By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • More than 10,000 registered voters in Hoke County have already cast a ballot during the one-stop early voting period of the 2020 General Election, with several more days to go before the early voting period ends. Out of Hoke County’s 32,930 registered voters, 10,686 had cast their ballot...
Month: <span>October 2020</span>
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State awards $10 million for SandHoke Engineering School
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County Schools will receive $10 million in grant funding from the state to go toward building a SandHoke School of Engineering in Raeford. The county will have to provide a local match, dollar for dollar, in order to receive the money. The project will cost an estimated...
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Three SandHoke grads share this—they’re now lawyers
Caption: Fowler, Ledlow and Lewis Katelyn Fowler, Kyle Lewis and Alexis Ledlow have four things in common. They all attended and graduated from SandHoke Early College High School. They all earned an associate’s degree during their high school journey. And they all have completed law school, assed the BAR exam the first time, and are...
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Veterans Service canceled due to pandemic
The annual Hoke County Veterans’ Day service held in front of the Hoke County Courthouse will not be held this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID-19 has caused this country and Hoke County to rethink veteran’s Day activities. As veterans we regret this announcement,” according to a statement from the program organizers. “The current...
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Harvest Church steps up aid in pandemic
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Harvest Church might have a small congregation, but in the last few years, it’s worked to make a big impact in Hoke County. When Hurricane Matthew hit the area in 2016, taking down power lines and washing out roads, the members of Harvest Church were among the volunteers...
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Another virus death, numbers on the rise
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Another person from Hoke has died of coronavirus-related causes, and testing has identified another new outbreak at a congregate living site in Hoke County, according to health officials. An African-American man who died October 19 at FirstHealth of the Carolinas was the twenty-sixth person with a permanent Hoke...
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Bats At Sunset program Thursday
From the Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce: Join the Carolina Horse Park on Thursday, October 29th at 5:30pm for an interactive bat experience led by Becky Skiba of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission! Learn about their habitats, community, patterns, and conservation. You’ll even be able to listen to bat calls using a state of the art...
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Hoke Schools to get $10 million for SandHoke School of Engineering
Hoke County Schools will receive $10 million in grant funding from the state to go toward building a SandHoke School of Engineering. North Carolina Superintendent Mark Johnson announced Thursday $55 million in grant funding for four different school districts, including Hoke County. The funding comes from the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund. The other...
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‘This is beyond imagination,’ — Line of 200 first-day early voters
Caption: Hoke Elections Board member John Harry answers questions Monday morning. (Ken MacDonald photo) By Catharin Shepard and Ken MacDonald • Staff writer • When early one-stop voting opened last Thursday morning, a line stretched back past the Raeford Post Office and down the block as voters waited to be among the first to cast...
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News-Journal removes candidate’s answers after finding unattributed content
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • The News-Journal took down, and then replaced a school board candidate’s question-and-answer responses on the newspaper’s website after a reader alerted staff to potential plagiarism in the responses that ran in last week’s printed edition of the paper. The answers Dr. Deltarina Carr submitted for the Q&A contained...
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Virus deaths at 25 in Hoke County
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County is now up to 25 deaths due to COVID-19 related causes since the start of the pandemic, according to health officials. Another four Hoke residents who tested positive for coronavirus have died this month. The most recent deaths included a woman of unspecified race who died...
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Puppy Creek firefighters honored for saving baby’s life
Caption: North Carolina Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey presents one of the Save Awards. (Catharin Shepard photo) By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Four Hoke County firefighters jumped into action last month to save the life of a 14-month-old baby when the little boy choked on a penny. Firefighters Lt. Billy...
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Thursday clinic is for those needing rent, utility help
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County officials planned to hold two grant clinics this week to administer a program that can help people affected by the pandemic to pay their rent and utility bills if they have fallen behind in payments. The county is pursuing COVID-19 grant funding that would go toward...
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NC HOPE grant clinic Thursday
Hoke County officials will hold a grant clinic Thursday, October 22 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Robert A. Wright Agricultural Building located at 645 Palmer Street in Raeford. The grant clinic is for a program that can help people affected by the pandemic pay their rent and utility bills if they have fallen behind...
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Early voting begins with lines clear to the post office
What voters describe as a relatively fast-moving line was the main feature of the first day of early voting in Hoke County. At 8:30 some 200 people stood a foot or two apart in a line that snaked from the board of elections office through the adjacent parking lot, and into the post office parking...
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Early voting begins this week
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • One-stop early voting starts Thursday, October 15 and will run until Saturday, October 31. Hoke County voters can cast a ballot in person during one-stop early voting beginning this Thursday. Early voting will run during weekdays through the end of the month, from 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. each day....
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Virus numbers alarming, says state • Hoke outbreak grows even as average declines
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Health officials are urging citizens to follow health and safety precautions as the number of COVID-19 infections across North Carolina continues to rise once again. Hoke County has seen more than 1,370 laboratory-confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus since the first known local case in March. At least...
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Chase ends in wreck, arrest
A larceny at Hibbet Sports led to a car chase Saturday that ended in a wreck and an arrest, according to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office. The Raeford Police Department put out a “be on the lookout,” or BOLO alert Saturday evening for a vehicle allegedly connected to a larceny of goods from Hibbet Sports....
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Raeford native gets national recognition
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • A psychologist with roots in Hoke County recently earned recognition from the American Psychological Association (APA) for his work with an adventurous type of group therapy. The Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy, Division 49 of the American Psychological Association (APA) recently presented Dr. H. Lee Gillis...
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Parks & Rec opens basketball registration
The Hoke County Parks and Recreation Department opened youth basketball registration October 5 and will continue to hold sign-ups until December 7. Hoke’s public parks are currently open to the community, but the department is asking people to practice social distancing and follow other safety guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
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Halloween Scene
The residents at 308 W. Central Avenue in Raeford seem to outdo themselves in preparation for holidays. This year, there are about 50 inflatable Halloween decorations in their yard. (Ken MacDonald photo)
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Land purchase blazes trail for City nature park
Caption: The Roy Mitchell Company wants to develop the land outlined in blue, but needs access to the land, preferably from U.S. 401. By Ken MacDonald • The prospect of Raeford getting a new park brightened Monday night, when City Council voted unanimously at its regular meeting to purchase land adjacent to a pond it...
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Bragg’s going to be loud
Fort Bragg is about to be a little noisier than usual as the Marines are in town this month for artillery work. Windows in the area might rattle more frequently from October 9-13, according to information from Fort Bragg Range Operations. “The 10th Marines Field Artillery Regiment will conduct their annual field artillery section certifications,...
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Police seek donations for Christmas effort
The Raeford Police Department is seeking donations to help give local families in need a happy Christmas. “The City of Raeford strives to serve our community not only in a law enforcement capacity, but also in charitable ways. For the past eight years, the City of Raeford Police Department has given back to the community...
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City, County utilities offer payment arrangements
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County’s Utilities Department is now offering payment arrangements for county water and sewer customers who got behind on their bills over the last months. As of October 1, county customers are responsible for paying their current bill. Disconnections for unpaid county utilities accounts are set to start...