Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Sept. 15, 1994, edition 1 / Page 5
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No Excuse For Dumping, Keep Brunswick Clean To the editor: This letter is in response to the couple whose trash "has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide." How sad that while they're out illegally dumping their trash, people are dumping in their driveway. The only "lurid and heinous" crime I see here is a couple who be lieves just because they recycle their grass clippings, it's okay to illegally dump their trash. Don't lay the blame on the tourists. If the resi dents of this county do it, why shouldn't they? As for the disposition of the Oxpen site employees, they've al ways been friendly and helpful to me, assisting me in putting my trash in the dumpstcr. Since the couple work 10 hours a day 7 days a vveek (during the site's open hours), .tic $50 fine should be no problem for them. Perhaps, though, a more fitting punishment would be for both of them, in 95-de gree heat with their "pink, potpourri scented bag," to pick up other peo ple's trash. How ironic that they thanked the McPhail family for keeping Sea shore Road so clean. I'm sure they appreciate people dumping their trash outside the fence. Please, our county is already beautiful; let's keep it clcan. l u gene Bourne Supply Be Safe With RV's * lo the editor: A recent overnight trip in our 34 foot motorhome has prompted me to write this letter The subject has been a matter of concern to my hus band Otho and 1 since we began traveling this way in 1991. As I have talked with our fellow RV'ers, I've come to realize that we all have a common problem. That problem? People in other types of motor vehicles who pull out in front of us on the streets and roads. I expect you think when you sec a motorhome coming toward you that you don't need or want to get stuck behind "that big thing that thinks it owns the road." Please consider this: Recreational vehicles, especially the larger mo torhomes Like ours and others even larger, cannot stop as quickly as you can in your car, truck, motorcycle or even bicycle. Many, like ourselves, have a "tow" behind us. Quite sim ply and tmthfully, it takes time and distance to bring our big rigs to a full stop, even an emergency one. Otho and I pride ourselves on obeying the traffic laws and speed limits wherever we may be as best we can. We try to drive defensively at all times. It is not our intention to delay anyone who wishes to pass us. Actually, we arc delighted when you do so safely. If we find we are holding up the free flow of traffic, such as in the mountains, etc., wc gladly pull over at the first available safe place to do so. Then you may continue unhin dered. Wc use bypasses as much as possible, rather than business routes, so as to avoid congested areas. Would you pull from your drive way or a side road or street into the path of a log truck, an 18- wheeler, a Greyhound bus or a big gravel carri er? To do so would be unwise, un safe, an endangerment to life and property and just plain stupid, to put it bluntly We RV'ers arc a friendly bunch from all waiks of life, all ages. We IUVC IU Mil tu yuti, iUi a chut, trade talcs. Wc don't want to sec our family or yours listed as tomorrow's statistic. When you see us coming, take a moment to let us pass. We will ex tend the same courtesy to you. Alice E. Tew ({olden Beach A Good Friend Lost To the editor: On Friday, Sept. 9, Brunswick County and especially Sunset Beach lost a good friend. Wartcn "Bud" Write Us We welcome your letters to the editor. Letters must have an original signature and must include your address and telephone number. (This in formation is for verification purposes only; we will not publish your siieci/iuaiiiiig ackiicss 01 piiuuc uuiu'uci.) Lsilcis uiuai uc iypcu u> Wiiucii leeiblv. Address ieiuns io: The Brunswick Beacoa, P.O. Box 2558, ShaBotte NC 28459 Anonymous letters will not be published. Knapp died. Bud was a participant in his total community ? in the protection of the island of Sunset Beach; in the evolu tion of the town of Calabash, where he lived; and in the issues of Brunswick County. Bud was a tireless worker who devoted his efforts in an attempt to leave some of God's creation un spoiled for future generations. He was a founder of the Sunset Beach Taxpayers Association and led the Tight against the high-rise bridge planned to replace the existing pon toon bridge to the island of Sunset Beach. He was an active member of the SBTA Board of Directors at the time of his death. We extend our sympathy and love to his wife Jane, their sons and their sons' families. We will miss Bud. We will continue to carry on with ideals that he fostered. We are thankful for having had such a good friend. Cletc Waldmiller for SBTA Board, Membership Proposal Supported To the editor: I am head of the committee that has proposed the island of Sunset Beach pursue independent govern ment. Mayor Mason Barber has at tempted to ridicule this effort. Make no mistake, this proposal has the solid support of the substantial ma jority of permanent year-round is land residents. Let me explain our position. A building boom is being predicted for the Myrtle Beach area over the next several years that, according to the Charlotte Observer, will extend from Georgetown, S.C., to Wilmington. We have no confidence in the cur rent town government of Sunset Beach to guide us through this peri od of rapid development and at the same time preserve those qualities that have made the island of Sunset Beach unique among coastal com munities. What are our goals? Let's look at the recommendations of Gov. Jim Hunt's blue-ribbon Coastal Futures Committee, a group appointed by the governor to review North Carolina's coastal management pro gram and recommend improve ments. We were very encouraged to see that many of our goals for Sunset Beach island were precisely those things being recommended by the committee. The committee's goals for the North Carolina coast include orderly growth emphasizing single-family dwellings in a low-density setting; special protection for barrier islands; preservations of marshes, wetlands and beaches; nature -based recreation on/j tourism; 2nd spccls! efforts to get nonresident property owners in volved in land-use planning. Senator R.C. Soles has been quot ed as saying, "I think the best idea would be for island residents and those on the mainland to sit down and work out their differences." This is a thoughtful and reasonable re sponse. Unfortunately this was not Mayor Barber's response. He (was quoted as saying), "I got better sense than to listen to all that nonsense." His re sponse clearly demonstrates the problem. This town council is deaf to island voiccs and island concerns. Evidently, this council cannot be re lied on to prudently govern and safe guard the future of Sunset Beach is land. Ws will continue to work to en?