V
South Brunswick is still
in the hunt for a baseball
playoff spot.
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VOLUME 63/ NUMBER 36
SOUTHPORT. N.C.
50 CENTS
Our Town
Second graders take a look
at the gypsy moth problem
and offer solutions.
Emergency responders will
be trained before the first
spent fuel rods roll out of
Sunny Point.
Tire project
is rolling
to a finish
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
Five local shrimpers under contract to
trawl for tires dislodged from the Yaupon
Beach artificial fishing reef are expected
to finish the project late this week, said
Division of Marine Fisheries resource
enhancement supervisor Mike Marshall.
The shrimpers began trawling last Mon
day, and Marshall estimated that by the
end of this week 10,000 tires will have
been brought ashore.
Last year, he said 4,500 tires were col
lected by trawlers and 10,500 tires were
removed from Oak Island beaches. Totals
are not yet available for this year.
Marine fisheries has spent a total of
$75,000 on trawling to date.
While this may sound like a lot of tires,
and a lot of money, Marshall noted that no
one really knows for sure how many tires
are remaining in the water because the
records describing the construction of the
reef do not specify the number of tires
used. However, he guessed that at least
100,000 tires were placed in the reef when
it was built in the late 1970s and early
1980s.
Marshall said marine fisheries has re
quested the General Assembly to consider
. a $200,000 special appropriation to fund
collection of all of the remaining tires. He
added that he hoped the legislators would
consider the request during their short
session this month.
If approved, Marshall said his agency
would hire a commercial salvor to collect
all of the tires remaining in the reef, in
addition to as many dislodged tires as
possible.
Local commercial fisherman William
Hickman has suggested to marine fisher
ies that it consider asking the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers to place large pieces
of rock generated by its upcoming dredg
ing project on top of the reef to prevent
any more tires from being dislodged.
The corps is planning to begin the dredg
ing project in this area in August to make
sure the shipping channel is at least 40 feet
deep, Marshall explained.
He said Hickman's idea was good one.
See Project, page 6
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Forecast
The extended forecast calls for
partly cloudy skies on Wednesday
night through Saturday. Highs are
expected to be in the 70s each day,
with nighttime lows in the 50s.
Weather updates are available on
Pilot Line. Dial 457-5084, then ex
tension 191.
Tide table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, MAY 5
5:01a.m. 11:05 a.m.
5:28 p.m. 11:38 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 6
5:50 a.m. 11:52 a.m.
6:15 p.m. P-m
SATURDAY, MAY 7
6:36 a.m. 12:26 a.m.
6:58 p.m. 12:35 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 8
7:19 a.m. 1:11a.m.
7:38 p.m. 1:17 p.m.
MONDAY, MAY 9
7:59 a.m. 1:53 a.m.
8:16p.m. 1:56p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 10
8:37 a.m. 2:33 a.m.
8:53 p.m. 2:35 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11
9:13 a.m. 3:12 a.m.
9:28 p.m. 3:13 p.m.
The following 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 Inlet, high -22, low -8.
"I didn’t know when we put the tires down there I’d be back
20 years later pulling them out," said Davie Guthrie, captain of
the N.C. Marine Fisheries vessel Long Bay, and one of the men
who helped build the Yaupon Beach artificial fishing reef. Five
Photo by Jim Harper
local shrimpers are collecting tires dislodged from the reef, and
the Long Bay then transports them ashore. The trawling project
is expected to net about 10,000 tires by the end of the week.
Oysters slipping away
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Experts believe the native North Carolina oyster grows faster and
avoids disease better than neighboring varieties, but unless something
is done to protect the coastal shellfish it, too, won't survive.
State leaders at an all-day summit held at UNC-Wilmington on
Friday heard grim reports of how the oyster has suftered in some
northern states. They, including North Carolina governor Jim Hunt, say
it's time to form a study panel and to commit state funds to save the
oyster harvest.
"It's just been an absolutely devastating change." Hunt told the group
of fishermen and legislators. "We can no longer just talk about the
problem. Now we've got to commit our resources to do something about
it. The decline of the oyster harvest has been a devastating blow to many
of our coastal communities."
At the turn of the century, around 5.6 million pounds of oysters were
harvested in North Carolina waters. That figure has dropped to 300,000
pounds annually.
"One McDonald's in Dare County will gross more in dollars than all
the oyster harvests across the state," said State Sen. Marc Basnight,
president pro-tern of the Senate. "If we don't make a monstrous change
in the way we are treating and discharging water into our coastal areas,
there will be a following generation to come to this institution to debate
what happened to the oyster."
He and State Rep. David Redwine (D-Ocean Isle Beach), who is co
chairman of the Joint Legislative Study Commission on Seafood and
See Oyster, page 6
Hewett, commissioners win
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Results from Tuesday’s primary produced
two upsets on the school board but no
county runoff races, and for some candidates
it was a welcomed relief.
