School’s ba with Belvill^ their new sui Our The formei Bald Head I suit for $ 100,1k MEDAL COMES 52 YEARS LATER Broken Heart Photo by Holly Kdwards Milton Domler points to the Purple Heart medal he received 52 years after he was injured in World War II. ‘Sometimes one word in a conversation will bring back everything so clearly,, and then the tears just start coming. But I’m not ashamed to cry. We didn’t have time to cry during the war.’ Story by Holly Edwards Feature Editor Flifty-two years after he was gouged with a bayonet by a Japanese soldier during World War II, Milton Domler found a Purple Heart medal in his mailbox. It was enclosed in a brown padded en velope. There was no letter of explanation nor commendation. For Domler, the medal brought back memories and emotions he would rather forget. “If it took them that long to give me the medal, hang it up,” said the 74-year-old Boiling Spring Lakes resident. “When I got that thing it brought back a lot of rancid things that happened, and it brought them back so fresh. What happened to me is be side the point. It brought back memories of what happened to other people. They don't know they got a Purple Heart be cause they’re not here." A faded picture of Domler’s platoon hangs on his living room wall. The men are smiling, dressed in crisp white U. S. Navy uniforms and black kerchiefs. Of the 72 men in the platoon. Domler said 53 were killed in action “That’s a hell of a loss,” he said. “These are men that you sleep with, work with, sweat with. On board a ship you get pretty close. I’m thankful I’m here and 1 don’t teel sorry for myself, but 1 lost a lot of Iriends that were good people. The See Broken, page 10 war County rules put wraps on adult business By Terry Pope County Editor Some residents said they were willing to increase county taxes to pay for a legal defense ol an outright ban on adult businesses But it wasn't a safe option tor county commissioners to consider, explained county attorney Huey Marshall, just before the board voted unanimously Monday to allow adult and sexually oriented businesses in heavy manulacturing zones. The commission also trimmed the Brunswick County Planning Board’s recommended 2,500-foot setback requirement •rom homes, churches, daycare cen lets_ schools, parks and public facil ities to 1,500 feet instead, in fear of jeopardizing the rules. Banning them altogether was a message delivered by numerous res idents who spoke at the public hear ing. Do so and the commissioners would have support of residents should the ban be challenged in court, they indicated. But the board accepted the advice of counsel. ■■Von would probably not survive the motion stage," explained Matshall. "There is a fundamental itcht lor that person to operate. When you lose a suit, what the court sa\s is that you don’t in fact have an ordinance, and it would give free See Business, page 8 ST. JAMES Sewer plan is approved By Terry Pope ‘County Editor St. James Plantation has received approval for its new 600,000 gallon-per-day sewage treatment plant, ending a building moratorium that has been in effect there since July 15. The N. C. Department oi Water Quality issued the permit last Tues day, August 13, for a spray-irrigation treatment system that will even tually accommodate up to 2,560 homes at the residential and goll course community near Southport. Brunswick County health ollicials put a halt to new septic system taps last month when a transition between county and state permitting agencies delayed the process tor St. James to receive its operations permit for a larger plant. Although the capacity of an existing plant, which uses a drain field, had not been reached, the number of homes allocated to that capacity had alteady maxed out. The waste flow would hav e w entually overloaded our drain field," See Sewer, page 8 Long Beach Vote ordered to determine term lengths By Richard Nubel Municipal Editor Three hundred eighty-eight quali fied voters have forced an initiative referendum that will return Long Beach voters to the polls to decide if town council members should be elected to two-year or four-year staggered terms of office. Council voted 3-2 Tuesday night Victim remains critical A Southport man remained in criti cal condition at New Hanover Re gional Medical Center Tiiesday after noon, the victim of a personal water craft injury. Donald Bolduc, 37, of Stuart Av enue was admitted to NHRMC in critical condition Thursday afternoon from a head injury he sustained when thrown from a personal watercraft in the Lockwood Folly River. Brunswick County Emergency Medical Services director Tracy Jack son said county EMS was summoned to Colonial Landing Road at Supply around 1:15 p.m. Thursday. Bystand See Critical, page 10 to set a referendum on the matter November 5, Election Day. Voting to set the referendum on a return to two-year terms of office were coun cilors Frances Allen, Helen Cashwell and Kevin Bell. Councilors Jeff Ensminger and Horace Collier voted not to set a ref erendum date. Councilor Doris Hertel was not present at Tuesday night’s council session. Council earlier this year voted a return to a procedure which would establish four-year staggered terms of office, but in July the town was presented a petition containing the signatures of at least ten percent of all registered voters which sought a referendum on a proposition to reestablish two-year officer terms. From 1969 until 1991 members of the Long Beach Board of Commissioners, and later town council, were elected to four-year staggered terms of office. In 1992, petitioners forced a referenJum on i proposition to establish two-year terms of office. That referendum was overwhelmingly approved and in elections of 1993 and 1995 all six members of town council were elected. Proponents of the two-year term say it allows voters to more quickh remove councilors with whom dies disagree. Opponents of the two-vear term say it takes elected officials at least that long to learn their jobs and invites instability in local govern ment by creating the possibility no experienced member of the board could be returned to office. It is impossible to stagger two See Long Beach, page 10 Back-to-school is special today By Holly Edwards Feature Editor Summer vacation came to an end today for 9,700 Brunswick County young people. About 500 more students than last year filled county classrooms. While rapid growth rate has caused some schools to become over crowded, schools at the northern end of the county have been granted some relief by the addition of Belville El ementary School. Lincoln Primary School was changed from a kindergarten through third grade school to a kindergarten through second grade school and ex perienced a student population drop of about 130 students. And, Leland Middle School was changed from a fourth through eighth grade school to a sixth through eighth grade school and experienced a student population drop of about 350 students. Belville Elementary School will serve over 600 students in third through fifth grades. One of the fastest-growing schools in the county is Supply Elementary, with a student population of at least 790 and a maximum design capacity See School, page 10 I STUDENT OPULATION 1995-96 1996-97 Southport Elementary 843 820 _ Bolivia Elementary 610 650 _ Belville Elementary N/A 601 — Lincoln Primary 750 620 — Supply Elementary 772 790 — Union Primary 790 792 — Waccamaw Elementary 463 490 ~ South Brunswick Middle 740 783 ^ Leland Middle 1000 650 Shallolte Middle 967 975 South Brunswick High 700 814 _ North Brunswick High 509 621 West Brunswick High 964 1022 ^ Brunswick learning Center 104 61 TOTAL 1995- 96.9212 1996- 97.9689 TOP STORIES

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