Maybe not in the Majors,
but baseball players here
take to the diamond — 9B
Longliners make good
money and enjoy outdoor
life, but there’s a catch - IB
Our Town
WktMmu .U -.inir'- - y-fc," ' Vi mi' • •
Yaupon got off light, but
wants it even lighter for
OSHA violations — Page 2
Plan may
cure high
med costs
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Costs of medical care are skyrock
eting because insurance companies
and health management organizations
(HMOs) are "bloated with too much
profit," claims Coastal Caroliha
Health Alliance (CCHA) executive
director Scott Parisella.
Some fear the quality of medical
care will plummet as insurance com
panies and HMOs limit access to hos
pitals and doctors, and dictate the
level of care patients receive.
To slow the rising cost of health
care, and direct money and power
back to hospitals and doctors,
Parisella is attempting to unite Dosher
Memorial Hospital and eight other
alliance hospitals with a financial in
stitution to form a non-profit com
pany that would compete with insur
ance companies and HMOs.
"It's been proven that managed care
works to reduce costs," he said. "What
we want to do is reduce costs without
sacrificing quality."
Patients would pay premiums di
rectly to the health care providers,
thus eliminating the flow of money
out of the health care industry,
Parisella said.
This in lurn would keep costs in
check and ensure that doctors, not
insurance agents, decide what patients
See Med costs, page 6
Forecast
The extended forecast calls for
partly cloudy skies Thursday through
Saturday with highs in the SO's. Sun
day will be wanner and sunnier, highs
65-70.
Tide tables
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, MARCH 9
1:08 a.m. 7:30 a.m.
1:33 p.m. 7:46 pjn.
FRIDAY, MARCH 10
204 a.m. 8:29 a.m.
2:34 p.m. 8:46 pjn.
SATURDAY, MARCH II
3:02 aim. 9:28 a.m.
3:33 p.m. 9:45 pjn.
SUNDAY, MARCH 12
3:59 a.m. 10:24 a.m.
4:28 pm. 10:40 pjn.
MONDAY, MARCH 13
4;S2a.m. 11:14a.m.
5:20 pm. 11:32 pjn.
TUESDAY, MARCH 14
5:41a.m. a.m.
6:08 pm. 12:01 pjn.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
6:27 a.m. 12:20 a.m.
6:53 p.m. 12:44 pjn.
The following adjustments should be made:
Bald Head Island, high -10, low -7; Caswell
Beach, high -5, low -1; Southport, high +7,
low +15; Lockwood Folly, high -22, low -8.
the Stole Port Pilot
Pilot Line
THE TALKING NEWSPAPER
457*5084 • 253*8427
I
March certainly came in lion-like last week and
these two experienced kite flyers put on an aerial
demonstration at the Lockwood Folly Point. More
> ^ Photo by Jim Harper
good kite-flying is expected this week as the spring
feather pattern of Strang frontal movement takes
over. '■ '•* ■?-x .
No cancer link found
Research to relieve
some local concerns
First of a two-part series
By Terry Pope
County Editor
To some, the cancer rate among
county residents is alarming and in
their minds reveals a frightening trend
from human exposure to nuclear en
ergy or to paper mill emissions.
But to state officials who re
searched the local disease pattern for
six months, the number of cases is
actually below what is expected for
the county's growing retirement popu
lation.
Health experts claim Brunswick
County residents are no more prone
to cancer than those in the average
community. Outbreaks of the feared
disease were reported in four "cancer
clusters" in New Hanover and
Brunswick counties in 1990 and in the
fall of 1993.
Following its study the N. C. Cen
tral Cancer Registry (CCR) said the
figures are high, but not on paper —
only in the opinions of families and
friends most affected by the terrible
disease.
A "cluster" is an area highlighted
by what appears at first to be a higher
*One of the things
people don*t realize
is how common
cancer is already.
They don9t realize
that one out of
every three people
will likely get can
cer at some point in
their life,9
Dr. Tim Aldrich
CCR director
than-usual rate of cancer patients. All
diagnosed cases are reported by area
physicians and hospitals to the CCR,
which also investigates any residents'
concerns of a hidden, underlying fac
tor involved.
In 1990 reports pointed an accus
ing finger at Carolina Power and
Light Co.'s Brunswick nuclear facil
ity near Southport as a potential cause
of brain cancer among local residents.
