RAEFORD & HOKE COUNTY N.C.Hoke County’s newspaper since 190575¢

Calendar ...............2BClassifi eds ...............5B

Deaths ...............3AEditorials ...............2A

Sports ...............5AWorship ...............2B

Wednesday, February 25, 2015No. 51 Vol. 109

Other Stuff

This Week

Surprise snow stormshuts Hoke down

BY KEN MACDONALD

A little adversity is good for a group of young people. Teaches them to endure. To overcome. And to take selfi es while they’re knee-deep in an icy mountain stream after they’ve slipped on rocks.

Normally, on my youth group’s outings, we don’t have to seek out said adversity; it fi nds us just fi ne on its own. We forget equipment, get lost, or turn over without any prodding. But last week when we traveled to the moun-tains, all the naturally adverse trails were closed because of snow and ice, and I just couldn’t see a walk in a mall or some sissy park trail as making the cut.

That’s why when I read about the Catawba Falls trail, (See OTHER STUFF, page 3A)

www.thenews-journal.comwww.raefordnj.com

NJSOLD HERE

Look forthis symbol

to fi nd stores that sell The

News-Journal

BY CATHARIN SHEPARD

Staff writer

The former House of Raeford further processing plant is going back into business under a new owner.

North Carolina Gov. Pat Mc-Crory visited Raeford last week to announce that Butterball bought the facility, also known as the “cook plant,” and will be bringing hundreds of jobs to Hoke County over the next three years.

“I’m proud to announce that a great company, Butterball, one of our

great North Carolina success stories, is bringing more than 350 new jobs to Raeford and Hoke County,” Mc-Crory said.

Butterball already had a presence in the area through Tar Heel Turkey Hatchery, which it bought a num-ber of years ago, and with multiple turkey breeding farms throughout the county. Butterball plans to invest $26 million in renovating and equipping the plant, and the city of Raeford is investing $361,000 at its wastewater plant toward the cost of a belt press facility, according to the state De-

partment of Commerce. The city and county each contributed $75,000 as part of a 50/50 match grant that brought in $150,000 from the North Carolina Governor’s One Fund, for a total of $300,000 toward the project.

The total purchase price of the fa-cility was not made public. Butterball vice president of further operations Mike Bliss will oversee the Raeford facility as well as two other company plants.

The company isn’t going to wait around to get the facility back up and

(See BUTTERBALL, page 6A)

BY CATHARIN SHEPARD

Staff writer

The State Bureau of Investigation is still looking into the death of a man who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy last year.

Sandy James McCall, 33, of Raeford was shot and killed May 31, 2014 by Sgt. Samuel Morant of the Hoke County Sheriff’s Offi ce during what was reported as an altercation with law enforcement. The shooting took place in the area of Rockfi sh Road and U.S.

Highway 401 Business, where Morant was investigating a 911 call about a suspicious person in the area, according to offi cials.

The SBI investigates all offi cer-involved shootings but hasn’t issued a fi nding in the case yet, Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said.

“We’re still waiting. I can’t give any com-ment until the SBI tells us what’s going on,” he said. “The case is still under investiga-tion. I won’t know anything until they tell me.”

(See SHOOTING, page 6A)

BY CATHARIN SHEPARD

Staff writer

A surprise snowfall caught weather forecasters off guard Tuesday when a winter storm originally predicted to hit further north dumped dry powder across the Sandhills, with more snow still to come Wednesday night.

A weather briefi ng Tuesday morning from the National Weather Service predicted anywhere from an inch to two or three inches of snow for the Hoke County area. The total amounts were diffi cult to judge and the pattern of snowfall would “vary widely,” offi cials reported.

Maj. Freddy Johnson of the Hoke County Sheriff’s Offi ce Emergency Management Division and other local offi cials didn’t have advance warning about the snowfall either.

“Well, we certainly had a surprise this morning, but I cer-tainly hope everyone that traveled this morning did so safely and arrived safely,” Johnson said in a weather briefi ng around 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Ad-visory for Hoke and surrounding counties at 4:22 a.m. Tuesday, leaving schools and businesses scrambling to decide whether to open late, close early or tell people to stay home. Hoke County offi ces closed, while Raeford city offi ces remained open through the morning.

Hoke County Schools announced a two-hour delay around 6 a.m., but changed the decision to a snow day for students and staff about an hour later.

Offi cials with the local branch of the North Carolina Depart-ment of Transportation didn’t know they would be bringing out the snowplows until they arrived at work in the early morning

(See SNOW STORM, page 4A)

Butterball buys House of Raeford plantWith $26 million renovation, company expects to provide 350 jobs

SBI still investigating McCall deathNine months later, family awaits word on shooting by deputy

County fi nances don’t match projectionsRevenues fall short in some departments, expenses exceed budget in others

BY CATHARIN SHEPARD

Staff writer

A few Hoke County departments have brought in less money than county offi cials budgeted for and another is more than 400 percent

over budget on overtime pay, ac-cording to a year-end fi nancial report presented to the commission-ers.

The county commission ap-proved money-saving measures last week including a hiring freeze and

halt on unbudgeted overtime pay in an attempt to end the 2014-15 fi scal year on target. A report from the county fi nance offi ce detailed which departments were of concern.

Halfway through the fi scal year, the county inspections department

had brought in less than a third of its expected revenue, according to the fi nance offi ce. As of December 31, the department had collected 31.8 percent of the $811,500 bud-geted for its operations. Inspections

(See FINANCES, page 4A)

Landon Hollingsworth (top) observes the snow from a tree, and he joins his brother Jayden and father Jeremy in prepping a four-wheeler for a little fun in the snow Tuesday morning. For Anthony McCormick (bottom right), the snow meant a slippery walk home along Jackson Street. (Ken MacDonald photos)

Gov. McCrory with Butterball’s COO Joe Nally.

2A THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C. February 25, 2015

Viewpoints

We Get Letters

By Scott MooneyhaM

Capital Press Association

Published every Wednesday by Dickson Press, Inc. Robert A. Dickson, President • Anne Dickson Fogleman, Secretary/Treasurer

119 W. Elwood Avenue, Raeford, NC 28376 • (910) 875-2121

Home Page: www.thenews-journal.com

email ads to:ads@thenews-journal.com

email classifieds to:classifieds@thenews-journal.com

email legals to: robin@thenews-journal.com

Periodical ClassPostage at Raeford, N.C.

(USPS 388-260)

Postmaster:Send address changes to:

P.O. Box 550Raeford, N.C. 28376

Ken MacDonald (ken@thenews-journal.com) ......................... Publisher

Catharin Shepard (cshepard@thenews-journal.com) ..................Reporter

Hal Nunn (hal@thenews-journal.com) .............................. Sports Writer

Hal Nunn (hal@thenews-journal.com) .................. Sales Representative

Wendy Tredway (wendy@thenews-journal.com) ..... Sales Representative

Sheila Black (sheila@thenews-journal.com) .................. Office Manager

Robin Huffman (robin@thenews-journal.com) ......Composition Design/Legal Advertising

Submit letters to the editor online:Look for heading “Send Us Stuff” at

www.thenews-journal.com

Frog HollerPhilosopher

Ron Huff

One on OnePatrick Gannon,

Capitol Press Association

It’s too early for April Fools, so the idea of turning Hoke High School into a mega-campus and public swimming facility must be for real. But it’s going to be a hard sell for the Board of Education. Perhaps there are answers, but we have these questions:

1.) Why turn the 2,000-student school into an even larger one? SandHoke Early College High School, which has turned out magnificently and is by far our top-rated school, credits its small size as a critical factor in its success. So why not capital-ize on this opportunity to build another SMALL high school to alleviate over-crowding?

2.) Why make the sprawling Hoke High campus even more sprawling? Under this plan, administrators will be responsible for a campus roughly the size of Fayetteville Technical Community College.

3.) Why cram more students onto a cam-pus that is landlocked and inaccessible? With two small residential streets accessing the campus, do we want to add more traffic and congestion?

4.) Why put more students into the center of the county when the population is much greater in the east? Can the extra expenses of busing students into town be justified?

5.) On one hand, the rationale is to avoid duplicating expensive facilities at a sepa-rate new school, yet the board proposes to build a new cafeteria and gym at Hoke High. What expensive duplications are we avoiding?

6.) Why is the cost so high? Enlarg-ing the campus would cost $58.7 million? South Garner High School is under con-struction now at an estimated cost roughly 15% higher than the proposed addition for Hoke High, yet it’s for a complete high school serving 2,262 students. How can we each be asked to pay $58 to $94 more per year, on average, to go into debt for an additional 5 cents (or is it 6 cents or 7 cents or 8 cents) on the Hoke tax rate for such an expensive school? South Garner’s cost per square foot is roughly $211. The Hoke estimate is roughly $400.

