RAEFORD & HOKE COUNTY N.C.Hoke County’s newspaper since 1905 75¢

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013No. 10 Vol. 108

BY KEN MACDONALD

Since I became a “scooter commuter” I unwittingly joined some sort of club of bugs-in-the-teeth slow rid-ers, and now I get honks, waves and occasionally visits from others who’ve heard the call of born-to-be (almost)-wild. We talk equipment, top speed and close calls—lots of talk about close calls,

actually.One such buddy could

be president of our club be-cause his scooter is a 600cc behemoth. His close calls, he says, have to do with speeding. “Got caught do-ing 80 and it didn’t feel like I was even going the speed limit.” We got a good laugh from his story about another friend who always rode his

(See STUFF, page 4A)

Other Stuff

Infl atable park is answer to ‘nothing to do’ here This Week

BY CATHARIN SHEPARD

Staff writer

Although federal budget cuts may impact many Meals on Wheels programs throughout the country, local con-tributions will keep the Hoke County program running through the 2013-14 fi scal year, Senior Services Director Ester Harrell said.

“I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had to cut anything yet. We don’t have any waiting lists, so everybody is receiving Meals on Wheels,” she said.

The Meals on Wheels program takes either hot meals or a supply of frozen meals to shut-in, elderly residents who aren’t able to get out of their homes easily and who often don’t have family to look after them. Right now, the program serves 56 elderly residents in Hoke County. Those closer to Raeford receive hot meals and human interaction with friendly volunteers while hired drivers take longer routes through the county to drop off a supply of frozen meals for

(See MEALS ON WHEELS, page 4A)

BY CATHARIN SHEPARD

Staff writer

After more than a year and a half without a tribal administrator, Lumbee Tribe Chairman Paul Brooks last week named Hoke County Commissioner Tony Hunt as interim administrator for the tribe’s government offi ces.

Brooks nominated Hunt for the po-sition of tribal administrator in March and appointed Hunt as the interim administrator Tuesday, May 7. Hunt began working with the Lumbee Tribe’s government offi ces May 9, according to a press release from Brooks’ offi ce.

The tribal administrator serves as a chief of staff for the chairperson, han-dling the day-to-day operations of the government and freeing the chairperson to pursue long-term interests such as the Lumbee Tribe’s ongoing fi ght for federal recognition, offi cials said. In his new position as interim administrator, Hunt will be responsible for overseeing various matters related to the govern-ment’s functions. The Lumbee Tribe offi ces operate services for enrolled members including a housing program, assistance for the elderly, veterans’ services, programs for youth and more.

As interim administrator, Hunt said

he hopes to focus on improving trans-parency and accountability while giving Brooks time to address matters such as economic development.

“I hope to be able to free the chair-man up so he can be about the federal recognition and economic development and free him up in the sense that we run, as we have been doing, a professional business here, and that we just improve on that,” Hunt said. “We’re doing a lot of good things…I want us to be more transparent out in the community with a lot of the good things that we’re doing and a lot of the things we’re doing that

(See HUNT, page 6A)

Meals on Wheelswill keep rolling

SandHoke graduates 51

Hunt named interim tribe administratorHoke County commissioner, Hunt will oversee tribe’s varied programs

Relay for Life laterthis year than usual

This time last year and for many years prior, Relay for Life teams were preparing for the annual fundraising event for the American Cancer Society or already counting the proceeds, but this year’s Relay won’t be for several more weeks.

The Hoke County Relay for Life organizers decided to wait this year until Hoke County Schools dismiss classes for the summer to keep excess traffi c at Raz Autry Stadium to a minimum. Relay will be held the second Friday and Saturday in June, the fundraising group announced.

Relay for Life raises money every year with teams that donate their time and efforts into fundraising through a variety of means, including bake sales, car washes, garage

(See RELAY FOR LIFE, page 4A)

BY CATHARIN SHEPARD

Staff writer

Tassels turned and cheers erupted Friday night as SandHoke Early College High School graduated 51 students from the fi ve-year program, the day before many of them went on to graduate from Sandhills Community College with associate’s degrees.

“Where has the time gone? It has been a long but sweet (See SANDHOKE, page 4A)

BY CATHARIN SHEPARD

Staff writer

The red infl atable water slide rises like an intimidat-ing mountain over the color-ful landscape of Kangaroo Dave’s, ready to send the fi rst children to brave the steep, wet descent splashing into the pool of water and soft playground balls waiting at the bottom.

At 22 feet tall it’s one of the biggest infl atable attractions at the county’s fi rst outdoor bounce house park, and Kangaroo Dave’s co-owner Wesley Baldwin said it and the park’s other two dozen infl atables will get their fi rst real tryout this Saturday at the park’s grand opening.

Baldwin and Richard

Lyde spent about three months developing a family-owned property at the corner of Turnpike and John Russell roads, clearing the land, put-ting in fencing and fi nally set-ting up the park’s variety of bounce houses. The outdoor park is somewhat like one that Baldwin saw in another state, but the owners said it’s the fi rst of its kind in North Carolina.

The business owners, na-tive to Hoke County, wanted to bring something for chil-dren to enjoy to the area. There aren’t many local at-tractions for kids, especially during the long, hot summer months when school is not in session, Baldwin said.

“There’s not anything for them to do around here at all.

Wagon Trainto mark 50 years

See page 4A

Raeford skydivergets gold in Florida

See page 4A

That’s my main inspiration,” he said.

The park features 25 bounce houses ranging from small arcade-style games to a “Wipeout”-style obstacle course where kids have to

jump from one large red inflated platform to the next. Part of the park is set aside for kids looking to get sopping wet on a number of water slides and other

(See PARK, page 6A)

Hunt on the job in his offi ce. (Contributed photo)

Manager Christine King and co-owner Wesley Baldwin.

A graduate poses for photos after receiving her diploma at the Matthew Rouse Center. (Catharin Shepard photos)

A graduate gets a handshake from an instructor.

2A THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C. May 15, 2013

(See mooneyham, page 3a)

Viewpoints

North Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates of the 50 states, and the plan to layoff more than 900 employees at the House Of Raeford, which was the largest employer in Hoke County, will make the situation in this area even more desperate. This situa-tion is seen more often in the rural areas of the state because of the non-skilled worker in these areas.

