March 24, 1999
50 cents 4
mar
Pilots tower no longer stanq&?
above the city waterfront - IB .^1
'’•ww1'
Narrow defeat
South Brunswick Lady Cougar^
softballers close, so close -
Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pilot@southport.net Volume 68, Number 31 Published every Wednesday in Southport, NC
Mining
lawsuit:
Round 2
By Terry Pope
Staff Writer
The Superior Court judge who
presided over the first battle involving
Martin Marietta Materials and Bruns
wick County is back for round two.
Judge Ronald Stephens has been
reassigned the case by Supreme Court
justice Burley Mitchell, and the case
has also been designated “exception
al,” which allows judge Stephens to
hear arguments outside Brunswick
County.
But thus far the case has not been
scheduled for trial. County officials are
concerned and curious by what desig
nating the case “exceptional” means.
“We had requested that whatever be
heard be heard in Brunswick County,”
said Brunswick County attorney Huey
Marshall. “We don’t know if judge
Mitchell didn't understand that. It does
not appear to be reflected in the order.
We would, of course, want everything
heard here.”
Three years ago, judge Stephens ini
tially heard Martin Marietta’s argu
ment that a public safety ordinance
which the county enacted is unconsti
tutional and that the company holds a
vested right to continue its plan to oper
ate a mine on a 1,000-acre tract north
of Southport. Judge Stephens ruled in
Martin Marietta’s favor on four issues,
but those findings were sei aside in the
county’s appeal before the N. C.
Supreme Court. The case was returned
to Brunswick County for trial.
The ordinance prevents mining with
explosives and dewatering techniques
within five miles of Carolina Power
and Light Co.’s Brunswick nuclear
plant or the Military Ocean Terminal
Sunny Point ammunitions depot. That
would include all of the Martin
Marietta tract. The company plans to
See Mining, page 7
Correction
A news story in last week’s State
Port Pilot, “Many volunteers may
be sidelined,” regrettably con
tained an error in stating that the
daughter of Brunswick County
commissioner Leslie Collier had
been “temporarily removed from
the (basketball) team for discipli
nary reasons” in January by South
Brunswick principal Sue Sellers.
Instead, that action was taken not
by Ms. Sellers but by the girls var
sity basketball coach, Mike
Isenberg, who said the suspension
was for one game, against West
Brunswick, and was taken “for the
best interests of the team.”
The Colliers said Tuesday they
were not informed of any suspen
sion of their daughter.
BRUNSWICK SCHOOLS
The Write Stuff
_ ' Photos by Diana D'Abruzzo
Uebra Shrader, a kindergarten teacher at Bolivia Elementary, looks through papers where her students wrote
sentences and drew accompanying pictures.
urn nrn
Bolivia Elementary second grade teacher Becky
McDowell adds colorful words to her Word Wall
this week.
'*■**%• jitfWMMMiiMMMHi
from the
start
By Diana D’Abruzzo
Staff Writer
Colorful alphabet posters line the walls of Debra
Shrader’s kindergarten classroom where tiny tots learn
how to write.
Apples and boys and cats and dogs lead the children
into visual lessons of the alphabet.
But at their desks, they're not just printing out words,
they’re stringing them together into sentences.
Kindeigartners are writing.
“I am amazed at what they can do,” Shrader said, sift
ing through papers where her Bolivia Elementary
School students drew pictures to accompany pencil
printed sentences. “For a five-year-old. that’s wonder
ful.”
“I see a purple cow. Be my valentine," one student
See Write, page 8
Not a game for high schools
By Diana D’Abruzzo
Staff Writer
When sophomores curl up with pencil and paper next
week to take the state’s English II writing test, all the
teachers at South Brunswick High School will be biting
their nails in anticipation.
English teachers aren’t the only ones at the high school
who have helped guide and prepare the students for “the
big game” that takes place next Tuesday morning.
Teachers in all departments, including math and art, have
been instrumental in exposing the students to writing,
writing and more writing.
“It really encourages the students,” said Gail Lee, head
of the English department at South Brunswick High
School. “It shows them that everyone is here to help —
that the school is working together. We're a team when it
comes to the ABCs."
The writing test is part of the stat e ABCs of Public
See High school, page 9
Effective September 1
Judge upholds
Yaupon right
of annexation
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Nearly 500 mainland acres along
Long Beach Road, Airport Road and
Fish Factory Road will become part of
the Town of OakTsfand on September
1.
