Sports | The first pitch of the Dixie Youth Baseball 1997 season was tossed Saturday — IB Lady < in Wacd hitter tn rs to 6-0 i no 1C County expands park area By Terry Pope County Editor The bases are loaded at Smithville Township District Park near Southport, but expansion is in the works to relieve the crowded condi tions. Brunswick County commissioners voted Monday to purchase 17.17 acres of land on the park’s north side for $85,850, roughly $5,000 per acre, from J. D. and Loretta Price. In other expenditures Monday, commissioners appropriated $26,000 to match a state grant that will help fund a domestic violence program for district attorney Rex Gore’s office. The 13th Judicial District will receive $360,000 in each of the next two years, but $77,000 must come this year in matching funds. Columbus County officials also voted Monday to contribute $26,000. Bladen County will be asked to con tribute a like amount. County attorney Huey Marshall has been negotiating for more than a month for the purchase of land to ex pand the Smithville park and another park in the county, the site of which See Park area, page 10 'Gouging' ordinance is adopted By Terry Pope County Editor After Hurricane Fran struck last fall, power outages which lasted for weeks in some Brunswick County communities sent residents in search of batteries. Some found the price three times what they were before the storm hit. County officials say that is “price gouging” and adopted an ordinance Monday to prevent businesses or in dividuals from taking advantage of citizens in the event of another disas ter. “We will be presenting it to all 18 municipalities and asking for their adoption so it will be uniform throughout the county,” said county attorney Huey Marshall. “It will help law enforcement if it’s a violation no matter where they are standing in Brunswick County.” The anti-gouging ordinance was modeled after one the City of Charles ton, SC, adopted to make the sudden rise in the price of goods after a di See Ordinance, page 10 Forecast The extended forecast calls for mostly sunny skies Thursday through Saturday with highs in the 70's. INSIDE Police report ... 8 Kids’ page.14 Obituaries.15 Business.18 Church.4B Schools .5B TV schedule .... 6B Calendar.8B District Court .. 7C Photo by Jim Harper What could be better than opening day of baseball season, getting out there and mixing it up with all the guys, having fun — or, proudly watching the youngster in one of the true Vmerican rites of passage, setting boldly forth... What indeed? (More youth baseball photos in the Neighbors section.) County convention Brunswick Democrats sticking with ’winner' By Terry Pope County Editor County Democrats on Saturday outlined their political success during 1996 and reelected their entire slate of officers at the annual convention. County commissioner Don Warren asked why break up a group which has worked well together to regain a majority on the commission and re tain control of the school board. Un der chairman Connie Powell's lead ership, the party also retired a $22,(XX) debt on its headquarters building near Supply. Also reelected were first vice-chair man Moses Stanley, second vice chairman Bernest Hewett, third vice chairman Tracie Franks, treasurer Vernon Ward and secretary Ruth Finley. Unity on the county level is tied to unity on the state level, said state lead ers who attended the Saturday ses sion. “1 predict, if we keep working like we have," said state senator R. C. Soles Jr. of Tabor City, "we’re going to have a solid Democratic state gov ernment in the future.” Soles told the audience it was w i >n derful to return to the Senate that n ' ' has a solid 30-20 Democratic maa > ity. Last fall, voters narrowed the Republican gap in the State If>uv. too r Guest speaker Saturday was slate auditor Ralph Campbell Jiwho served on the Raleigh eitv eouneil before he chose to run tor auditor in 1992. His office is responsible tor See Democrats, page 17 COUNTY SYSTEM Water taps to become mandatory By Terry Pope County Editor An ordinance county commission ers have requested would make it mandatory for property owners who live where county water lines are ac cessible to tap to the line or pay the tap-011 fee. It's a move commissioners say will help wean the water system, now run ning at a $4-million-per-year deficit, off tax dollars used to supplement it. The vote came swiftly Monday night, and it was unanimous. Recently, the Brunswick County Utility Operations Board has debated the issue but with no clear direction on where commissioners now stand on the issue. When the system was built in 1987, and in expansion projects since, mandatory taps have not been required “I think it’s time we’ve given the utility operations board some direc tion,” said District I commissioner Don Warren, whose motion to request an ordinance came at the end of Monday’s meeting and was not on the ‘We’re going to have to do this. We’re not going to be able to provide countywide water if we don’t.’ David Sandifer District 2 member regular agenda. “Since I've come hack on the board, we have been concerned with increasing our customer base and with trying to reduce the deficit.” sait Warren. "We have talked about dil ferent things to improve our custome base.” Warren’s motion asked that ■ ountr See Water, page 8 Long Beach Burning ban stays in force By Richard Nuhcl Municipal F-’ditoi A controversial ban on open burn me ol yard debris will icinain in loree in Long Beach as the town investigates the purchase of equip ment to remove unbagged (rash troni curbside, town council decided In the narrowest ol margins Tuesday night Mayor Joan Altman hioke a V r lie ol council to let the open burning ban begun this year remain in toree. It was Altman who hiought the burning ban back up lor review luesday. keeping a promise she made to opponents ol the ban seven al months ago. Voting with the mavoi to keep the I>.m in force wen.' e <>nne11>>rs Jell Tnsiningcr, Marx Snead ami II'trace Collier. Councilors Kevin Hell. Trances Allen and Helen Cashuell '.'.anted to allow open burning ol s ard debris from one to two da\s per week hy permit Irom the police department. In an unrelated item ol business, council also voter! iinammouslv to send a resolution to the state's leg Islame delegation opposing the occupancy tax bill mtioduced this week by Rep H David Redwine ol Brunswick Counlv. (See related sto i ics. page 2). Clearly it was the burning ban that demanded most ol the public’s attention Tuesday night. Twelve See Burning, page 8 Cans For Kids success story By Holly Edwards Feature Editor Cans For Kids of Brunswick County has been named the top recycling success story in the nation by Can Manufacturers In stitute in Washington, l)( Over a million cans have been collected thus far, and pro ceeds from redeeming the cans last year provided $10,690 to 479 Brunswick County high school graduates. The project be gan three years ago w ith one aluminum can bin and has grown to include 20 collection sites. Project organizer l.inda Vereen said the project began with a dream that someday recycling would generate enough money to send every high school graduate in the county to college. “Our kids recognize that the future is education, and that it’s impor See Payment, page 6 Brunswick County Cans For Kids was named the top recycling suc cess story in the nation by the Can Manufacturers Institute. TOP STORIES ON THE

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