7.) A swimming pool under the gym floor?

If the board was proposing a more reasonably appointed high school, at say a third of the cost, and planned to put it where the population is greatest, and asked for more money to beef up supplements to attract and keep teachers in this county where teacher turnover approaches 25 per-cent, public backing would be a surer thing.

You want to do what at the high school?

To the Editor:Thank you for accepting this

letter of deep concerns within our county government. When our county commissioners stop favor-ing one department over another in funding, without accountability of how our tax dollars are being spent, maybe it’s time to audit all

departments once a year and hold all department heads accountable. Our county government is broken. It’s time for new leadership that works. We must put our taxpayers first again. It’s time for a dialog that will address a future mission that supports a diverse community that’s facing our city and county govern-

ments. We must continue nurturing and supporting an outlook for our economy here in Hoke County and a future for our children and seniors. After all, we are in search of excellence and trust in our elected leaders. Thank you 2016!

Lonnie BaldwinRaeford

Our county government is broken

To the Editor:In the early ‘90s, there was no

public input session (at the Hoke Commissioners meeting). And it was mayhem at times with the public talking during sessions to make their comments to commis-sioners. So I sent a letter to the then board of commissioners and suggested a public input session (had read about it being done in Cumberland County). The board in Hoke instituted it after check-ing out the general guidelines. They were 15 minutes, with three minutes for each person up to five. More were to come back next time.

It kept order. Also, there was to be no response by board, as usually people had items that the board would have to research the answers to. Everyone’s name and info was taken, so the office could get back to them with the answer. It is a fair, workable solution.

Public input is different from a public forum (which is what Cum-berland had recently). Same is given newspaper advertising in advance,

and people who want to ask ques-tions and give their ideas can then attend and are allowed to speak. There is usually a time limit for the length of speaking time.

I hope the previous letter writer now understands the procedure.

If someone wants personal time, apply to be put on the agenda. And remember, personal attacks for any board member are generally not responded to regardless. It would only lead to shouting matches. As much as I agree the commissioners should have let the public know why they released the manager, there is no law that says they have to. The voting booth is the only choice the public has.

As to Christians and ISIS: In Eu-ropean and Middle East history, so-called Christians (especially under the Roman Empire and popes who were also political rulers and often cruel ones) have killed, incarcerated, and exiled their adversaries, people who did not agree with them. As to the Crusades (which the president referred to), they were provoked by

extremist Islamists who marched into Europe, as far up as northern (now) Germany. The knights who started the Crusades did so to repel and defeat the aggressors. And it was not just once. But this was not done in the name of Christ, even if so overtly stated, because most knights were part of the Roman Empire. It was to defend the land.

I totally agree with the president not to use a sledgehammer when I try to bring peace. Two wrongs do not make a right. But, when it comes to defending ourselves, we finally may be forced into greater force, but no viciousness. Imagine if everyone were led by a desire for peace and gentleness, what a great country we would have. But anger, revenge, and greed are the dominant forces in today’s society.

And a president who stands for peace and a kinder rule is maligned. That is what happened to President Wilson too, as well as, more recently, President Carter.

Renate DahlinRaeford

Public input at commission meeting is by design

I love to read but find that my reading habits and skills are lack-ing. I started off with a bang, easily learning to read with Dick and Jane seeing Spot run at age five as Mom read with Ralph, my oldest brother by a year. I entered first grade ahead of the pack and always finished the list of words written on the board first, allowing me some free time while the other classmates worked through the list. It was many years later, after proving myself to be a successful student, that I realized I am a horrendously slow reader. I was first introduced to the concept of speed-reading when Kennedy was President. He was a speed-reader who reportedly devoured books at an incredible pace. The brain is capable of processing printed words much faster than we can verbalize them, but my brain has always resisted. I have tried time and time again to look at complete lines of print instead of individual words. I can do this with some success but always find myself either losing concentration and falling back into my slow rou-tine or, more often, realizing that I just read a page and have no idea what is on it.

Probably my worst habit is that I don’t have a habit. I find myself reading one or two books in succes-sion and then going months without reading one. This lack of habitual reading often leaves me reading several things at a time. I may be reading a long book when another one enters the picture compelling me to start it. Then a magazine shows up

creating another reading diversion. I read the newspaper every day, leav-ing even more things unfinished. It has literally been over a year since I began reading a great book, recommended to me by my son Riley, about the founding fathers. This book is very enlightening but not a page-turner. I have actually benefitted from stretching it out, giv-ing me lots of time to contemplate what I have read. I hope to finish it one day but certainly will not hold my breath. In the meantime, I have completed several books ranging from a biography of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards to several classics, including the mammoth Don Quixote.

If I have one good habit, it is reading classics. I have read lots of contemporary books and like everything except the mindless fod-der of which there is an abundance. Over the years, I have focused more and more on the classics. I like the styles and viewpoints of writers from other times and other places. It is fascinating to see what has changed in the usage of words and what has endured. I am often amazed that seemingly modern expressions have been around for a long time. Not to be overlooked is the fact that all of these classics are classics for a reason. Most are

great reading and often historically enlightening.

Don Quixote, my latest classic conquest, weighing in at a thousand pages, took me many weeks to finish. I had never read it and only knew that there was an “Impossible dream” in there somewhere. I was struck right away with the hilarity of it. I was also amazed at the lan-guage that seemed so contemporary. I laughed out loud at the antics of the Man of La Mancha and his squire sidekick Sancho Panza. The knowledge and wisdom contained in the book are astonishing. I began to ponder the role that translation might have played in this Spanish novel first published in 1605. A little research revealed that this transla-tion was one of the last of many, done in the 1990s with a goal of updating the language and injecting the humor that many translations have ignored. The philosophy of the translation was almost as fas-cinating as the book. It makes we want to read an earlier translation but that probably won’t happen in this lifetime.

Perhaps it is rationalization, but I have convinced myself that I am happy with my plodding ability to read. I rarely have to read anything quickly. I tell myself that my slow reading only prolongs the enjoy-ment of a good book. I still marvel at people who say they just could not put a book down and had to finish it. If that were the case with me, I would have died, mid-book, from a lack of sleep or starvation long ago.

More later.

Have developed some bad reading habits

A silver lining in the highly po-liticized controversy over whether to close a center on poverty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the new attention it focused on the plight of the poor in this state.

Whether the center is closed or not won’t change today’s poverty statistics. In 2013, more than 1.7 million people lived in poverty in North Carolina, or 17.9 percent of its residents, according to the U.S. Census. That was the 11th highest rate in the country. A decade ago, North Carolina ranked 26th.

Census data show roughly one in four children and 40 percent of black children in North Carolina live below the federal poverty level, which is less than $24,000 for a family of four.

Every year, the General As-sembly debates issues related to poverty. The 2015 legislative ses-sion also will mean more discus-sions about how to help areas of the state that have yet to break the cycle of persistent poverty.

As the debate over economic incentives heats up, legislators who

represent rural areas want more of those incentives targeted toward areas where unemployment rates – and poverty levels – remain stub-bornly high.

If the recent A-to-F letter grades for public schools in North Carolina showed anything, they showed that schools with more poor children tended to get lower grades. What should be done to help those low-performing schools in low-income areas should get some attention this year.

In early talks about the state budget, one of the key reasons cited for a possible $270 million shortfall in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, is that wage growth hasn’t kept pace with projections.

State lottery revenues will get plenty of attention as legislators look for ways to pay for various needs or

wants in the next state budget. Typi-cally, along with those conversations come reports about how people in the poorest areas of the state spend more on lottery tickets.

Democrats again are pushing for an increase in the minimum wage and the reinstatement of the Earned Income Tax Credit, but those propos-als aren’t expected to go anywhere this session.

Nichol calls poverty “North Carolina’s greatest challenge,” and in a recent column criticized Gov. Pat McCrory for not mentioning it in his recent State of the State speech. In McCrory’s defense, he did talk about trying to ensure that everyone who wants a job in North Carolina can find one.

The governor also talked about the state’s declining unemployment rate. “Despite this tremendous ac-complishment, there are still a lot of communities, small businesses and individuals that are hurting, and there is still much work to be done,” McCrory said.

Gene Nichol couldn’t have said it better himself.