Resident Superior Court judge
William C. Gore Jr. Tuesday morning
upheld a Yaupon Beach ordinance of
annexation town commissioners adopt
ed in September, 1998. Gore found for
Yaupon Beach in a suit challenging the
annexation that was brought by
Southeast Brunswick Sanitary District
in October, 1998.
Yaupon Beach and neighboring Long
Beach will consolidate as the Town of
Oak Island on July 1. The annexation
ordinance adopted by Yaupon Beach
will become an Oak Island ordinance
upon that consolidation.
‘This is wonderful news for the
town,” Yaupon Beach mayor Dot Kelly
said.“The annexation was essential for
‘The annexation
was essential for us
to maintain control
of our wastewater
treatment plant and
to pursue other inter
ests.’
Dot Kelly
Yaupon Beach mayor
us to maintain control of our waste
water treatment plant and to pursue
other interests.”
The Yaupon Beach wastewater treat
See Annexation, page 6
Sales tax philosophy:
Penny earned,
penny saved
By Terry Pope
Staff Writer
An extra one-cent sales tax would
help Brunswick County pay for school
buildings and community college capi
tal needs if approved by both the
General Assembly and county voters.
County commissioners have asked
state legislators for a bill to clear the
way for a short-term, local-option sales
tax that would raise between $5.1 mil
lion and $5.6 million a year. That
money would be placed in a special
fund used for school capital items, from
prekindergarten needs to Brunswick
Community College facilities or to
retire debt service.
“We are not the only county that will
be asking for a local bill,’' said county
attorney Huey Marshall.
As of last week, 34 of the state’s 100
counties had indicated they would pur
sue local bills to allow collection of the
‘It would be for one
time needs, if not
specifically for
schools then maybe
for some county
needs.’
BiU Sue
District 5 commissioner
extra sales tax in their counties. The
deadline for requesting local bills from
state legislators is today (Wednesday)
at 4 p.m. Brunswick County has also
See Penny, page 6
N. C. 211 near Southport
Shooting from 6road rage’
By Richard Nubel
Staff Writer
An unarmed probation and parole officer
and an unarmed, off-duty sheriff 's deputy
Thursday captured the accused "road rage”
shooter of a Southport man.
Jabar Ballard, 24, of Leland was captured
on rural paved Clemmons Road just off N.
C. 211 west of Sunset Harbor Road. He is
charged with assault with intent to kill
inflicting serious injury for the shooting of
Gary Lee Myrick about 30 minutes before
his capture.
Investigators say Myrick and a triend
were traveling from Southport to the
Brunswick Electric Membership
Corporation office on N. C. 211 west of the
city around 2 p.m. As they approached the
BEMC office they encountered a man in a
white Acura Integra and obscene hand ges
tures were exchanged.
As Myrick pulled his blue Ford into the
BEMC parking lot one shot rang out, strik
ing him in the abdomen.
As deputies arrived on the scene, a warn
ing to be on the lookout (BOLO) for a black
man driving a white Acura automobile was
broadcast over law enforcement radio fre
quencies.
Probation and parole officer R. David
Felts, assigned to that department’s Leland
office, was traveling eastward on N. C. 211
about 2:35 p.m. when he heard that BOLO.
“I was coming down 211 east and I passed
the individual coming out of Sunset
Harbor,” Felts recalled Monday. “I followed
him and let the sheriff’s department know
where he was.”
Felts followed the white Acura to
Clemmons Road, where it turned. He fol
lowed the Acura for about 200 yard along
Clemmons Road before it stopped.
“He actually stopped about 100 yards in
front of my car,” Felts said. "He backed up
to my car.”
Ballard emerged from the Acura, and on
Felts’ command showed the probation and
parole officer he had no weapbn.
Investigators later searched the N. C. 211
road shoulder for the weapon used in the'
Myrick shooting but did not locate it
As Felts ordered Ballard to lie on the
ground, off-duty Brunswick County sher
iff’s detective Leslie Moore arrived on the
scene. The two unarjned officers searched
Ballard and held him until backup officers
arrived.
“He complied with all our orders,” Felts
See Road rage- P3^ 12
Wal-Mart
property
annexed
By Richard Nubel
Staff Writer
Southport became 31.7 acres bigger
Thursday night.
Without substantial discussion, aldermen
that night annexed the N. C. 211 property
that is the proposed site ot a Wal-Mart
superstore. The annexation became effec
tive upon board action.
"The property is annexed,” mayor Bill
Crowe announced to a City Hall crowd ot
about 60. "The vote is unanimous."
The proposed annexation had become
the subject of some controversy in its few
weeks of consideration. A group calling
itself Concerned Citizens ol Southport
See Wal-Mart, page 7
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