"We did not find any excess of brain
cancer, nor any pattern, close to that
facility," said Dr. Tim Aldrich, CCR
director. "What they were observing
is very close to what was expected."
In fact, the numbers are slightly
lower than what is anticipated for the
region. With reports mounting that
dated back to 1990, Aldrich's staff
expanded its study to include five
southeastern North Carolina counties
with a focus on two key industries --
CP&L's nuclear plant near Southport
and General Electric's nuclear fuel
production facility in New Hanover
County. CP&L operates twin nuclear
reactors to produce electricity, and
one division of GE manufactures ra
dioactive fuel elements at its Castle
Hayne site.
There are seven cancer types sus
pected of being associated with ex
posure to ionizing radiation or to any
agricultural pesticides, but the three
types examined in the CCR’s report
are cancers of the brain, thyroid and
multiple myeloma for a five-county
population of254,815 residents. That
covers those living near the plants and
See Research, page 6
Hearing March 23
Second bridge
for Oak Island
possible in '98
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
NCDOT wants to know how you
feel about tentative plans for a sec
ond bridge to Oak Island.
The bridge proposal will be the sub
ject of a DOT-sponsored workshop to
be held at the Long Beach Recreation
Center March 23 between and 7 p.m.
Information and concerns relayed by
the public will be incorporated in en
vironmental documents now being
compiled by a contractor to the De
partment of Transportation.
The workshop is preliminary to
See Bridge, page 8
‘On the island, we
know where we*re
going to go. We’re
pretty locked in.
We’re going down
Middleton.’
Philip Edwards
Project engineer
AG’s advice sought
on mine permitting
By Terry Pope
County Editor
State mining officials are asking for
an attorney general's ruling on
whether to force Martin Marietta Inc.
to submit final data on its rock quarry
application near Southport.
The mining company has been
placed on a 180-day deadline by the
N. C. Department of Environment,
Health and Natural Resources to re
spond to state requests for more data
on the application Hied in December,
1993.
But Martin Marietta attorneys want
to stop the clock while they pursue
court action against the county ordi
nance that restricts deep mining on
the company's 1,000-acre tract north
of Bethel Church Road.
"It's one of those back and forth
things now," said Tracy Davis, state
mining specialist with the Land Qual
ity Section of DEHNR. "We still feel
that in the midst of this lawsuit, there
are some things that should have been
looked at by now. We would like to
see an update."
If attorney general Mike Easley'g
office rules in favor of the state, the
See Advice, page 6
Pilot Line invites you to speak out
This week The State Port Pilot introduces Pilot t in*
Poll, a weekly sampling of reader opinions on the issues
of the day. \
Through the newspaper’s updated audiotext informa
tion system, Pilot Line, readers have the opportunity to
not only vote "aye" or "nay" to Pilot Line Poll questions,
but they may now leave an explanation of their votes.
Pilot line Poll is now equipped to record a verbal re
sponse of up to 45 seconds in length.
Each week the Pilot will pose a question of general
interest to its readership on a current issue of concern to
our community. The newspaper invites its readers to re
spond via Pilot Line Poll by calling 457-5084 in the
Southport-Oak Island area, or 253-8427 in other parts of
Brunswick County.
To record a "yes" vote to our question, please 'select
extension 1001 on your touch-tone phone.
To record a "no" vote, please select extension 1002.
After voting, you may opt to tell us why you cast your
ballot as you did with a short explanation.
- Results of our weekly Pilot line Poll and your com
ments will be printed in the following week's edition of
The State Pam Pilot
Polling results will not be scientific, but the opportu
nity to speak-out on matters of community concern
should provide a good indication of community senti
ment
The Pilot encourages its readers to submit ideas for
questions to be posed on Pilot Line- Give us a call dur
ing office hours, or submit your poll question idea -* or
any idea to make The State Port Pilot a better commu
nity newspaper - to Pilot Line Suggestion Box at exten
sion 1005. Get twice-weekly news updates via Pilot Line
Update, extension 1003.
'Pilot Line Poll
Question of the week
.Should municipal governments in the area charge
fees for town vehicle registration stickers? Some have
tried and abandoned the practice. Long Beach says
it's in the license sticker business to stay.
What do you think? «
To vote "yes” dial 457-5084 or 253-8427, ex
tension 1001.
Tb vote "no" dial 457-5084or253-8427,
1002.
You may tell why you voted as you did.