Poverty in N.C. getting plenty of attention

“Don’t get me wrong. The idea of a free public education for all is still a great one. In my school, a noticeable portion of the kids come from fami-lies where the parents don’t seem to be putting much effort into their upbringing. Nobody is reading to them at home, or talking about science or teaching them a trade. There’s no Lego, not enough bikes and too much TV, drowning out the chance to actually learn by creating anything for them-selves. For them, school is the only hand up they have in life so we’d better make the most of it.But damn, we could do so much better.” —Mr.MoneyMustache,apopularbloggeronfinancialissues

“If I ran the school, there would be none of those leaky-tire teachers that are permanently shushing kids in the classrooms and the hallways.” — Mr. Money Mustache

“North Carolina is no longer investing in our students. It is evident every-where my students turn. They hear the drips from the leaking windows in my trailer when it rains. They feel it in the lightness of their book bags when they have no textbooks to take home. In many schools, there are not even teachers in their classrooms. So many have left, and so few are pre-paringtoentertheprofession,thatvacanciescannotbefilled.Thereareno scholarships to encourage promising students to become teachers. And veteran teachers are retiring at a fast clip.” — Angela Scioli, history teacher in Raleigh and found of Red4EdNC

Today’s homework (Notes on education)

February 25, 2015 THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C 3A

Obituaries

Other stuff(Continued from page 1A)

Odessa P. CopelandPastor Odessa P. Copeland, 68, of

263 Iris Street died Friday, February 20, 2015.

Survivors include her husband, Alvin Sr.; children, Angela and Alvin Jr.; brother, Joshua Peterkin; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

The funeral was held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 24 in Leach Springs Missionary Baptist Church. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Gearlener HeneganGearlener Henegan, 58, of 106

Woodcreek Village died Thursday, February 19, 2015.

Survivors include children, Tamisha Graham, Namisha McArn, and LaTonya Hines; siblings, Jackie Barrett, Waltener Jefferson, Gail Headen, Debbie Smith, Frank Har-ris, and Elijah Smith Jr.; and five grandchildren.

The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, February 25 in Mount Olive United Holy Church. Burial will be in Mountain Grove Church cemetery.

Paul J. WilsonPaul James Wil-

son Jr. of Raeford died Monday, February 16, 2015 in FirstHealth Moore Regional Hoke

Campus at the age of 67.He was born in Bristol, Virginia

on September 16, 1947. He was preceded in death by his father, Paul James Wilson Sr., his brother, Jack Douglas Wilson Sr., and his daughter, Paula Wilson-Maddox. He retired after 26 years in the US Army as a CW3.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia C. Wilson of Raeford; his son, Jerry Wilson (Lori) of Raeford; his daughter, Robyn Wilson-Branch (Jason) of Raeford; his mother, Roberta Ruth Wilson of Bristol; son-in-law, Kevin Maddox of Raeford; mother-in-law, Virginia Casey of Lynchburg, Virginia; brother-in-law, Charles Casey (Pat) of Lynchburg; his brothers, Charles R. Wilson of Bristol, and William E. Wilson (Edie) of Knoxville, Tennessee; six grandchildren, Josh Rich, Tim Rich, Morgan Branch, Diana Maddox, Zoe Maddox, and Victor Maddox; and many nieces and nephews.

A private memorial service was held Tuesday.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Alzheimer’s Asso-ciation, PO Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.

Online condolences may be made at www.crumplerfuneral-home.com.

Charles D. ArnoCharles Douglas

Arno Sr., 84, died Sunday, February 15, 2015 at his home in Washington, D.C.

He was born May 21, 1930 to Charles William and Rosa Lee (Freeman) Arno in Leeds, Alabama. His parents, along with older sisters Dora, Grace, Ruth and Corrine, preceded him in death. After gradu-ating Coffee High School, Florence, Alabama, he began a 21-year career in the US Air Force. He married Mary Nelle Harris of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee in 1958.

The two were blessed with four sons during their 38 years of mar-riage. He received his bachelor’s degree from Chaminade University in 1967 and his master’s degree from Pepperdine University in 1972. He retired from the USAF in 1973 as a Senior Master Sergeant. The fam-ily later settled in Raeford when he went to work as a civil service military education specialist at the JFK Center in nearby Fort Bragg. He retired in 1995.

He will be remembered for his biblical knowledge and unwaver-ing faith in God. He was a diehard fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide, a master gardener and a loving father.

Survivors include his sons, Charles D. Arno Jr. of Pinehurst, William H. Arno (wife Angie) of Stokesdale, James F. Arno (wife Jen-nifer) of New York Mills, Minnesota, and Russell A. Arno (wife Vanessa) of Charlotte; six grandsons; and three granddaughters.

A private memorial service was held Saturday, February 21 in Mayodan.

Paul J. Wilson

By catharin Shepard

Staff writer

Local residents can get a hands-on look at how law en-forcement works by attending a new citizens’ academy at the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office.

For the first time, the sher-iff’s office is offering residents a chance to learn about drug investigations, traffic stops and crime scene processing through an eight-week class free and open to the public.

“The county has grown, the sheriff’s office has grown and, with all that we’re involved, this will give the citizens a chance to know what we do and

why we do what we do at the sheriff’s office and the public safety aspect,” Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said.

The first academy will start April 1 and the classes will be held every Wednesday night from 6-8 p.m. for eight weeks. The academy’s instructors will be state-certified criminal justice instructors, and will teach participants about crime prevention, patrol duties, and crime scene investigation. Participants will also learn about domestic violence, drug and gang investigations, K-9 operations, traffic stops and jail operations.

Peterkin said he had wanted

to get the program running several years ago but had to shuffle personnel around to be able to put someone in charge of running it.

The program will have class-es back-to-back so people hop-ing to take part in the academy won’t have to wait long to join.

“When one group graduates, we’ll have another group come in,” the sheriff said.

The academy is one way to strengthen the relationship between the sheriff and the community, Peterkin said.

“For now, this is just another piece allowing us to continue to have a good relationship with the people. I feel like we’re in

a good place with the commu-nity,” he said.

An application is required to participate. Applicants must be Hoke County residents at least 21 years old and have a clean criminal record.

Applications can be picked up at the sheriff’s office or on-line at www.hokecountysheriff.org. For more information or questions, call Sgt. Michael Acello at 309-1056.

The Raeford Police De-partment also holds a similar academy at certain times of the year. For information about possible upcoming academies with the police department, call 875-4251.

Sheriff’s Office holding citizens’ academy

By catharin Shepard

Staff writer

City water bills probably aren’t going down just because Butterball is moving in, accord-ing to Raeford officials, but the city’s sewer system will get a revamp thanks to $1 million in state and federal funding.

The city will receive $1 million in funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced last week.

“This infrastructure will en-able the city to accommodate the projected wastewater treatment requirements for Butterball,

which will renovate a vacant 216,130 square foot building in Raeford,” according to Kim Genardo of the state Department of Commerce.

The city held a hearing this month about the proposed plan to improve the sewer system, but officials didn’t mention at that meeting that Butterball’s purchase of the House of Ra-eford facility was a factor in the situation.

The city got $500,000 in state funding for building reuse for working with Butterball and an-other $500,000 in federal fund-ing for infrastructure, Raeford Major John K. McNeill said.

“The federal infrastructure

is just reworking our treatment plant, some new clarifiers, we’re having to resurface those and refinish those and just some upgrades that we’ve been trying to piece together at the sewer plant over the last couple years,” he said.

The city held a public hear-ing about the matter at its first meeting of the year and must hold another public hearing at its upcoming March meeting, the first Monday of the month.

The city increased water bills an average of $5 last year to make up for the shortfall cre-ated when the House of Raeford slaughterhouse closed, taking away thousands in revenue for

the water system. However, that bill increase only addressed the shortfall created from closing the slaughterhouse, not the fur-ther processing plant that closed in December 2014 and has now been purchased by Butterball.

The city’s water rate is “very reasonable” compared to simi-lar-sized communities, McNeill said, and in some ways it even puts the city at a disadvantage in terms of infrastructure.

“You have to have a certain water bill to qualify for certain grants, and our water bill is far from that rate, so we lose out on some grants and loans, but we’re not going to raise it just to get the grant,” the mayor said.

City gets $1 million for sewer improvement

described as easy to moderate except for the “river you have to cross three times,” I knew we’d found our outing. Plan to get a little wet, the trail guide read. They made it sound fun, and I’m sure it is in July.

But last Saturday, if you recall, a monster front was forecast to arrive from the west about 4 p.m. and bring a wind chill that night of minus 26 in the area of our hike.

Note to self: Be back at the van before 4 p.m.

