Don't Take it For Granted
The Brunswick County Schools get a
$100,000 grant to teach communication
and problem-solving. Page 3-A.
Next... Hoops!
West Brunswick's basketball
program will get under way
Dec. 17 at Leland. Page 15-B.
Business Powwow
Congressman Charlie Rose comes to town
to talk about taxes, the economy and why
he voted for NAFTA. Page 10-C
12/31/99
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HO AG & SONS BOOK! BINDERY
P.O. BOX 1 62
spRIMGPORT
Thirty-Second Year, Number 6
MI 49284
1MSWICK ? BEACON
Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, December 9, 1 993 50c Per Copy 40 Pages, 3 Sections, Plus Inserts
W EST BRUNSWICK VS. HIGH POINT ANDREWS
West's Trojans Seek Back-To- Back Thrill In Chapel Hill
BY DOUG RIJTTER
Here we go again.
West Brunswick's Trojans will end their
football season in Chapel Hill for the third
straight year Friday night when they play
for the North Carolina High School 3A
Championship at 7:30 p.m.
The Red Raiders of High Point Andrews
(13-1) will try to prevent West Brunswick
(11-3) from winning a second consecutive
state championship at the University of
North Carolina's Kenan Stadium.
The Trojans won the state 2A title last
year, and hope to become the first school in
N.C. High School Athletic Association his
tory to follow up a 2A championship sea
son by winning the 3A title.
"I feel like we've got a chance," West
Brunswick Head Coach Jim Brett said
Tuesday. "We're just going to have to go
out there and play the greatest game we've
ever played."
The most recent schools to win back-to
hack state football championships were
Richmond County in the 4 A class and
Swain County in the 1A ranks. Both won
three straight titles starting in 1988.
West Brunswick advanced to the state
championship game with a 21-13 win over
Tarboro in last week's eastern final. High
Point Andrews defeated Shelby 41-31 to
win the western crown.
West also has playoff wins over Reids
ville (21-3), Eastern Randolph (43-12) and
Northeast Guilford (48-16). High Point
Andrews beat Winston-Salem Glenn (20
17), Forest Hills (10-0) and Concord (50
1 7) in the playoffs.
"I feel like we ve got a
chance. We're just
going to have to go out
there and play the
greatest game we Ve
ever played. "
- ? Coach Jim Brett
The Trojans and Red Raiders have been
two of the most successful football teams in
the state over the last three years. West
owns a 35-8 record since 1991, while
Andrews is 39-4.
Kenan Stadium has becomc West
Brunswick's home away from home. The
Trojans are the only team in the state that
has played in Chapel Hill each of the last
three years.
After losing 21-6 to Thomasville in the
1991 state 2A championship. West Bruns
wick returned to the 2A title game last year
and defeated Maiden 14-6 for the school's
first football championship.
High Point Andrews defeated Kanna
polis Brown 24-14 to win the 1991 state 3A
championship. The Red Raiders lost to
Burlington Cummings in last year's 3A
semifinals.
"! think both teams want to win real
bad," Brett said.
On paper, the game appears to be a close
matchup. The Red Raiders average 30.6
points per game and give up 12.1 points,
while West Brunswick scores 30.9 points
per contest and yields 12.8.
Coach Craig Gill's Red Raiders, making
their second appearance at Kenan Stadium
in the lar.t three years, racked up 515 yards
of offense in last week's western final.
High Point Andrews uses a pro-1 offen
sive formation. Senior quarterback Larry
Patterson has passed for 1,347 yards and 18
touchdowns. Patterson has been intercepted
five times.
Receiver James Cotton (6-5, 205) has
caught 45 passes for 892 yards and 13
touchdowns. Leading rushers are Stephon
Smith with 1.015 yards and 13 touchdowns
and Ronnie Whitworth with 892 yards and
six TDs.
(See TROJANS, Page 13-B)
USHER
Wearing Crowns In '94
Two titlists were crowned Saturday night ? Miss Brunswick County 1994 Ashley Summerlin of Long
Beach (left) and Little Miss Greater Brunswick County Natalie Tyner of Bolivia. The story, with anoth
er photo, is on Page 5 -B.
TO BEGIN WORK JANUARY 3
New Hospital Exec Experienced
In Managed Care , Recruitment
BY SUSAN USHER
The Brunswick Hospital's newly
named administrator begins work
Jan 3, bringing with him nearly 14
years in health care administration,
with experience in physician recruit
ment and managed health care.
