By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Adding benches and bleachers to the park on Red Springs Road, hiring more staff to help with an increased workload in Social Services and buying generators to prepare for hurricane season are among the many budget requests on the table for Hoke County Commissioners to consider. Hoke County’s...
Month: May 2021
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Parade will honor veterans Thursday
The Downtown Raeford Business Association (DRBA) plans to hold a parade to honor veterans, and has decorated downtown Raeford with special banners bearing the names of veteran honorees for this year’s event. The parade will be held on Main Street Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m. and will kick off with a parachutist jumping in....
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Puppy Creek Fire Department Chief honored as Volunteer Chief of the Year
[Photo: John Joseph, fire chief of Puppy Creek Fire Department (Submitted photo)] The North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs has named Puppy Creek Fire Department’s Chief John Joseph the Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year. The presentation happened May 21 during the NCAFC’s mid-winter conference, held May 18-22 in Concord. The fire chief of the...
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Ballard honored for work with Action Pathways
[Photo: Lonnie Ballard Jr. (Submitted photo)] The CEO of Fayetteville-based Action Pathways, which offers community support including food distributions in Hoke County, was recently recognized for his contributions to helping the low-income community. Action Pathways, Inc. CEO Lonnie Ballard Jr. received the N.C. Community Action Association’s Roselle Copeland Stewardship Award. The Roselle Copeland Stewardship Award...
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Barber announces 2022 commission run
[Photo: Carlton Barber (Submitted photo)] A man who attended Hoke County High School and today is a gospel singer and minister, announced this week he plans to seek election to the Hoke County Board of Commissioners in 2022. Carlton Barber, an evangelist and owner of In Ya Faith Ministries, recently filed with the Hoke County...
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Hoke County under burn ban
Hoke County is one of dozens of counties in North Carolina now under a burning ban due to potentially hazardous fire conditions. North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Steven Troxler issued the order for about one-quarter of the state’s 100 counties, due to ongoing dry conditions that raise the risk of small...
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Local women leaders celebrated at meeting
[Photo: Vera Hollingsworth presented Retha Hardimon and Hoke County Manager Letitia Edens with plaques recognizing them as women leaders, as commissioners offered congratulations. Betsy Bailey and attorney Debbie Baker also received recognition.] By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County Manager Letitia Edens was one of four local women leaders honored Monday at the...
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Downtown parade will honor veterans
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • The Downtown Raeford Business Association (DRBA) plans to hold a parade to honor veterans, and will decorate downtown Raeford with special banners bearing the names of veteran honorees for this year’s event. The parade will be held on Main Street Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m. and will...
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Fluid situation as pinch at the gas pumps eases
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Drivers in Raeford saw some relief at the pump Tuesday as more gas stations had fuel to sell, following a week of uncertainty in the wake of a cyberattack on a major pipeline. While long lines continued at some popular stations, by Tuesday evening others had gas available...
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Suspect sought in fatal shooting
Detectives with the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office are searching for a suspect wanted in connection with a fatal shooting that happened this weekend. Deputies responded to the 100 block of Seagull Drive in the North Raeford Mobile Home Park just after 8 p.m. Sunday, and reportedly found Davion McQueen suffering from a gunshot wound. Although...
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Sports photographer Clemente departs
[Photo: Photographer Ed Clemente (Submitted Photo)] By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Award-winning photographer Ed Clemente, who has served as the News-Journal’s sports photographer for the last three years, is moving on to bigger and better things. Clemente is departing Hoke County to move to another state to take on a new responsibility with...
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SandHoke Class of 2021 celebrates graduation
[Photo: SandHoke graduates toss their caps during the ceremony at Raz Autry Stadium.] By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • “One, two…two and a half…two and three quarters…” Principal Colleen Pegram-Wike drew out the countdown, giving the SandHoke Early College High School Class of 2021 a few more seconds to get ready to savor the...
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Man shot and killed, suspect sought
Detectives with the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office are searching for a suspect wanted in connection with a fatal shooting that happened this weekend. Deputies responded to the 100 block of Seagull Drive in the North Raeford Mobile Home Park just after 8 p.m. Sunday, and reportedly found Davion McQueen suffering from a gunshot wound. Although...
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SandHoke, Hoke High graduation information
Hoke County Schools has issued information about the upcoming SandHoke Early College High School graduation, set for Friday, May 14, and the Hoke County High School graduation, set for Saturday, June 5. See the flyers for important dates and directions.
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Dr. Mary K., first Sandhills grad, honored with sculpture
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Dr. Mary Kemp Thomas was a woman of many words, her children said: a woman of faith and family, a woman who always wanted to reach out and help others. Almost a year after her death at age 89 in a car accident, they remember that about “Dr....
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County commits to raising deputy pay
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • After a lengthy discussion with Sheriff Dr. Hubert Peterkin in a special called meeting Tuesday, the Hoke County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to commit to increasing deputy pay to a competitive level as part of the county budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Peterkin raised alarms last...
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Cape Fear Valley offering walk-in Pfizer vaccine
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Cape Fear Valley Health is making it easier for more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by offering the vaccine to walk-ins with no appointment needed, and providing the Pfizer vaccine which can be given to teens as well as adults. The healthcare system announced that as of...
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Charity motorcycle ride June 5
His Houses of Restoration, Inc. (HHR, Inc.) is sponsoring a charity ride June 5 from 10 a.m.-noon, starting at East Hoke Middle School. All riders who wish to participate are asked to send a donation of $10 to CashApp $HISHouses or contact Kim Shaw at 910-331-9690. Vendors will be on-site, requires pre-registration and will be...
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Planning for hurricane season starts now
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Hoke County has seen several rounds of strong spring thunderstorms in recent weeks that blew down trees and knocked out the power to thousands of people. With June quickly approaching, it’s time to consider preparing for even stronger storms that could be on the way this year. Severe...
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Celebrating local graduates
Mom and daughter graduate together from Fayetteville State Mother’s Day weekend marked a doubly special graduation for Amanda Ross and her mother, Marcia Thomas, who both earned degrees from Fayetteville State University. Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and Ross earned a master’s degree in Social Work. The family has ties to Hoke County,...
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Commissioners to meet in special session on sheriff’s office budget
After learning that the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office is facing staff shortages, apparently due to having lower pay than other agencies in the area, the Hoke County Board of Commissioners will meet in special session to consider the department’s budget. The board scheduled a special called meeting for Tuesday, May 11 at 11 a.m. in...
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“Our county’s in a crisis,” sheriff says
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • This time a year ago the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office and the county jail were fully staffed, but when Sheriff Dr. Hubert Peterkin approached commissioners Monday, it was to tell them things have changed and the law enforcement agency has lost 14 staff members recently with more expected...
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No tax increase in city’s proposed budget
By Ken MacDonald • There’s no tax increase in the works for Raeford residents, though a five-percent increase in water rates will likely be approved with the adoption of the budget next month. In a budget presented to City Council Monday night by City Manager Dennis Baxley, the 48-cents-per-hundred-dollar-valuation rate would remain unchanged, yet would...
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McLeod honored with award
Hoke County’s clerk of Superior Court, Evelyn L. McLeod, is one of five to receive the Richard Caswell Award for 45 years of service to the Judicial Branch. The award is administered by the Office of State Human Resources, and recognizes employees for providing “valuable and extended services in all areas of State government.” It...
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Kids, teachers can use I.D. number as digital library card
By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • A new collaboration between Hoke County Schools, the Hoke County Public Library and the N.C. Cardinal library consortium means kids and teachers can use their school I.D. number as a digital library card to access thousands of e-books, research articles, test preparation materials and much more. Last year...