Sports, page 14
Classifieds, p. 1C
t-Oak Island's most complete
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INSIDE
Volume 62/ Number 32
Southport, N.C.
March 31,1993/ 50 cents
Students'
prank costs
them dearly
Students who placed a dead deer on
the stage of the multi-purpose room at
South Brunswick High School will be
working to recover some of the costs
incurred by their prank last week.
Principal Sue Sellers said one stu
dent apparently picked up a deer that
had been killed by a vehicle, placed it
in the back of his pickup truck and
brought it to school last Wednesday.
Around lunchtime, three other stu
dents dragged the dead deer from the
truck through the back door of the
multi-purpose room and onto the
stage.
"I cannot explain to you the reason
ing for any of this," said Sellers.
Other students reported the activity
to school officials because they were
upset by the treatment of the animal,
the principal explained. The doors of
the room were locked and later in the
day an officer with the N. C. Wildlife
Resources Commission removed the
deer.
"This was just one of those pranks,"
Sellers said. "I'm sure it was intended
to be a typical prank which backfired
and went out of hand."
Once the deer was removed the
custodial staff cleaned the room and a
professional exterminator sprayed it
to kill any ticks or other bugs that the
deer may have been carrying.
The student who brought the-deer
to school was suspended. Sellers said.
He and the other three, all of whom
were upperclassmen at the high
school, will share the cost of the ex
termination and will be expected to
work with the school custodial staff
after school. They will also be re
quired to attend Saturday school. Sell
ers said.
School hotline
is designed to
ensure safety
Brunswick County schools have in
stalled a toll-free hotline aimed at
reducing school violence and ensur
ing student safety.
Recommended by the safety task
force, the hotline is available 24 hours
a day. The phone number is 1-800
734-5204 or in the Southport-Oak
Island area. 457-1991.
Between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday the line will be moni
tored by a designated person at the
school system's central office. After
working hours, calls will be taken on
an answering machine which will be
checked periodically throughout the
rest of the day and night.
All calls reporting the use of drugs,
weapons and possible violence in the
schools will be kept anonymous and
will be acted upon as soon as possible
with law enforcement officers being
put on alert, school system officials
say.
Oak Island light rises out of the fog for a viewer
on" the Bald Head marina jetty. Cool water and
Photo by Jim Harper
warming air makes fog a common weather feature
in the Cape Fear estuary each spring.
Centers without heat
County discovers cold
facts about emergency
By Terry Pope
County Editor
County officials say a March 13 winter storm that
knocked out power to an estimated 80 percent of homes
also uncovered a flaw in the local evacuation plan.
Without electricity the county schools that serve as
emergency shelters have no heat, something that isn't a
concern during hurricane season.
Shelter managers became confused when they were
shifted to schools that still had power. Some have called
for improved communications between shelter personnel
and the Emergency Operations Center at Bolivia.
Emergency management coordinator Cecil Logan said
the communication failure doesn't stem from a lack of
radio equipment but instead from what is being said into
the radios during the crisis.
"The worst thing the county could have done was open
up a shelter without heat," said Logan. "In that situation,
See Cold facts, page 6
Caroon resigns fisheries post
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
C. B. (Cash) Caroon, a veteran of
12yearsonthe Marine Fisheries Com
mission, resigned from the group last
week after being relieved as, chair
man by Gov. Jim Hunt.
A Republican crab packer, Caroon
was first appointed to the commis
sion by Gov. Jim Holshouser, stood
down during the previous Democratic
Hunt administration, then returned to
serve nearly eight years as vice-chair
man and one year as chairman by
appointment of Gov. Jim Martin.
Here Tuesday Caroon said he was
not surprised to be relieved of the
chairmanship of the body which
makes marine fisheries rules and
7 just felt the governor used politics
over logic. He could have appointed
someone who knew the resource. He's
appointed somebody that doesn't know a
flounder from a frog.'
C. B. (Cash) Caroon
policy.
"My only surprise was that the gov
ernor hadn't named a chairman by
now," he said.
But Caroon said when Selma law
yer Bob Lucas was named chairman
and lauded by Hunt as having the
proper perspective "to lead the ma
rine fisheries commission as it makes,
important decisions concerning a
major North Carolina resource,"
Caroon decided to quit the commis
sion entirely.