C. Mark Gregson says he's excit
ed about the potential he sees in
both the hospital and its surrounding
community.
"I had an opportunity to visit the
hospital and talk to people in the
community. I feel excited about the
opportunities in the hospital and in
the community there in the future,"
Gregson said in a telephone inter
view last week from HCA Bayonet
Point/Hudson Medical Center in
Hudson, Fla., 011 the Gulf Coast
north of Tampa, where he has been
associate administrator since 1988.
Previously he served as vice pres
ident at hospitals in Phoenix, Ariz.,
and Bradenton, Fla., that were pub
Inside. . .
Birthdays 5B
Business News .? IOC
Calendar 1 1C
Church News .'6B
Classified l-SC
Crime Report 8C
Court Docket 9C
(iolf 16B
Obituaries 6B
Opinion 4-5A
People In The News 4ft
Plant Doctor ..3B
Sports I2-16B
Television. 12
lie and not-for-profit facilities.
Coupled with his tenure with in
vestor-owned, for-profit HCA, that
gives Gregson experience in all
three types of hospital settings.
He succeeds Earl Tamar of Hol
den Beach, who resigned abruptly
on Sept. 21. Chief Financial Officer
Helen Street is serving as interim
chief executive officer until the new
administrator arrives.
His first goals here will be getting
to know the hospital and its staff and
the community, and then setting
some priorities.
Gregson said he enjoys chal
lenges, and likes meeting one goal
and moving on to others. He consid
ers his skills with people a strength
and manages using a team approach.
"The way I operate is by working
closely with a team of people and
with the community to decide what
the needs and expectations of the
community are for the hospital and
then working as a team to meet and
hopefully exceed those expecta
tions."
According to Robert M. Martin,
HealthTrust regional vice president,
Gregson "will be an important asset
to The Brunswick Hospital in the
years ahead, particularly as the
country undergoes dramatic changes
in its health care system," citing his
experience in recruitment of physi
cians with a full range of skills and
with negotiating managed health
care contracts.
"His experience in these two ar
eas will be important," said Martin,
"as The Brunswick Hospital pre
pares for health care reform."
Gregson is also reflected in his
approach to physician recruitment:
working with the medical communi
ty and community at large to deter
mine what types of physicians are
needed and then trying to recruit
those whose lifestyles and interests
are compatible with the local com
munity.
"The idea is to recruit and retain,"
he said.
Gregson also gained experience
in negotiating health care contracts
in both Arizona and Florida, where
competition has driven the trend to
ward managed health care, a system
that reduces patient costs while lim
iting patients' choice of doctors and
medical facilities. In both areas, he
said, managed care is evolving in
models and at the pace dictated by
the community.
"I understand that is also what is
going to be happening in the
Brunswick area," he said.
At Bayonet Point, Gregson has
led the 256-bed hospital through ac
creditation, implemented open heart
surgery and cardiac catheterization
programs, coordinated construction
projects and played a large role in
the hospital's continuous quality im
provement program.
Gregson earned his bachelor's de
gree in economics and business ad
ministration from Kalamazoo Col
lege, Kalamazoo, Mich., and a mas
ter's degree in health and hospital
administration from the University
of Florida at Gainesville.
Gregson and his wife, Mary, have
two children. He plans to become
actively involved in civic and com
munity projects.
HealthTrust, which leases The
Brunswick Hospital from the Bruns
wick County Hospital Authority,
owns and operates health care facili
ties in 21 southern and western
states, including its 82 affiliate hos
pitals and health care networks.
Revaluation Notices Mean
Flood Of Calls, Complaints
For County Tax Officials
BY ERIC CARLSON
The 1993 property revaluations have gone out, the
telephone calls are flooding in and Brunswick County
Tax Supervisor Boyd Williamson wants to assure those
who don't agree with their appraisals that there is no
deadline for scheduling an informal hearing to discuss
the valuation.
More than 90,000 value estimates were mailed to
Brunswick County property owners last week and al
ready several hundred people have called to discuss their
appraisal or to schedule a hearing, Williamson said. He
expects to receive up to 3,000 such requests, which is
about normal for the revaluations counties are required
to conduct at least every eight years.
Williamson asks property owners to disregard the no
tice on their appraisal form telling them to call "within
10 days" if they have questions. The notice appears on
all forms sent out by the tax department.
