Part of Main Street in Raeford will be closed to traffic for the next two weeks, beginning Monday, July 6. Main Street near Southern Avenue will be shut down as work crews implement storm water drainage improvements. Drivers may need to plan an alternate route until the road reopens. The Southern Avenue area of Raeford...
Year: 2020
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Food truck serves up wings, BBQ and ‘soul rolls’
Caption: Jackie and Fenton Rogers cook chicken wings and soul rolls in the food truck. Check their Facebook for the latest dates and locations. (Catharin Shepard photos) By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • There’s a new locally-owned food truck in Raeford that’s cooking up wings, barbecue and much more. Owner Jackie Rogers said she...
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Quick retires
Saying farewellGwen Quick is retiring from her job as a court counselor in Juvenile Justice. After 25 years of working with children and their families her colleagues organized a police-led parade down Elwood Avenue Tuesday morning, a gesture that elicited laughs, smiles and tears from Quick, as she watched from the sidewalk. She’s an active member...
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Schools devise possible plans for reopening
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Returning to class this fall will be unlike any previous school year for Hoke County students, but how deep the changes go will depend on how well the state can slow the spread of COVID-19 between now and then. The North Carolina Board of Education directed public school...
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Hoke’s virus curve rises, up to 370 cases
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County is up to more than 370 total cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in March, with about two-thirds of those patients presumed recovered from the virus. The county’s seven-day rolling average of new daily cases is rising (see chart). As of Tuesday, 371...
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County sets $15 minimum wage in two steps
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • The Hoke County Board of Commissioners intend for all county employees to eventually be making at least $15 an hour, beginning with the first of two planned pay increases set to kick in July 1. The Hoke County Board of Commissioners approved the two-phase plan last week as...
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D.A. won’t prosecute mask violations, sheriff won’t enforce
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke and Scotland County District Attorney Kristy Newton doesn’t plan to prosecute any businesses for not complying with a statewide mandatory order to wear face coverings in public. Newton announced her stance on the matter last week in a Facebook post. “One thing that is not disputed is...
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Huff: Washed by jazz (and rain)
It is the first Sunday in June. It has been a hectic week at Frog Holler in spite of the fact that half the country is still shut down. The other half are in the streets protesting the killing of George Floyd, including thousands who attended the viewing and memorial service right here in Hoke...
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Wright Agriculture Building set to open
Hoke County will hold a grand opening for invited guests Thursday, July 2 to celebrate the new Robert A. Wright Hoke County Agricultural Building. The recently completed building will house the Hoke County Cooperative Extension and serve as a base for other local agricultural activities. The building features a large meeting space that can also...
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Lesson looks at coping when water supply fails
The Environmental Health section of the Hoke County Health Department is planning to hold a tabletop exercise next month to be better prepared for emergencies involving local water supplies. The exercise, set for July 21, will likely be a mix of in-person but socially distanced training, and online instruction. The preparedness work is just a...
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Man charged with larceny after car chase
Investigators with the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office pursued two larceny suspects in a high-speed chase into Robeson County and arrested one person, while the other fled on foot. Deputies called to the 200 block of Sand Rock Road in reference to a reported larceny reportedly observed a burgundy Chevrolet S-10 truck hauling an air conditioner...
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Man charged with drug trafficking
Deputies with the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit arrested a man on drug trafficking charges after reportedly finding 14 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle. Investigators patrolling the area of Fayetteville Road conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, deputies reportedly noticed an odor of marijuana...
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Browsing the Files: Looking back over the years
Captions: A machine at Addis Cates Co. cucumber station in South Hoke Community automatically washes, sorts by size and conveys cucumbers to bushel baskets. The station is managed by Ernes McEachern, in background. (July 5, 1973) • A cement trucks pours concrete onto the ground at the site of the new Edenborough Shopping Center last...
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Girl Scouts named ‘High Achievers’
Two Hoke County Girl Scouts, Campbell Burt and Emily Shoemaker were recently recognized as High Achievers for the 2020 Girl Scout Cookie Program. Girls join the ranks of the High Achievers Club when they sell 5,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies or more since participating in their first cookie season. The High Achievers Club recognizes...