Forty or 50 years ago, the majority of rural workers of our state were employed by textile plants and the tobacco industry, both of which are gone from this area. To date, there have been few companies or industries that have moved to this area to fill the gap. It seems new companies are hesitant to move to areas such as Hoke and Robson counties because of the lack of skilled workers. Many companies of today require skilled technicians to operate the equipment for their products. So rather than train new workers, they locate in areas where more skilled workers are available.

There are those who say that rural areas dropped the ball years ago by not upgrading their educational system. Years ago,

no one understood how important education would be. We thought the textile and tobacco industries would last forever. Also, there were few in the income bracket to send a child to college. Few were able to foresee the impor-tance technology would have on our lives.

Many years ago in the schools of the north, there were trade schools. They were high schools for students not interested in entering college or who were not college materiel. In these schools, males were taught skills such as carpentry, electricity, and plumbing. The females were taught culinary arts, sewing, office skills—today would be computer training—and other skills that would enable them to support themselves after school.

These occupations may not be the most glamorous or excit-ing, but they enable a person to earn a good income to support

themselves and their families. In many instances, there are electri-cians, carpenters, and plumbers who earn as much or more than professionals. Another advantage of these types of skills is that, though you may not be able to find employment for your skill in your area, you can always travel where your skills are needed.

Another advantage of learning skills such as these is that they can be obtained at a local community college in less time than obtaining a degree in other subjects. The construction industry is always in need of help. In Cumberland County there are a number of construction projects underway. There are courses in operating heavy equipment. Once a person has mastered the operation of any of these pieces of equipment, they can be assured of employment, because there are always building projects underway, if not in your area, then in neighboring areas.

We can no longer wait for op-portunity to knock. To succeed, go and seek opportunity yourselves.

Paul Burnley can be reached at plburnley@aol.com.

There’s still a place for trade schools

By Scott MooneyhaM

Capital Press Association

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Frog HollerPhilosopher

Ron Huff

By Ken MacDonalD

I was asked, in my capacity as a newspaper publisher, to talk to a group of sixth-graders last week about the First Amendment. “Gladly,” I answered, and I even put on a tie to do it, because this particular amendment is near and dear to us newspaper types. For even us small weekly community papers, its protections affect us every day. The First Amendment makes possible a free press, ensures the right to peaceably assemble, gives us the right to petition the government, gives us the right to free speech and the freedom of religion.

It was this last freedom—of religion—the class had been studying and about which they’d prepared projects and reports, and so that was to be my main focus as well.

It’s a tricky thing, this sub-ject— a sticky wicket, as the British say, because a person can get into real trouble real quickly speaking about faith. But shouldn’t we hash the subtleties out with our kids? Should we be afraid to explore these top-ics that are foundations of our government?

So I preached it, brother.I gave them the example

of my trip to Pakistan a few years back. My wife and I flew on Pakistan International Airlines, the airline owned by the government. In our seats comfortably aboard the 747, we were surprised that as part of the safety briefing—right there with the part about oxygen masks falling from the overhead compartments—the flight at-tendant led us in prayer. To Allah, I might add.

When in Rome, right? But when in America, a gov-

ernment organization can’t do that, because the First Amend-ment, and Supreme Court rulings interpreting it, say the government can’t promote one religion or faith over another. That’s because we’re free to worship God as we see fit (or not at all), not as the govern-ment sees fit.

Imagine my surprise Tuesday, when I tuned in to the N.C. State Legislature’s audio feed to hear what travesties are about to be afflicted upon us this week, and the morning session was opened with prayer—in Jesus’ name.

Do you see the problem with this, kids?

Now don’t get me wrong. I am a follower of Jesus, and I wish we all were. I think things would be better, though I hasten to add many people who claim to be his followers have a mighty strange take on it, hating this person or that for this reason or that.

I also agree with some people who say that our government officials have taken the separa-tion of church and state too far, forbidding kids to assemble on their own at school to pray. In trying to prevent the government from favoring one religion over another, they swung the pendu-lum too far and in so doing deny the rights of students to freedom of religion and expression. And therefore I’m fine with these same legislators’ Senate Bill 370 that spells out that it’s okay to pray at school, just not to be forced to.

You see kids? It’s complex. But it’s important and we should plumb its depths.

And legislators? I think you should appear before Mr. Mor-mando’s Social Studies class and explain how you arrived at the conclusion that it’s okay to hold a sectarian prayer to open our state’s business.

And now kids, a lesson from the legislature

“Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion? Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”40-year teacher Rita Pierson, TED talk, “Every Kid Needs a Champion”

“America cannot wait another 50 years to get this right. We have run out of time. I don’t know about a fiscal cliff, but I know there’s an educational cliff that we are walking over right this very second, and if we allow folks to continue this foolishness about saying we can’t af-ford this — So Bill Gates says it’s going to cost five billion dollars. What is five billion dollars to the United States? What did we spend in Af-ghanistan this year? How many trillions?” —Geoffrey Canada, TED talk, “Our Failing Schools. Enough is Enough!”

“What’s gotten in the way of education in the United States is a theory of social engineering that says there is ONE RIGHT WAY to proceed with growing up.” ― John Taylor Gatto, “Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Education”

Today’s homework (Notes on education)

I read the editorial from “Smarty Pants” in the April 17, 2013 issue of this publica-tion about his ideas for fixing our public educational system. I know that “Mr. Pants” has spent a lot of time in consider-ation of the views stated. I also know that he has spent a lot of time in direct contact with the students and administration in the Hoke County schools and that he takes this subject very seriously. Furthermore, any man who will drive a poor little truck until it begs for mercy is not one for frivolous spending and carefully considers a call for significant pay raises and smaller class sizes.