We had a small window be-tween the twenties of the previous night and the single-digits of the coming one but it promised to be a pretty few hours in between, so no worries. We can stand a little cold for awhile.

The 15 of us set out on our hike, walked three minutes, and came to the Catawba River, in that location a mere stream, but wide enough, and dadburn cold. Our sixth grade boy, who got the message about needing shoes he could possibly get wet, but not hearing the part about hiking, showed up in galoshes. Think-ing himself invincible, he made the first attempt at crossing on rocks that formed a sort of bridge, slipped on ice and splash! I turned to see him bent over face down, water rushing across his backside. He wasn’t hurt, but he was about to be very, very cold.

Other youth began to set across, some with similar results. In the first 10 minutes of the hike,

Investigators with the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office have ar-rested a suspect wanted for hitting a man in the face with a workout weight.

Authorities arrested Verender Rose Bullard, 29, of the 600 block of Melinda Road in Pembroke on charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault with a deadly weapon.

Deputies looking into the case reported that, while visiting Dennis Wayne Parker at his home on the 4400 block of Blue Springs Road,

Bullard al-legedly got into a fight with Parker, then assault-ed Parker with a work-out weight. Bullard then took money from Parker and fled the scene, according to information from the sheriff’s office.

Bullard was arrested and held under a $5,000 secured bond.

Man hit with workout weight

Bullard

half of us (including me) were wet to our knees.

The rest of the trek was pretty and pretty cold. And, of course, we

had to get back across the river. But it’s how we roll—carefully step from rock to rock, fall in, overcome, endure, take selfies.v

Subscription Form❑ New subscription❑ Renewal ❑ Active Military $15❑ Gift (We’ll notify recipient)

Clip, mail with payment to: The News-Journal P.O. Box 550 Raeford, N.C. 28376 (910)875-2121 for more information

Rates (including N.C. tax)

IN HOke:Print edition ........ $29(eligible for free PDF)

Senior Citizen ...... $23Active Military ...... $23OuTSIDe HOke:One year ............. $42(eligible for free PDF)

PDF only ............. $29

A-1 Gas & Food Mart ............. E. Central Ave.Andy’s ............................................... US 401Arabia Food Mart ..........................Arabia Rd.Barbee Pharmacy .........................Harris Ave.Bo’s ..............................................S. Main St.Citgo Mart ..................................Red SpringsCVS Pharmacy ............................401 BypassDaniels’ Exxon ........................ E. Central Ave.Edinborough Restaurant. ..............S. Main St. Fast Shop ...........................W. Prospect. Ave.Five Star #2 ..................................... Hwy 211Food Lion...............................Laurinburg Rd.Food Lion.............................. Fayetteville Rd.Food Mart #4 ............................. Hwy. 211 S.Food Stop ...........................W. Prospect Ave.401 Lucky Stop ...............E. Central & 401 N.401 Shop-N-Save #1 .............Harris and 401Hardin’s ......................Rockfish Rd., RockfishHardin’s Express Stop ............... Rockfish Rd.Highway 55 .......401 Bypass & 401 BusinessHome Food Supermarket..................Main St.Howell Drug ...................................... Teal Dr.Jay’s Food Mart ........ Hwy 211. at county line

J&L Grocery & Meats ............... Rockfish Rd.Lucky Stop .................Hwy. 401 & Palmer St.Lucky Stop 2196 .......Rockfish Rd.&401 Bus.Mi Casita...................... 4534 Fayetteville Rd.MP Mart ............................... Hwy. 211 SouthMcNeill’s Grocery ....................... Hwy. 211 S.McPhatter’s Grocery ..... Hwy. 401 & Vass Rd.Muncheez Express ................ Fayetteville Rd.Murphy Express ................ Walmart Hwy 401The News-Journal ..................119 W. ElwoodQuality Foods ....................................McCainPoco Shop #4 ........................ E. Central Ave.Short Stop #54 ....................Davis Bridge Rd.Short Stop #64 .......................Hwy. 211 WestShort Stop #68 .......................... N. Fulton St.Something’s Brewing Coffee Shop ....7104 Fayetteville Rd.Tobacco World ...................... Fayetteville Rd.211 Food Mart ................................ Hwy 211Waffle House ....................... 401 Hwy BypassWilcoHess ................................ Aberdeen Rd.Yogi Mart ................................... Hwy. 211 S.Zip N Mart ............................. Fayetteville Rd.

The News-Journal is sold at these locations:

Subscriber information:

Name

Address

City State Zip

Phone

Your name, address (if different from above)

Name

Address

City State Zip

Phone

save online at www.thenews-journal.com

AM 1400 WMFA - Radio

* Great Gospel Music* Contest and Prizes* Request Line 875-6225* Dynamic Ministry* NCNN Network News* Hoke County Football

“The Gospel Station That Heals The Soul”

* What’s Happening Hoke 4 - 5 p.m. Thursdays* Raeford Presbyterian Church Live 11 am - 12 pm Sundays* Hay Street United Methodist 12 pm - 1 pm Sundays

NORRISCall Kenny (910) 875-1560 • 8863 Fayetteville Rd. • Raeford

Storage Buildings and Carports

www.NorrisStorageBuildings.com

dog kennelsside door

•buy•finance•renttoown

best seller standard

• Complimentary consultation• Dr. Griffies experience and care• Convenient and fun office visits• Professional and caring staff• Affordable payment plans

www.drgriffies.comSeven Lakes Orthodontics

West End, NC • 910.673.0820Straighten-Up Orthodontics

Raeford, NC • 910.878.5796

YOUR SMILE IS OUR EXCELLENCE!

Experience superior orthodontictreatment that will keep you smiling.

Home Food117 N. Main St. • 875-7566

Check us out on

Find us on Google Business

market Feed storeN.C. Made Products

•BBQ Sauce•Hoop Cheese•Country Hams

•Larry’s Sausage•Pender BBQ

USDA Choice RibeyesCut To Order

Ice MeltPet BeddingWheat Straw

Chicken SuppliesHeat Lamps

Waterers • Feeders

Nutrena SafechoiceOriginal & Maintenance

$3 off a bag

THIS ARTWORK CANNOT BE ALTERED, REVISED, RESIZED OR REBUILT BEYOND CHANGING THE AGENT PHOTO OR CONTACT INFO. CONTACT MADGENIUS WITH ANY QUESTIONS AT COOP@MADGENIUSINC.COM

*North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.*Farm Bureau Insurance of North Carolina, Inc.*Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co.*An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Brandon HuntAgent

910-875-4091www.ncfbins.com

Hoke County Farm Bureau520 Harris Ave.Raeford, North Carolina 28376

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Brandon Hunt as an Agent for North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company and Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company in Hoke County. He will also represent North Carolina Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Inc. and Farm Bureau Bank to the Farm Bureau Members.

NOAH G. PAYTONLots of

Love!HAPPY BIRTHDAY!13TH

Like Us On Facebook!

Covering Raeford & Hoke County Since 1905

Weekly newspaper serving Raeford & Hoke County

CheCk Us OUt...• latest news updates•heads up on weather

& much more!Let us know about news

4A THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C. February 25, 2015

Finances(Continued from page 1A)

Snow storm(Continued from page 1A)

Real Estate TransfersTransfers of real estate recorded

with the Hoke County Register of Deeds:

Feb. 2• Lot 12 Potter’s Ridge Phase 1,

from the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs of Washington, D.C. to William Torres of Fayetteville

• Lot 5 Davis Estates, from the Fed-eral Home Loan Mortgage Corporation of Carrolton, Texas to Israel M. Prieto of Raeford

Feb. 3• Lot 56 Woodberry Section 2, from

the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of Atlanta, Ga. to Spencer Fossell of Lexington, S.C.

