hobg &
gpRlNGF
Volume 23, Number 2
Bypc
BY SUSAN USHER
A bypass around Shallotte ranks at
the top of the county's list of road
priorities delegates will present at a
division-wide public hearing on
transportation needs today (Thursday)
in Jacksonville.
i ne Division 3 meeting Begins wltn
registration at 1 p.m. at the
Municipal Building. The full
Shallotte Board of Aldermen,
representatives of the county's two
chambers of commerce, Rep. David
Redwine, County Planner John
Harvey, County Planning Board
Chairman Ed Gore, County Commission
Vice-Chairman Jim Poole and
political party officials are among
those planning to attend from
Brunswick County. The group is attempting
to present a unified set of
priorities to the state, with the hope
of influencing the state board's expenditures
in Brunswick County. It
will work out details on the list.
Second on the county's list is completion
of the- four-laning of U.S. 17
from Bell Swamp fN.C. 87) to Supply
(N.C. 211), followed by the segment
from Supply to the South Carolina
state line. At this point the county's
usi wiu aeviaie a seconu ume irv:::
the recommendations of the planning
board.
The county planning board,
meeting last Wednesday night, proposed
as the county's top priority the
four-laning from Supply to the state
line, including the bypass rather than
breaking it out as a separate project.
When Commissioner Frankie
Rabon questioned that arrangement
Face Lifts
For Park,
Boy Scout William (Willie) Norton
of Shallotte Troop 287 plans to spend
a large chunk of his summer In
Shallotte Municipal Park, giving one
corner a new look as he works toward
his Eagle rank.
In the opposite Corner of the park,
several local organizations hope tc
bring new life to the Sunnyside school
building as well.
Norton received permission frorr
an enthusiastic board of aldermer
last Wednesday night to undertake
the beautification project, but musi
still obtain approval from a Cape
Fear Council Eagle project review
board in June.
To qualify toward the Eagle rank
Norton must organize and carry ou
the entire project, including super
vising the Scout that plans to assis
him.
At his own expense Norton, 15, pro
poses to enclose a 45-feet by 50-fee
area with low wooden fencing. see<
grass and water it until established
plant 10 azaleas and seven red tips
build a picnic table and clean up thi
general area, including weeding thi
ditch. He expects the project to taki
at least SO to GO hours to complete.
Murde
BY TERRY POPE
A Superior Court judge ruled Mori
day that the first-degree murder tna
of James R. Stamper. 12. charged ii
the stabbing death of a Long Bead
resident, will be heard in Brunswicl
County.
Stamper's attorneys. Bill Kairie;
and Steoben Yount of Southoort. flkei
four motions Monday relating to th
case prior to an arraignment Your
asked Judge B Craig Ellis to eithe
IraruJer the truil to another judicva
(hstnct or ad)ouung county hecaus
newspaper accounts of the murde
"has made It difficult to obtain a fai
and impartial trial" locally.
Ycunt presented copies of Iocs
press coverage of the Feb. T murde
to Judge Ellis, most notabl
coverage provided to the public b
?oTbook
>qrt "i 49284
8 Shallotte, Nor
iss Tops (
Monday night. County Planner John
Harvey said it was written that way
as a reflection of action taken by the
previous board of commissioners.
The idea, added Chairman Chris
Chappell, is to draw northbound traffic
from Myrtle Beach, S.C., into
Brunswick County rather than losing
it to Interstate 95, and to accommodate
traffic entering the area
from S.C. 9.
But, he said, agreeing to changes
proposed by Rabon, "It doesn't matter.
That group's (the State Board of
Transportation) is going to do what
they see fit. They're going to set their
priorities and we're going to have to
accept it."
The top ranking as adopted reflects
tlie state's intent as outlined by
Transportation Commissioner Tommy
Pollard last week. It also reflects
resolutions adopted last summer by
the towns of Shallotte, Ocean Isle
Beach, Sunset Beach, Calabash and
Holden Beach, the South Brunswick
Islands Chamber of Commerce and
the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners.
The resolutions asked
thai the bypass be broken oui as a
separate project and completed "immediately
aiiu expeditiously."
No Delays
An informal U.S. 17-bypass coalition
had first planned to ask the state
to move the entire SudoIv-S.C. see
ment up, but was told that would
delay the entire four-Ian ing project.
> Engineering work and acquisition
of right-of-way has begun on the Bell
Swamp-Supply segment, and 25 percent
of the right-of-way has been obIn
Offing
Sunnyside
i He will pay the estimated $100 exI
pense from money he earned last
i summer and fall, mowing lawns.
Norton stands to become the first
I Eagle Scout in Troop 287, sponsored
by the Shallotte American legion
Post Before it went inactive Troop
? 506, sponsored a number of years ago
1 by the legion post, had at least seven
Scouts to attain Eagle rank in 1963.
i They included Jimmy and Chris Mari
shall, David Kedwine, Steve Holden.
