Sports
Cougar boys are run over
by ‘Pack Attack’, but Lady
Cougars rise to the top — 1C
Neighbors
Let me call you Sweetheart
— or Honey, or Sweetie Pie
this Valentine’s Day — IB
Our Town
Caswell’s undergrounding
of utility lines is costly, and
some haven’t paid — Page 2
Bypass'
hearing
1-40 connector
Tuesday topic
By Terry Pope
County Editor
The Brunswick County segment of ^
the Interstate 40 bypass of
Wilmington has a new name. ■
N. C. Department of Transportation !
officials now call the proposed high
way the “North Brunswick Freeway”
after it was pulled from the overall
Northern Outer Loop package. The
Wilmington segment will route traf
fic from 1-40 to U. S. 421 north of
Leland.
Although it is not scheduled for
right-of way-acquisition until 2001,
the Leland bypass remains number
two on Brunswick County’s Trans
portation Improvement Plan behind
a second bridge to Oak Island.
DOT will hold a public informa
tion workshop next Tuesday, Febru
ary 20, at Leland Middle School, 5 to
8 p.m. to obtain comments on the
freeway and a list of alternatives DOT
has proposed, including widening of
See Bypass, page S
Drivers
oppose
pay cuts
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Brunswick County school bus driv
ers are “shocked and hurt” by pay cuts
that resulted from changes in the way
drivers’ salaries are totaled, and many
are considering work elsewhere, said
bus driver representative Ginny Aus
tin.
Austin, backed by a group of more
than 30 drivers, appeared before the
board of education Monday night to
request that bus drivers’ pay be re
stored retroactive to November, 1995,
when the cuts took effect.
“The liability of driving a bus is a
burden that no other job in the school
system has. We’ve been patient and
cooperative and doing the same job
we’ve always done, but the time has
come for positive action,” Austin told
the board as the drivers and their sup
porters in the audience stood in en
thusiastic applause.
The board did not act on the request
but scheduled a meeting with bus
drivers Monday, February 19,4 p.m.,
at Lincoln Primary School.
Board members said the pay cuts
resulted from changes in the way
work hours are totaled for bus driv
ers who also serve as teacher assis
tants. The changes brought the school
system into compliance with state
regulations, they said.
In the past, bus drivers/teacher as
sistants were paid a full-time teacher
assistant salary plus an hourly wage
See Drivers, page 5
STEPPING OUT
South Brunswick tennis hopefuls had their ups and
downs Monday getting into shape on the Cougar sta
dium steps. Practice for other spring sports -- base
■•WOT ... -w,.-...™— .-.. _
Photo by Jim Harper
ball, track, softball and golf -- also started in bone
chilling weather at South Brunswick and other coun
ty schools.
District:
No way
for plan
Owneis of River Run Shop
ping Center are required by
law to tap to the planned
Southeast Brunswick Sani
tary District sewer system
when it is built and any at
tempt by the City of
Southport to annex the shop
ping center will be challenged
by the district, sanitary district
counsel Jim Prevatte said.
Thursday, representatives
of Riddle Development Inc.,
new owner of River Run
Shopping Center, appeared
See District, page 6
River Run
Center wants
city's service
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
River Run Shopping Center will become
an estimated 30,000-gallon-per-day sewer
customer of the City of Southport, if a new
shopping center owner has not inherited an
obligation to the Southeast Brunswick Sani
tary District in its on-going effort to estab
lish a sewer system in that jurisdiction.
The Long Beach Road shopping center,
anchored by Food Lion, was sold recently to
Riddle Development Inc. of Fayetteville by
former owner Bailey and Associates of Jack
sonville, which had for years dodged environmental complaints ana siaie
ievied fines for its poorly operating on-site package wastewater treatment
See Center, page 8
'2aswelli Yaupon
Beach towns
weigh chance
of water reuse
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Although Caswell Beach commis
sioners have written state environ
mental officials asking them to re
quire an environmental impact state
ment be performed before Yaupon
Beach is permitted to deliver treated
wastewater for irrigation of the Oak
Island Golf and Country Club golf
course, Caswell mayor Joe O'Brien
said residents of that town sense the
inevitability of water reuse programs.