Feb. 5• Lot 249 McDougald Downs Sec-

tion 5, from Cecilia and Jose Cervantes of Raeford to Margarita Virgen Garcia and Adam Ruiz Medrano of Raeford

• Lot 18 Shadow Green, from Pitt-man Grove Development Group LLC of Fayetteville to Trestar Building and Development Inc. of Hope Mills

• Lot 160 McDougald Downs Section 8, from Patricia Shepard of Henderson to Isauro Maria Olivo of Raeford

• Lot 70 McDougald Downs Sec-tion 2, from the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of Atlanta, Ga. to Carabella Real Estate Inc. of Morrisville

Feb. 6• Lot 3 Pine Forest, from Maebuilt

Inc. of Fayetteville to Donna M. and Michael D. Garner of Raeford

• Lot 76 Colonial Charters Section 2, from Merrick Investments LLC of Durham to Lynzee K. Lee and Christine N. Tillman of Raeford

• Lot 199 Somerset Section 4, from Kamesha L. and Christopher Campfield to Kamesha L. Campfield of Raeford

• Lot 30 Stonewall Section 4, from North Carolina Housing Finance Agency of Raleigh to Alternative In-vestment Holdings Inc. of Fayetteville

• Lot 102 Stonewall Section 6, from the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs of Washington, D.C. to TDim Inc. of Fayetteville

• Lot 91 Windward Oaks Section 3, from Rachel and Mark Ashley Pyatt of Fort Lee, Va. to Eleni A. and Neal Timothy Cavanaugh of Raeford

• Lot 110 Northwoods Estates Phase 2B, from the Secretary of Veterans’ Af-fairs of Washington, D.C. to Carmen F. Hunter-Harrison of Cameron

• Lot 77 Northwoods Estates Phase 2B, from the Secretary of Veterans’ Af-fairs of Washington, D.C. to Carmen F. Hunter-Harrison of Cameron

Feb. 9• 820 E. Donaldson Ave., from Elma

Rae Hollingsworth to Connie Kessler and Allen Hollingsworth of Clayton

• 1.63 acres in the Antioch township, from Martha J. Beatty of Shannon and attorneys-in-fact Jerry Beatty of South-ern Pines and Rebecca Dudley to Jerry Beatty and Rebecca Beatty of Raeford

Feb. 10• Lots 2 and 3 Block D. Greenbrier

Estates, from Susan and Arthur Ken-neth Carson of Moody, Ala. to Vanessa Lloyd and Stephen Craig Sessoms of Red Springs

• 11.5 acres on Norton Road, Blue Springs township, from Judith A. Hawk to Nancy Spears of Auburn, Ala.

• Lot 28 Turnberry Section 1, Part 5, from Floyd Properties and Develop-ment Inc. of Fayetteville to Caviness and Cates Building and Development Co. of Fayetteville

• Lot 2 Survey for Warren Dunshee of Robeson County, from The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Co. of Carrolton, Texas to Charlotte R. Braithwaite of Parkton

• Lot 69 Windward Oaks Section 1, from the Secretary of Veterans’ Af-fairs of Washington, D.C. to Sangmin Yi of Raeford

Feb. 11• Lot 2 in the Quewhiffle town-

ship, from Jesus Sanchez Gomez to Claudia Hernandez of Aberdeen

• 1.347 acres on Pendergrass Road in the Quewhiffle township, from Siemara Rodriguez to Gina Maria Fernandez-Rodriguez

• Lot 124 Riverbrooke Section 3, from the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs of Washington, D.C. to Madison Siwiec of Raeford.

Police BlotterRaeford Police reported the

following recent incidents:

February 16Possession of an open con-

tainer, driving while license re-voked, West Palmer/Aberdeen Road, victim State of North Carolina. Police charged Al-len Taylor Douglas, 32, of the 400 block of Purvis Court in Raeford.

Criminal damage to property (vandalism), 600 block of West Prospect Avenue, victim B&H Auto Sales

February 18Larceny, 100 block of East

Central Avenue, victim Arturo Castro Aguilar

Obtaining property by false pretense, 200 block of Cole Avenue, victim Food Lion

Assault with a deadly weap-on inflicting serious injury, lar-ceny, robbery with a dangerous

weapon, burglary, 700 block of North Jackson Street, victim Kimba McQueen. McQueen suffered severe lacerations when someone attempted to break into her home. Police continue investigating the case.

February 19Resisting a public officer,

300 block of Teal Drive, victim State of North Carolina

February 20Conspiracy to commit lar-

ceny, larceny, 100 block of Laurinburg Road, victim Waffle House

Possession of an open con-tainer, speeding, fictitious in-formation to an officer, driving while license revoked, Fayette-ville Road/Fulton Street, victim State of North Carolina. Police charged Thomasina Walker Rollins, 47, of the 100 block of Autry Street in Raeford.

Marriage LicensesRecent marriage licenses re-

corded by the Hoke County Register of Deeds, by date issued, with date of marriage ceremony in parenthe-ses. Marriages performed in Hoke County unless otherwise noted:

Feb. 9 (Feb. 14)

• Gregory Jay Hill Jr. of Fayette-ville and Letitia Toreatta McEachern of Raeford

Feb. 18 (same day)• Casey Van Holley and Ana

Cecilia Munguia-Badillo, both of Raeford

revenue as of December 31, 2014 was at $27,870, and the year to date total was $257,994.

“At the current rate, unless there is a significant pickup in the inspections revenue based on the trend analysis, revenue in inspection could be significantly less than the $811,500 budgeted,” the financial report stated.

A few other departments had also not collected the amount of projected revenue by the midpoint of the fiscal year.

The health department brought in 43.4 percent of the $1.8 million revised budget, with $153,230 col-lected in December 2014 compared to $158,882 in December 2013. The department had collected $803,801 during the halfway point of the fis-cal year, compared to the previous year’s collection of $883,625 of the same time.

By December 2014, the Register of Deeds office had brought in 45.7 percent of the projected $364,614 budget with $23,375 collected in December, compared to $33,060 in December 2013. The office had collected $166,540 by December 2014 compared to $196,171 by the end of December 2013.

County Finance Officer Barry Mayo said it’s common that county departments don’t bring in enough revenue to match their expenditures.

“I don’t necessarily tie the rev-

enues that a department says they’re going to generate to that depart-ment’s expenditures, because no department, except maybe the health department and social services, brings in enough to almost match their expenditures,” he said. “With those other departments, you know you’re going to have to give money to those departments for them to meet their operational expenses.”

The biggest issue is getting departments to “keep their expen-ditures in line with what they had appropriated at the beginning of the year,” Mayo said.

The danger with a revenue short-fall is that the money that county departments bring in goes to the general county pool, and when that money isn’t there, it affects more than just one department, Commis-sioner Tony Hunt said at the board’s meeting last week. If a department’s revenues fall short at the end of the budget year, then “the only place you can get that money from is either from the fund balance or to cut those departments back off some of the money that they’re potentially looking to spend,” Hunt said. “…In the past, that’s what we’ve had to do, and if you do it again this year like you did it last year, you’re going to be short again at the end of the next year’s budget.”

Sheriff’s office overtimeThe report also highlighted the

salary expenses at the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office. Halfway through the fiscal year, the department had used 143 percent of the $92,000 budgeted for officer overtime pay, and had used 303 percent of the $59,000 budgeted for overtime pay for jail employees, according to county documents.

Based on projections, the county will need to allocate an additional $174,942 for the sheriff’s office overtime pay and another $319,552 for the jail employees’ overtime pay between now and the end of June “for this department to meet salary obligations through the end of the fiscal year.”

Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said that his office has run into this problem in recent years. He requested enough money to cover the department’s overtime pay needs, but the amount actually allocated for the expense was “nowhere near enough,” he said.

The commission allocated the sheriff’s office $100,000 in over-time pay for the 2013-14 fiscal year, according to county records. The department ended up spending $285,288 in overtime pay that year. The county board cut the overtime budget by $8,000 from 2013-14 to 2014-15. The office received $92,000 of a requested $160,000 for overtime pay for the current fiscal year.

Immediately shutting down unbudgeted overtime pay was one of the things the commissioners approved last week, but added a caveat that department heads can request additional overtime fund-ing in emergencies. Those requests would be directed to the board through Interim County Manager Letitia Edens.

“If our citizens need help or ser-vices, we’re not going to do anything

to cramp that,” Commission Chair-man James Leach said at the board meeting last week.

The overtime pay freeze will not affect the sheriff’s office or other emergency services. The commis-sion also stipulated that the hiring freeze is for non-essential personnel, not for county public safety agencies.

The overtime is an issue because his department needs more staff, Peterkin said. The sheriff has re-quested additional personnel each year. Based on the size of the county, the department could use as many as 55 more staff members, he said.

Additionally, the financial report also stated that the county would have to allocate an additional $63,374 to cover supplemental re-tirement costs for sheriff’s office employees and another $46,801 for retirement contributions.

The board needs to look at each department’s past spending and “be realistic” in determining the funding allocations from the start, Hunt said.

“When we do this budget this year, we need to be mindful of our revenues and not just to have some numbers to say, okay, our revenues equal our expenditures. I have a balanced budget and it satisfies the general statue of North Carolina. We have to quit fooling ourselves because we did, we made up dif-ferences out of our fund balance last year,” he said.