Ronald Hewett, the 30-year-old Supply na
tive, won the Democratic nomination for
sheriff in what some labeled the hottest local
race. He will face Republican James Brown
of Southport in the fall.
Incumbent school board members Polly
Russ of District 2 and Thurman Gause of
District 1 both lost their chance at re
election.
Russ was defeated by former school prin
cipal Clara Carter of Supply, and Gause lost
to newcomer Olaf (Bud) Thorsen of Shal
lotte Point.
With four Democrats in the race for
sheriff, Hewett needed at least 40 percent of
the vote to avoid a runoff. He cleared that
margin by about 200 votes.
"I'm certainly looking forward to a rest
and hitting the road in November and work
ing hard," said Hewett.
The sheriff’s lieutenant and DARE officer
outdistanced retired State Highway patrol
man Jerry Dove of Long Beach, 3,559 to
2,455. John Marlow of Calabash, chief
deputy, finished third with 2,320 votes.
All totals are unofficial results subject to
an official canvass of votes Thursday by the
Brunswick County Board of Elections.
"I think my work with the children certain
ly did help," said Hewett, who is hoping to
replace retiring John Carr Davis. "I meet all
of the parents at DARE graduation. But only
the voters really know what set me apart. I
ran a good, positive campaign."
The chairman of the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners survived a close
call to defeat a Democratic challenger. Don
Warren of Shallotte defeated Randy Stanley,
3,862 to 3,536. (J
"I think that the support of the county'
commissioners is there," said Warren, of
District 1. "Randy is a fine young man, and
. his family has been involved in politics for a
number of years."
See Hewett, page 3
Bald Head
democracy
approved
By Holly Edwards
Municipal editor
Nearly all of the registered voters on Bald
Head Island went to the polls Tuesday, and a
solid majority voted in favor of changing the
island government from a property-owner
appointed village council to one of islanders
elected by island residents.
The final results of the referendum were
72 in favor and 33 against. Of the 119 island
residents registered to vote, 105 went to the
polls.
Village manager Wallace Martin called the
voter turn-out "phenomenal."
”1 think it shows a lot of participation and
a lot of interest," he said.
While the village council is not legally
bound to change the current form of govern
ment, council member Bill Leineweber said
it was just matter of time before democracy
came to Bald Head Island.
"Anybody can file a lawsuit in petition,
but they’ll shoot themselves in the other foot
if they do," declared Leineweber. "The
council needs to be elected."
Leineweber introduced a petition in Febru
ary calling for the referendum, and property
owners who are not residents immediately
complained they were being betrayed.
Since the island was chartered in 1985, die
property-owner’s Bald Head Association
board, was empowered to appoint three
council members and the community’s pri
mary developer, Kent Mitchell, was
permitted to name two.
See Bald Head, page 3
Full voting
results Page 3
Soles tops
Taylor 3-2
By Terry Pope
County editor
Voters of the 18th Senatorial District re
elected R. C. Soles Jr. of Tabor City on
Tuesday by a 3-to-2 margin.
The longtime state legislator held off a
challenge from Ron Taylor of Elizabethtown
in the Democratic primary, 15,490 to
10,090..
The results are unofficial pending a can
vass of votes on Thursday.
Brunswick County Democrats sided with
Soles, deputy president pro-tern in the
Senate, 4,883 to 3,208.
The 18th District includes all of Bruns
wick, Columbus, Bladen and part of New
Hanover County.
In other regional races, incumbents David
Redwine (D-Ocean Isle Beach) and Dewey
Hill (D-Lake Waccamaw) retained their
seats on the State House of Representatives
in District 14, a two-member district.
They led the way in Brunswick County,
with Redwine capturing 6,229 votes and Hill
4,163. Claude Spivey of Columbus County
finished third locally with 1,347 votes. No
Republicans filed for the seats.
The Soles-Taylor race was expected to be
a close battle. Taylor, who served in the
State House, lost that seat and was convicted
for his role in burning buildings owned by a
business rival.
He campaigned heavily on the theme that
he had learned from his mistakes and
wanted a chance to return to state govern
ment.
In his home county of Columbus, Soles
won easily, 7,696 to 3,793. Soles also took
the New Hanover county precincts, 338 to
106. But Taylor captured the majority in his
home county of Bladen, 2,983 to 2,573.
No Republican filed for the seat
In the race for District Court judge, Shal
lotte attorney Wayne Long led Brunswick
County with 3,839 votes. Others were Tom
Aldridge of Whiteville with 2,655 and G.
Phillip David of Whiteville with 880.
In die Republican race for the 7th Con
gressional District, Brunswick County
voters chose Robert Anderson over Jim
Cooper, 1,323 to 851.