O’Brien’s assessment came after
Caswell Beach commissioners met in
regular session Thursday and again in
joint session Friday with neighboring
Yaupon Beach commissioners and
their engineering consultants to dis
cuss the proposed spray-irrigation
project for treated wastewater dis
See Water, page 7
‘I got some
rumblings from
some I talked to
that, without a
doubt, water reuse is
something that’s
going to have to
happen in the
future.’
Joe O’Brien
Caswell Beach mayor
Martin Marietta
Mine opponents
renew the battle
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Southport area residents are gear
ing up for round two in their battle
against a Martin Marietta Inc. pro
posed limestone mine off Bethel
Church Road.
The mining company’s one-year
extension to submit data on its rock
quarry permit application expires in
May. So far, the company has submit
ted no new information to state offi
cials and is preparing for a legal battle
in Brunswick County Superior Court
over an anti-mining ordinance im
posed by the county.
The Mining Awareness Committee,
led by Southport’s Bob Quinn, is
keeping tabs on the permit and wants
to regenerate community support for
its opposition.
“For two and a half years, the state
mining commission has left the citi
zens of Brunswick County hanging
by their fingernails,” said Quinn.
The committee has posted fliers
throughout the community to mark a
two-year anniversary of the Martin
Marietta public hearing, where hun
dreds packed a Brunswick County
commission meeting to demand pro
tection of the ground water supply and
safety from sinkholes near the Mili
tary Ocean Terminal Sunny Point de
pot and Carolina Power and Light Co.
Brunswick nuclear plant.
“Thousands of us that obtain our
drinking water from the Castle Hayne
Deputies' gunfire kills Shallotte man
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Brunswick County sheriff Ronald Hewett called in his depart
ment chaplain on Monday to counsel three deputies who returned
gunfire and killed a Shallotte man Sunday evening.
Johnie Lee Hill, 60, apparently opened fire following a 45
minute standoff at 771 McMilly Road (Airport Road) where of
ficers responded to a domestic call that an armed man was inside
the mobile home and was holding a female against her will.
Deputies reportedly had to take cover behind trees and vehicles
when the shots first rang out while a group of onlookers watched
from adjacent property. The female hostage was released and
was unharmed in the incident.
“We thank God that the officers were not killed,” said sheriff
Hewett, “that they can go home to their families and serve
again.”
Deputies Keith Home, Macen Lavan and David Edwards have
been suspended with pay pending a State Bureau of Investiga
tion probe into the shooting that left Hill dead inside the mo
bile home. Deputies arrived at 7:24 p.m. but, said Hewett, were
unsuccessful in speaking to Hill.
The incident turned deadly around 8:10 p.m. when the gun
man opened fire and was in turn struck by the officers’ bullets.
Paramedics responded to tne scene out were unaoie 10 revive
Hill.
An autopsy is being performed by state medical examiners
in Jacksonville to determine the exact cause of death. An out
side team of SB1 agents was immediately called in to conduct
an internal investigation, standard procedure any time an of
ficer must use deadly force against a suspect.
“It is not an inference of guilt or of innocence,” said Hewett.
“This is a typical and customary procedure.”
Hewett said he radioed for assistance when the shooting
began. Deputies were joined on the scene by Shallotte and
, See Gunfire, page 5
‘In fairness to the
public, no more
delays should be
entertained or
tolerated. It would
be a terrible act for
this permit not to be
denied.’
Bob Quinn
Committee spokesman
aquifer, along with Carolina Power
and Light Co .” said Quinn, “have
proven that a mine pumping 14 mil
lion gallons of water a day from the
aquifer would turn our water to salt
and create sinkholes. They cannot
answer the questions because what
See Battle, page 5
Forecast
After the artic temperatures
this past weekend the mid 50's
will seem like a 'heat wave'.
That's what we can expect for
Thursday through Saturday.