Other information in the report showed that regular – not overtime -– salaries and wages of employees at the county jail ended up being less than expected by the middle of the fiscal year. The sheriff’s office had used 44 percent of the jail salaries and wages budget, and county fi-nance officials projected that fund will likely have $95,340 left over in that budget by the end of the year.

hours Tuesday. They quickly started trying to make the roads safe for travelers, transportation worker Robin Hammonds said.

“As soon as we got in, we went ahead and loaded every-thing in with salt,” he said.

The crews salted all the primary roads – including Highway 401, Highway 20 and Highway 211 – and by mid-morning were waiting for the salt to start melting the snow.

“As soon as this salt works, and if this snow keeps coming down, we’ll start pushing snow off the roads,” Hammonds said.

The NCDOT workers typi-cally brine roads ahead of snow-fall but didn’t get the chance to do so this time, he added.

“This front came in pretty quick and caught people off guard,” he said.

The local DOT office has plenty of salt to handle any additional winter weather that comes this week, Hammonds said.

Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin reported that his depu-ties doubled up in their vehicles and that he had called in extra personnel to help keep people safe. There had already been a number of wrecks Tuesday morning, the sheriff said, and urged drivers to stay off the roads.

Even as the snow was fall-ing, meteorologists couldn’t say exactly which areas would see the most precipitation.

“While the snow will come in ‘batches’ (rather than a continu-ous steady snow) given the cold temperatures, the snow will easily accumulate, resulting in quickly changing and/or dete-riorating road conditions where and when the heavier snowfall bands set up,” the National Weather Service reported.

As of News-Journal dead-line, forecasts predicted around three more inches of snow set to fall across Hoke County Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Fender-benders were the order of the day on Tuesday as snow caught Hoke County by surprise. This wreck was on U.S. 401 at Club Pond Road. (Chris Long photo)

Don Steed Elementary – 875-1125March 3rd - 12:00pm – 7:00pm March 4th - 9:00am – 2:00pm Hawk Eye Elementary – 875-2470March 2nd - 1:00pm – 6:00pm March 3rd - 8:00am – 4:00pm McLauchlin Elementary – 875-8721March 3rd - 12:00pm – 6:00pmMarch 4th - 9:00am – 3:00pm Rockfish Hoke Elementary – 875-9343March 2nd - 8:00am – 3:00pmMarch 3rd - 12:00pm – 6:00pm

Sandy Grove Elementary – 875-6008March 2nd - 9:00am – 6:00pmMarch 3rd - 8:30am– 3:30pm Scurlock Elementary – 875-4182March 3rd - 1:00pm – 6:00pmMarch 4th - 8:00am – 1:00pmUpchurch Elementary – 875-1574 March 3rd - 8:30am – 4:00pm March 4th - 8:30am – 5:30pmWest Hoke Elementary – 875-2584March 5th - 12:00pm – 6:00pmMarch 6th - 8:00am – 3:00pm

Don Steed Elementary 875-11253 de marzo - 12:00pm - 7:00pm4 de marzo- 9:00am - 2:00pmHawk Eye Elementary 875-24702 de marzo - 1:00pm - 6:00pm3 de marzo - 8:00am - 4:00pm McLauchlin Elementary 875-87213 de marzo - 12:00pm - 6:00pm4 de marzo - 9:00am - 3:00pmRockfish Hoke Elementary 875-93432 de marzo - 8:00am - 3:00pm3 de marzo - 12:00pm - 6:00pm

Sandy Grove Elementary 875-60082 de marzo - 9:00am - 6:00pm3 de marzo - 8:30am - 3:30pmScurlock Elementary 875-41823 de marzo - 1:00pm - 6:00pm4 de marzo - 8:00am - 1:00pmUpchurch Elementary 875-15743 de marzo - 8:30am - 4:00pm4 de marzo - 8:30am - 5:30pmWest Hoke Elementary 875-25845 de marzo - 12:00pm - 6:00pm6 de marzo - 8:00am - 3:00pm

All children entering Kindergarten must be 5 years of age by August 31, 2015. All children applying for Pre-Kindergarten must be 4 years of age by August 31, 2015.

Please bring a certified birth certificate, shot record (updated immunization record) andproof of residency (i.e. current utility bill) when registering your child for Kindergarten. Pre-K needs certified birth certificate, proof of income (i.e. tax records or pay stubs)

and proof of residency (i.e. current utility bill) when applying. Be sure to register your child at the school in your current attendance zone.

Todos los niños que estén entrando al Kínder deben tener 5 años de edad cumplidos antes del 31 de agosto del 2015. Todos los niños que estén solicitando entrar al

Pre-Kínder deben tener 4 años de edad cumplidos antes del 31 de agosto del 2015. Por favor traiga acta de nacimiento, historial de vacunas (al día), prueba de domicilio (por ej., factura reciente del agua/luz) al matricular a su niño para Kínder. Para Pre-Kínder se necesita una copia del acta de nacimiento certificada y prueba de ingreso (por ej., información de los impuestos o talones de cheque), prueba de domicilio (por ej., factura reciente del agua/luz) al momento de llenar la solicitud.

For 2015-2016 School Year 2015-2016HokE CoUntY SCHooLS ESCUELaS DEL ConDaDo DE HokE

March2-6

2-6 demarzo

kindergartenRegistration &Pre-K Applications

Matrícula de Kínder y Solicitudes para

Pre-Kínder

James F. Baker, CPACertified Public Accountant

221 South Main Street • Raeford, NC 28376Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. • Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

(910) 878-0371

•Payroll •Estate Planning•Business & Individual Income Tax

•Financial Planning •Retirement

“Serving Raeford & Hoke Countysince 1971”

New ClientsWelcome!

Telepsychiatry Servicesfor adults & children

Hoke County Health Department683 East Palmer Road • Raeford, NC 28376

public notice For more information or to schedule

an appointment contact

Cynthia Morton RN at

910-875-3717, extension 2115.

The Hoke CountyHealth Department announces

the availability of

February 25, 2015 THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C 5A

Sports

Just Putting Around

By hal nunn

Sports writer

The Hoke County High School Bucks wrestling season came to an end last weekend with three of the Fighting Bucks making it to Greensboro for the State Championships. Bailey Cooper, Devonte McClean and Ameer Shakir wrestled in Greensboro last Friday and Saturday and, although they did not place, they represented Hoke County well.

Cooper ended 1-2 on the weekend and finished one match out of placing in the State Cham-pionships. He was leading his final match with five seconds remaining and a takedown by the opponent ended his chances of advancing. McClean and Sha-kir ended 0-2 on the weekend. Both were leading early in their final matches but ended up not advancing. “I feel the season as a whole was not as good as I thought it could be but better than expected,” Coach Vernon

Walworth said. The Bucks were 14-22 overall for the season and that may not seem great to some; however, Coach Walworth is a type of coach who does not shy away from tough competition and schedules the Bucks’ team to compete in some of the tough-est tournaments in the state. The team had 11 wrestlers compete at the Regional Tournament and three go to the State Champion-ships. This is the fourth straight year of multiple qualifiers and the second straight year of three or more at the State Championships.

The Hoke County wrestling program has seen a lot of growth over the past several years and that growth is not by accident. Both the school system and the Parks and Recreation depart-ment have expanded their wres-tling programs and the addition of Sandy Grove Middle School along with East and West Hoke Middle schools are crucial in the high school program being more competitive. Now there is talk of an AAU/USAA (Amateur

Athletic Association/United States of America Athletics) program being started by some parents and former wrestlers at Hoke. Brandon Locklear, a for-mer wrestler for Hoke County Schools and a 2010 graduate, is now an IEA Dropout Prevention Counselor for Hoke County Schools and says this is exactly what we need to grow the pro-gram. “We’ve been trying to build the wrestling program in Hoke County and gain more general interest in wrestling at an early age because that is where you will see the growth in the future,” Locklear said. Also helping Brandon is a for-mer Hoke High wrestler Bray Cooper, who is now a history teacher at Hoke High, and par-ent Steve Warren. For more information on the AAU/USAA wrestling program, contact Brandon Locklear at HYPER-LINK “mailto:BRLocklear@hcs.k12.nc.us”BRLocklear@hcs.k12.nc.us or call him at 910-364-6361.

Standing in front of the Greensboro Coliseum at the North Carolina High School Athletic As-sociation Wrestling State Championships are Ameer Shakir (left to right), Bailey Cooper and Devonte McClean. All three competed in the State Championships last weekend in Greensboro. (Photo by Frank Cooper)

Wrestling season comes to an end, future looks bright

By hal nunn

Sports writer

The Hoke County High School Bucks spring sports season is right around the corner and most sports will begin next week. Spring sports at Hoke High consists of Baseball, Softball, Girls’ Soccer, Boys’ Golf, Boys’ Tennis and Track and Field. Hoke High Ath-letic Director Gary Brigman said, “We have seen a large amount of kids trying out for spring sports

and this year should be one when we see some growth.”

