VOLUME 65/ NUMBER 3 SOUTHPORT, N.C. 50 CENTS Sports Football forecasters can collect $25 for their effort in our pigskin contest - 4-5C Neighbors Does Richard Nubel have both oars in the water or is he just making waves? — IB Our Town A proposed Yaupon Beach motel can be built under certain conditions — Page 2 EDC objects to label By Terry Pope County Editor “What is clean industry and how can it be recruited?” is the topic of the October 19 public meeting sched uled for 7 to 9 p.m. at the Carolina Power and Light Co. Visitors Center near Southport. It is one in a series of seven spon sored by the Brunswick County Long-Range Planning Committee used to gather input on how the county should manage its growth over the next 25 years. However, the Brunswick County Economic Development Commission says that wording is all wrong. It may imply that officials respon sible for recruiting industry have done a poor job by luring “unclean” or un desirable businesses here. The com mission has asked that tliers used to promote the public meetings be changed to read “job creation to meet employment needs.” It’s a term that EDC executive director Tom Monks prefers. The relationship between the EDC and Long-Range Planning Commit tee has been strained after a county wide public session last month with appointed and elected officials from across the county didn’t include the commission. It was at that session where eight topics of concern were voted on by the group of 135 in at tendance and became the focus of the See Objects, page 8 Obscenity in schools is charged By Holly Edwards Feature Editor The Brunswick County school sys tem is pandering obscenity to juve niles by allowing pornographic ma terials to be distributed in county school libraries, parents told the board of education Monday night. A parent of a South Brunswick Middle School student told the board his son obtained a book entitled The Funhouse last month from the middle school library and soon began asking his father questions about some of the material contained in the book. “I took the book from my son and was appalled and sickened at what I read in the book,” said parent David Putnam of Boiling Spring Lakes. “I was further upset that the very same people that I entrust my children to for Five days a week allowed my fchild to bring home this filthy trash as part of an assignment.” Putnam said the book contains pro See Charged, page 13 Bald Head Island was busy digging (and pump ing) itself out Monday after overwash from Hurricane Luis filled South Bald Head Wynd with beach sand and flooded lagoons and some golf holes with salt water. This location is at the beach rnoio Dy Jim itarper access near the old Swansquarter site, with the vil las in the left background. Power also went out in shoreside homes, and some locations were still without electricity on Tuesday. Long Beach says strand was helped While some of Brunswick County’s south-facing beaches may have suffered for the astronomical high tides and passage of Hurricane Luis this week, Long Beach actually profited some. “Quite honestly, we gained sand in some places because of the north east winds,” town manager Jerry Walters said this week. “We’re not in as bad shape as Holden Beach or Ocean Isle Beach. Any erosion we See Strand, page 7 BHI overwash floods lagoons By Jim Harper Staff Writer Overwashing swells from Hurricane Luis filled Bald Head Island golf course lagoons, flooded two golf holes and filled sections of South Bald Head Wynd with beach sand. Workers were still busy Tuesday trying to clear the roadway, pump the lagoons back down to normal level and restore elec tricity to some 35 homes still without power since overwash downed service Friday evening. Most electric power had'been restored by Sunday evening. Electrical service was uninterrupted in portions of the island not overwashed. Operations had been resumed at the Bald Head Island Club, See Lagoons, page 6 Yaupon wastewater plan Impact must be reviewed By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor A preliminary engineering report and environmental assessment of the planned Yaupon Beach spray-irriga tion treated wastewater disposal sys tem will have to include its impact on the Oak Island Golf and Country Club property, town commissioners learned Monday night. An assessment of the environmen tal impact on the golf course and its abutting properties was one of the conditions sought by the Arboretum Community Association which has vowed to oppose spray-irrigation on the golf course which abuts that Caswell Beach subdivision. Commissioners got good news about the proposal Monday night also: Spraying on the golf course may be done right up to private property lines. State regulators apparently will not insist that a substantial buffer be established between the spray area on the golf course and private property, including the Arboretum. Consulting engineer Robert Gra ham told commissioners it was dis covered no buffer zone would be re quired in discussions between hydrogeologist Ed Andrews - who has been retained by the golf course - - and an engineer with the state’s Di vision of Environmental Manage merit. “Ed Andrews met with the review engineer who will review the golf course portion of the project,” Gra ham said. “(Andrews) was under the impression that the state would make us maintain a 50-foot buffer from houses. Since then he met with higher-ups in the Groundwater Sec tion (of DEM) and this is not true. We See Impact, page 7 County school position filled; search begins By Holly Edwards Feature Editor Interim superintendent of schools John Jones appeared relaxed and confident Monday night as he spelled out concerns to the Brunswick County Board of Education. He was hired Thursday to serve as interim su perintendent of schools following former super intendent Ralph Johnston's resignation, and will be paid $5,000 per month. “I’m from the old school, so I feel real strongly about the three A’s — attendance, attire and atti tude,” he told the school board. Jones said the way a student dresses is a good JONES indication ot that student s positive selt-image and attitude towards educa tion. And, he said, regular attendance is an essential component of academic See Search, page 13 Johnston resigns Former superintendent cites health reasons for departure By Holly Edwards Feature Editor A Brunswick County school board member said the board had grounds to fire former superintendent Ralph Johnston but instead offered to pay him some $5,000 in local funds until December 31 to leave his job with out a fight. Both Johnston and the school board were represented by counsel in a six hour closed session held last Wednes day. “The contract states that if he is medically unable to continue his job then the contract is null and void,” board member Billy Carter said. “Common sense would tell you that the board probably had the founda tion to support itself if it had to in court, but the board of education has the responsibility to do what’s in the best interest of the school system.” Technically Johnston, who has held the top education job since 1992, will remain on paid medical leave for the next 60 days. After that, he may re turn to work for Brunswick County in a job the board created for him - special projects coordinator — at his $81,517 superintendent’s salary, most of which is funded by the state. In any event, Johnston’s employ ment in Brunswick County will ter minate December 31 of this year. Johnston began a medical leave of absence Thursday in his new position. See Johnston, page 13 New ferry contract awarded The N. C. Board of Transpor tation has awarded a $4.7-mil Iion contract to build a new ferry for use on the Cape Fear River. The contract, awarded to Steiner Shipyard Inc. of Ala bama, calls for construction of a 180-foot vessel to operate be tween Southport and Fort Fisher. Odell Williamson of Ocean Isle Beach, who represents Brunswick and New Hanover counties on the state board, said work on the ferry is expected to begin next month. The ferry will carry approximately 400 pas sengers and 35 automobiles. Work on the project is sched uled for completion in Novem ber, 1996. Almost certainly the most valuable fish ever caught on hook and line here was this 2.36-pound flounder landed by Larry Baker (left) in the Wildlife Bait and Tackle Flounder Tournament over the weekend. Director Jimmy Price congratulates Baker on his tagged which qualified him for a $10,000 prize.

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