Samuel G. Moffitt CharlesG. Holden
1 and Ronald Holden.
! The Brunswick County Arts Coun'
cil is spearheading the latest effort to
make Sunnyside usable. The school
, building dates from the early 1900s
t and was in continuous use through
- the 1971-72 school year, when the old
t Shallotte High School closed. It was
moved to the park for preservation
- and restoration.
t President Ouida Hewett said the
1 council would like to see ihe building
. used for art exhibitions and as a focal
. point in this end erf the county for arts
t activities, possibly an arts festival or
s "art in the park" program,
f "It will probably cost about $10,000
< See PARK. Page I-A)
r Trial To
the State Port Pilot of Southport, the
i- local weekly (or the Oak Island area.
I The article that appeared in the
] March 6 issue contained photos of
li Stamper handcuffed on the front
t page and "very detrimental type
quotes." Yount argued.
Y Coverage was also provided by the
i other two newspapers tn the county .
f The Brunswick Beacon and The
' Brunswick Free Press, but those
r reports were more general. Yount
d said
? Stamper. erf Welch. WVa.. u
r chary ed with the first-degree murder
1 of Samuel Allen Mabe, 23. a
rehabilitation aide at Ocean Trail
J Convalescent Center in Southport
r and resident of S ? Mth Street ui
y Long Beach The suspect was aff
rested the same day of the murder by
f
'4tQ SUPPLEM
of
JMSWI
th Cnrolinn Thurcrlnx/ KKr
lounty's
\
J
r\
<r^
COUNTY PLANNING DIRECTOR J(
with commissioners Monday night
Shallotte. then continuation ot the to
priorities.
tained (or the bypass, but
preliminary work has not begun on
the southernmost segment
Former Transportation Commissioner
Louis Scwell had said moving
(Kn htttQce oKaarl u-nnl/l nut r4nlo?
??iv i.^puir.i an\ruu noma nv/v aviu^ uiv
Bell Swamp segment, which includes
a bypass around Bolivia.
/'TT*
BOY SCOUT WILLIE NORTON dbsrui
project be hopes to undertake at SI
Beamoc Hewett and Mayor Pro-Tern
help Norton attain Eagle rank, the hl|
Remain
the Brunswick County Sheriff's
Department while he was walking
along U S. 17 in Bolivia.
In refusing to transfer the trial
MontittV lltHoh Pllit rJ I a.iptnVuiM
said the media coverage of the
murder did not exceed normal
publicity {or the entire county.
"I am aware that Brunswick County
is a big county." Pliis said.
"Every jury that has been selected
while I've been here has included
people from all parts of the county,
and they are selected fairly at random."
District Attorney Michael Easley
argued against moving the tnal to
another courtroom, saying he didn't
thtrdx "it could be demonstrated that
there was any more publicity in thu
IENT INCLUDE!
reft
ly 23, 1985 2
List Of R<
g$F. Tifrf^,;
'rB*- ?
m . . -* H
?< tuB
STAFF PHOTO BY SUSAN USMfR
>HN HARVEY renewed road needs
The board rated a bypass around
ur-laolng ol U.S. 17, as its top two
Under the schedule proposed by
Pollard, the Shallotte bypass may be
completed several months in advance
ol the scheduled completion of
the Bolivia bypass.
Connie l^edgett of the SouthportOak
Island Chamber of Commerce,
said four-laning of >U.S. 17 across
i
11AJ? hOTOI* UliAM UV4I
is? plans (or his a community service
lallotte Municipal Park with Mayor
Paul Wayne Reeves. The project will
;hest rank In Scouting.
In Bruns>
case than in any general case. I don't
think the burden has been met"
Easlev also argued against another
motion filed by Stamper's attorneys
Monday that would have requested
J1.000 from the state for a second
psychiatric examination for the
suspect Stamper was examined at
Dorothea Du Hospital in Raleigh last
monui anu was ueserminra u> oe
mentally competent to stand trial for
murder
"I'd like to point out that he's had
the psychiatric examination and it's
here today." Easley said.
Fair ley argued in court Monday
that Stamper's evaluation was a
30-minate session before a
psychologist who did not make a
determination as to what happened
| i : < ? - )
IN THIS ISSUE
RAO
5c Per Copy 90 Page
Dad Prioi
North Carolina is the top priority tor
Coast Hosts, a coastal tourism promotion
group in which she represents
the local chamber.
Commissioners agreed to Rabon's
placement of the fourth and fifth action
items: 4) widening of old U.S.
74-76 from near Belville to Old
Village Koau to include turn lanes in
front of the Wilson Plaza Shopping
Center, plus traffic signals; and 5)
widening N.C. 133 from the Oak
iMHiiu nnuge 10 n.u zu 10 tive
lanes, with installation of traffic
lights. Beach Road is the SouthportOak
Island Chamber of Commerce's
top priority, Ms. Ledgett said. But
she was concerned that sufficient
right-of-way might not be available
for five urban (no median) lanes.