It should be apparent that we have not done enough to reward our teachers for performing perhaps the most important function in our society. As for his suggestion that class size be cut in half, I can only say that I respect his opinion and expect that he may be correct. Of course, the devil is in the details and the details are in the budget and the funding thereof. At the very least, as a society, we need to understand that some spending should be viewed as an investment, not as merely an expense. When an expenditure can be clearly shown to produce financial benefits beyond the cost, or reduce further spending down the road, it should be given additional priority. In our capi-talistic system of economics, this is the guiding principle that entrepreneurs use. They could quit borrowing money to invest in business, but they realize that it takes money to make money and they will borrow in hopes of a great return on the capital. The best way for a business to fail is to be under-capitalized or mismanaged. The same is true

of education. We should invest in education but demand that we get a return on our investment. Educational administrators can spend all we will give them, but until some fundamental changes are made to improve the system, more money is not necessarily the answer.

I believe that we need to expand arts education in the schools. These programs seem to have suffered, likely because their effectiveness is not ad-equately reflected in better stan-dardized test scores. Education in the arts not only contributes to a better quality of life but also in many cases conditions the brain for better performance in other areas. Arts education was important in my own life, so I may be a bit biased. I would argue that I am biased in the right direction based on studies and my own experience.

I also agree with “Smarty” that we should truly consider a mandatory service period for all young citizens. This would fill in a gap that many young people fall into between the structure of required school and the time at which they have attained some direction in life. It would also expose our young citizens to possibilities and influences that they have not known. Merely getting young people away from home and placing them in a structured random group of fellow citizens from various backgrounds could do wonders for them. But what would they do? As far as I am concerned, they could hold hands along the Mexican Border and save

fence money as long as it would include other appropriate citi-zen building activities. Perhaps they could work in our national parks, supply support services for the military and work on energy independence projects.

To add to “Smarty’s” list, I believe our school system should do more to take advan-tage of local citizens who do not have teaching certificates but who have valuable lessons about life to impart to our youth. There are certainly experi-enced, successful folks in all communities who would gladly help out if there were a compat-ible framework in which they could contribute. When I was at Hoke High, a local surveyor, Robert Gatlin, started a course in drafting and surveying. He had worked in the private sector and had no teaching experience as far as I know. Nevertheless, he mentored a large group of students and was responsible for directing many, including myself, into the fields of engi-neering and surveying. Another family friend taught building trades and I know he had no particular teaching credentials.

I believe that we have put too much emphasis on passing tests to measure the effectiveness of education when the real test is the extent to which we prepare our youth for their next step in life, be it college, work or just responsible citizenship. I would love to see a system that allowed students to try several career-oriented paths that could lead to the types of technical jobs that businesses are looking for. This would be a feeder system into our tech schools and community colleges. I believe students need more guidance and exposure to the real world, and maybe a little less testing.

More later.

Bring back arts, citizen involvement to schoolsBy Scott MooneyhaM

Capitol Press Association

Woo hoo! I’m going to save $650 a year!

What? You haven’t plugged your income, your dependent information and your tax filing status in the new tax calculator set up by state Senate leaders to determine your tax savings under their tax reform proposals?

Well, go forth. You can find it at www.nctaxcut.com.

Besides that tax calculator, you can hear Senate leader Phil Berger, in a video, selling the plan. The website also lays out the broad strokes -- big reductions in the personal income tax, a slight reduction in the sales tax while that tax is expanded to cover more than 100 services, and small cuts to the corporate income tax and business franchise tax.

Maybe “plan” is too concrete a term. Despite coming up with the

calculator to estimate individual taxpayer savings, Senate leaders have yet to release a detailed piece of legislation.

That is not surprising. As I pointed out in a column a few days ago, this is some pretty scary stuff for a group of folks (by that, I mean all politicians) who live their lives kind of like cats, avoiding downpours and tepidly stepping out whenever there is any change in the wind.

Putting one’s name to a tax plan is a lot like a cat asking to be tossed into a swimming pool.

So, Berger et al deserve some credit. Maybe they should receive some points for transparency, too.

After all, that tax calculator, if its assumptions are correct, is unlikely to make a big chunk of the populace jump for joy.

What it shows is that the plan would mean a tax hike for poorer families and big savings for the wealthy.

Among the results: a fam-ily with two children earning $30,000 would pay $1,000 more in taxes; the break-even point, for that same two-child family, would be about $40,000; a two-child family earning $200,000 would get a $4,200 tax cut; and the savings for a two-child family with $1 million in earnings would be $53,750.

These kinds of numbers handed Democrats and the left plenty of ammunition. They deemed the plan an attack on the working class.

The proposals may do just as much harm to families earning up to $150,000 a year.

Berger and Senate leaders like touting that the proposal would cut taxes by $1 billion over three years. They seem to have missed that this overall tax cut may do more damage to the middle-class than any pluses or minuses to

Have you calculated your tax savings?

May 15, 2013 THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C 3A

Obituaries

Mooneyham(Continued from page 2a)

Police Blotter

Sheriff Blotter

individual tax bills.My family, for example, gets

its $650 annual tax cut. Mean-while, eliminating one-twentieth

of the state’s general operating budget creates more pressure to raise university tuition, to increase fees at parks, and to cut public school dollars that

are made up with fees and local fundraisers.

Legislators are right that the state’s tax structure needs revising. If they don’t want to

be accused of being reverse-Robin Hoods, they need to concentrate on the sales tax and expanding the base while lowering the rate.

Keyerica McLaurinKeyerica Nyshanda McLau-

rin, 4, of 745 Gatlin Farm Road died Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at Duke Hospital in Durham.

Survivors include her parents, Eric and Keyshanda; her sister, Jenaysha; her brother, Eric II; grand-mothers, Mary, Fredia and Pecolia; and grandfathers, Neil and James.

The memorial service was held at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11 in Crumpler Serenity Funeral Home of Red Springs.

Vinola SmithVinola Smith, 76, of 311

Oakdale Gin Road died Saturday, May 4, 2013.

Survivors include a sister, Ardella; and a brother, Obie Sr.

The funeral was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11 in Leach Springs Missionary Baptist Church. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Jessie L. DobbinsJessie Lee Dobbins, 61, of

706 Mockingbird Hill Road died Saturday, May 4, 2013.

Survivors include his mother, Sara; companion, Barbara Camp-bell; a stepson, Levell Campbell; and a brother, George.

