Sports
Rec department’s ‘Hook a
Kid on Golf’ tees it up again
tor county youngsters — 1C
Beach
rescue
Officials say
effort to save
victim futile
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Strong riptides associated with ap
proaching Hurricane Bertha claimed
the life of a 39-year-old Spring Lake
man who was swimming off the 4900
block of West Beach Drive July 10.
A Long Beach police officer,
though powerless to save Charles
Franklin Honey, put her life at risk to
recover his body.
“In a situation like this one there
is, unfortunately, not much that can
be done,” Long Beach police chief
Danny Laughren said. “The first time
our officers saw the man he was face
down in the water. Riptides had been
publicized on the radio for a couple
of days. We had a hurricane coming
up the coast. Apparently he got caught
in the riptide.”
uak island was ordered evacuated
one day after the drowning as Hurri
cane Bertha bore down on Oak Island.
Bertha’s eye passed over the
Southport-Oak Island area two days
subsequent to Honey’s drowning.
Long Beach police detective Janet
Allen, also a trained lifeguard instruc
tor, was the first officer to arrive when
a call to police indicated a swimmer
was in distress. The inability to lo
cate Honey, the heavy surf and rip
tides rendered any rescue attempt
impossible. But it was Allen, who
swam into the surf when the Coast
Guard boat could not reach the vic
tim, who brought Honey’s body
ashore.
“1 risked my life to bring this body
in when 1 knew he was already dead,”
Allen wrote in a report of the inci
dent. “I did this so the family would
have a body to take home. I would do
it again, if need be.”
In letters to The State Port Pilot this
week, one witness to Honey’s drown
ing, and a family member of a wit
ness to the tragedy, have raised two
questions about Long Beach response
to the swimmer-in-distress call: Did
police do all they could to save
Honey's life? and, Why isn’t Long
Beach better equipped to respond to
swimmers in distress?
Charles F. Witt, of Crozet, VA, said
he was on the beach at the time of the
drowning.
"The police were called as soon as
it was apparent that the individual was
in trouble,” Crozet wrote. “They ar
rived in ten or 15 minutes and joined
the other spectators on the beach and
See Rescue, page 10
BRUNSWICK TUTOR M
■ : Photo by Holly Edwards
During the past six years, 90-year-old literacy tutor Larry Nielsen and student Albert Glenn-Huff
have become close friends through their weekly reading sessions. Nielsen said Huff is a “very talent
ed hoy” and that a new world of opportunity will open to him when he learns io read.
Spreading
the word
‘I’d smell the paint
to know if it went
on the woodwork or
on the wall....
Basically, that’s
what it is when you
can’t read. You’re
going through life
on memory.’
Albert Glenn-Huff
■J ’ -
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
'/ ■
By teaching a man in read, 90-vear-old literacy
tutor Larry Nielsen savs he feels like he’s help
ing a blind man see
“I can’t imagine how life would be without
reading,” he said. “I learned to read as a kid and
from then on I read as many books as I could --
Tom Swift, Tom Saw\er. Horatio Alger, history
books.
“You just feel like , ou become part of a book,
you know. And to not be able to read and then to
learn how, it would be like a blind man that could
suddenly see again.'
Nielsen and his student, Albert Glenn-Huff.
come from ver\ different backgrounds but they
have some funvlamental similarities — both are
dedicated volunteers and refuse to be restricted
by personal challenges.
Despite his advanced age Nielsen is an avid
walker, plays nine holes of golf a day and drives
from his Boiling Spring Lakes home to Huff’s
home near Leland every Monday for an hour
long reading session.
“I’ve been a volunteer just about all my life,
starting with the church when 1 was about 12 or
14,” Nielsen said "If somebody was in trouble
I’d mow their lawn, or do any little chore they
needed. I enjoy it. and it gives me something to
do. No matter what, you can always do plenty
for other people
And, despite a physical disability and finan
cial problems, Huff serves on the local board
for Habitat for Humanity and volunteers to re
pair homes for the poor.
“I’m eligible for help myself," Huff said. “But
I got the know ledge so I can help with the build
See Word, page 13
Forecast
A chance of showers and severe
thunderstorms can be expected for
the rest of the week. Temperatures
will reach the upper 80's.
JNS1PE
Opinion.« 4
Police report ... 10 ;
District Court .. 12
Business.M
Obituaries.15
Church.5B
TV schedule .... 6B
Improvement noted.
New finance officer
employed by schools
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
The accounting supervisor and in
ternal auditor for New Hanover
County schools will become finance
officer for Brunswick County schools
effective August 12.
Upon recommendation of superin
tendent of schools Marion Wise, the
Brunswick County school board
voted unanimously Friday to hire Ann
Hardy to fill the position. She will be
paid $45,000 per year.
Former finance officer Mary Hazel
Small resigned last month to accept a
position as finance officer for New
Hanover County schools.
When Small came to work in
Brunswick County in August, 1995,
the school system finance department
was plagued by a number of serious
management problems. School offi
cials say Small implemented changes
that got the finance department back
in order.
Hardy is a certified public accoun
tant and is a member of the Ameri
can Institute of f PAs and the North
Carolina Association of CPAs.
Prior to her employment with New
Hanover County schools in Novem
ber. 1995, Hardy served as senior ac
countant for Earl Swinson CPA in
Wilmington and Shelton Hawley CPA
in Angier, as a seasonal tax accoun
lant foi Edmundson & Company in
Cary and as a staff accountant for
Nunn Rouse & Associates in Cary.
She received a bachelor of arts de
gree in economics and management
from Salem College in 1981, and has
completed further accounting courses
at North Carolina State University.
llardi obtained her CPA license in
1989.
Brunswick County.
Delinquent
taxes total
$4 million
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Time has expired for property own
ers who have been warned but still
have not paid their delinquent county
taxes.
Brunswick County attorney Huey
Marshall will pursue foreclosure on
those who still refuse to pay their bills
dating back ten years. From 1995 list
ings alone, the county is still owed
$1,460,027 in back taxes with a col
lection rate that now stands at 96 per
cent. The amount due represents al
most three cents on the county tax
rate.
“We are doing better,” said county
tax collector Nancy Moore, “and 1
feel like the longer we work with fore
closure, we feel the people will real
ize that we arc indeed working toward
remedies. Then they will at least see
the need to work out sonic sort of
payment plan with the tax depart
ment.”
Still, it marks a good response rate
for the Brunswick County Tax De
partment which sent out notices on
more than 1,000 delinquent accounts
and has worked agreements with most
property owners in this first batch to
be processed thus far. As of July 27,
there were 8,980 individual tax bills
If everyone was to
pay what’s past due
dating back to 1985,
it would add about
$4.08 million to the
county’s general
fund
outstanding and left unpaid through
1985.
If everyone was to pay what’s past
due dating back to 1985, it would add
about $4.08 million to the county’s
general fund. That amount is what
prompted the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners to resume
foreclosure proceedings to force per
sons to pay. It is a policy that had been
scrapped by an earlier board.
Under North Carolina state statutes,
counties have the right to foreclose
on property for which taxes have not
been paid. The county claims title to
the home or lot and can auction it off
to pay for back taxes. Also, counties
See Taxes, page 6
Joshua and Jacob Sincoskie, great-grandsons of Mr. and Mrs.
DeArinond Swain of Southport, met First Lady Hillary Clinton during
her recent tour of Europe to promote children’s rights. The boys are
spending the summer in Tallinn, Estonia, with their grandparents,
Richard and Valerie Uoera, who are posted at the American Embassy
there.