STAFF PHOTO BY ERIC CAJtLSON
BEACON MANAGING EDITOR Lynn Carlson, left, and Sports Editor Doug Rutter display four
awards the newspaper staff won in the N.C. Press Association's 1992 community newspaper competi
tion.
UNCW Wants To Bring High-Tech
Distance Learning Into Countv
BY SUSAN USHER
A proposal to extend a high-tech
nology distance learning network in
to Brunswick County will be dis
cussed at a workshop offered 7 p.m.
to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, in the
teaching auditorium at Brunswick
Community College.
Representatives of the University
of North Carolina at Wilmington,
Bell South and the N.C. State
University Department of Commun
ications are expected to participate
in the session, the latest in a series
aimed primarily at local public and
private agencies. Speakers will
share, among other things, how the
advanced technology works, its as
sociated costs, and how it can be
used to advantage in various set
tings. Fiber optics technology pro
vides high-quality, high-capacity
transmission.
The Cape Fear Educational Part
nership Network, a interactive video
project, is already in place in New
Hanover County, a joint effort led
by UNCW's Division for Public
Service. The university is linked by
Tiber optics telecommunications
technology with New Hanover and
Hoggard high schools and the Area
Health Education Center based at
the New Hanover Regional Medical
Center complex.
Students at the high schools, for
instance, arc participating in a
Japanese language course.
"There's going to be some pretty
good how-to's," said Milton Cole
man, Brunswick County Coope
rative Extension Service chairman.
"It's exciting to see what you can
do."
He said extension offices are al
ready taking advantage of distance
learning opportunities. An equine
care series offered at UNCW
through the extension service was
transmitted statewide using the in
teractive mode, with students at sites
as distant as Wilmington and Ashe
ville asking questions and sharing
comments.
"We want to expand that into
Brunswick County," said Scott Car
penter, coordinator of the South
eastern Network for Economic
Development at UNCW. To that
end. Carpenter is putting together a
"What helps
Brunswick County
helps New Hanover
County. . "
?Scott Carpenter
proposal seeking a S500.000 grant
from the federal Rural Electrifi
cation Administration (REA).
Carpenter said UNCW has taken
the initiative in trying to extend the
network into Brunswick County,
with economic considerations chief
among its reasons. "In part because
of the high unemployment and be
cause it's our closest neighbor and
there is a high commuter relation
ship," he said. "What helps Bruns
wick County helps New Hanover
County. It makes sense to do this
given the relationship of the two
counties."
In about another year's time,
UNCW anticipates offering similar
assistance to Pender County.
Meanwhile, said Carpenter, "We
want to expand to Brunswick Com
munity College and to one of the
high schools and to a hospital. It's a
hard decision which school. I be
lieve we will leave that to the school
board and superintendent to decide.
But probably West Brunswick be
cause it is closest to U.S. 17."
Also because of its proximity to
the highway, The Brunswick
Hospital looks like the most likely
of <he two county high schools.
All three tie-ins are contingent
upon money. Each partner must pro
vide matching funds, currently esti
mated at $20,000 apiece, said
Carpenter.
Distant learning links are avail
able now through technology that is
less expensive but that will soon be
dated, he said. "It's slower going
with fiber optics now, but in 10
years everything will be fiber optics
and we'll be ahead of the game."
Carpenter believes that lapping
into the "cutting edge" of fiber op
tics technology will help set the area
apart and contribute to its economic
development Fiber optics technolo
UMPS REPAIRS PARTS
Check Out Our Plumbing Dept.
SALE OF THE MONTH
MYERS
INCLUDES
12-GALLON $"17Q99
BLADDER TANK I f 57
1/2 HP
SHALLOW WELL
PUMP
Myers
1/2 & 1 HP DEEP WELL PUMPS IN STOCK
Water Heaters/Elements & Supplies
OCEAN ISLE SUPPLY CO.
Hwy. 179, between Ocean Isle & Sunset Beach
OPEN: Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:00, Sat. 7:30-3:00
tlMO TMF BRUNSWICK BCACOfcl
PVC, POLY, GALV, CPVC PIPE & FITTINGS
t
gy cannot only increase classroom
opportunities for students, but also
make a broader range of information
available to businesses and industry
and make it easier for facilities such
as rural hospitals to share resources,
including medical specialists.
"I see things happening," said
Carpenter. "If they want lo come on
line, there is nothing stopping them.
But they have to find the money.
They need to realize they have to go
after the money and make it hap
pen."
FOUR AWARDS FOR '9?
Beacon Brinqs Home Honors
From Annual Press Competition
The Brunswick Beacon staff
brought home four awards from the
N.C. Press Association's 1992 com
munity newspaper competition.
The awards were presented at the
association's 1993 Winter Institute
held this past weekend in Chapel
Hill.
Managing Editor Lynn Carlson
accepted second-placc awards for
editorials and columns. Sports
Editor Doug Rutter was awarded
second place in sports columns for
"Sporting Scene," and the newspa
per won second place for sports cov
erage.
Carlson, who has been with the
newspaper since June 1992, submit
ted editorials on the Brunswick
County schools system, tourism, and
the county's draft land use plan. The
judge, Walter Sanchez of the
Queens Ledger in Maspcth, N.Y.,
commented, "Nice use of facts to
get message across. Appealing sub
ject matter. Gets right to the point,
with a nice writing style."
