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N0.29V01.116
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, September 15,2021
Dryness leads to water restrictions
In commission vote, County asks residents to conserve
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
The Hoke County Board of
Commissioners voted last week to
have county water customers wa
ter their lawns on odd/even days of
the week based on their address,
to help ease strain on the county’s
water pumps during a dry period.
County Utilities Director Hilton
Villines requested the board con
sider the action, which he recom
mended due to concerns over the
county’s well pumps having to run
longer than they should.
The vote took place with three
county commission members
present, as Chairman Harry
Southerland and Commissioner
Lonnie Baldwin were absent from
the meeting.
Hoke County Manager Letitia
Edens was on vacation last week
and so wasn’t present for the dis
cussion or the vote.
The News-Journal reached out
to the county to learn more about
the matter.
Edens prepared a statement on
behalf of the county and provided
it to the newspaper Tuesday.
Low rainfall and high tempera
tures are to blame, according to
the statement.
“I have reviewed information
from engineer Adam Kiker of
LKC who has worked with Hoke
County Utilities on numerous
projects to include our water sup
ply. In the most recent review well
production records found that our
county-wide water system be
havior during this current period
of low rainfall, has experienced
very little (0.25” according to
Eayetteville Eire Station 11) of rain
over the past three weeks, and this
period of low rainfall coupled
(See WATER, page 8)
Above, Jackie McLean tells about witnessing events on September I 1,2001 in New York City. At left, a flag con
tains names of victims; bottom row, speakers read names of those who perished—from left. Brandy McPherson,
Freddy McPhaul, Judge Warren McSweeney. (Catharin Shepard photos)
20 years later, remembering September 11
T flew literally into the eye of the storm that morning. I had no idea what I was going into.’
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
It’s been 20 years since Jackie McLean
looked out of an airplane window into a
bright, clear Tuesday morning above New
York City.
For just a little while longer everything
was fine, as far as she and the other pas
sengers knew.
“I flew literally into the eye of the storm
that morning. I had no idea what I was go
ing into,” she said.
McLean was one of the thousands of
people who boarded airplanes bound for
the city on September 11,2001, and who
were still in the air when terrorists crashed
a hijacked airplane into one of the Twin
Towers.
Two decades later, McLean was one of
the speakers who shared the “full circle”
story of that experience with a crowd gath
ered at Freedom Park in Raeford.
The first sign something was wrong
was when the pilot didn’t give the usual
“welcome to New York” message over the
intercom.
“Our pilot didn’t say anything to us. He
didn’t say a word.”
The plane had been descending, but
started going back up again.
(See 9/11 CEREMONY, page 5)
‘Casino’ shut down for violations
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County law enforcement last
week shut down a “casino-style” video
sweepstakes operation located a few
hundred feet from Cape Fear Confer
ence B Center, alleging it violated the
county’s zoning ordinance.
Further action on other sweepstakes
business in the county could be on the
way in the near future, officials said.
Deputies with the Hoke Sheriff’s Of
fice executed a search warrant Wednes
day, September 8 at a 15,000 square-foot
building located 10263 Fayetteville
Road. The building had been set up as
(See CASINO, page 8)
Driver dies after fiery wreck on US401
Hoke High Class of ‘71 50 Years Reunion
Hoke County High School Class of 1971 celebrated its 50th Class Reunion on August 21 at Holiday
Inn and Suites in Fayetteville.The weekend started with a meet-and-greet on Friday at the home
ofValencia McCall, and culminated with a banquet on Saturday. In attendance at the banquet were,
left to right: first row,Verline Thomas, Stephanie Adkinson, Carolyn Dockery, Randy Livingston, Eva
Carpenter; second row, Charles Thomas,Valencia McCall, Barbara McMillan, Larry McMillan, Dorothy
Meekins, Delois Godwin, Samuel Cole; third row, John Willie McNeill, Billy Bease,Willie Rush, Ricky
Campbell andVernetta Carpenter. (Contributed photo)
A man from Fayetteville died Monday
after his vehiele erashed into a tree and
eaught on fire in Hoke County.
The North Carolina State Highway
Patrol said that a 30-year-old man from
Fayetteville died at a hospital following
the aeeident.
The News-Journal chose not to publish
his name as it was unclear whether his kin
had been notified of his death.
The accident happened around 4:19 p.m.
on Laurinburg Road near Ryan McBryde
Road in the Bowmore area of Hoke County.
The driver was driving a 2017 Ford when
he reportedly ran off the road to the right
and struck a tree. His vehicle caught on
fire, the Highway Patrol said.
When law enforcement first arrived on
the scene, the vehicle was already engulfed
(See CAR DEATH, page 4)
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