At the the Hoke County Parks and Recreation department, spring registration has begun and will continue through Febru-ary 27 for baseball and softball. The registration fee is $30 and an additional $5 late fee will be applied after March 2, if space is available. Registration is open for ages 4-15 years.

The Mountain Mulepackers Ranch off Carolina Horse Farm

Spring sports begin next week Fighting Bucks Sports Schedule February 25

Girls V Softball at Marlboro Co. 4:30 p.m.

February 26Girls V Soccer at 71st 6 p.m.Boys V Baseball Home vs.

St. Pauls 7 p.m.

February 28

Girls V Soccer at South View TBA

Girls V Softball at Terry Sanford 11 a.m.

March 2Girls JV Soccer at Pine For-

est 5:30 p.m.Girls V Soccer at Pine For-

est 7 p.m.

Girls JV Softball Home vs. Jack Britt 6 p.m.

Girls V Softball Home vs. Jack Britt 5 p.m.

Boys Tennis Home vs. Jack Britt 4 p.m.

Boys JV Baseball Home vs. Jack Britt 4:30 p.m.

Boys V Baseball Home vs. Jack Britt 7 p.m.

By hal nunn

Sports writer

The Hoke County High School Bucks boys’ and girls’ basketball season came to an end last week when the Moore County Schools could not

Basketball season comes to an end, questions arise

Road will sponsor a North Caro-lina High School Rodeo Associa-tion event on April 17-18. This is the third annual event and will showcase over 100 contestants from all over North Carolina and neighboring states. For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.mountainmulepack-ers.com/”www.mountainmule-packers.com

The Indoor Skydiving Cham-pionships will be held this weekend February 28-March 1 at Paraclete XP Indoor Skydiving facility off Raeford Road. The competition will begin at 7:30 a.m. both days and will run until 6 p.m. each day.

The Southern Pines Horse Trials will be held March 7-8 at Carolina Horse Park off Mon-trose Road in Hoke County. The Carolina International CIC and HT event will be held March 19-22 at CHP and the Stoneybrook Steeplechase will be held April 4.

participate due to the weather-related road conditions and not being in school on the day the tournament should have started. On top of that, the boys’ team did not make the state playoffs due to the new rules about seeding and teams’ records.

Hoke County Schools Ath-letic Director and Southeastern Conference Athletic Director Gary Brigman said, “Everyone was on go ready to start the tournament on Thursday except Moore County Schools when they made the decision that they would not be able to make the drive to Raeford to play Hoke County in the first round of the conference tournament.” The bad weather played a factor in the decision to not play the conference tournament for the second straight year causing athletic directors and officials to make some tough decisions. The NCHSAA also changed their playoff seeding rules last year and, even though Hoke County finished in fourth place in the conference at the end of the regular season, Pinecrest who finished in fifth place behind Hoke made the playoffs. The rules state that the first three seeds will get automatic bids, then the remaining schools’ overall records will determine wild-card playoff spots. This rule didn’t sit well with some Hoke County folks and it will

be discussed in the March meet-ing with athletic directors and association officials. Also, the website MaxPreps.com owned by CBS interactive has become the authority in NCHSAA because they have Pinecrest slotted as a fourth seed when in fact that is incorrect. Due to Southeastern Conference rules, Hoke County earned a fourth seed because they beat a higher seed in Richmond County. Ei-ther way, fourth or fifth seed, the Bucks overall record of 11-12 is what sealed their fate. Pinecrest has an 18-6 overall record. Even though Hoke was tied with Pinecrest at 5-5 in the conference, the overall records were used to seed the teams for the playoffs. It can be confusing and has sparked a debate that will go on into the spring. Some teams have begun scheduling a soft non-conference schedule in order to make the playoffs. In the fall, some football teams have done the same. It’s the exact opposite of what most major collegiate schools are trying to get away from. The conference tournaments are also in question because, for the last two years, there has been no conference basketball tournament and it seems they may become a way of the past. No matter how you look at it, winter sports are almost over and spring is right around the corner. Or is it?

Visit us @ www.western-sizzlin.com

OUR DAILY SPECIALS

Meals include the biggest baked potato in town or french fries. And when you dine in...complimentary

Bakery Bar and Dessert Bar.

SUNDAY • #1 Sirloinw/Free House Salad • Reg $11.28 ..............

$899

MONDAY • #1 SirloinReg $8.99 ..........................................................

$799

TUESDAY • #3 Sirloin TipsReg $6.99 .........................................................

$549

WEDNESDAY • #14 Chopped SirloinReg $6.49 .........................................................

$549

THURSDAY • #3 Sirloin TipsReg $6.99 .........................................................

$549

FRIDAY • #5 Super Top SirloinReg $9.99 .........................................................

$899

SATURDAY • #9 Super Top SirloinReg $11.99 ......................................................

$999

7735 S. Raeford Rd, Fayetteville, NC • 910-867-300260-140-15

For more information, call (910) 715-1271 or toll-free (800) 213-3284.

www.firsthealth.org/response

Keeping you and/or your loved ones safe and giving you peace of mind.

• Button pushed for fast, local response • Responder called for help • EMS / police dispatched

Wings • Burgers • Salads Subs • Wraps

Lunch & DinnerMonday - Sunday 8 a.m. - midnight

Bring the kids & enjoy the day watching skydivers & airplanes

while you enjoy your food!

•9 Wide Screen TVs•Full ABC Permits

•Pool Tables

Meetings, Events, Birthdays, Retirements

155 Airport Drive • (910) 904-6761(located at Raeford Airport Drop Zone) off Doc Brown Rd.

$30 FeeAdditional $5Late Fee AfterMarch 2nd

if space isavailable

Hoke CountyParks & Recreation

423 E. Central Ave.Raeford, NC

(910) 875-4035 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

(Cash or check only)

Baseball/SoftballRegistration Begins February 2 - 27H BRing CoPy oF BiRtH CeRtiFiCAte H

Contact

Spring Registration

6A THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C. February 25, 2015

Shooting(Continued from page 1A)

Butterball(Continued from page 1A)running, McCrory said.

“Tomorrow, they’re going to start taking applications,” the gov-ernor said.

The company plans to hire 200 employees over the next 10 months and will hire another 150-plus em-ployees over the next three years, according to officials.

Butterball Chief Operating Of-ficer Joe Nally said the company is looking forward to having a greater presence in Hoke County.

“We’re excited to expand our operations in North Carolina. Pur-chasing this plant is important to our long-standing ties to this local area, where we already employ about 200 employees with our western breeder division and hatchery operations,” he said.

“We feel welcome to be here, and that’s really important,” Nally added.

The company plans to invest over $66 million over the next three years, the COO said.

“A lot of money, but things are not cheap, and we want to do this right and we are going to do it right. It’s got good bones to start with, so to speak, and it’s going to be a nice plant when we’re done,” he said.

Butterball is committed to “remaining a strong part of the Ra-eford community” and being good employers, Nally said.

Commission Chairman James Leach said that the city and county have to work together to grow the local economy.

“The county and its staff stand today with the city of Raeford to do what it takes to bring jobs to our county,” he said.

The governor said he had fol-lowed the situation in Hoke County

since the House of Raeford an-nounced in March 2013 it would close the slaughterhouse.

“The worst piece of news I got in my first three months was learn-ing about the closing of this plant,” McCrory said.

The company and the state, as well as local agencies, stepped up to help the people impacted by the plant’s closing. Even so, it was still a difficult time for them, the governor said.

“We wanted to do everything we can to bring back jobs to North Carolina, in every county in North Carolina,” he said.

The state’s economy was built on companies like the House of Raeford, McCrory said.

“Someone’s got to actually make some things or produce some things or grow some things and build some things and innovate things. That’s what made our country great, that’s what made North Carolina great,” he said.

The governor encouraged offi-cials to look more strongly at manu-facturing jobs and their contributions to the economy.

“A lot of people gave up on it. We cannot give up on it,” he said.

The unemployment rate in Hoke County has dropped dramatically over the last year, falling from 9.6 percent in January 2014 to 5.6 per-cent in January 2015, McCrory said.

The plant is set up to produce cooked turkey products.

North Carolina is the third largest producer of turkey in the country, and ranks first if measured in pounds, officials said. Butterball is the largest producer of turkey in the United States and is headquartered in Garner. The company produces

With the governor (center): James Leach (left to right), Harry Southerland, Hubert Peterkin, Allen Thomas, Bobby Wright.