The funeral was held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 10 in Buie Fu-neral Home chapel in Raeford. Burial was in McLaughlin Cha-pel Church cemetery.

Lewis J. EllerbeeLewis J. Ellerbee, 82, of 2447

Doc Brown Road died Sunday, May 5, 2013.

Survivors include his wife, Annie; a daughter, Annie; sons, Lewis, Joseph, Larry, William and James; a brother, Archie; sisters, Mary Miles and Geneva Knight; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren.

The funeral was held at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 9 in Mat-thew Rouse Resource Center. Burial was in Highland Biblical Garden.

The Raeford Police Depart-ment reported the following recent incidents:

May 8Possession of fraudulent iden-

tification, identity theft, 300 block of Magnolia Street, victims State of North Carolina, Raquel Valente Benitez, Stephanie Locklear

Larceny (shoplifting), 200 block of Cole Avenue, victim Food Lion

May 9Breaking and entering, larceny

of a motor vehicle, 100 block of Fayetteville Road, victim Anisha Gordon

May 10Communicating threats, simple

assault, 1300 block of Highway 401 Business, victim Shaileshakumar K. Patel

Missing dog, 200 block of North Wright Street

May 11Larceny, 400 block of West Pros-

pect Avenue, victim Cassie Tedder

May 12Driving while intoxicated (alco-

hol), Saunders Street/John Roper Avenue, victim State of North

Carolina Criminal damage to property,

1800 block of Turnpike Road, victim Premier Health Care

Injury to personal property, larceny, burglary (forcible entry), Southern Avenue, victim Gordon Johnson

May 13Larceny, trespassing, 700 block

of North Stewart Street, victims Wrenn Garrett Barrington and James Dale Baker.

Damage to personal property, 500 block of East Central Avenue, victim Crystal Lynn Clark

Damage to personal property, assault on a female, simple assault, 500 block of John Roper Avenue, victims Deshornaye Keondra Virgil and Michael Jarrell Jenkins

Order for arrest (failure to appear on a driving while license revoked charge), resisting, delaying or ob-structing a law enforcement officer, 200 block of Reaves Street, victim State of North Carolina. Police charged Kristen Marie Long, 31, of the 200 block of Reaves Street.

May 14Assault on a female, commu-

nicating threats, 500 block of East Central Avenue, victim Kimberly Rose Scott

The Hoke Sheriff’s office report-ed the following recent incidents:

May 4Larceny of firearm, simple as-

sault, 300 block of Brewer DriveFire investigation, 100 block of

Graham RoadSimple assault, assault on a fe-

male, 200 block of Marigold DriveAssault with a deadly weapon,

100 block of Pine Forest Mobile Home Park

Harassment by stalking, 4600 block of Fayetteville Road

Assault with a deadly weapon, communicating threats, Reservation Road and Aberdeen Road

Assault on a female, 8200 block of Fayetteville Road

Larceny, 500 block of Ranch Road

Unauthorized use of a motor ve-hicle, 500 block of Dunrobin Drive

Fire investigation, 600 block of Goose Pond Road

Fraud, 300 block of Morgan Drive

Assault on a female, 100 block of Redberry Lane

Injury to personal property, 4600 block of Fayetteville Road

May 5Larceny, 800 block of North

Parker Church RoadInjury to personal property, 4200

block of Old Maxton RoadLarceny of motor vehicle, injury

to personal property, 200 block of North Duffie Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 100 block of Malloy Street

Injury to real property, 100 block of Owl Court

Breaking and entering, larceny,

larceny of firearm, 3600 block of St. Pauls Road

Fire investigation, 600 block of Gainey Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 1500 block of Pope Street

Injury to personal property, 100 block of Independence Drive

Injury to personal property, 7400 block of Rockfish Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 1500 block of Pope Street

Assault with a deadly weapon, 2400 block of Highway 401 Busi-ness

Breaking and entering, larceny, 600 block of Hobson Road

Assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, 100 block of Sierra Court

Breaking and entering, larceny, 700 block of Mockingbird Hill Lane

Assault on a female, 3400 block of Army Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 8000 block of Fayetteville Road

Simple assault, assault with a deadly weapon, 400 block of St. Matthew Church Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 9000 block of Aberdeen Road

Fire investigation, 1800 block of North Duffie Road

Injury to personal property, 4600 block of Fayetteville Road

May 6Breaking and entering, larceny,

200 block of Azalea StreetAssault with a deadly weapon

inflicting serious injury, injury to personal property, 300 block of Haire Road

Larceny, 1300 block of Clan Campbell Drive

Damage to county property,

Rockfish Road and Koonce Road

May 7Breaking and entering, larceny,

6400 block of Fayetteville RoadLocate stolen vehicle, 300 block

of Sandstone DriveLarceny, 300 block of Rolling

Pine DriveLarceny, assault with a deadly

weapon, 7400 block of Arabia RoadSimple assault, injury to real

property, resisting, delaying or ob-structing a law enforcement officer, 2400 block of John Road

Breaking and entering, 1600 block of Chason Road

Injury to personal property, 3400 block of McNeil Farm Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 100 block of Alex Baker Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 100 block of Malinda Drive

Injury to personal property, 300 block of Triple Crown Drive

Breaking and entering, larceny, possession of stolen goods, 1400 block of Haire Road

Larceny, 3600 block of St. Pauls Road

Injury to personal property, com-municating threats, 9700 block of Fayetteville Road

May 8Communicating threats, 200

block of Autry LoopRunaway juvenile, 500 block of

Rockfish RoadAttempted breaking and

entering, 300 block of Club Pond Road

Larceny of firearm, 200 block of Philippi Church Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 100 block of Alex Baker Road