Carlson's winning columns were
'The Scariest Sport In The World,"
a humor piece about T-ball; "Well
Fed And Well-Read For The Sum
mer," about her childhood: and
''Why America Needs New Or
leans," written in the aftermath of
Hurricane Hugo. "Good writing that
carries the thought and makes a
point with intriguing openings and
snappy conclusions," said judge
Barbara Rivcttc of the New York
Press Association.
RuUer's awards were for "Sport
ing Scene" columns about the 1991
state football championships, the
TAX RETURN SPEQIALl
OAKWOOD MOBILE HOMES
BRING YOUR TAX RETURN,
WE WILL ASSIST YOU
IN QUICKERETURN FOR
DOWN PAYMENT.
OAKWOOD
HWY. 410 SOUTH, CHADBOURN
OPEN TILL 8 PM
(919)654-4128
need for wooden gym floors in local
high schools, and youth baseball.
About Rutter's columns, the
judge? Sharon Fulmcr of Eagle
Newspapers in Baldwinsvillc, N.Y.
?said, "Mr. Ruttcr hits the issues
that touch the community. In the
first two columns, he deals with is
sues that the entire readership area
can relate to. In the third column,
Mr. Ruttcr talks about one of
America's favorite pastimes, and
anyone could enjoy it. He is easy to
read and doesn't lose audience with
clutter."
Ruttcr has been on the newspaper
staff since August 1987.
The Beacon s sports coverage,
judged by Cliff Richncr of Richncr
Publications, Lawrence, N.Y., was
praised for "exceptional feature sto
ries and quality news coverage."
"(Former staff writers) Terry
Pope and Dori Cosgmve show great
natural talent and knack for in-depth
coverage of athletes and their lives
rather than just covering games and
posting scores. Doug Ruttcr's story
("Lady Cougars Wins Conference
Pair") is also a fine example of
straight news coverage written with
flair while remaining concise and
factual!"
The State Port Pilot of Southport
accepted five awards, including a
first place for general excellence
among weekly newspapers with cir
culations of more than 3,500. James
M. Harper III won a third-place
award f v investigative reporting for
a story about problems at Carolina
Power & Light's Brunswick Nuclcar
Plant.
The Pilot's Marybeth Bianchi ac
ccptcd a second-place award for
photo pages for a diplay about the
turtle watch program. The newspa
per won sccond placc for its editori
al pages and third placc for use of
photographs.
_ . . ?:?i
Meridien Cabinets by Aristokraft
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Stephens
8 in Tarheeland Acres by
Tommy Brown Builders
| A SEA COAST TRADING CO.
iArlslokiaft 754-6630 ? 120 Blake St., Shallotte
KaAo /hack
L
"LUflWl
Save
$30
o
fcmm'l
, 35 EH 25
a ? a
e HiSI I! II ?.<***? I I I mil L>""'I 10-Channel, VHF/UHF Hi/Lo, Full
FJ I' .J; i f I I / f*/fll#L I Realistic PRO-58 Access to 22,000 frequencies Backlit ICO channel/frequency dis|
w* ?11 II p | Manual/scan, lockout, scan-delay Coverage 30-54, 138-174,380-512 MHz. Ext antenna
n a ; II ? j IfllVli ^^^^iaci^LteedACaoapjeMoMivu^wd^(ua^T?22WO^e^i2a9b
S
?/ 477s7
?4irc
40
Cordless phone I ?Ijllii? son
with quality I ? IT T ?
unu ran hear1 I ? Most popular compact
you can nedi - I ? I speaker gives incredible
Advanced Super-CCT circuitry rivals corded-p one s u ? H j 3f 3/7 incredible
Accurate speed-dial.ng of 27 numbers, plus three ? ^ I ^
iT^nnn ^iim^naUon security code and built-in COM-LOK- I j a Only 9' a " high?ideal lor home or
' ?om n?o?ec? Dhonine Ir 3rn unauthorized calls I | ollice bookshelf
system prot p Waitinq neg ?9.95 ??M < J ? 5 " long-throw woofer ? 1" iweeter
Cl"h hiitton for services l.ke Call Waiting J | J ? Seamless d.e-cast metal enclosure
Reg 79.95 Black ?40 ?054 Wn.te ?40 ?055
??-r
*w /s rtc
SfcjLii
sil CUT 25% >TvTj S-fi W40
Preprogrammed SAVE *40 40 channel, 5 ivatt l>uoh,m
4 in1 video remote ?? nalkie talkie PUT 95%
m Control 4 components 5l????!? Hj lTyapaf" | ? ' ?a? h
? No complicated setup ? i4W/channel ? Digital tuning t work or play J DM? CBSSCttG ptlOnB SlfSWBPCP
Reg. 39.95 *15-1904 ? Seek and scan Reg 129 95 *12-1950 Reg 139 95 *?i 1665 ? Remote operation Reg. 79.95 ?43-399
| -i
/-V -W /s//(
NOBODY COMPARES!
With over 6600 locations
nationwide. Radio Shack
is f 1 in electronics
Radio/hack
SINCE 1921
A MTRICa'sTECHNOLOC V STORE Credit Cards
BOB'S ELECTRONICS welcome
A Radio Shack Dealer
129 Holden Beach Rd., Shallotte, 754-4647 ^ale Ends 2/27/93