Photo by Scott Boucher Despite the weather, the Bucks Flag Football team secured their first-ever victory, 12-6 over the Southern School of Energy and Sustainability last Saturday. The win followed a tough loss against an experienced Green Hope team. The Bucks played hard but fell short, 22-0. Both games were played at Apex High School;...
For the first time in more than five years, the Fighting Bucks are back on the links with a women's golf team. Coaches Ivan Street and Kristen Danet have brought together a dedicated group of young women ready to represent Hoke County on the course. Ella Williams, Scarlet Wright, Ava Gibson, Madison OQuinn, AmberLynn Bullock...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • Rayonna Diane “Ray Ray” Bell’s smile could light up a room. That smile is what her oldest sister, Sissalee “Sunshine” Bell remembers most about the 19-year-old. “She was one of those people, if she was riding down the road and saw a dead dog, she wanted to get it...
This story was originally published in The News-Journal August 5, 2026 By Catharin Shepard • Editor • A homeowner who lives in a subdivision next to the Shahbain Farms & Event Center told commissioners that noise, traffic and littering at the event center are impacting the lives of residents who live near it. A speaker...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • Documents sent to The News-Journal last week in response to a public records request appeared to confirm some of what was said during a recorded phone conversation between Hoke County Manager Letitia Edens and Interim Planner Jackie Lowery. In the recording, Lowery told the county manager that a Hoke...
Commissioner denies telling interim county planner to sign unapproved permit By Catharin Shepard • Editor • A Hoke County commissioner allegedly told the interim county planner to remove a special use permit from the board’s meeting agenda, and allegedly told her to approve the permit although the board never voted on it, according to a...
Homegrown Hoke County rap and R&B artists will present a pop-up listening experience Saturday, May 23, 2026 at Deep Freeze Productions, located at 645 Laurinburg Road. “That’s not just a listening session – it’s a statement,” a press release for the event said. The O.M.3 “They Live, We Mutate” is part of a “shift” happening...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • Hoke High School student Quinton Douglas has been busy the past few months, scoping out the trails at the Hoke Community Forest. The 16-year-old Boy Scout approached the Hoke County Board of Commissioners in January, alongside Jesse Wimberley of the NC Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association, to seek permission to...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • As Euniceteen Diggs and her family prepared Friday afternoon to cut the ribbon on the Tango Kilo Event Center, a gust of wind came along and knocked the portrait of her daughter, the late Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Tresse Z. King, off of its stand. Amid the surprise...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • There was a changing of the guard for the Hoke County Board of Commissioners in the Democratic primary election Tuesday night, with candidate Deborah McMillan-Evans winning more votes than longtime incumbent Commissioner Tony Hunt. Voters chose to send McMillan-Evans, and incumbent Commissioners Harry Southerland and Allen Thomas through to...
Raeford Presbyterian Church will observe the World Day of Prayer Friday, March 6. The church sanctuary will be open to anyone interested in praying between 12 noon-2 p.m. This event is an international and ecumenical movement where churches come together to promote unity, understanding and social justice through communal prayer. It is celebrated annually in...
The 20th Engineer Brigade will conduct demolition testing and training on Fort Bragg from March 2-6. The demolition charges will occur multiple times a day during daylight hours. The explosions will occur in the middle of the Fort Bragg ranges, but there is a chance that the noise and possible shaking will be felt of...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • Sharon Burney breathed life into the Partners for Education program, seeking out funding, recognizing teachers and students, planning the annual golf tournament and more – all while working a full-time career at Burlington Industries. “Sharon worked tirelessly, tirelessly. She got gift cards, she went to Walmart, she got donations,...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • Comfortable couches, soft chairs, delicate chandeliers and a sense of quiet welcome, help make the new funeral home in Raeford put the emphasis on “home.” That was Jonathan Prather’s goal in the designing and planning for Legacy Funeral Home: he didn’t want it to feel like a funeral home...
A familiar face in Raeford has a brand-new badge. With his family and friends gathered in support at city hall Tuesday, Ray Crumpler of the Raeford Police Department took the oath to become the new Chief of Police. Chief Crumpler has served with the department for over 20 years, including seven years as assistant chief....
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • The “largest capital investment in the history of Hoke County,” slated to create over 200 jobs, got started this month with a toss of shovelfuls of dirt at the county industrial park on Golf Course Road. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein was one of the officials with his hands...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • When the Hoke County Board of Commissioners met Monday in a resumed meeting to discuss the impacts of the government shutdown, the board ended up voting to allow the county manager and Department of Social Services to use $100,000 in funds already moved from the DSS budget, to support...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • A man and woman were killed Monday night at their home on Cope Road in Hoke County, and a teenage suspect wanted in connection with the case later committed suicide at the Lake Waccamaw Boys and Girls Home when confronted by authorities, according to law enforcement agencies. Ted Chavis...
The News-Journal sent out questionnaires to each of the three candidates running for Mayor of Raeford, and the three candidates running for two seats on the Raeford City Council. All six of the candidates responded. The candidates for mayor are Demetria Barker Augugliaro, Jeremy Hollingsworth, and John K. McNeill (incumbent). The candidates for Raeford City...
The Hoke Native American Scholarship Association (HNASA) will hold its annual fundraising banquet and auction Friday, November 21, 2025. Tickets to the banquet are $20. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at Mt. Elim Baptist Church, 921 Wilson Road, Red Springs. Contact any committee member for tickets. Committee members include Kirk Lowery, Jacqueline Chavis,...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed into law this week a bill intended to ease the congestion at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices across the state. Senate Bill 245 changed the state’s policy to allow drivers to renew their driver’s licenses online twice in a row as long...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • Hoke and Moore County District Attorney Mike Hardin issued a cease and desist letter Wednesday to the Hoke County Board of Commissioners, informing them that changes the board made to the zoning ordinance governing electronic gaming machines and establishments are against state law. Hardin directed the board to repeal...
By Catharin Shepard • Editor • The City of Raeford has received a $175,000 grant from the state to design the planned walking trails and park at the city-owned pond property off of Highway 20. Nature trails, and amenities like parking and public bathrooms are among the features planned for the future at the pond...
Hoke County Schools is inviting Hoke County families to a Back to School Bash from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, August 16 at East Hoke Middle School, 4702 Fayetteville Road. The event promises to be a fun one with carnival games and food. Hoke County students can pick up a free clear backpack for the new...