Structure fire, 400 block of South Hilltop Road

Obtaining property by false pretense, 2400 block of O’Hara Drive

Fraud, identity theft, 4300 block of Blue Springs Road

Larceny, 8000 block of Old Wire Road

Attempted breaking and enter-ing, 100 block of State Street

Larceny, Red Springs Road/Shannon Road

Breaking and entering, larceny, 100 block of Candlewood Drive

Larceny, 1100 block of Bethune Drive

May 9Larceny of motor vehicle, 3600

block of St. Pauls RoadLarceny, 100 block of Hillcrest

DriveSimple assault, 100 block of

Hillcrest DriveArmed robbery, 2600 block of

Galatia Church RoadLarceny, 300 block of Feathers

LanePossession of firearm by felon,

possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana, maintaining a vehicle, possession of drug para-phernalia, Oakdale Gin Road/St. Pauls Road

Injury to real property, breaking and entering, 200 block of Smokey Mountain Drive

Simple assault, 2400 block of Highway 401 Business

Simple assault, use of force, 100 block of Peppertree Lane

Assault on a female, 600 block of St. Johns Loop

Sexual assault, 100 block of Wren Road

How do you explain that?A driver got a scare but was unhurt Monday when a tire came off his truck while he was driving south on Laurinburg Road in Hoke County. The truck ran off the road and into a ditch, according to the State Highway Patrol. Authorities responded to the scene but the driver was able to escape the wreck with no injuries. (Catharin Shepard photo)

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Arabia Food Mart ..........................Arabia Rd.

Barbee Pharmacy .........................Harris Ave.

Bolton’s .......................................Harris Ave.

Bo’s ..............................................S. Main St.

Carthens Grocery .........Center Grove Ch. Rd.

China Buffet .....................................Main St.

CVS Pharmacy ............................401 Bypass

Daniels’ Exxon ........................ E. Central Ave.

Edinborough Restaurant. ..............S. Main St.

Fast Shop ...........................W. Prospect. Ave.

Five Points Grocery ...................Calloway Rd.

Five Star #2 ..................................... Hwy 211

Five Star Food Mart................... Hwy. 15-501

Food Lion...............................Laurinburg Rd.

Food Lion/MiCasita .............. Fayetteville Rd.

Food Mart #4 ............................. Hwy. 211 S.

Food Stop ...........................W. Prospect Ave.

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401 Food Mart&Tobacco ........ E. Central Ave.

401 Shop-N-Save #1 .............Harris and 401

401 Shop-N-Save #2 ............. E. Central Ave.

Happy Mart ................ Hwy 401 & Palmer St.

Hardin’s ......................Rockfish Rd., Rockfish

Hardin’s Express Stop ............... Rockfish Rd.

Home Food Supermarket..................Main St.

Howell Drug ...................................... Teal Dr.

Howell Drug .....................................Main St.

Jay’s Food Mart ........ Hwy 211. at county line

J&L Grocery & Meats ............... Rockfish Rd.

M&A Tobacco ............................ Rockfish Rd

MP Mart ............................... Hwy. 211 South

McNeill’s Grocery ....................... Hwy. 211 S.

McPhatter’s Grocery ..... Hwy. 401 & Vass Rd.

Miller’s Store ............................. Old Wire Rd.

Muncheez Express ................ Fayetteville Rd.

The News-Journal ..................119 W. Elwood

Quality Foods ....................................McCain

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Lucky Stop .................Hwy. 401 & Palmer St.

Short Stop #23 ..........Rockfish Rd.&401 Bus.

Short Stop #54 ....................Davis Bridge Rd.

Short Stop #64 .......................Hwy. 211 West

Short Stop #68 .......................... N. Fulton St.

Tobacco World ...................... Fayetteville Rd.

Waffle House ....................... 401 Hwy Bypass

WilcoHess ................................ Aberdeen Rd.

Yogi Mart ................................... Hwy. 211 S.

Zip N Mart ............................. Fayetteville Rd.

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Have you ever dreamedof owning your own home in a decent neighborhood?Raeford/Hoke Habitat for Humanity is aChristian Housing Ministry dedicated toproviding decent, affordable housing forlow-income families in Hoke County.

If you or someone you know maybenefit from our program, please callDaphne Dudley at (910) 551-3598.

We are now accepting applications for our 7th home until June 14, 2013.

Miss Tuttle’s Kindergarten

I’m so proud of you all!Love,

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This is not as much for Mothers,as for the ones who make us Mothers.

My first baby, Dwight A. Ross, was my first born.

He was a joy, a very loving son.A true gift from Jehovah.

The one who first called me Mother And taught my other babies

to say Mother too.Sunrise 8-1-61Sunset 2-3-12

Your Mother will awaysmiss you!

4A THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C. May 15, 2013

Other Stuff(Continued from page 1a)

Relay for Life(Continued from page 1a)

SandHoke(Continued from page 1a)

Meals on Wheels(Continued from page 1a)

The Hoke County Wagon Train will celebrate half a century of horses, wagons and camping next month at the 50th anniversary of the Wagon Train rolling through downtown Raeford.

The Wagon Train, an annual event founded in 1963 by Edgar “Red” Brooks, came about after Brooks rode in a wagon train down the Boone Trail in Boone, North Carolina.

“He went on the Boone Wagon Train and they decided when he

came back to have one here, and that’s what they did,” Wagon Mas-ter Frank Wilson told The News-Journal in a previous interview.

Wilson’s family has been a part of the train since its early years. His mother started allowing the wagon train to make camp on property she shared with Hannah Lee at about the same time her son took charge as Wagon Master, now about 18 years ago. Wilson is also passing on the tradition to his son and granddaughter.

The family event features the ride from the campground through downtown Raeford, followed by camping, horseback games and activities for children at the campsite off of Alex Baker Road.

The Wagon Train will roll into town June 14-16 with the parade on Main Street set for Friday, June 14. There will also be music at the camp on Friday and Saturday nights.

For more information, contact Wagon Master Wilson at 286-1307 or 875-2643.

Wagon Train’s 50th anniversary coming soon

Raeford resident Jared Zell won the overall gold medal in the advanced division Friday at the 2013 U.S. Parachute Association National Skydiving Champion-

ships of Canopy Piloting at Skydive City Zephyrhills in Florida.

Zell was one of nearly 80 who pushed their aerial skills to the limit and competed for gold, silver

Raeford skydiver gets gold in Florida

Zell swoops in. (Photo by Joe Abeln)Zell (Photo by

Ori Kuper)

and bronze medals in canopy piloting.

