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No.27VoI.116
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
'V(^dnesday, September 1,2021
266 cases, 3 more deaths last week
Schools report 52 with COVE) after first week in class
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke’s numbers continued to
rise with the county seeing a high
level of virus spread, along with
more hospitalizations and deaths,
according to health officials.
Hoke County has seen 440 new
confirmed cases of COVID-19 in
the past 14 days, including 266
new cases over the last seven days.
The state’s most recent count
shows the county’s death toll at
59 people since the start of the
pandemic. There have been three
more deaths in the last week,
Hoke health officials reported.
The county has recently been
among the highest in the region
for hospitalizations. Another five
people from Hoke were sent to
the hospital with COVID-19 in
the last week, Health Department
Director Helene Edwards said
Monday.
Area hospitals have reported
they are feeling the strain as more
patients with COVID-19 need
inpatient care to battle the virus.
Both Cape Fear Valley Health
and FirstHealth of the Carolinas
reported seeing high numbers of
COVID-19 patients throughout the
hospital systems. Both have imple
mented visitor restrictions and are
asking people to only go to the
emergency room for actual emer
gencies, and use non-emergency
care options like primary care or
urgent care where needed.
Schools see cases
Fast week was the first week of
school for Hoke County Schools
students and teachers, and the first
time many students had set foot
inside a physical classroom since
the start of the pandemic. With
(See COVID, page 6)
Chamber music
A crowd enjoyed the music of the Sand Band in the early evening last Thursday at a free concert sponsored by the Raeford-
Hoke Chamber of Commerce.The Chamber hosted the event as an end-of-summer get-together for the community.The
concert was held at the Old Armory park on East Central Avenue in Raeford.
Students, parents
caU for change
after viral post
Petition seeks to change dress code
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Some students and par
ents at Hoke County High
School voiced concerns
and called for changes to
the school dress code after
a student’s post on social
media went viral.
A girl’s description of
allegedly being touched
inappropriately by two
other students in a class
room could not be verified
through the Hoke County
Sheriff’s Office, which said
there wasn’t a report filed
related to the incident. Due
to policies meant to protect
student privacy, school
officials said they couldn’t
comment on the specific
situation or discuss any dis
ciplinary actions that might
have been taken.
“Policies protecting stu
dents’ privacy are in place
and adhered to, thus we
cannot disclose information
about any disciplinary ac
tion taken pertaining to any
particular student. How
ever, we take all allegations
seriously,’’ Hoke County
Schools said Tuesday in a
statement. “The district’s
protocol is to promptly
investigate any and all al
legations and if needed, to
report those to the appropri
ate authorities, launch an in
vestigation, initiate a safety
plan, and offer support
to the student, while also
maintaining student privacy
and confidentiality.”
The community’s reac
tion to the viral post was
swift with students writing
a petition, and parents
(See VIRAL POST, page 6)
He’s in semifinals on America’s Got Talent VFW fundraiser set
Hoke High graduate Tavis Cun
ningham and musical group laChord
have advanced to the semifinals on the
performance competition television show
America’s Got Talent.
Cunningham, who graduated with the
Bucks Class of 2020, joined forces with
two fellow music lovers he met while at
tending college at the UNC-Greensboro.
Cunningham, Christoff Hairston and
Julian Kennedy make up the male vocal
trio laChord.
The three college students went from
sitting at the same table in the college
cafeteria, to singing together. They
recorded a cover of The Clark Sisters’
“Name It, Claim It” that went viral on
(See GOT TALENT, page 3)
to help veterans
Cunningham, in screen capture.
The Veterans of Foreign
Wars, Ralph A. Pandure
Post 10 in Hoke County will
hold a fundraiser this month
to raise money to help
support veterans and their
families.
“Our post is inviting all
veterans, their families and
the civilian communities in
Hoke County for a fundrais
ing event to better serve vet
erans and veteran families,”
an announcement about the
event said.
“Hoke County has one of
the highest rates of soldiers
with disabilities in the
United States per capita. We
(See VETERANS, page 4)
County will take part
in national 9/11 memorial
Congressman visits
Rep. Dan Bishop, above left, who represents Hoke County as part of the Ninth Congressional District, speaks with One Stop
Barber Shop business owner Michael T. Swinney during a visit to Hoke County August 19.The Congressman visited many lo
cal businesses to ask how they’re doing as part of his tour through the county. His visit also included a stop in Rockfish, right,
meeting with Sheriff Dr. Hubert Peterkin and Raeford Police Chief Marc Godwin to discuss public safety, and speaking at the
Hoke County GOP meeting. (Catharin Shepard, contributed photos)
Hoke County will take
part in a special ceremony
happening nation-wide
this September 11 to com
memorate the victims of the
terrorist attacks of 20 years
ago.
The county was chosen
as one of 60 communities
across the country to par
ticipate in the first annual
National Flag of Honor
Across America Memorials.
Organizer Brandy McPher
son presented the informa
tion to the Hoke County
Board of Commissioners
last month.
The county will host a
ceremony September 11
that will include reading the
names and information of
50 of the people who died
(See MEMORIAL, page 3)
Enrolling
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