The Cougars hope to open
conference play with a win
at West Columbus — 12B
| September 28,
VOLUME 64/ NUMBER 5
SOUTHPORT, N.C.
50 CENTS |
Our Town
Coast Guardsmen from
Oak Island assisted in the
rescue of refugees — page 2
Neighbors
Joe Medlin looks like a
rock’em, sock’em type of
guy, but he loves kids -- IB
Forecast
The extended forecast calls for mostly
sunny skies Thursday through Sunday
with lows in the 60s and daily highs in the
upper 70s to lower 80s. Good fishing
conditions are expected to prevail.
Tide table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
3:06 a.m. 9:24 a.m.
3:39 p.m. 10:09 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
4:09 a.m. 10:26 a.m.
4:37 p.m. 11:05 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1
5:08 a.m. 11:24 a.m.
5:31p.m. 11:57 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2
6:03 a.m. -a.m.
6:24 p.m. 12:19 p.m.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3
6:55 a.m. 12:46 a.m.
7:14 p.m. 1:11p.m.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4
7:46 a.m. 1:33 a.m.
8:03 p.m. 2:02 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5
8:36 a.m. 2:19 a.m.
8:52 p.m. 2:52 p.m.
'Hie 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.
Sludge plan
likely won't
raise a stink
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Some residents say the proposal stinks,
but county planners say sludge disposal is
a growing and necessary business which
must find its place in the rural zones.
The Brunswick County Board of Ad
justments is close to giving a Bolivia
sludge operator okay to expand his busi
ness by 22.5 acres.
Approval will allow Sam Carteret of S
& B Maintenance Inc. to add to his exist
ing 33.5-acre site, where solid sludge from
local wastewater treatment plants is ap
plied to farmland along Lewis Loop Road.
Sludge is the more solid, non-hazard
ous, post-treated residue left behind in
wastewater sewer treatment plants and is
treated with lime before it is applied to
open fields.
It is not untreated, hazardous sewage
pumped directly from septic systems.
Residents often confuse the fine points
when an operation hopes to locate near a
residential zone.
"Clearly, the rural zone is the place to
put it," said Brunswick County planning
director Wade Horne. "There is a viable
need for additional sites with the more
treatment facilities that are being built.
"I think Mr. Carteret has basically a
clean, well-run operation. But I'm not the
one to issue permits."
The board of adjustments has the final
say and tabled its decision on September
8 until October 13. It has also asked for a
detailed statement of all proposed uses of
See Sludge, page 8
TOPSAIL SCHOONER
The topsail schooner Alexandria, forced into port by strong northeast winds, lay at
the city dock in the yacht basin for two nights last week. The ship is an educational
and historical attraction of Alexandria (Va.) Seaport Foundation, and is crewed by
volunteers.
School claim dismissed
but refiling is promised
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
The Brunswick County Board of Education
voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against res
taurant owner Jarvis Jones last week for "tech
nical reasons," but will refile an identical suit
this week, said school board attorney Glen
Peterson.
Peterson said he "got off schedule" in ex
changing information with Jones' attorney,
Steve Yount, and that the case was dismissed
to "avoid any potential problems."
The school board filed suit in December,
1993, after child nutrition director Rebecca
Brandon sold Jones 46 pieces of restaurant
equipment for $350 without school board au
thorization.
Jones then sold an unknown number of items
to his nephew Ed Jones, a Wilmington restau
rant equipment supplier, for $7,800, and he in
See Dismissed, page 12
Or; pay me later
Martin Marietta
files suit against
county, ordinance
By Terry Pope
County Editor
In a lawsuit filed against Brunswick County
on Tuesday, the Martin Marietta Corp. claims
an ordinance approved in January to prohibit
mining near Southport "has no rational basis
and is unconstitutional."
The company filed claims in both federal
court and Brunswick County Superior Court in
a move that surprised county officials.
By a 3-2 vote in January, county commis
sioners adopted a special ordinance that blocks
Martin Marietta from operating a limestone
mine on its 1,000-acre tract just north of South
port. That action indicates a mine would pose
a threat to the public safety should it use
explosives and dewater the aquifer within five
miles of the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny
Point depot and Carolina Power and Light
Co.'s Brunswick nuclear plant.
