Play Ball! Area youth
leagues swing into action
early this season - 1C
Paul Pittd
striking up
for quite som^ umc
City rates
generate
concern
By Richard Nobel
Municipal Editor
“The ball is back in your court,”
Southport public services director
Ed Honeycutt told aldermen.
But, are city fathers game enough
:o set guidelines which will make
city risk a match for that of heavy
commercial users in a joint venture
:o cut electric power costs at times
rf peak demand?
Restaurant owners who spoke
before the board of aldermen
rhursday night don’t want to dou
ble fault.
As the city proceeds to implement
its plan to offer customers rate cuts
is incentives to allow load manage
ment of water heaters, heat strips
ind central air conditioning units,
estaurant owners are among the
few city customers who are ill-pre
pared to either shift heavy electric
lse to off-peak times of day or real
ze savings from conventional load
management techniques.
Restaurant owners are among
hose commercial-demand electric
customers who must turn to self
generation - utilizing a fuel genera
or — at times of peak demand id
tvoid demand charges the city plans -
See City rates, page 12
V ■ •: - ■ ' ' • -C.• .
concert
Sunday
The Brunswick Concert Band’s
eighth annual Spring Concept
will be presented at Brunswick
Community College this Sunday!
April 28, 3 p.m.
The performance will include
selections for every musical taste,.
from a “Count Basie Salute” to
Gustav Holst’s “Broadway
Showstoppers,” “Blues in the ,
Night” featuring Southport den
tist Dick Conrad on clarinet,
trombonist Rusty Garman’s ren
dition of “Danny Boy,” and a
medley of Henry Mandni’s most
popular tunes.
Under the direction of Paul
Pittenger since it began ten years
ago, the Brunswick Concert Band
has grown from a dozen local;
musicians to more than 40 work
ing adults, retirees and students.
Tickets are $3 at the door.
Children under age six will be
admitted free.
DRUG BUST
John Wesley Bines, 16, was arrested at his
Jabbertown Road home, the third of seven alleged
crack cocaine dealers snagged in the joint under
cover drug-buying sting "Operation Mayberry”
conducted by Southport Police Department and
14', Photo by Richard Nubel
Brunswick County sheriff’s narcotics unit.
Deputy Lewis Ward and canine Rico had covered
the rear of the home as sheriff Ronald Hewett
(leading Bines) and city police chief Bob Gray
participated in the arrest.
‘Mayberry’ drug sting
cracks local operation
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
In the span of one hour and twenty-seven minutes
last Wednesday, Southport police officers,
Brunswick County’s sheriff, his deputies and a
canine swept through Southport, arresting seven
men they say are among the most active crack
cocaine dealers in the city.
The sweep of arrests brings to an end the opera
tional phase of Operation Mayberry, an undercover
sting targeting the crack trade on Southport’s west
side.
First planned in December, 1995, the first “buy”
of Operation Mayberry was made by an undercover
officer attached to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s
Department on January 29 of this year.
Of the seven arrested Wednesday, all but one face
charges of possession with intent to sell and deliver
crack cocaine, a Class H felony which carries a
maximum penalty of ten years in prison. The “sell
and delivery” charge implies that officers were able
to document one or more actual drug transactions in
which the accused was the seller. Brunswick
County narcotics detective Sgt. Gary Shay, who,
with county investigator John Ingram, designed the
sting, said all “buys' associated with Operation
Mayberry were videotaped.
Chief Bob Gray, who initiated the joint operation
with Brunswick County sheriff’s narcotics detec
tives, said the operation will have an impact on the
city’s crack cocaine trade.
“The impact here is. these are the people we were
See ‘Mayberry,’ page 11
Two or four years ?
Beach terms
are weighed
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Sentiment to reject or keep the
two-year term of office for Long
Beach Town Council members
appeared equally mixed among a
large crowd of residents attending a
public hearing on the matter
Thursday night.
Supporters of the two-year term of
office may have cheered their
spokesmen more loudly, however.
Council last month set the public
hearing on a proposal to return to
four-year, staggered terms of office
for members of council. The mayor's
term of office will remain at two
years, under the proposal. No action
on the proposal was taken Thursday.
The matter is to be scheduled for
council action next month.
From 1969 until 1993 members
elected to the board of commission
ers of the Tbwn of Long Beach, later
town council, were elected for stag
gered terms of four-year duration.
Every two years, three members of
the six-member board of commis
‘At the end of two
years we'll vote on
keeping you in or
throwing you out.’
Becky Holt
Long Beach resident
sioners, or council, were elected.
After a referendum on the matter
in the early 1990's, council terms of
office were established at two years.
As state law dictates municipal elec
tions may only be held in odd-num
bered years, terms of office cannot
be staggered. Hence, the entire town
council, and the mayor, must run for
election every two years. The mayor
and entire board may be replaced on
See Beach terms, page 13
Leland student death
Youth now facing
charge of murder
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A murder charge has now been
filed in the shooting death of North
Brunswick High School student
Mark Anthony Wescott Jr., who was
allegedly killed March 5 by a
Leland area juvenile.
An original juvenile petition
charging the suspect with voluntary
manslaughter was upgraded last
week to first-degree murder follow
ing an extensive investigation by
members of the Brunswick County
Sheriff’s Department major crime
unit and the State Bureau of
Investigation.
A joint news release from district
attorney Rex Gore and sheriff
Ronald Hewett states the
manslaughter charge was issued
using the evidence available at the
time of the petition. But now more
details are known about the shoot
ing that resulted in tense moments at
school.
“The many hours of work and
great number of interviews done
since that time has produced addi
tional evidence that caused us to
make this move,” the release states.
“This investigation was aided con
siderably by the many concerned
citizens in the community who had
contact with witnesses who could
give us additional details about the
events leading up to the death of
Mark Wescott.”
Wescott was killed by a shotgun
blast to the head in the home of a
15-year-old black student, but his
body was found in the rear of his
pickup truck about a mile away
from the shooting scene. Since
Wescott is whine, the shooting
resulted in racial tensions at school
See Murder, page 14
School central office to be relocated
The present school administration building, located at the intersection of
lighways 87 and 133 near Southport, once served as the county nursing home.
All county departments will
be together at Bolivia center
By Terry Pope
County Editor
When Bill Sue of Leland served on the
Brunswick County Board of Education in the late
1970s, that board began plans for a new central
office budding.
Now 16 years later and with Sue serving as
District 5 county commissioner, it will finally
become a reality.
John Thompson Architect of Southport was cho
sen by the Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners last week to design the new office
and an addition to the agricultural building at the
county government center near Bolivia.
As part of the 1995-96 county budget, several
capital projects were approved for funding through
innovative financing plans. Building a new central
office for the school system has been a major con
cern at recent liaison meetings between the two
boards.
The current school administration building near
Southport is overcrowded and is in poor condition.
It once served as the county nursing home.
“That place down there is an accident waiting to
See School office, page 11
Forecast
The extended forecast calls for
warm temperatures in the mid 80’s
and ever present chance of thun
derstorms.
INS1T)
Opinion ..,
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District Court »» 17
Business 18
Obituaries 19
Church .., ..t.. 3B
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