Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Feb. 18, 1993, edition 1 / Page 13
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under the sun RS'' ????&: flHH r"* MBMi . INSIDE THIS SECTION: THE BRUNSWICK^BEACON | \ MSpelling Winners, 5 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY ,8. 1992 MSpOriS, PC^S 6- 7 0 CASSIE HUFFMAN (above) as chairman of the Brunswick County Commissioners, signs a resolution commending Betty Cheers' class for its hard work and good behavior, while (below) the big screen at the Emergency Services Center shows the chil dren computer maps of evacuation routes and flood predictions, as well as a few minutes of "The Family Feud." TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ERIC CARLSON JENNIFER MELVIN (in photo above) gets some help with her district court judge's robe from tour guide and Clerk to the Board of Commissioners Kelly Barefoot. At left, Gregory Fuller takes the oath before testifying in his defense against a charge of misde meanor larceny in the theft of a blue-jean jacket. Below, District Attorney Kevin Justice prepares his prosecution as victim Timothy Farmer testifies about how he discovered his jacket missing. School Daze! Kids Get A Hands-On Look At Brunswick Government In a vcrdict that shocked veteran courtroom observers. District Court Judge Jennifer Mclvin recently found a young Bolivia student not guilty of misdemeanor larceny in the theft of a blue jean jacket. The de cision came despite the testimony of Timothy Farmer, who said the jacket had disappeared from his hanger and was later found in Gregory Fuller's book bag. Judge Mclvin apparently believed the testimony of Fuller, who said he owns a similar jacket and might have picked up Farmer's by mistake. Later that afternoon the judge, the district attorney, the victim and the defendant rode home on the bus to tell their moms and dads about all the fun they had. It was kids day in the county courthouse as 25 second and third graders from Bolivia School got their first close-up look at the way our government and our legal system works during a morning visit to the Brunswick County government complex. Herding the youngsters through the maze of offices was Kelly 3arcfoot, clerk to the Brunswick County Commissioners, who for the past six years has been leading such tours for groups ranging in age from kindergarten to senior-citizen. It's not easy to hold the attention of two dozen children raised on TV and video games, especially when the subject is government. But Barefoot makes it come alive by letting the kids become part of the show. In one of the courtrooms, she stages a mock trial with students playing the parts of the victim, the defendant and all the court officials. She even pins a badge on the bailiff and dresses the judge in a real judge's robe. "This is the first time we've ever had someone found not guilty," Barefoot said. 'The kids usually want the judge to send the defendant to jail." After the trial, she answers questions about how the justice system works. As she predicted before their arrival, someone in the group raised a hand and asked the question she hears from every group of younger visi tors. "Where is the electric chair?" Barefoot explains that North Carolina no longer uses the electric chair for executions. Instead the state administers lethal injections or sends its condemned felons to the gas chambcr, she said. 'Then where is our gas chambcr?" came the next logical question. She explained that Brunswick County does not execute prisoners and instead sends them to Raleigh. "Then where is the jail?" "It's right though that door. And if you are found guilty they can take you right away and it's bye-bye, mama!" she told the crowd of wide-eyed faces. She answered more questions like: "What do prisoners cat? (No pizza.) Do they wear striped uniforms? (No. Ugly orange jumpsuits.) And do they get to watch television? (Yes. But no MTV or Nickelodeon.)" Then it's off to the commissioners' chambers. There, five students sank into the big padded chairs normally occupied by the county board while another assumed the role of clerk. Meanwhile, the other children took their scats in the audience. "Whoops," said Barefoot. "We almost forgot the county manager! Who wants to be county manager?" A dozen hands waved in the air. She chose a boy with a blonde crew CUL "I guess you can be county manager. But you don't have nearly as much hair as he docs," said Barefoot. The chairman called the meeting to order and asked if any citizens wished to address the board. "Yes," said one child. "1 live right off Midway Road and I want you to change the name of my road. It's called Cheers Street and I want to name it after my grandfather." There was muffled laughter from the children in the audience. Even their teacher, Betty Cheers, cracks a smile. Commission Chairman Cassie Huffman explains that in order to have the road name changed, there will be a S50 application fee and a charge of S30 for each new street sign. When the applicant protested, she explained that the county already has spent money on signs and taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for them again. "Well, I guess it will have to stay Cheers Street," the citizen said amid another round of laughter. In other business, the commissioners approved a resolution honoring Mrs. Cheers' class "for their good behavior and hard work this school year." The measure passed unanimously. Next, the students marched in an orderly line across the complex to the Emergency Services (911) Center. There they saw the command post where emergency personnel would coordinate rescue and medical opera tions iii a serious hurricanc or other disaster. They got a look inside a coun ty ambulance and watched the telephone dispatchers answer 911 calls. At the jail, the children were mildly disappointed that they weren't al lowed to see any prisoners (a policy instituted after one inmate appeared in his underwear). But they saw enough to know they didn't want to be locked inside. After a chorus of "Thank you, Mrs. Barefoot!" the group boarded the bus and headed back to school while Barefoot returned to her office. In the morning mail she found a stack of drawings and "thank you" notes from one of her earlier tour groups. One child was particularly im pressed with a talk by Tax Supervisor Boyd Williamson. "How did he gel to know so much about taxis?" the child wrote. ?MUM WM? COMMISSIONER Michael Young listens intently as a citizen asks the board to approve a road name change.
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Feb. 18, 1993, edition 1
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