~ power island residents to manage is land affairs. Ray Zetts Sunset Beach Set An Example To the editor: 1 have found myself at a point that every parent fears; your teenager is ready for a driver's license. You want to be sure that they will be safe drivers by obeying all traffic laws, and that they are prepared to re spond properly and safely to the ac cident-causing practices of others. You first must set the example for them to follow. Every school day as I drive her to school, I explain prcper procedures and answer her questions. She is very much aware of the need to wear seat belts, but she is also a smart cookie. She knows that seat belts can only help to protect you if or when an accident occurs. Un fortunately, little or no emphasis is conducted to prevent accidents from happening. When is the last time you heard of someone getting a ticket for not stopping at a stop sign or light or nol using turn signals at intersections or during lane changes? We should set examples for our children. My 16-year-old and I see so many people using seat belts but not following any other traffic laws: that brand-new black Camaro drop ping their son off at school, or that teacher with the red Mitsubishi, or how about that maroon Mustang coupe with the strange lights in front? How many accidents are they going to cause? How many of our children will be injured or event killed? The next time you are at an inter section, compare how many people use turn signals or come to a com plete stop to the ones who don't. If you are at a four-way intersection and the car in front of you isn't us ing any signals, which way is he go ing? James F. Hendricks Ocean Isle Beach L BOOKWORM We have the Varnamtown edition i of "Southerr f iv^n.n V/l k/ KJ Ci CI t \ ? if*. iv/ ? NEW HOURS Mon.-Thurs. 10-6, Fri.-Sat. 10-9 1 Sun. 12-6 3004 Holden Beach Rd., SW ft Next to True Value 842-7380 A Bookstore in the Classic Tradition GUEST COLUMN Misplaced ' Special Needs' Kids Usurp Teaching Time Of Others BY DEBORA VICKERS-MAWJ1 With everyone's eyes turned to ward the Brunswick County School System, I would like to publicly id dress an issue that is not often dis cussed. I have two children My five year-old daughter just entered kindergarten, and my son will fol low in two years My experience with the local school system is limit ed, so I do not profevs to be an ex pert. But in two weeks' time I have discovered a major impediment to learning in the local classrooms. Children with "special needs" are cxpectcd to work side-by-side with other children. Let's face it, cTack babies, fetal alcohol syndrome kids and physically abused children have a set of problems that require "spe cial" attention. A teacher with 25 children cannot be expected to run up and down the halls of the school chasing these problem children about while the rest of the class loses two hours per day of instruction time. That's 10 hours a week, 40 hours a month, and 360 hours overall. That's a lot of time, and a lot of tax dollars. Not only do these "special needs" kids rob your children of valuable instruction time, they also place them in real physical danger. My daughter's first introduction to her kindergarten class was a sharp blow to her lower back by a young girl who has lots of "special needs." The blow was sharp enough to cause an injury (with a scar). Fortunately my daughter took it all in stride, and sternly advised the child, "You're not supposed to hit people." On a daily basis wooden blocks are flying by heads, pencils and pen cil boxes are thrust into faces, full length mirrors are crashing, and spit (possibly infectious) is flying. The teacher and her aide are forced to spend huge blocks of time searching the school for this crTant child while the rest of the class sits idly by. My daughter's tcacher has repeat edly tried to have this violent child removed from the classroom. The response from the principal's office has been mediocre at best. They have pulled together a special task force to evaluate the needs of this child. I do not know if they plan to address the needs of the other chil dren in the class. Meanwhile angry parents are yanking their children out, left and right. The question is, why should well behaved children have to be re moved from the class, while a "spe cial needs" child continues to cause such chaos? While the task force "studies the issue" (which could, incidentally, take several weeks) this "special needs" child continues to jump on the desks, scream, break things, hit, kick, bite and steal valuable instruc tion time froT. the other children. Sincc there are teachers available for children with "special needs" and state law mandates that these problematic children should not in terfere with the education of other children, it seems the solution should be simple. Get them out of the class, pronto. If a child is notoriously violent, and capable of seriously injuring an other child, who will be held respon sible? It shouldn't be the teacher, who is desperate to have the child admitted to a "special needs" class. It should be the administration who has the ability, but for some odd rea son, lacks the motivation, to act swiftly in the best interest of all the children. Parents shouldn't sit by wringing their hands complaining how bad things are, when all they have to do is stand up and demand something better for their money. The uuikor is a r**ident of Sunset Beach, and is an active volunteer for the Brunswick County Guardian ad litem program. Michael R. Ramos and Mark A. Lewis are pleased to announce that PAULINE HANKINS has become an associate in the general practice of law as of September 7, 1994. RAMOS AND LEWIS Attorneys at Law 5101 Sellers Road, P.O. Box 2019 Shallotte, North Carolina 28459 Telephone: 910-754-7557 Facsimile 910-754-6229 October Is Co-op Month You are invited to the THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING of the members of ATLANTIC TELEPHONE MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION Friday, September 30 7:30 p.m. West Brunswick High School Reports-Entertainment-Refreshments-Door Prizes $2,000 in CASH Prizes MEETING- PEOPLE'S NEEDS CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY Wednesday, September 28 10:00-3:00 P.M. Free Hot Dogs and Cokes Everyone Is Welcome
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Sept. 15, 1994, edition 1
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