The Hoke County Edition of the North State Journal

February 25, 2026

McLaurin hired to be next Hoke County football coach

February 25, 2026

Hoke County has found its new head football coach from right down the road: Duran McLaurin. The longtime Raeford Road Rivalry will now feature a head coach who has been on both sides. Hoke County […]

Athlete of the Week: Jacobi Simmons

February 15, 2026

Hoke County boys’ basketball senior Jacobi Simmons is Athlete of the Week. He also runs track for the Bucks. Hoke got 67-62 win over Richmond last week. Simmons was one of two Bucks to reach […]

Athlete of the Week: Machai Brown

February 8, 2026

Hoke County boys’ basketball junior Machai Brown is Athlete of the Week. The Bucks got a win over Jack Britt last week, and Brown came up big. He scored 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting with […]

Athlete of the Week: London Barnes

February 2, 2026

Hoke County track and field freshman London Barnes is Athlete of the Week. Barnes lit it up at the Mid-South 7A/8A Conference Championships. She won the conference title in the 55-meter with a personal-best time […]

Athlete of the Week: Will Leak

January 25, 2026

Hoke County track and field senior Will Leak is Athlete of the Week. He also plays football for the Bucks and is a multitime winner of our Athlete of the Week award over his high […]

SandHoke Early College to alter schedule starting next year

January 18, 2026

RAEFORD — SandHoke Early College is planning to implement a minor schedule change starting next year. At the Hoke County Schools Board of Education’s Jan. 13 meeting, the board was presented with a revision to […]

Board of Education elects new chair, vice chair

December 15, 2025

RAEFORD — The Hoke County Schools Board of Education has a new chairman. At the board’s Dec. 9 meeting, the board elected Ruben Castellon as the new board chair, taking over the role from Catherine […]

Athlete of the Week: Will Leak

January 25, 2026

Hoke County track and field senior Will Leak is Athlete of the Week. He also plays football for the Bucks and is a multitime winner of our Athlete of the Week award over his high […]

Athlete of the Week: Harley Hardin

January 19, 2026

Hoke County girls’ wrestling junior Harley Hardin is Athlete of the Week. Hardin qualified for state championships last year, and she’s picking up right where she left off as she starts her junior season. Last […]

Athlete of the Week: Kierra Rush

December 7, 2025

Hoke County girls’ wrestling senior Kierra Rush is Athlete of the Week. Rush is coming off a fourth-place finish at states as a junior and looks to improve on that in her senior campaign. At […]

Athlete of the Week: Josiah Jacobs

November 30, 2025

Hoke County boys’ basketball senior Josiah Jacobs is Athlete of the Week. The Bucks are 2-0 on the season, and Jacobs has been the team’s breakout star in the early going. In the opener, he […]

Athlete of the Week: Hoke’s middle school runners

November 9, 2025

Hoke’s middle school runners share Athlete of the Week honors. The county has plenty of cross-country runners to honor this week, which is why we need co-athlete of the week honors to spread around the […]

Athlete of the Week: Karmen Campbell

November 2, 2025

Hoke County volleyball senior middle hitter/middle blocker Karmen Campbell is Athlete of the Week. She also plays basketball for the Bucks. The Bucks finished their season at 19-4 with a loss in the school’s first […]

Athlete of the Week: Aubrey Carpenter

October 26, 2025

Hoke County volleyball senior libero Aubrey Carpenter is Athlete of the Week. The Bucks are having a historic season, storming to a 19-3 record and winning the Mid-South 7A/8A conference title. Carpenter is a big […]

Athlete of the Week: Crumpler Funeral Home golf team

October 19, 2025

Crumpler Funeral Home’s entry into the First Baptist Church Raeford Memorial Golf Tournament at Bayonet at Puppy Creek is Athlete of the Week. The tournament serves as a memory to those who were lost this […]

North Carolina State Parks to Host First Day Hikes

December 27, 2023

On January 1, 2024, North Carolina joins the nationwide tradition of First Day Hikes, an event organized by the National Association of State Park Directors. The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced that the […]

Hoke cotton fields reflect global economic trends

November 15, 2023

RAEFORD — As autumn’s crisp air replaces summer’s heat, the fields of Hoke County undergo their seasonal transition. The county’s cotton fields transform as white bolls are harvested and rolled into large bales, awaiting transport […]

Diakrití Designs to host Turnberry Festival this month

June 7, 2023

RAEFORD — Diakrití Designs began with a woman and her passion for space design and party hosting. Desheka Williams, a Hoke County local, found her dream through her husband’s career in real estate. Shortly after […]

Locklear impacting lives and making a difference

February 1, 2023

RAEFORD — Brandon Locklear is the head wrestling coach at Hoke County High School and is currently making a significant impact on young students through wrestling, education, and life. Recently the 30-year-old coach suffered a […]

New golf course seeks to honor Pinehurst’s natural beauty, rich history

February 1, 2023

PINEHURST — Golf course architect Tom Doak has embarked on a new project to design and develop Pinehurst’s 10th golf course, the first in almost three decades. Doak has long had a passion for golf […]

Ringing in a North Carolina new year

December 28, 2022

RALEIGH — Across the state, towns come together to celebrate the new year every December 31st. Countdowns, ball drops, festivals, and resolutions bring individuals close for this holiday. North Carolina offers numerous ways to celebrate […]

HURST: North Carolina Senators should choose Main Street over Wall Street

December 27, 2023

A major effort is underway by big banks and credit card companies to prevent economic relief from being provided to businesses and consumers. North Carolina’s senators must resist succumbing to the pressures of Wall Street […]

HORZEMPA: NC crime: a need for data-driven, targeted solutions

November 15, 2023

We’ve all felt the fear as we see media coverage hyper-focusing on crime-ridden cities like Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New York City. In North Carolina, even one crime victim is too many, but the emotional […]

HUDSON: Defending your energy security

September 28, 2023

As the trees in the Sandhills begin to show the first signs of fall, we are reminded that colder weather is near. Like many of you, my family faced last winter’s high energy prices and […]

HUDSON: We will always remember

September 14, 2023

September 11th, 2001 was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. The images of 9/11 remain ingrained into the collective memory of Americans across our nation. I still remember watching TV when the […]

HUDSON: Back to school season in the Sandhills

September 8, 2023

What would you do with an extra $700 in your pocket each month? Unfortunately, that is the cost of “Bidenomics” and inflation—but it shouldn’t have to be that way. The opportunity to work hard and […]

HUDSON: Protecting our veterans & honoring our fallen heroes

August 17, 2023

As the representative of the largest Army base in the world, making sure our community’s veterans, troops, and their families get the support they deserve is among my top priorities. At the end of July, […]

Accountability on the issues impacting you

August 2, 2023

President Ronald Reagan famously said, “A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.” President Joe Biden’s open border policies have fueled a historic surge in illegal immigration and the flames of our […]

HUDSON: Defending your rights and celebrating our nation

July 6, 2023

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” […]

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