"I want to try to diminish the sense of urgency some
what," he said. ' Nobody is going to get turned away.
Anyone who wants to come in for a hearing will be able
to do so."
Some problems can be handled over the phone, he
said. Occasionally an appraiser may have listed a new
house on the wrong lot. Or a data-entry error may have
resulted in an improper appraisal figure.
Others who feel their property has been improperly
valued will be asked to schedule an appointment with an
appraiser, who will show the owner the evaluation
forms, maps and local real estate data used to establish
the property's fair market value.
State law requires the county to base its land valua
tions on 100 percent of market value.
Property owners should bring to the hearing any doc
umentation they have to suggest that the appraisal is in
eiTor, Williamson said. This might include a recent ap
praisal for loan refinancing, a recent sales contract (no
more than 18 months old) and photographs or other evi
dence showing problems with the property that could re
duce its worth.
"You might have severe beachfront erosion or a rental
unit that's been torn up inside by tenants ? anything that
has diminished the value that might have slipped by the
(Sec TAXPAYERS REACT, Page 13-B)
K. MITCHELL
RANDOLPH
STANCIL
A. SMITH
N. SMITH
WILLIAMS
S>X MORE ARRESTED. ONE FLED
D.A. Says 1 0 Acted As 'Gang'
In Killing Of Bolivia Resident
BY ERIC CARLSON
It was a "gang mentality" that
motivated 10 young people to pile
into two cars and drive to a home in
Bolivia last week to watch ? or to
take part in ? the killing of Charles
Wayne "Butch" Davis, according to
District Attorney Rex Gore.
A 16-year-old female, four other
teenagers and a 21 -year-old were ar
rested and charged with murder in
the case last Wednesday (Dec. 1).
They join three other young men
who were picked up on murder
charges Nov. 30, less than 48 hours
after Davis was fatally shot in the
driveway of his mobile home on
Albright Road.
Four of the jailed teens are stu
dents at South Brunswick High
School. A tenth suspect, who is en
rolled at Brunswick Community
College, appears to have fled the
country to the Bahamas.
Investigators have recovered the
380-caliber semi-automatic pistol
believed to be the murder weapon.
The pistol has been sent to a State
Bureau of Investigation laboratory
for ballistic analysis.
An autopsy on Davis has deter
mined that he died from a single
gunshot wound to the back. How
ever, another large wound to the
r It just goes to
show that you need
to watch out who
you get into a car
with. "
-r? Sheriff's Dctcctivc
Charlie Miller
head was noted by the medical ex
aminer.
It is believed that Frank Lenail
Ford, 22, of Oakey Trail, Bolivia,
fired the shot that killed Davis, ac
cording to Brunswick County Sher
iff's Detective Charlie Miller.
Because the investigation is continu
ing, Miller said he could not give
details about the second wound to
Davis's head. Nor would he discuss
what role each of the defendants
may have had in the murder.
"We have evidence that they were
all there," Miller said. "As far as
their participation, I can't go into
that right now. That information has
been passed on to the district attor
ney."
Gore said Monday he is review
ing evidence and interviews gath
ered by Brunswick detectives and
the State Bureau of Investigation.
Prosecutors have not decided
whether the charges against any of
the suspects should be reduced.
"It appears that we had a gang
mentality situation," Gore said.
"We're trying to sort out the legal
consequences of the gang's disre
gard for another person's well being.
We are evaluating the charges
against each person and trying to fit
them into the total picture of what
happened that night."
TTie six new suspects, who made
a first appearance in Brunswick
County District Court last Thursday,
are Kevin Kenyatta Mitchell, 18, of
Old Ocean Highway, Bolivia; Victor
Conway Randolph, 21, of Tobes
Road, Bolivia; Anthony Alex Smith,
19, of Neck Road, Bolivia; Nicholas
Lavoir Smith, 16, of U.S. 17,
Bolivia; Jessica Lucille Stancil, 16,
of Clark Street, Ocean Isle Beach;
and Archie Lee Williams Jr., 16, of
Rutland Road. Bolivia.
The three Bolivia men previously
charged in the ease are Ford, Ter
rance Laquinn Jones, 18, of
Randolph Mobile Home Park on
Randolphville Road and Jeremy
Javon Smith, 16, of Tobes Road.
(See 10TH SUSPECT, Page 2-A)