Jump start Courses at BCC expand options for area high school students eager to get moving toward their careers. Page 8-B. Class Of *94 West, North and South 's graduates are profiled in our annual Special Section. D. cashing in On Kings A 51-DOunder wins the Sun Fun King Mackerel Tourney, and Captain Jamie kills his 11 -pound jinx. Page tue MIL .l2/3l/qq SONS Amu in It^HilH MK ft ?? u MI 49284 I Lk ? a C a rfllfl 1 ninyr j>cono Number 32 ! ivnyuLnvv^ Shonono, , Caroling, Thursday, June 9, 1994 50< P*r Copy 58 Pages, 5 Sections, Plus Inserts mirmoioirwoyuoN Sate boating inspection BMCSJJ}. Am*, CMtfsfVS. CsssSV Gmk isiand, chats wtth a group of Sunset Harbor fishermen during m routine boanBng ami inspection in the Cape Fear River Monday afternoon. June 6-12 is Safe Boating Week, a time when the Coast Guard reminds mariners to inspect their vessels and make sure all Itfe preservers, fire extinguishers, lights and other items of safety equipment are in good working order. Pictured (from left) are Amdt, Seaman Galen Miles of Lynchburg, Ml, Jim TunstaU and Doug Wheeler of Sunset Harbor and Petty Officer Elwyn Thompson cfMeeeheed City. 'COMMISSIONERS HAVE IMMUNITY' 1 Draft County Budget Asks i Increased Fees/ Same Taxes BY ERIC CARLSON For the second time in two yean, customers of the county water system will see a 10-percent increase in ttesr w??cr bills if the couuty cuiuinissioocn adopt a draft 1994-95 budget presented to them by temporary county manager Charles McGinn Ls Monday night. The proposed $43 million spending plan calls for a county tax rate of 58.5 cents per $100 of property valua tion, a reduction of 9.5 cents from the previous year. But since most residents saw their property tax values in creased by the recent countywide revaluation, most tax payers should receive about the same tax bill for 1994 as they did for 1993, McGinn is said. In addition to the suggested water rata inciMi* *?? budget plan recommends that the telephone surcharge for 911 service be doubled from 50 cents per month to one dollar "to support the increased operational cost of the Emergency Dispatch Center." McGinnis said. The proposal also eliminates last year's balf-millkm dotiar allocation to area fire districts and recommends that the board appoint a committee to study the the pos sibility of cfcszging foes for county iir?nu?n unlawful dMcnm* 'Hilton.** Alexander wis i coaly employee for move than 16 years. She had been clerk to the board for "/ would say that the ruling percent (on the Vereen t WtmJL. -I _ ? HirrjHw/. a ine raw i/i muf circuit Their claims are the same, except for the racial discrimination charge." ? County Attorney Michael Ramos over 10 yean when her paid position was written oat of the 1991-92 county budget. At the time, Board Chairman Hotden said Alexander was one of more than 20 worker* whoae jobs were elimi nated during a reduction in force unplcniculod " to help balance the budget" Also eliminated from the county payroll by the Republican board waa the portion of "awwtant operations services director,** a job created by an earlier Democrat-dominated board after Vereen rtnclinrd to seek re-election to hit county oom mise inner seat Vereen waa named to the position in August 1966. Alexander filed her federal lawsuit in January 1993 asking that she be re-hired and paid back wages, benefits and interest on the money she would have received. Her suit also sought puni tive rtamagrs, court coats and legal fees. Vereen court lawsuit fifed May 2. la a colorfully worded 11-page review of the Alexander cue, U.S. District Judge Junes C Fox overturned ? federal magistrate's "Memorandum and Recommendation (MAR)" ruling that the oTuoiwka Cuuuty iVimmiiiwVif ia www uui aSur mane from liability when they eliminated the clerk's salary from the budget. C? X I *?? a. .. a. . ? ? been iiwndud with a "cavalcade of briefs and memoranda which have overwhelmed the pend ing coune of this litigation " He went on to say that of all tlwtf itwimwi*' the "defendants' brief in opposition to the MAR has thoroughly and ac curately encapsulated the court's own indepeo " Having conducted an exhaustive (and ex hausting) review at all atguinr.nH presented?the court concludes that legislative immunity bars PffTnTiTT s reociai in iDc it ennray. Citing several previous rulings by other federal courts, Fox said the county firmmwitrmrn acted within their rights as a elected officials when they AUwrnHw't pin itiffn "The action of the Brunswick County Jlf al? ?? ? ? a ? n f m I XiIyiTM * S^fOilv T % OI ciiniiyfMiftjf lUfC SalaTy OI IQC clerk to the board was uniquely legislative in na ture. ..incident jo the board's consideration and of | budget ordinance," the jiirfgr wrote. "Such discretionary action fells squarely " the political decision muring authority Fox asaerted that the doctrine of legislative im munity is at cess sty in order to maintain the Constitutional separation of powers between law ? frcss the har dens of subjecting their dtscretioosry derision (SwJUDGE, Pag* 2-A) Child Critical After Fall From Beach Cottage Window A 3-year-old Indian boy was Hated in critical ? i ? llal n m V v ? ? ? J - ?a ni!i? ? a ^ CO? Oi luesoay a a Wilmington nospiuu aner falling from a top-floor window Monday at0* at ??-i -a ** - - - ?-? HOWCO DCtdL The ynitegplH, Brian llagfctianH. waa naked to New Hanover Regional Medical Canter fol lowing the accident, which oucnued around 836 p.m. Monday at a rental home at 389 Ooean Blvd. Wfest. Hoiden Beach Police Chief Robot Cook said the boy fell oat of the top-floor window of the el evated beach boaae and landed on his bead oa the concrete driveway below. S^ m m n iim li ? ? a ? ? ? ... atl immeoxKeiy sixer mc acciocflt, uxcrc wis swefliag an die Ml fll de of Hugbbaafcs' head and the boy bad tronble breathing, arinnMag to Officer Dexter Latham's report. "Evidently he'a a very bnd shape," Cook said Theaday. "He was oa life sapport, and they really -- .j!- a L a? at - - VP wtreo i expecting nim to live. Allan Dameron of Alan Hotden Realty, the company that ?pi the rental home, said the boy was visiting the Ifiurtt of the oce? from cot tage. The tenants are from Kentucky. Dameron said he quite with friends of the boy's family Theaday afternoon at the "The people I spoke with said it did not look pood at all," Dameron said. "It's tragic. Yon go on vacation to try to relax and for something like rtik to hsppen..." County's Top Teacher Brunswick County's new Teacher of the Year is Cmsuey Heaiy (right) of ShmBotte Point, ? HmUtgmt Union Eh m tutu j School end a grn iuwtw of Wat Brunswick High School. Runner up for the county tide wms Jerry W. Smith, nmket South Brunswick High. Henly, pictured with her Zetfhin Grissett, witt wp?? t Btunswkk County edn du ring the coming year, for Souti $1,000 cash award from Ua School Board Delays Meeting To Attend County's Hearing A Jane 13 mrcting of the Brant wick County Board of Education hat been delayed a day ao that mem bcrs ^ ?***? sssy -n-' 1? rv ccuuty ing The school board will meet in stead Tuesday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the boaid oooferenoe room in South port. 1 don't know what the board will do," aaid Superintendent of Schools Ralph Inhaatna "We're going to try to plead our caae. I knew it was go ing to be a touch taak for them (county officials).'' With the $9 million allocation proposed by county management, the schools would receive a 4 per cent increase over this year'* sup port of the schools, but substantial ly ? $4.7 million ? less than the total ?n to ? :??: ? ? < *aB2-A)