By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • A post office worker in Raeford has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement Monday from the United States Postal Service (USPS). The postal service did not say what job the employee holds with the USPS. The service has already cleaned the post office building on Elwood...
Year: <span>2020</span>
Post
Blood drive in Raeford April 20
The Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center will hold a donation drive in Raeford April 20 to address a shortage in the blood supply. The center plans on taking special precautions to keep donors and staff members safe. The country has seen a shortage in blood supplies, donor center recruitment coordinator Dianne Carter said in...
Post
Calloway Road is closed
Reports of up to six trees down on Calloway Road following the storm. Andrew Jacobs with Hoke Emergency Management says half a dozen roads in the county are closed after wind brought trees down. Jacobs says as of 8:30 a.m. he’s heard no reports of major damage in the county.
Post
National Weather Service says sleep with weather warning system on
The National Weather Service says severe storms are possible as a cold front approaches North Carolina. Strong straight-line winds will be increasing overnight, heavy lightning is forecast, and even tornados are possible, some with longer tracks than usually seen in this area. This is from the latest forecast discussion by NWS: “The severe threat is...
Post
Severe storms a possibility early Monday
(Graphics are GFS model depiction of forecasted weather at 2 a.m. Monday, and Weather Underground’s forecast summary.) The National Weather Service says there’s an “enhanced risk” of severe storms crossing the area as a cold front approaches. "While damaging straight-line winds with gusts of 60-70+ mph are the most likely hazard, tornadoes and large damaging...
Post
Eyes to the sky Sunday-Monday for possible severe weather
The National Weather Service says a cold front approaching our area Sunday evening could bring scattered severe weather overnight: “We’ll likely see destabilization even in the pre-dawn hours early Monday, which when combined with the strong wind fields, deep layer shear, and strong forcing for ascent…all suggest a good chance for scattered severe thunderstorms with...
Post
Hoke sees 15 cases as governor adds mandatory restrictions for retail, nursing homes
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • There are 15 known Hoke-connected cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday, according to health officials. Neighboring counties Moore and Cumberland are facing larger outbreaks. There are 72 known cases and one death in Cumberland, and 57 known cases in Moore. Many of the cases in Moore County are...
Post
General Assembly leaders issue statement on car inspections, plan to address matter in session
Do people still have to get car inspections in the middle of a pandemic? Leaders in the North Carolina General Assembly announced today that they plan to take action on the issue. Car inspections and fines for lapsed registration are part of North Carolina state law. Only lawmakers, not the governor or Department of Transportation,...
Post
Schools encourage parents to use PowerSchool app for accessing student grades
A message from Hoke County Schools about student report cards: Due to school buildings being closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, 3rd Quarter Report Cards will not be sent home. Instead, 3rd Quarter Grades will be available to parents in PowerSchool beginning Wednesday, April 15, 2020. In order to access student grades, parents will need to...
Post
Strong line of storms heading in
From the National Weather Service… LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 730 AM EDT... At 627 AM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a line of strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 8 miles east of Pittsboro to near Goldston to near Albemarle. Movement was east at 55 mph. Wind...
Post
Hoke up to 14 COVID-19 cases
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County now has 14 known positive cases of COVID-19, according to the Hoke Health Department. Many of the local patients have already recovered from the illness. The latest cases announced Wednesday involve two people who live in Hoke and work at different healthcare facilities in other counties,...
Post
Hoke has 12 cases
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • \As of Tuesday, officials had identified 12 known cases of coronavirus associated with Hoke County, though the situation was changing quickly. Some of the patients had already recovered by the time doctors received the positive test results. It’s taking anywhere from 10 to 14 days for doctors...
Post
‘Our life has changed,’ says local physician
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Life in Hoke County isn’t the same today as it was just a month ago, all because of the coronavirus, Dr. Karen Smith said. “Our life has changed,” she said. As a longtime primary care physician and medical director for the Hoke County Health Department, Smith is hearing...
Post
County gets $1.4 million grant for development along US 401
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • A $1.4 million grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation will help Hoke County further expand sewer service in the U.S. 401 corridor. The extended services will help support development that should bring new jobs to the area, officials said. The grant funding was part of a total...
Post
News-Journal launches fund drive to sustain coverage during epidemic
The News-Journal has created a special news fund to sustain coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Donations are now tax deductible—and vital to continue to provide vital information free to any citizen that wants it. The News-Journal is providing its online coverage as a public service at www.hokenews.com and will continue to do so until the...
Post
Still have to have your car inspected
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • \Even as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued executive orders closing schools, banning large gatherings and shutting down some businesses, there was a matter he couldn’t address from his office: car inspections. Yearly required vehicle inspections and the fines for people who don’t keep their vehicle registration...
Post
Resources in this area for substance abuse help
\South Eastern Behavioral Health Care: (910) 848-8739 / Crisis Line (910) 374-4498 NC Harm Reduction Coalition: www.nchrc.org NC Parent Resource Center: www.impactcarolina.org / (252) 237-1242 Tia Hart Community Recovery Center: (910) 273-6137 or (910) 875-8424 Hoke County Syringe Exchange Program: (910) 875-0033 Hoke County Re-Entry Program: (910) 565-2299 Carolina Treatment Center: (910) 864-8739 Oxford Houses...
Post
Fayetteville group sets up at Raeford civic center to feed families
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • A nonprofit organization from Cumberland County has stepped in to help Hoke families suffering hard times receive groceries during the coronavirus emergency. Noonday Kitchen set up a temporary local headquarters in the Raeford Civic Center a few weeks ago, with the blessing of the city council and...
Post
Soup kitchen adjusts to pandemic
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Open Door Soup Kitchen in Raeford is still open and serving meals to anyone who needs food. The nonprofit has cut its operations from seven days a week to four, and is taking safety precautions, the Rev. Al Anderson said Tuesday. The soup kitchen at 320 Turnpike...
Post
Mountaire donates 11,000 pounds of chicken
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Mountaire Farms in Lumber Bridge this week donated 11,000 pounds of chicken to help feed first responders and healthcare workers in Hoke County. Firefighters, sheriff’s deputies, employees at both local hospitals, EMS and others received the chicken, distributed Tuesday at the Hoke County Senior Center. Jarrod Lowery,...
Post
Meals on Wheels expands for crisis
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County Senior Services is helping feed more than 260 senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to an expansion of its Meals on Wheels program. The department has overseen the Meals on Wheels program for many years, but when the Hoke County Board of Commissioners declared a...
Post
Childcare working to stay open, seeks donations
Childcare providers in Hoke County are working hard to stay open and provide crucial care to the children of essential workers, according to the Hoke County Partnership for Children and Families. “If those child care providers were not able to do their jobs, then health care providers, grocery store workers, law enforcement officers, and other...
Post
Woman on ATV spoils veterans hunting program
A local effort to help veterans enjoy hunting is facing problems after a woman on an ATV apparently caused damaged to the property, according to Hoke resident Seth Waggoner. Waggoner and his group work with veterans’ organizations across the state to connect with veterans and help them get to participate in hunting trips. They had...