In canopy piloting, often called “swooping,” skydiv-ers fly high-performance parachutes that can generate high vertical and horizon-tal speeds. By performing speed-inducing maneuvers, they can glide inches above the ground for hundreds of yards at speeds approaching 90 m.p.h.

The canopy piloting cham-pionships include competi-tions in speed, in which pilots try to fly as quickly as possible through a course; distance, which involves flying as far as possible across the ground; and accuracy, in which canopy pilots must stop on an exact spot for maximum points.

Zell, 28, trains at Raeford Parachute Center. He has completed more than 5,000 skydives.

five years here at SandHoke, but here we are, ready to graduate,” Graduate of the Year Monee Bratcher said. “We made it, class of 2013. Now’s our time to shine.”

This year’s graduating class started the program before Sand-Hoke even had a separate campus for its students, graduate Rebecca Mills recalled during special remarks for the ceremony.

“We started this journey in 2008 coming into a newfound program. For two years we were stuck in little huts, walking back and forth in all kinds of weather,” she said. “Remember when it snowed and the steps would ice over?”

But the time was well worth it when they got to see Johnson Hall built, and the students’ signatures will remain on the SandHoke build-ing’s final beam for the life of the

building, Mills said.“It was something unique to

remember,” she said.The students will pursue a wide

variety of careers and further educa-tion. Many plan to attend four-year colleges and universities including UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State, UNC-Pembroke, North Carolina Central University, Johnson and Wales University and Howard University. Several of the students announced their intentions to join the military, with graduating seniors from the class of 2013 joining the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force.

The graduation was one of the largest yet for the program. Sand-Hoke Early College High School, once only open to teens whose parents had not attended college, is now accepting larger numbers of students from different back-

grounds. Next year the school will have an incoming freshman class of 100 students, and further expan-sion is in the planning process for the Sandhills Community College campus on Central Avenue.

Bratcher extended thanks on behalf of the class of 2013 to the teachers and staff at SandHoke Early College High School and to the graduating students’ parents.

“We worked hard to get to this point, but we didn’t do it by our-selves,” she said.

Tangie Harris, who received the 2013 Superintendent’s Award, performed the national anthem. Marena Glasgow gave the invoca-tion. The Hoke High symphonic band performed and the Hoke High JROTC posted the colors.

Hoke County High School will hold its graduation ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 24.

seniors farther away.The program helps improve

the wellbeing of the county’s vulnerable seniors, Harrell said. This weekend the drivers were able to include small Mother’s Day gifts to the mothers on the route.

“We try to send little flowers and on certain occasions we try to include them, because some of them don’t have family that can come by or their family lives in another state. That’s one of the qualifications that we have for Meals on Wheels, and you’d be amazed at how many seniors just don’t have someone to prepare them a meal,” Harrell said.

Potential budget cuts could affect funding to other Meals on Wheels programs, but the Hoke County Commissioners will likely provide local funding to make up for any cuts in order to keep the program going, Harrell said. Many of the typical grant sources are at a standstill with grant awards for now, but she is still on the lookout for ways to fund the program and may plan some fundraising events later this year, Harrell added.

Besides the Meals on Wheels program, the Senior Services department also operates three nutrition sites in the county where seniors can get a meal during the week, along with

some interaction and activities. Meanwhile, the department is working to improve the func-tionality of the nutrition sites of-fering food to seniors at Ephesus and Mt. Pisgah churches.

“You need at least 20 to 25 people at each site in order to make a profit, and right now, with me paying them $300 a month in rent, it’s really not cost-effective,” Harrell said. Workers at those sites are try-ing to attract more participation from seniors in order to justify keeping the sites open, she said.

The department is also the only seniors’ program in this part of the Sandhills that sells bulk supplies of Ensure, a liquid nutritional supplement popular with senior citizens, to customers for a lower price than the product is sold for in many stores. Many people from surrounding counties also come to buy the product for other senior services programs. The Hoke County office receives a delivery of 90 to 100 cases of Ensure every Tuesday, and by Wednesday the supply is usually completely sold out, Harrell said.

“We’re the only county for miles around that sells Ensure, because we don’t make a profit on it. Other centers were closed down because they were upping the price. Cumberland County,

Robeson, Lumberton, they can’t get it anymore,” she said.

The county commission is giving that program a funding increase because of the rising cost of the product itself and because the program doesn’t make any money from the sales, Harrell said. It’s offered mainly as a service to seniors regardless of whether it makes money for the department, she said.

The department also re-quested in its budget sev-eral additional items such as an industrial-sized refrigerator to store food for the meal pro-grams. Currently the program uses a household-sized refrig-erator and sometimes resorts to temporarily storing sealed items like juice boxes in the employees’ personal refrigera-tor, Harrell aid.

Additionally, starting this summer the department plans to open up the room at the old Armory building on Central Avenue to citizens age 55 and older. The room will be an air-conditioned place for seniors to come during the day and take part in recreational activities, Harrell said.

The program plans to hold a grand opening service later this year. For more informa-tion on the Senior Services programs, contact the office at 875-8588.

bike with his wife on back. “Every time he stopped, she put her feet down, and he got used to it. One day we were out riding and she wasn’t along on the trip. We came to a stop sign and my friend forgot she wasn’t there. The bike turned over on him.”

It’s all great fun, so I hate to seem disloyal to my pals, but I am going to have to break ranks and officially come out in support of proposed leg-islation to further regulate mopeds.

Not too long ago I was in my truck, driving back in the dark from Southern Pines on NC 211, and in the vicinity of the old peach orchard I suddenly spotted a slow-moving moped in the center of my lane. He might have been going 25 miles per hour, and his taillight, if he had one, might have been approaching .025 lumen, roughly the same output as a firefly. As I hit the brakes, I joked with my passenger about natural selection, death wishes, and Darwin awards, but really it’s no joking mat-ter: mopeds don’t belong on NC 211.

The moped bill before the state legislature looks like it might pass, but it doesn’t go far enough. It re-quires riders to hold at least a regular class C driver’s license, be at least 17 years old, and have insurance.

sales and pledges. The teams field walkers who circle the track throughout the evening. The event itself features live music, recognition of cancer survivors, food sales, entertaining activi-

ties throughout the night and a special luminaria ceremony in memory of those who have died of cancer.