When the SBI comes to a conclusion in the case, the office will turn the finding over to Hoke County District Attorney Kristy Newton.

It can be a long process, Pe-terkin said, sometimes taking up to a year for a final decision from the state investigators. The sheriff said he understands that the waiting might be difficult for the community and for McCall’s family. Still, it’s better to have an unaffiliated agency handle the investigation, he said.

“The integrity of the investiga-tion is in good hands when you have an outside organization look-ing into it,” Peterkin said.

Whether the SBI findings show that the officer was in the wrong or that the officer did not act wrongly, Peterkin said, he is “not going to second guess the SBI and DA.”

“Whatever the SBI and the DA comes back with, I’m going to support their findings,” he said.

The department has specific policies in place that govern the use of force and instruct deputies about what should be done in a given situation. Deputies at the sheriff’s office undergo frequent training about how to handle situ-ations that might involve firing

their weapons, the sheriff said.“They train for this all the time,

over and over again. They have to qualify two or three times a year,” he said.

The Hoke sheriff’s office is especially stringent about its policies because it earned and must maintain its national accreditation through the Com-mission for Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), Peterkin said. The department is one of a handful of offices in North Carolina that passed the accreditation process, and it recently passed another round of inspections that will allow it to keep its accredited status for another three years.

The examination process requires outside agents to take a look at not only the use of force and other office policies but also the department’s history of imple-menting those policies.

“As a nationally accredited law enforcement agency, every single policy has been tested,” Peterkin said. “When we get accredited, those people come here and look at what we’re doing. They dissect

every single policy. … As a nation-ally accredited law enforcement agency, everything that we do is under a microscope.”

As a matter of policy, Morant was placed on administrative leave after the shooting but has since come back to work, the sheriff said. Deputies involved in shootings must undergo a process to make sure they are physically and mentally capable of going back on the job.

“There’s a series of things that has to take place before they come back to work,” Peterkin said.

After coming off of adminis-trative leave, Morant performed administrative duties at the department before being al-lowed to return to patrol work, the sheriff said. Morant has worked at the department for about nine years.

This was the first time in Peterkin’s 12 years of serving as Hoke County Sheriff that a person died in a local officer-involved shooting. There have been other situations where a deputy shot a suspect, but McCall’s death was the first fatality, Peterkin said.

more than 1 billion pounds of turkey every year, which is distributed to over 45 countries around the world.

“It will be coming right from here,” McCrory said.

The House of Raeford slaugh-terhouse has remained unoccupied since it closed in 2013. The cook plant is much newer than the slaugh-terhouse plant. Parts of the original slaughterhouse date back to the 1950s, while the further processing plant was constructed in the 1990s.

Job applications for Butterball are available through the company website, http://www.butterballcorp.com/careers.

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTSChris Johnson, M.D., OrthopaedicsMatt Grafenberg, M.D., ENT, Head & NeckTabitha Bedini, M.D., Primary CareWilliam L. Harris, M.D., CardiologistDebbie Thomasson, M.D., Cardiologist

The physicians above serve patients in ourPhysician Offices & Specialty Center, located at6322 Fayetteville Road, Raeford. For moreinformation, call (910) 878-6700.

Lee Lowery, M.D., OB/GYN

Dr. Lowery will see patients at FirstHealth FamilyMedicine, located at 313 Teal Drive, Raeford. Formore information, call (910) 904-2350.

SPECIALTY SERVICES-Cardiology-Orthopaedics-ENT-Wound Care & Hyperbarics-GYN Oncology-OB/GYN

FirstHealth Physician Offices and SpecialtyCenter is located at 6322 Fayetteville Road,Raeford.

FREE EDUCATION SEMINARHeart Disease: Prevention, Diagnosis andTreatment

Wednesday, March 18, 5:30 p.m., UNC-Pembroke Regional Center, COMTechPark, 49 Livermore Drive, Pembroke.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death inthe United States, yet it goes unknown in many of itsvictims. Join William Harris, M.D., cardiologist withFirstHealth Cardiology, as he discusses the latestresearch on heart disease. Dr. Harris is a native ofPembroke and offers weekly appointments inPembroke. This event is free and open to the public.Heart healthy snacks will be available.

For more information or to register, call (800) 213-3284.

PATIENT PORTALSecurely access your personal healthinformation any time, anywhere withwww.myhealthcareportal.org.With online services, you can:

• Save Time. The information is at yourfingertips.

• Ensure all your health care providers makedecisions based on your complete, up-to-datemedical history.

• Connect everyone involved in your care.• Manage care for a spouse, children or an

aging parent.• Manage Chronic Conditions such as diabetes

and high blood pressure.• Have access to “Pay Your Bill Online.”

It’s Easy to Get Started. Just provide youre-mail address to our registration staff. Or, visitour website: www.firsthealth.org.

WEIGHT LOSS SURGERYINFORMATION SESSIONThursday, March 5, 6 p.m. or Tuesday,March 17, 6 p.m., Shadowlawn Room at ClaraMcLean House, 20 FirstVillage Drive,Pinehurst.

This program is designed to introduceprospective patients to the FirstHealth BariatricCenter at Moore Regional Hospital and toprovide information about the weight-losssurgery options offered. Prospective patientsmust attend a free information session in orderto schedule a consultation with a bariatricsurgeon.

Family members and/or other supporters arewelcomed and encouraged to attend. Pleasewear shoes that can be taken on and off easilyand arrive 20 to 30 minutes early so we cancalculate your body mass index.

For more information or directions, call tollfree (800) 213-3284 or visit us at our websiteat www.NCWeightLossSurgery.org.

CLARA MCLEAN HOUSEThe Clara McLean House at FirstHealth is a homeaway from home for patients and families duringtimes of medical treatment. Located across fromFirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, Clara’s Houseis a calming oasis that promotes healing andcomfort. Overnight accommodations provideindividual guest rooms/baths with shared commonrooms including a kitchen to store and prepare yourown food, children’s playroom, laundry room, familyroom,reflection room and library.

For more information on how to receive areferral to stay at the Clara McLean House call(910) 715-4220.

DOES YOUR CHILD NEED A DENTIST?If your child has Medicaid or Health Choice, heor she may be eligible to receive care atFirstHealth Dental Care.

Same-day appointments are available for newpatients; Saturday appointments also available.

For more information, call (910) 904-7450.Located at 314 Teal Drive, Raeford.

FIRSTHEALTH RESPONSEPut yourself and your family members at easewith FirstHealth Response.

FirstHealth Response is a personal emergencyresponse service that is based at FirstHealth MooreRegional Hospital. The service, which provides24-hour assistance at the touch of a button, isavailable to residents of Hoke and surroundingcounties.

Call (800) 213-3284 toll-free for moreinformation.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDVolunteers needed at our Moore RegionalHospital - Hoke Campus!

We are looking for reception volunteers to meet,greet and escort patients and visitors. This is anactive job that involves great customer serviceskills!

If you are interested, please contact ourVolunteer Services office at (910) 715-1266 oremail us at cstrother@firsthealth.org to learnmore. When contacting us, please specify thatyou wish to volunteer on our Moore RegionalHospital - Hoke Campus.

184-170-15

Sandhills Community College, Hoke CampusJohnson Hall

Tuesday, March 10th – 8:45 - 3:30Wednesday, March 11th – 8:45 - 3:30Thursday, March 12th – 8:30 - 3:30

(Must attend all three sessions)The following condiTions apply:

Must be at least 18 years of age and you must hold a valid driver’s license no less than six months

you have to be able to obtain a n.c. cdl driver’s licenseYou must have a good driving record with less than five

convictions and/or less than three suspensionsyou must be able to pass a physical, TB Test and

alcohol and drug screeninga criminal record & background check must be completed

prior to employmentyou must have application on file in the Transportation dept.

(Unless already employed by the hoke county school system)starting salary $11.37 per hour

Part-time employmentyou must be available from 6:00 am until 9:00 am oryou must be available from 2:15 pm until 5:30 pmFor more information or an application:

Contact: Deborah RossHoke County Schools Transportation Department

(910) 875-9271

SCHOOL BUSTRAINING SESSION

north carolina

Try The News-Journal for just 99¢ for the first month. We’ll mail you a paper each week, and you’ll be eligible for a free PDF version of the paper, which will arrive as soon as it’s published. After the trial period the cost is just $2.95 per month for subscribers inside Hoke Coun-ty, and $4.95 for those outside the county (postage costs are higher). Cancel at any time!

Try

for just 99¢