By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer• There are now 45 known positive cases of COVID-19 at Autumn Care nursing home in Raeford, and one resident who tested positive for the illness has died, according to health officials. The outbreak began earlier this month when an employee at the facility tested positive while experiencing symptoms of...
Month: September 2020
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Local businesses provide drive-up trick-or-treat
The News-Journal is asking local businesses in Raeford to decorate their windows and hand out candy to drive-thru trick-or-treaters to help children have fun this Halloween. The drive-thru trick-or-treat is meant to help kids enjoy the evening while staying safe. Families can simply drive up to participating locations without getting out of their cars. Employees...
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To trick or treat in Hoke, that is the question
Whether or not to take kids trick-or-treating in Hoke County this year is up to each family’s own decision, but the CDC issued guidelines don’t recommend it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, no government office or law enforcement agency in Hoke County has taken any action to stop trick-or-treating this year. Technically, trick-or-treating...
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Raeford woman charged with murder
A woman from Raeford was one of two people arrested last week in connection with the disappearance and suspected murder of a woman from Hope Mills. Investigators with the Hope Mills Police Department, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation announced last week the arrest of Beverly Ann Harris, 36,...
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Students return to Hoke High School
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer• Hoke County High School students on the “plan b” hybrid class schedule returned to face-to-face classes Monday and Tuesday after 11 days of online-only learning. School officials paused in-person classes at the high school September 16 after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19. It was the first time...
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County will upsize water pipes along N.C. 211
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Some of West Hoke’s water pipes will get an upgrade at an effectively discounted cost to the county, when the state widens N.C. 211 between Raeford and Aberdeen to a four-lane road. The Hoke County Board of Commissioners voted September 21 to install 12-inch water pipes along eight...
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Schools launch academic helpline for after-hours learning
Hoke County students in middle and high school, including students in exceptional children’s programs, can get extra academic help after school hours through a new service that starts October 5. Elementary school students will also be able to access after-school help through a separate extended learning program that will start October 13. Hoke County Schools...
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More than 3,000 without power
Duke Energy is now showing more than 3,000 people in Raeford and Hoke County without power as of 8:55 p.m. LREMC reports about 50 outages. At least one of the outages is due to fallen trees/branches.
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Power outages
Over 1,100 Duke Energy customers, and about 30 LREMC customers in Raeford and Hoke are without power as of 7:20 p.m. A storm is moving through the area.
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Strong storms possible this evening
A line of thunderstorms is expected this evening as a cold front pushes through. The National Weather Service says severe storms are possible, especially with heating from the sun this afternoon. “A band of showers and thunderstorms will pose a risk of strong to locally damaging wind gusts, localized flooding and an isolated tornado late...
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Aquatic & recreation center named for Leach
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County’s new recreation and aquatics center will be named in honor of longtime county commissioner and board chairman, James A. Leach. The county board made the announcement at a dedication ceremony held Monday night after the board conducted its regular business. The long-planned Parks and Recreation facility...
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Nursing home sees virus outbreak, county posts five more deaths
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County High School has temporarily closed its doors after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to school officials. Additionally, the Hoke County Health Department reported five more local deaths due to coronavirus-related causes, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reported...
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$20 million bond set for man charged with child sex offenses
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a man wanted in Hoke County on hundreds of charges of alleged sexual crimes involving children. FBI agents arrested Joshuah Taylor Bradshaw, 30, of the 1000 block of Fairfield Circle in Raeford on 332 charges related to child sex crimes. The...
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Prayer walk this Saturday
The Rev. Al Anderson and other members of the faith community in Hoke County plan to hold a prayer walk Saturday in Raeford. “As some of you are possibly already aware, Franklin Graham has scheduled a prayer walk in Washington, D.C. on September 26. Many have asked the question how to participate without traveling to...
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Hoke under tornado watch, flash flood watch
Hoke County is under a tornado watch and a flash flood watch as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Sally move across North Carolina. The tornado watch is in effect for Hoke County until 11 p.m. Thursday, September 17 . The National Weather Service in Raleigh issued the warning at 3:05 p.m. Thursday for Hoke, Cumberland,...
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Hoke High moves to online instruction temporarily
Hoke County Schools posted on its Facebook page a notice that Hoke High School is moving to online instruction for 11 days, after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19. The statement in its entirety: “Hoke County High School will temporarily move all of its students to online instruction (September 17-September 28) as a precaution...
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Graduation rate doubles
Caption: A 2016 senior graduates. (File photo) By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer •The graduation rate for Hoke County Schools is now roughly the same as the state average, and even better in some subgroups of students, school officials announced this week.Hoke County Schools’ four-year cohort graduation rate for 2020 was a combined 87.6 percent. That means over 87 percent of students who started high...
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Blood drive is Monday
The Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center will hold a blood drive Monday, September 21 at Fresh Foods IGA in Raeford. The store is located at 240 South Main Street. The blood drive is set to run from 3-6 p.m. Donors will receive a free COVID-19 antibody test. To sign up, call Dianne Carter at...
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County at 1,000 cases of virus
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County was expected to hit a level of more than 1,000 coronavirus cases this week, six months after health officials identified the first known local case. Hoke had a total of 997 people test positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the North Carolina Department of...
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Hoke Transit will maintain doordoor pickups
Caption: A crowd gathered at the Hoke Commission meeting to ask that door-to-door service not be cancelled. By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer •Hoke County’s transit service will continue to provide door-to-door pickup for residents, while considering the option of adding fixed routes to some of the county’s busiest locations.Hoke Area Transit Service (HATS) employees, riders and supporters packed the...
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Sally likely to bring rain event to our area
The National Weather Service says the remnants of Sally may track our way, providing rain of several to up to six inches. Early Wednesday there was significant disagreement in model tracks, and forecasters say who gets how much rain, and if any of it is severe, will depend on the track. “one thing that can...
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Storm headed our way
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHEASTERN MOORE...NORTHERN SCOTLAND...EASTERN RICHMOND AND HOKE COUNTIES UNTIL 430 PM EDT... At 330 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Southern Pines, moving south at 20 mph. Heavy rain and minor flooding and wind gusts up to 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted...
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Flood advisory for Hoke County
Most of Hoke County is under a flood advisory due to heavy rain this afternoon and evening. The National Weather Service in Raleigh issued the warning, which is in effect until 7:15 pm Friday. * At 411 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. Minor flooding is ongoing or expected to begin...
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Beloved Hoke High teacher Whittington retires
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke High English teacher Godzetta Whittington was reminiscing last Monday as she walked through the halls of the Baucom Building one final time. She first stepped through its doors more than 30 years ago as a student teacher, and in 2000 joined the staff of Hoke High. She...