So far, 33 teams have raised over $29,000 for this year’s efforts, according to the Hoke

County Relay for Life website. Relay for Life will be Friday and Saturday, June 7-8 at Hoke County High School. For more information, call 827-9806 or visit the group’s Facebook page, Relay for Life of Hoke County.

It also holds riders to DWI laws, and it forbids them from carrying passengers. All good and necessary. But it still would allow mopeds on highways.

Let me digress and say that what I ride is not technically a moped—despite the constant ragging I get to the contrary by certain sixth-graders. Though “moped” first referred to a two-wheel vehicle that has both a motor and pedals—“mo-ped”—in law it’s come to mean two-or three-wheeled vehicles with engines limited to 49cc that are incapable of exceeding 30 miles per hour on flat ground and lack any sort of gear-changing apparatus.

While my bike has an automatic transmission, its engine is 150cc

and will exceed 60 miles per hour and therefore requires a motorcycle license to operate. I intentionally picked that model so I could more safely ride on a highway if need be, though 95 percent of my riding is around Raeford.

Nobody asked me, but I would suggest limiting moped use to roads where the speed limit is 45 miles per hour, or perhaps 35. This resembles federal law restricting another class of slow-moving mo-torized vehicles—neighborhood electric vehicles. At the very least, mopeds should not be allowed on roads designated as state, U.S. or interstate highways.

Guess I’m going to have to find another club.v

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May 15, 2013 THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C 5A

Sports

Sports News To Report?Call Hal Nunn at(910) 875-2121

Just Putting Around

By hal nunn

Sports writer

Hoke County High School faired well at the regional track meet last weekend in Southern Pines. Ten athletes qualified for the state cham-pionships to be held this weekend at N.C. A&T University and one team won the regional in the 4x200. That team consists of Porchia High, Mikayla King, Tiara Harris and Kaitlyn Thomas. They are ranked third in the state after their winning performance at the regional. They also qualified to compete in the nationals, which will be held June 14-16, also at N.C. A&T. The Lady

Bucks 4x400 team also qualified for the state championships by finishing second at the regional event. They are Tiara Harris, Porchia High, Mikayla King and Courtney Pate. Porchia High also qualified for the state championships by finishing third in the 400-meter dash.

On the boys’ side, the 4x100 relay team finished in fourth place at the regional event and that qualified them for the state championships. They are Brandon Smith, Tasmon Kimbrough, Geoffrey Thompson and Detrez Newsome. Kory Jones finished in second place in both the long jump and the high jump. He will compete at the state level as well.

Upland Trace The Saturday morning group

winners at Upland Trace were Steve Jumbelick, Ray McLemore and Huse Lowery. The Sunday morning winners were Steve Jumbelick, Gary Cook, Al Smith and Ray McLemore. The afternoon winners were Chris Long, Jeff Lunsford and Johnny Boyles.

Bayonet at Puppy CreekThe Wednesday shootout win-

ners at Bayonet were Chris Col-lins, Joe Taylor, BJ Johnson, John Hudson and Paul Hill. They shot a 12-under. The Hoke County Partners in Education tournament winners

were Buddie Currie, Derek Butler, Ryan Sauers and Chris Davis.

Hoke High Athletics Tournament

Hoke County High School Athletics Department is hosting a fundraiser golf tournament at Deercroft Golf & Country Club Saturday May 18 with a noon sign-in and 1 p.m. shotgun start. The cost is $60 per player and there is a $10,000 hole-in-one prize as well as a $200 cash prize for the winning team. For more information, contact Hoke High Athletics Director Gary Brigman at 910-286-2346.

10 qualify for state championships

Male and Female Athletes of the YearThe Hoke High Spring Athletic Banquet was held Monday night in the MacDonald Cafeteria where Detrez Newsome (left) and Ashley McCraney (right) were named Male and Female Athletes of the Year. Detrez lettered in track and football, broke the school record in rushing and touchdowns in a season, was All Conference in track and football, was named MVP of the football team, was Southeast-ern Conference Player of the Year, All Region in football and will attend Western Carolina on a football scholarship. Ashley lettered in volleyball and softball. She was All Conference in volleyball and received the leadership award. She is a NCHSAA Scholar Athlete, attended SASI in her 10th grade year, and led the softball team in batting before she had a career-ending accident.

Southeastern Conference Coach and Players of the YearRegina McLaughlin (left to right) was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in Varsity Women’s Track; Kory Jones was named Southeastern Conference Field Events Player of the Year in Varsity Men’s Track; Tiara Harris was named South-eastern Conference Runner of the Year in Varsity Women’s Track; Nelson James was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in Varsity Men’s Tennis.

Partners in Education golf tournament winnersThe 15th Annual Partners in Education Hoke County Golf Tournament and Hoke Schools Challenge Cup Winners were from Hoke County High School: Buddie Currie (left to right), Sharon Burney (Chairperson PIE), Derek Butler, Ryan Sau-ers and Chris Davis.

Spring Scholar Athletes Forty-four athletes were listed as Spring Scholar Athletes for 2013 at the athletic banquet held Monday night. These athletes participated in a sport and maintained at least a 3.5 weighted GPA: Daniel Barrington, Breyon Bratcher, Kyle Bullock, Shamara Butts, Corey Cannon, Danny Colley, Jonathan Cummings, Jamaal Darden, James Davis, Laura Diehl, Andrew Ellis, Justin Glass, Tiara Harris, Ana Hernandez, Damian Ingram, Des’Tinie Jacobs, Randi Jacobs, Marcus Jackson, Aaron Kidd, Mikayla King, Alayna Lewis, Hannah Locklear, Trevon Lovett, Ethan Matz, Ashley McCraney, Autumn McGilvary, Mikal Montgomery, Alexis Osorio, Courtney Pate, Michael Powell, Amanda Priest, Ashelynn Priest, Tiana Rayford, Michael Rose, Bryan Santiago, John Sellers, Kaitlyn Thomas, Gabriel Thompson, Summer Thompson, Zachary Thompson, Tatyana Turner, Gevetta Whittington, Cleveland Wilson and Jordan Virgil. (Some are not pictured.)

