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Briefly... Changes to ordinance causing controversy
Take a Riveriest cruise
The annual Riverfest Island of Lights
Cmise will take place Oct 7 aboard the Royal
Winner Queen. The boat loads at 5:30 p.m.
and returns at 10 p.m.; tickets cost $20 and
are available at Linda’s Fashions, The Check
ered Church and Sterling Craft Mall. The
craise offers a view of the Riverfest fireworks,
a barbecue dinner, a cash bar, door prizes and
a raffle. For more infomiation, call Stephanie
TerreU at 763-3613.
Comedy group holds
auditions for actors
The Other Side comedy troupe will be
holding auditions for anyone interested in
learning the art of improv and sketch com
edy Oct. 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the Community
Arts Center (120 S. 2nd St). No experience
or prepared material is necessary. For more
infomiation, check out their website at http:/
/www.othersidecomedy.com or call Rich^
White at 200-3553.
Community speaicing
circle seeks new voices
Using a inethod based on Lee Glickstein’s
transformational speaking circles and his
book "Be Heard Now, ” the Community
Speaking Circle creates a safe and positive
environment for people to voice their opin
ions. Beginning Oct. 8, the group will meet
on the second Sunday of each month from
6-8 p.m. downtown. For more information,
call Caite Mathis at 762-9243.
“Brigadoon” opening
The Thalian Association Community
Theatre will present the musical
“Brigcuhon” on Thalian Hall’s mainstage
Oct. 12-15 and 20-22. All performances are
at 8 p.m., except for the Sunday perfor
mances, which be at 3 p.m. Tickets cost
$14-$ 16, discounts are available for students
and senior citizens.
A & E Editor sought
The Seahawk will accept applications for
A & E Editor through next Tuesday, Octo-
ber 10. CJualified applicants will have expe
rience in journalism and editing, to include
Associated Press Style. Please call Thomas
M. Ruyle at %2-3229 for more infomiation.
Megan O’Brien
AScE Editor
The Wilmington City Council will hold
a public meeting to discuss a proposed
amendment to the noise ordinance tonight
at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Cham
bers at Thalian Hall.
There are two major components to the
proposed amendment to the noise ordi
nance. The first changes a charge of noise
disturbance fi'om a criminal to a civil and
the second specifies that noises heard over
66 feet from the venue constitutes a noise
disturbance. Under the current code, a
noise disturbance is defined as “any un
reasonably loud and raucous sound or
noise which endangers or injures the
health or safety of humans or animals,
endangers or injures personal or real prop
erty or disturbs a reasonable person of
normal sensitivity.” These definitions will
not change if the amendments are ap
proved. Assistant City Attorney Dolores
M. Wilhams does not believe that defini
tions are arbitrary.
“(It) has been held up by the courts,”
she said.
Fines for the offenses under the pro
posed amendment start at $200 and in
crease to $500 for each additional offense.
Right now, the fines start at $50 and in-
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Sharky’s is one of
several downtown
nightspots protest
ing the proposed
amendment to the
City of Wilmington’s
noise ordinance.
The City Council
meets tonight to dis
cuss it.
James Flint/The SMthawk
crease for each offense, with a maximum
of $500.
While most bar owners believe that the
first change is a good one, they have seri
ous problems with the huge fme.
The current ordinance has a provision
for the downtown area in section 6-28.C
of the city’s Code of Ordinances based on
the decibel level. During the daytime,
sounds must be kept at 5 decibels, but
between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays
they can go up to 65 decibels. On Satur
days and Sundays, the level goes up to 70
decibels between midnight and 2 a.m.
According to attorney David P. Wallen
and IceHouse owner Ian Moseley, the
decibel standard has never been used in
to charge a bar with a noise violation.
“There’s not been one decibel meter
pulled out in downtown Wilmington in the
past six years,” Moseley said. “I guaran
tee it.”
The Wilmington Police Department
was not available for comment at the time
of publication.
Section 6-29.1 can also be applied to
the bars downtown. It says, “No commer
cial estabhshment shall play, operate, or
cause to be played or operated, any am
plified or non-amplified musical instru
ment or sound reproduction device in a
manner that causes a noise disturbance on
any neighboring premises.”
“WTio’s reasonable? Is there a moral
majority out there that I don’t know
about?” Moseley asked. “They’re basi-
See noise, Page 1~
DOC aflows students to discover kayaking
Amy E. Lqwder
Staff Writer
Whether curious about paddling
down one of the local black water riv
ers or dreaming of running the gates on
the Olympic Whitewater, students have
the opportunity to get their feet wet in
the sport of kayaking. The Discover
Outdoor Center (DOC) offers several
basic kayak chnics throughout each se
mester, allowing adventurous spirits to
get a taste of the basic techniques of
kayaking.
Perry Thurman, junior, recently com
pleted the basic kayak clinic and plans
to take the roll clinic as well.
“I had never tried kayaking before,
thought it was a unique program for the
university and wanted to take advantage
of the programs while (I’m) a student,
said Thurman.
Josh D. Evans, student and clinic in
structor, said he enjoys introducing oth
ers to the joys of kayaking. WTiile liv
ing in Alaska, Evans paddled the topaz
blue waters, sharing them with playful
sea otters and pods of killer whales, of
ten spotting “hundreds of different wa
ter fowl...moose, and your occasional
grizzly bear” on the shores.
“(It’s) such a beautiful place,” Evans
said.
Another favorite spot for Evans is on
the New and Gually rivers of West Vir
ginia.
“The rapids are fierce in the New
(River) if you go right after the spring
snow melt, and the Gually right after the
dam release in late September and early
October...(There’s) nothing like being
lost in the foam and fury of coursing rap
ids,” Evans said.
The only prior skill needed to take
the basic kayak clinic is the ability to
swim and “not be afraid of the water,”
Evans said.
The basic course covers information
and skills needed to get started in the
sport of kayaking and are also useful for
fine-tuning fundamental paddle strokes
and kayak maneuvers.
The course prepares the student for
“short, easy sea kayaking trips, and also
class I and II level whitewater,” Evans
said. “Nothing takes the place of expe
rience in real situations. So even with
the course, 1 would suggest that a be
ginner with no experience get some by
taking supervised trips with the DOC or
any number of (qualified) kayak outfit
ters in the U.S.”
Having recently completed the basic
clinic, Kim Hart, junior, joked, “I have
dreams of being an extreme kayaker,"
and added that she “plan(s) to take the
roll class and try to (kayaking) in real
See kayaks, Page 1 2