"We didn't have any prior knowledge of the
The ordinance
deprived Martin
Marietta of ‘practical
use of its propertythe
lawsuit claims, and in
doing so violates the
state constitution
lawsuit, nor have we had any contact with
Martin Marietta in a number of months,” said
Don Warren, chairman of the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. "You
See Martin, page 12
Fuel-rod shipment
here for offloading
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A shipment of 153 spent nuclear fuel rods
was expected to quietly pass through Brun
swick County by rail cars sometime this week.
Although an exact time for the arrival of
ships loaded with highly radioactive cargo at
the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point de
pot was kept secret by officials, the ships
reportedly were anchored off the coast of South
port on Monday.
They were seen by news reporters flying the
coast.
A federal appeals court on Friday ruled the
European nuclear waste could be allowed into
the country. The casks will be unloaded from
ships at Sunny Point and transported by rail to
the U. S. Department of Energy's Savannah
River storage facility at Aiken, S. C.
The panel on the U. S. Court of Appeals for
the Fourth Circuit ruled that South Carolina,
which filed suit to block the shipment earlier
this month, had not "demonstrated an immedi
ate, irreparable and actual harm that requires
us, at this time, to dismiss the significant
concerns expressed by the secretary of state
(Warren Christopher) and the Department of
Energy."
South Carolina asked that the shipment be
blocked until a full environmental impact study
is done on the cargo's potential danger to
citizens.
The two ships loaded with bomb-grade ura
nium rods used in foreign research reactors
were waiting in the Atlantic Ocean last week
for the court decision. Brunswick County emer
gency management coordinator Cecil Logan
said his office would receive notice when the
ships arrive but that it would not be publicized.
Logan's office also won't respond unless there
is an emergency, for the state will monitor the
six-hour route through the county, from the
depot just north of Southport, to the CSX Trans
portation Inc. yard in Navassa, and from there
westward past Northwest and Acme and into
Columbus County.
The DOE project is part of a national plan to
wean the world from using bomb-grade fuel
See Fuel rod, page 12
Sales tax record
Collection of the local-option sales
and use tax in Brunswick County
totaled a record $1,115,104 during
August, a report from the N. C. De
partment of Revenue indicates.
The total was the 19th largest among
North Carolina’s 100 counties during
the month.
The amount will be added to July
and September collections to be re
turned to county and municipal gov
ernments on a per-capita basis. Dis
tributions are made each quarter.
$100,000 in prizes at stake
U.S. Open begins Thursday
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
It's U. S. Open time again.
Southport-Oak Island stands poised this week for
the 16th annual U. S. Open King Mackerel Tourna
ment, to be held from Southport Marina Friday and
Saturday.
5100,000 in cash prizes are guaranteed, but much
more than that is likely to change hands.
Hopes are high at tne Southport-Oak Island Chamber of
Commerce thisweek that the tournament will once again
attract500boats or more for this primary fund-raising project. Local
sponsors will participate with a display of marine and sport
items and festivities surrounding the tournament will be
provided for the entire community.
At stake, in addition to prize money, are bragging rights to
championship of the second largest saltwater fishing
tournament in the state -- the most venerable of the king
mackerel tournaments, begun in 1979.
The U. S. Open is just as popular with spectators as it is
with fishermen. Here are some tips on how to enjoy the
tournament even if you aren't fishing:
Check out the captain's meetings and entertainment Thurs
day night at Southport Manna tournament headquarters.
See U. S. Open, page 8
but no tourney ban
8; Richard Nubet
Municipal Editor
An agreement has been struck in principle between representatives
of Brunswick County’s ax beach towns and three menhaden fishing
V: companies which frequently work waters off Brunswick shores. :1
. But, as the U. S. Open King MackerelToumament weekend
approaches, provisions whereby pogey fishermen will avoid Ashing
areas before and during major area fishing tournaments |s conspicu
ously absent from that agreement.
Long Beach councilman Jeff Ensmingcr, who represented that
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