The planning board had ranked a
countywide thoroughfare plan third
Two Suspend"
Two Shallotte Middle School
eighth-graders were suspended from
school iast Friday after one student
was rushed to the Brunswick
Hospital in Suppiy for an apparent
drug overdose.
According to Assistant Principal
William Detrie, one student was
taken to the hospital after taking
about three tranquilizers supplied by
another student. The boy who
brought the prescription drugs from
hnmo wne 'i.rmwl
WMIW r. UJ ku> litu UIC1 IU uiuiiiuvu;
police officers for prosecution.
He only took a minimum number
t '~ i i .?<?>?
School Bus J
Create Loca
BY TERRY POPE
A bili that would prohibit schools
from hiring people younger than 18 to
drive school buses could create problems
for the Brunswick County
school system, one school official
oa<\i iu.n nwrv.
State Rep. Alex Hall, D-New
Hanover County, recently introduced
a bill before the State House that
would set the age limit on school bus
drivers. The bill was scheduled for
debate before the House Highway
Safety Committee this week before
going to the House floor for a vote.
"1 have a feeling we will have a
problem in finding all adult drivers,"
said Bill Turner, Brunswick County
schools transportation supervisor,
"at least in the first year."
Such a bill would not affect student
drivers who may already have their
bus license from driving for the
schools next year; however, it would
prohibit students under 18 from seeking
a bus license.
The bill was introduced last month,
amid a flurry of school bus accidents
in southeastern North Carolina. A recent
school bus accident in Shallotte
on May 6 sent 17 Union Primary
School students to the Brunswick
Hospital for treatment.
wick Col
to the suspect on the night of the
murder. The victim was stabbed 13
times, indicating that "something
very unusual must have happened to
him i.Stamper) that night to make
him lose control of himself," Fairley
said.
Since first-degree murder carries a
possible death sentence, the defendant
should be entitled to all evidence
possible under taw, Fairley said. It is
up to the defendants to prcrve a second
psychiatric examination would
be profitable to the case
"If the state's allegations are
true." Fairley said, "then something
extremely unusual happened. Your
honor, I think 11.000 to find out what
happened is rather inexpensive "
Kasiey said a second evaluation
,4
fpj"
IN
TM
s Including Supplement
-ities
on its list, just behind the U.S. li projects,
as a means of providing longrange
planning for other county road
projects.
Poole, Harvey, Planning Board
Chairman Ed Gore and representatives
of the chambers of commerce
will work out placement of several
items commissioners were uncertain
how to treat.
For instance, Poole questioned
placement of a second Oak Island
(8th) below a Sunset Beach Bridge
(5th) in priority by the planning
board, saying that not everyone at
Sunset Beach wants that bridge.
The state "sees the need" and has
allocated funds for right-of-way acquistion
for a high-rise bridge at
Sunset, but not construction funds as
(See BYPASS, Page2-A)
ed For Drugs
of pills and was more or less taken to
the hospital for observation," Detrie
said, "i understand the boy has gone
back to Raleigh to stay with his
faiher."
Detrie said he had heard rumors
that the boy was in the intensive care
unit all weekend, which was not the
case, he added. With Principal Mark
Owens at a meeting Friday, Detrie
investigated the incident and called
in the Shallotte Police Department.
"1 looked into the situation as well
as I could," Detrie said, "and there
were no other students Involved."
Bill Could
I Problems
In that accident, a 16-ycar-oid
driver was charged with running a
red light and driving a bus without a
school bus license. The 19-ycar-uld
regular bus driver was charged with
allowing an unlicensed person to
drive his bus.
In Brunswick County, there are approximately
ISO to 170 licensed school
bus drivers for the schools' 12S yellow
school buses, Turner said. About half
of those drivers are adults.
When members of the Union
Primary School Parent Teachers
Organization met recently to honor
the school's bus drivers, of the 13 present,
only four were student drivers.
But in the high schools, the numbers
are reversed where there are fewer
adult drivers available.
Thomas Ward, who was recently
promoted to the schools'
maintenance supervisor, believes the
new bill will hurt the county unless
pay for bus drivers is "made more
attractive."
Adults are not going to work on a
school bus for a few hours each day
because, for many of them, it will be
'"more trouble than it is worth," he
added.
"I think we've got outstanding bus
(See BUS, Page J-A)
irtroom
should be granted only if the results
are likely to prove or disprove a (actor
in the case Asking the court to
grant another examination on a
statement Uke." 'What ditto significant?'
just Is not enough," he added
"It's a question of what comes
first, the chicken or the egg'"
Fair ley said. "I think it will show *
mitigating circumstance."
Judge EUi* also refused a motion
Monday that wouid have allowed for
the defense to receive a list of
mitigating factors in the case that is
likely to be introduced in the trial by
the state
Stamper mil face arraignment and
trial during the July 23 session of
Superior Court or during a special
session in June if one is called,
Eaiiey said.