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Death leaves aheartache no one

can heal and memories no one can steal.Missing you both.

Wessie L. & James H. Allen

6A THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C. May 15, 2013

Park(Continued from page 1a)

Editorial DeadlinesFriday 12 Noon

Calendar Items - Social Items - News ItemsMonday 12 Noon - Letters to the Editor

inflatables with a water ele-ment. Kangaroo Dave’s also offers inflatable games like basketball and baseball, a gladiator-style inflatable arena and cartoon character-adorned bounce castles.

Besides the air-powered attractions, Kangaroo Dave’s also offers a playground for small children, a horseshoes pit for adults and tents for rent for outdoor gatherings such as birthday parties or family reunions.

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners approved a conditional use permit for the park last June. The park opened on a smaller scale for a test run last summer, but the extremely hot weather of the late summer months forced them to close.

The business owners spent several months reevaluating the park layout and making plans to improve. Now, after improve-ments from the owners and David Thomas, who worked on the landscaping and inflatable arrangement, Kangaroo Dave’s is ready to reopen to the public.

“We added a lot and we

changed some. It was pretty good (last year), but we had so much room still available, we added more stuff. It looks much better,” Baldwin said.

The park will be staffed with about 15 workers, he said.

Daily entrance to the park is $10 per child, and adults get in free. The owners plan to offer the entire park for rent for private parties after normal business hours.

The business requires waiv-ers and emphasizes that children must be supervised at all times. An adult must accompany any child under two years old at all times on the equipment, according to the waiver. Addi-tionally, the park had to undergo inspections by the county and comply with safety regulations, Baldwin said.

Kangaroo Dave’s is located at 5590 Turnpike Road in Hoke County. The grand opening is set for Saturday, May 18 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Regular busi-ness hours will be from 11-8. For more information, call 565-0066 or visit the business website at www.johnrichard-memorialpark.com

Hunt(Continued from page 1a)really people don’t even know anything about.”

Hunt said he plans to continue serving as a county commissioner. His term on the Hoke County Board of Commissioners expires in 2014.

Hunt has served in other capacities with the tribal govern-ment before, he said. He served in the judicial branch of the Lumbee government and also worked in other offices with the tribe. He was one of the first to serve on the Lumbee Supreme Court, he said.

Among his other work experi-ence, Hunt served in the military and also previously worked with Hoke County Schools in a parent and community outreach role. He is no longer working with the school system, he said this week.

Hunt’s military service, experi-ence with the county commission and background with the Lumbee Tribe’s court system were part of what convinced Brooks to name Hunt as the interim administrator, the chairman said.

“He has a background in rela-tion to working with people…his heart is for helping people and that’s what we’re here to do, to make sure that our people when they need, trying to make sure that it happens that way,” Brooks said.

Having an interim administra-tor from outside Robeson County is also a way to strengthen the connection between the tribal government and Lumbee Tribe members living in other counties, Brooks said.

Not yet confirmedHunt is currently serving as

the interim administrator and, depending on the decision of the Tribal Council, could become the

permanent administrator for the duration of Brooks’ time in office. Under the Lumbee Tribal Consti-tution, the tribe’s chairperson may appoint an interim administrator but the tribal council must confirm or deny any nominee put forward to fill the position permanently. So far, Brooks said, he’s put forward three candidates in the last several years only to have his previous two nominees denied by the council.

Brooks decided to appoint Hunt as the interim administrator after a special called meeting of the Lumbee Tribal Council held Monday, May 6, the chairman said. Only 12 of the 21 council members were in attendance at the meeting. That number did not meet the government’s two-thirds attendance requirement to constitute a quorum.

The council members “had received proper notice in accor-dance to the Ordinance governing such meetings,” according to a statement from Brooks’ office.

The details of Hunt’s appoint-ment and potential confirmation as permanent administrator for the duration of Brooks’ term in office are still being worked out between Hunt, the council members and the chairman. Brooks, Hunt and the council have met to discuss Hunt’s potential confirmation and the terms of his contract, but the government has not held a confir-mation hearing yet, Brooks said.

The Lumbee Tribal Constitu-tion does not grant the council members the authority to draft or approve the tribal administrator’s contract, tribe officials said, only the authority to confirm or deny a nominee’s position as permanent administrator for the chairper-son’s term in office.

“Just in the last (nomination)

with Tony, they’re trying to write a contract between Tony and I, which is not a constitutional right of the council,” Brooks said. “In fact, we have sat down with them with the contract and have agreed on several different things in the contract, but that’s not good enough for them, they want some things that are not going to happen. They want me to say, ‘Tony, you have the right to hire and fire.’”

Serving under the chairman already grants the administrator the necessary authority to do his job, Brooks said.

“He has the authority invested through me to do the administration of the tribe,” the chairman said.

Appointing an interim admin-istrator is an attempt to do “the right thing to allow the tribe to move forward,” Brooks said in a statement.

“I stopped playing politics when I appointed Hunt in an at-tempt to move forward,” he said.

Hunt said he hasn’t experi-enced any friction or issues in working with the council mem-bers and that he expects things to continue moving forward toward his confirmation as administrator.

If the council does not ap-prove Hunt as administrator, Hunt could still continue in the interim tribal administrator position for the duration of Brooks’ time in office as chairman of the tribe, officials said. Brooks’ term ex-pires in 2016.

The Lumbee Tribe, known as the largest Native American tribe in the eastern United States still unrecognized by the federal government, consists of more than 55,000 enrolled members who live in North Carolina and other states.

Book exchangeDon Steed Elementary School took part in the “Give Five, Read Five” program by hosting a book exchange for students and families. Each student brought books and received tick-ets for them, then exchanged the tickets for new or gently-used books. Due to response, students also received a surprise book, placed on their seat at lunch.

Park manager Christine King, David Thomas, and co-owner Wesley Baldwin are ready for the grand opening this Saturday. (Catharin Shepard photo)

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