Month: November 2020

By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer •  Hoke County remains in the critical zone for coronavirus infections this week, along with 19 other counties statewide, as state leaders urged residents, governments and businesses to follow safety guidelines. “I have a stark warning for North Carolinians today: we are in danger,” Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday...

In the midst of a pandemic, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office deputies reportedly found 240 people inside of a private club on Rockfish Road and arrested the owner on several charges. Investigators arrested Samuel McGill Jr., 48, of the 200 block of Moorea Drive in Raeford on charges including maintaining a drug dwelling, and misdemeanor ABC...

By Catharin Shepard •  Staff writer• The Hoke County Board of Education met in closed session Monday to begin considering the process for selecting a new school superintendent, and additionally selected a new principal for Sandy Grove Elementary School. Dr. Freddie Williamson, who has served in the role for over 15 years, was hired last...

Officers with the Raeford Police Department have arrested a man wanted in connection with a 2019 shootout at a gas station in Raeford. Officers with the police department and the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office located and arrested Aaron Goode Jr., 26, of the 900 block of Stevens Street on two counts of felony attempted first-degree...

People looking to give to those in need this winter can donate to a local socks and coat drive, or buy a toy online for the Toys for Tots program. As the weather gets colder, not everyone has socks or a coat to stay warm. The Hoke County Open Door Soup Kitchen is holding a...

By Catharin Shepard •  Staff writer • The Hoke County Board of Elections Director recommended dismissing a challenge filed by the campaign manager of a candidate who ran for the Hoke Board of Education this year. In the matter of an election protest filed by Dr. Lent Carr, husband and campaign manager of school board...

The Hoke Animal Shelter is again providing Thanksgiving dinner for its dogs and cats, and it’s this Wednesday. Unlike usual years (with no pandemics) this year’s event won’t permit volunteers to serve the food to the animals—staff only—but food contributions are welcome. Drop by whole turkeys, canned vegetables, potatoes etc. Any left over food will...

A man from Raeford was shot and killed in Fayetteville Sunday night, and two people have been arrested in connection with the case, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. Officers with the Fayetteville Police Department were dispatched around 11:13 p.m. Sunday to the area of Morganton Road near South Ingleside Drive in Fayetteville, in reference...

Hoke County students and public school students across the United States won’t be exempt from end-of-grade and end-of-course testing for this school year, and that testing will have to be done in person, according to Hoke County Schools. In the spring, the U.S. Department of Education granted a waiver that allowed schools to cancel the...

By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • The Hoke County Board of Elections canvass held Friday confirmed the unofficial local election results from November 3, but the board is preparing for a recount in one statewide race. Nothing essentially changed with the outcome of the local races following the canvass, Hoke Elections Director Towanna Jackson...

By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Volleyball players at Hoke’s middle and high schools will be the first to get back to competition this month, although the games won’t look like they used to due to pandemic safety measures. Hoke County Schools, in cooperation with the North Carolina High School Athletics Association (NCHSAA), will...

By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County’s elementary schools will return to in-person classes four days a week starting in January, with an online learning option available for parents who prefer to keep their child at home. A new survey going out to parents of elementary students later this month will give families...

By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Two more people in Hoke County have died after contracting COVID-19, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and overall numbers are showing “a new peak” in virus cases for the state. Gov. Roy Cooper lowered the indoor gathering limit from 25 to 10...

Back by popular demand, Cape Fear Valley CEO Mike Nagowski will hold another live Facebook community townhall to answer questions about COVID-19 and its effect on the community. The leading local experts on COVID-19 will join him for this special event.      The question-and-answer session will air during the Making Rounds Live radio show. Viewers...

In-person voter turnout in Hoke County has been slow so far on Election Day, according to Hoke Elections Director Towanna Jackson. As of about 3:30 p.m., even the large polling sites haven’t seen very many voters, the director said. “It’s been slow,” she said. That also seems to be the case in some other counties,...

About 14,500 Hoke County voters cast a ballot in person during the one-stop early voting period, roughly twice the number who voted early in the 2016 election. According to the Hoke County Board of Elections, a total of 14,524 people in Hoke County voted during the one-stop early voting period. That’s nearly half of the...