug bust Tuesday, seizing over
half a kilo of heroin with a street
value of more than $30,000. The ar
rest was made on Main Street.
Investigators intercepted and
apprehended two suspects wanted
in connection with the drug bust,
according to Hoke County Sheriff
Hubert Peterkin. Authorities
(See DRUG BUST, page 4)
No bedbug
infestation
at school
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Panicked parents flooded social
media in recent weeks spreading ru
mors about bedbugs at Sandy Grove
Middle School, but Student Support
Services Executive Director Dr.
Peggy Owens said the school has
found only one confirmed bedbug.
“We had some parents saying that
(See BEDBUGS, page 10)
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
A nonprofit health center
that was forced to shut its
doors last month, and then
evicted from its rental space,
was passed over for additional
grant funding from a federal
agency.
South Central Commu
nity Health Center in Raeford
closed last month. Staff shut
the doors after not receiv
ing their paychecks, a former
employee told The News-
Journal at the time. The Hoke
County Sheriffs Office later
confirmed that a deputy also
served a summary ejectment
notice that ordered the health
center to move out of its rental
space on Southern Avenue.
Chief Executive Officer
Delvin McAllister said last
month he was waiting on the
results of a possible grant re
newal that could allow the cen
ter to continue operating. The
three-year grant was up this
year and grantees had to go
through a competitive process
for seeking additional operat
ing funds, McAllister said.
However, that particular
(See GRANT, page 4)
Nick Bakes talks to kids before they enter the mobile
planetarium last week. All students at Don Steed
Elementary School got a chance to see the stars
inside, right. (Catharin Shepard photos)
‘Is this heaven?’
Children awed by visit from Moorehead mobile planetarium
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
“Is this heaven?” a child
whispered in awe, peering up at
the trillions of tiny white specks
of stars displayed on the blue
dome overhead.
In the dark space inside the
inflated dome, even quiet whis
pers echoed loudly.
“What we have to do is speed
up the rotation of the earth...
usually in the real world we
have to wait second by second,
but in here we can speed it up,”
astronomer Nick Eakes said. He
hit a key on his laptop and the
image in the dome changed as
stars whirled past.
“Whooaaaa,” the group of
fourth-graders exclaimed as the
moon appeared over the horizon
and zoomed high.
“This is what the sky would
look like overhead here in Hoke
County if there were no clouds
and there were no extra lights
from all our cities and towns,”
Eakes explained.
Pointing out the features of
the night sky and several con
stellations was just the first of
many astronomy lessons last
week for students at Don Steed
Elementary School. The Moore
head Planetarium and Science
Center’s mobile planetarium
visited the school for a few days
thanks to the school’s parent-
teacher organization, and a
spearheaded effort by teacher of
the year Marian Elliot.
(See PLANETARIUM, page 5)
Hoke’s school dropout rate lower than state average
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
In the last 10 years the Hoke
County Schools dropout rate has
decreased from 7.65 percent in
2007 to lower than the state aver
age.
A total of 48 students in grades
7-12 dropped out of school in the
2017-18 school year, setting Hoke
County’s current dropout rate at
1.89 percent. That’s lower than in
neighboring Cumberland, Robe
son, Sampson and Richmond
county schools, and below the
state dropout rate of 2.18 percent.
The North Carolina Depart
ment of Public Instruction collect
ed and published the data. Student
Support Services Executive Direc
tor Dr. Peggy Owens shared the
report with Hoke County Board
of Education members last week.
The 2017-18 data is the most
current information available, as
the 2018-19 school year is still in
progress.
In a sampling of benchmark
schools, Hoke had the fourth
lowest dropout rate. Only Moore,
Scotland and Columbus counties
had lower dropout rates among
the group of benchmark school
systems. Other school systems
in Bladen, Harnett, Brunswick,
Person, Duplin and Anson coun
ties had higher dropout rates than
Hoke.
The State Board of Education
defines a “dropout” as any student
who leaves school for any reason
before graduation or completion
of a program of study without
transferring to another elementary
or secondary school.
In the 2017-18 school year 38
Hoke High students, nine Turling
ton Alternative School students
and one SandHoke Early Col
lege student dropped out. That
number includes 19 freshmen, 12
sophomores, 12 juniors and four
seniors; and one eighth grade
student at Turlington Alternative
School.
The state also tracks demo
graphic data of school dropouts.
Of the 48 students who dropped
(See DROPOUT, page 4)
By Ken MacDonald
One thing that’s proved enjoyable about this
job is tooling around in the archive looking for
interesting stories from Hoke County’s past.
In the old days—say, 75 years ago—the story
telling in newspapers was better than nowadays,
when we’re taught to stick to a rather objec
tive and structured but blah style. And nobody
seemed to keep information from reporters.
Politicians often laid their cards
(See OTHER STUEE, page 5)
For officer, it was a close call
Story recalled at officer remembrance service
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Raeford Police Chief Marc God
win still recalls a night many years
ago when he could have lost his life
in the line of duty, and another of
ficer nearly did.
While he and other law enforce
ment officers were out on a call, a
man started shooting at them. They
took cover behind their vehicles.
but one officer didn’t manage to get
there in time. Godwin recalled spot
ting his fellow police officer lying on
the ground.
“He was white as a sheet. He had
been shot,” Godwin said.
The offieer survived, but the
shooting change his life forever,
Godwin said.
Life-threatening situations like
that can make law enforcement
(See REMEMBRANCE, page 10)
. 'I' '
Godwin recalls close call. (Ken MacDonald photo)
The INewS-