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INSIDE
Volume 63/ Number 17
Southport, N.C.
December 22,1993/50 cents
Crime no longer child's play
Lack of discipline, punishment is blamed
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
Gone are the days when the most serious offenses committed by "juvenile
delinquents" were knocking down mailboxes, tearing up neighbors' gardens
and egging cars.
These relatively minor transgressions have now been replaced by frequent
cases of breaking and entering, larceny, assault, even murder. Juvenile crime
is escalating throughout the United States, and Brunswick County is no
exception.
"Juvenile crime is one of the biggest problems law enforcement is dealing
with in the '90s, and will be for the rest of the century," said Long Beach police
chief Danny Laughren. "Juveniles are committing more crimes, and they're
committing more violent crimes."
Long Beach police spend an increasing amount of time and energy investi
gating and prosecuting break-ins, larcenies and acts of vandalism committed
by young people underage 16. Laughren added that the problem is exacerbated
by many local teens' use of LSD, crack and marijuana. Some youths are armed
with knives and guns.
"People think kids are just doing minor stuff, but kids are much more
aggressive now,” he said. "Kids are committing adult crimes, but the punish
ment for them is so much less serious."
Laughren pointed out that six of nine people indicted this week in connection
with the kidnap and murder of a Bolivia man were betw een the ages of 16 and
18. just one step over the line to adulthood in the eyes of the law. The group
is accused of dragging the man from his car, shooting him in the back and then
beating, kicking and striking him with a machete several time before he died.
"Children grow up in violent homes, they have violence at school, violence
on TV. It’s no wonder they grow up to be violent adults.1' Laughren said. "Some
kids are really criminals in the making, and a slap on the hand isn’t going to
work."
Sheriffs department detective Nancy Simpson, who is in charge of juvenile
investigations, blamed the rise in violent juvenile crime on drugs, particularly
crack cocaine, and on a lack of parental guidance. As an example. Simpson said,
that after closing in on a crack house in a Leland trailer park recently, she
See Crime, page 7
1-73
route
clear
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A final version for Interstate 73
approved by state transportation offi
cials Monday will loop it through
Brunswick County.
The state will recommend to fed
eral authorities that 1-73 parallel N. C.
130after it leaves Whiteville and even
tually connect to U.S. 17 just north of
Calabash. From there it will travel
past Myrtle Beach, S. C„ and south
ward to Charleston.
"I think it’ll be one of the biggest
boosts to our area since we got elec
tricity," said Odell Williamson of
Ocean Isle Beach, Division 3 high
way commissioner for the N. C. De
partment of Transportation.
”1 was very happy with the deci
sion. It's what this area needed. People
wanting to go somewhere are looking
to get on an interstate as quickly as
possible."
Williamson, appointed highway
commissioner by Gov. Jim Hunt in
May. says he has devoted long hours
to lobby for the changed route. Ini
tially, it was to streak across the state
from Winston-Salem to Rockingham
and head southward to Florence, S. C.
A coalition of Myrtle Beach and
Brunswick County residents and offi
cials pushed for the road to come
See Route, page 9
Christmas wreaths and lighted holly trees, along
with decorated shop windows, set the tone for the
Photo by Jim Harper
holiday season as a peaceful dusk settles over
downtown Southport.
Misuse of assets widespread
Schools employ
would-be accuser
in new position
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
A former contract em
ployee of the Brunswick
County school system came
forward last week with alle
gations of widespread mis
. appropriation of property at
the school warehouse, and
subsequently was offered an
other temporary contract po
sition as "asset coordinator".
This new position will in
'This concerns me greatly, but we’ve
got to have a framework before we can
do anything. We’re coming of age and
we’ve got to be accountable. It’s em
barrassing for the system....’
Donna Baxter
School board chairman
volve identifying and recording
ail surplus school property and
locating all unrecorded property.
School board chairman Donna
Baxter sakl superintendent Ralph
Johnston has not yet established a
salary for the position. She said .
Johnston has authority to contract
temporary employees without
school board approval.
Pam Dean was hired last
summer to videotape school
property to be used for the ex
ceptional and handicapped
children program, and said
during that time she observed
property moved in are! out of
the warehouse without being
recorded. She also said that
some items, including a com
puter, a television aid a yard
tractor, were diverted to school
employees for their personal :||
use.
Dean told Southport pohce
chief Bob Gray about the di
Set Misuse, page 6
Board bogged
down in rules
on quarry site
By Terry Pope
County Editor
County commissioners say they
will continue to push for a ban on
mines near the Brunswick nuclear
power plant, despite legal threats from
Martin Marietta Aggregates.
A local ordinance to prohibit deep
mines within five miles of the Caro
lina Power and Light Co. nuclear
facility north of Southport hit a snag
Monday when county attorney Mike
Ramos advised its specific wording
would prohibit all mines, including
minor permits for sand excavation.
It passed a first reading last week,
4-1, with Jerry Jones dissenting. A
special meeting has been set for De
cember 29,6 p.m., to vote on a new
version.
County commissioners met in ex
ecutive session for an hour Monday to
discuss the mining company's reac
tion to a local ordinance aimed at
protecting the public safety.
The State Port Pilot has obtained a
copy of the letter sent Monday from
Martin Marietta president Steve
Zelnak Jr. to Don Warren, chairman
of the Brunswick County Board of
See Quarry, page 8
More improvement
promised by CP&L
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
Carolina Power and Light Co. accepted a good report card from the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission last week with assurances that the company plans to
do even better in running the Brunswick nuclear plant.
"Our vision for Brunswick and all our nuclear plants is to be world class,"
said CP&L president William Cavanaugh III. "We define that as being in the
top quartile for safety, operations and cost performance, and having a high
level of employee satisfaction.
"We ll strive to get Brunswick up to that level as quickly as possible. That's
our game plan, and we're sticking to it."
Cavanaugh’s remarks came at the Thursday S ALP (Systematic Assessment
See CP&L, page 9
OUTSIDE
Forecast
The extended forecast
calls for fair and cold
weather for the Christ
mas holiday. High
temperatures are ex
pected to be in the 40s
Thursday through Sun
day, with nighttime
lows in the 20s. Merry
Christmas!
Tide table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23
3:32 aon. 9:37 ».m.
3:39 p.m. 9:50 p.m.
Friday, December 24
4:12 a.m. 10:32 ».m.
4:32 p.m. 10:40 p.m.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25
5:01a.m. 11:23 a.m.
5:22 pan. 11:28 p.m.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26
5:49 a.m. im.
6:08 p.m. 12:11 pan.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 27
6:35 a.m. 12:15 ton.
6:53 p.m. 12:55 pjn.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28
7:16 a.m. 12:58 a.m.
7:35 pm. 1:39 pan.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29
7:58 a.m. 1:41a.m.
8:17 p.m. 2£1 pan.
The following adjuitmenu should be made:
Bald Head bland, high -10, low -7; Caswell
Beach, high -5, low -1; Southport, high +7,
low -*-15; Yaupan Beach, high -32, low -45;
Lockwood Folly Inlet, high -22, low -8. .