"I just felt the governor used poli
tics over logic," Caroon said. "He
could have appointed someone who
knew the resource. He's appointed
somebody that doesn't know a floun
der from a frog.”
Caroon noted that Lucas has not
served on the commission, and noted
further that there were many Demo
crats better qualified.
"You've got a lot of Democrats that
know the fishery," Caroon said.
"You've got Democrats on the com
mission that Martin appointed.
"1 feel hard that they haven't con
sidered the resource more than they
See Caroon, page 6
Long Beach
Dune building
will begin with
town’s funding
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
In the absence of any federal or
state relief funds, the Long Beach
Town Council voted Tuesday night
to spend approximately $77,000 of
the town’s money to repair some of
the severe beach erosion left behind
by the March 13 storm.
Council members agreed to ap
propriate all of the $27,000 remain
ing in the erosion control fund and
transfer $50,000 from the accom
modations tax fund to pay for the
project. Some expressed frustration
at the slowness of the state and fed
eral responses.
"I am totally disgusted with the
federal government and the State of
North Carolina in the lack of com
mitment to the people of Long
Beach,” said council member Jeff
Ensminger. "They have drug their
feet and that’s disgusting."
Town manager Tim Johnson said
state emergency officials now say a
final decision on whether this will
be declared a disaster area will not
be available until the end of next
week.
With tourist season fast approach
ing, however, council members
agreed that there was not time to
spare. Turtle season is also coming
May 1, and council members have
indicated that they will seek a
waiver to allow beach repair. How
ever, state and local turtle watch
volunteers will probably have to su
pervise the project, said Johnson.
Erosion control committee
7 am totally dis
gusted with the fed
eral government
and the State of
North Carolina in
the lack of commit
ment to the people
of Long Beach.
They have drug
their feet and that's
disgusting
Jeff Ensminger
Council member
chairman Russell Morrison said he
hopes to begin the repair project this
week and have most of it complete
within 42 days.
The repairs will involve hiring
four bulldozers to push sand up in
areas where erosion has been most
severe, which is primarily in the
eastern portion of the strand. The in
itial goal will be to create dunes ap
proximately ten feet wide at die base
and seven feet tall, and mayor Joan
Altman indicated diat was about all
the town could do right now with its
limited funding. The Federal Emcr
See Long Beach, page 16
Oak Island
septic tanks
are exposed
By Holly Edwards
. Municipal Edilor
At least I wo houses on Oak
Island will have to be demol
ished or moved to other lots
dueto washed-out septic sys
tems, said county environ
mental health supervisor
Andrew Robinson. High
winds and high tides during
the March 13 storm left a
total of 14 septic systems ei
ther caved in, damaged or
washed away completely.
Robinson also indicated
that two exposed septic tanks
in Long Beach were found to
have holes punched in their
sides, which allowed un
treated wastewater to flow
directly into the ground and
ground water. The tanks ap
parently were punctured
years ago, he said, by prop
erty owners who wanted to
"help get the waste out of
their tanks," They are located
at 5221 and 5515 East Beach
Drive.
He said he has no idea how
many more septic tanks on
the beach have similar prob
lems, but added, "If two out
of 12 picked at random
showed up that way, I’ll let
someone else make a sophis
See Exposed, page 6
Enrenr#
Forecast
The extended forecast
calls for cloudy skies
Thursday with a high in
the 60s and low in the
50s. Friday and Saturday,
expect variable cloudi
ness with highs in the 50s
and lows in the 40s.
Tide table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, APRIL 1
2:19 a.m. 8:51a.m.
2:58 p.m. 9:16 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 2
3:26 a.m. 9:56 a.m.
4:05 p.m. 10:22 p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 3
4:29 a.m. 10:53 a m.
5:07 p.m. 11:22 p.m.
SUNDAY, APRIL 4
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS
6:30 a.m. a.m.
7:03 p.m. 12:46 p.m.
MONDAY, APRIL 5
7:23 a.m. 1:18 a.m.
8:51 p.m. 1:37 p.m.
TUESDAY, APRIL 6
2:11a.m.
8:51p.m. 2:26 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7
jM**-"1- 3:03 a.m.
*42P">- . 3:14p.m.
The followmg adjustments should be made:
Bald Head Island, high -10, low -7; Caswell
Beach, high -5, low -1; Southport, high +7.
low +15, Yaupon Beach, high -32, low -45
Lockwood Folly, high -22, low -8.