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CP&L
lawsuit
Former plant
workers claim
discrimination
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Carolina Power and Light Co. has
denied multiple charges of discrimi
nation in response to a $3.24-million
federal lawsuit brought by four
former employees of its Brunswick
Nuclear Plant at Southport.
The former CP&L employees say
. they were laid off in 1994 only to save
the company the cost of paying them
benefits they had accrued and contin
ued to accrue by virtue of their
lengthy employment tenure.
In their lawsuit, filed with the U.
S. District Court for the Eastern Dis
trict of North Carolina in November,
1996, the four charge CP&L with age
discrimination, disability discrimina
tion and pension discrimination.
CP&L has denied the four were
“laid off” at all, asserting in its Janu
ary response that each plaintiff’s em
ployment was terminated during a
separate “restructuring” of the units
and sub-units in which they were
employed.
Plaintiffs Cecil Pittman, 50, ol;
Long Beach, Leslie Fodrie, 49, of
Bolivia, Mark C. Shealy, 52, of
Hartsville, SC, and Joseph L. White
Jr., 49, of Winnabow have demanded
a jury trial and have asked the court
to reinstate them to the jobs from
which they were terminated, to award
back and present wages, to restore lost
time toward pension benefits and to
award liquidated damages for attor
ney fees and court costs. Each defen
dant additionally seeks $300,000 in
compensatory damages from CP&L.
Each of the plaintiffs asserts he
See Lawsuit, page 9
The lawsuit asserts
CP&L’s practice of
laying off tenured
employees to save
benefit costs was
well-known among
all employees of
Southport’s
Brunswick Nuclear
Plant
T, Photo by Jim Harper
1 he Southport yacht basin is one of the most-photographed and most-painted sites in North Carolina, and
Raleigh artist Kyle Highsmith chose the location for his oil painting during a recent visit.
Tax plan is endorsed
County supports chambers' proposal
By Terry Pope
County Editor
County officials have endorsed the idea of a one
percent occupancy tax which will be used to attract
tourists to the county.
Brunswick County commissioners unanimously
endorsed the concept but have asked for the right to
study and approve the final wording on the legislative
bill that will authorize its collection. State representa
tives David Redwine (D-Ocean Isle Beach) and
Dewey Hill (D-Lake Waccamaw) will be asked to
introduce the non-controversial bill during the current
session of the N. C. General Assembly.
The deadline to submit local bills is March 27. If
approved, the occupancy tax would go into effect in
January, 1998, and affect rentals of rooms or cottages
See Tax plan, page 15
Long Beach/Southport
Regional plan
could address
waste disposal
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Seeking a regional solution to the
challenges of treatment and effluent
disposal. Long Beach will look to
Southport as a potential partner in a
regional wastewater management ef
fort.
Meeting Thursday to begin budget
planning. Long Beach Town Council
authorized town manager Jerry
Walters to begin discussions with
Southport officials aimed at establish
ing a regional wastewater treatment
and disposal facility in Southport.
Southport officials Monday greeted
the Long Beach overture enthusiasti
cally.
“We have asked the town manager
to begin discussions with Southport
that will determine the feasibility of
pumping either untreated or pre
treated sewage to Southport for addi
tional treatment and disposal,” Long
Beach mayor Joan Altman said.
Under terms of a plan envisioned
‘State regulators are
not interested in
permitting many
small systems. In
terms of regulation
and monitoring
quality, one regional
system is preferable
to them.’
Joan Altman
Long Beach mayor
by town council, Long Beach could
construct a wastewater collection sys
tem in corporate limits and construct
See Disposal, page 7
City rescinds
nuisance ban
outside limits
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Rescinding a nuisance ordinance it
ratified February 13, the Southport
Board of Aldermen Thursday said it
would not use its zoning power to
force an owner of junked vehicles to
remove them from property in
Smithville Woods.
The February ordinance would
have allowed the city manager to or
der the abatement of nuisances — un
controlled weeds, smelly garbage that
attracts vermin, trash and junked ve
hicles — in the one-mile area over
which the city exercises extraterrito
rial zoning jurisdiction (ETJ).
See Nuisance, page 7
‘There are things the
county has not
addressed in ten
years. I don’t think
we should take that
extra burden on
ourselves.’
Nelson Adams
Ward II aldermen
Forecast
The extended forecast calls for
mostly sunny skies Thursday through
Saturday with highs in the 70’s.
, INSIDE
Obituaries. 9
Police report ... 11
District Court ,. 13
Business ....... 14
Calendar.3B
Church .»< • • ■ • • SB
Schools ....»»•♦ 6B
TV schedule .... 9D
Southport Elementary
Teachers learn a lesson
but both make the grade
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
When Southport Elementary School teachers Carol
Midgett and Sandy Kaufhold applied for certification by
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards,
they said they had no idea what they were getting into.
Completing the project required nearly 700 hours and
four and a half months of intense work and concentra
tion. The teachers were required to write exhaustive, de
tailed descriptions of their classrooms and teaching styles
and submit two videotapes of class in progress.
“It was the most consuming professional experience
I’ve ever participated in,” Midgett declared. “You have
to constantly examine what you do, why you do it, and
the impact it’s having.”
For Kaufhold, the undertaking was more challenging
than pursuing a master’s degree.
"We were told the project would become our lives,
and it really did,” she said.
Despite the huge investment of time and energy re
quired by the project, these teachers were not assured
that their efforts would pay off. Many teachers apply tor
and tail to obtain national certification each year.
Both Kanthold and Midgett, however, were approved
tor certification. Midgett is now a nationally certified
early childhood generalist; Kaufhold is a nationally cer
tified middle childhood generalist.
State lumU allocated this year for teachers to pay the
$2,000 toe 1 apply for national certification provided
Midgett amt Kaufhold with the incentive thev needed to
undertake ;le project.
Since the eertification, both teachers have received a
See Lesson, page 7
■■■ •’* —■*-»mwmmmii i .1 U’W——
Photo by Holly Edwards
Southport Elementary School teachers Sandy Kaufhold (left) and
Carol Midgett said obtaining certification by the National Board for
Professional Standards has been the most challenging undertaking of
their careers.