Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Jan. 17, 1985, edition 1 / Page 4
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THE BRiiMSWlCK&^ACON Edward M. Sweat! and Carolyn H. Sweat! Publishers 1 " ? u,'?? ? ti iut unvaii Susan L'sher Netce Editor Terry Pope S& v'*// fPri/er Johnny Craig ' Sport* Editor | Mary Potts Office Manager | Cheryl Stanley & Cindy Morris. .Advertising Representative* ~ Tammie Galloway. ...v Typesetter Steve Anderson Pressmen Clyde and Matl'e -Stout. Jim Baliou Circulation Page 4-A Thursday, January 17,1985 _ ? _ . , Sunset Beach Briage * I * * r* _l_ _ iNeeas /wore oiuaying It'll be interesting now to view the reactions of Sunset Beach residents who have repeatedly defended their antiquestyle, pontoon swing-bridge from verbal attacks in the past. Saturday's barge accident that left a portion of the bridge underwater, and residents trapped on the island, is sure to create a renewed effort to have the bridge replaced with a high-rise structure. Both sides now need to come together to discuss what the town's needs are rather than send out chants of, "We told you so," or "You were hoping for something like this to happen." The fact is the N.C. Department of Transportation is now busy repairing a 25-year-s!d bridge that is not scheduled for replacement until 1989, a date opponents of the bridge will want to see changed. A repair bill may exceed $270,000 over one incident that kept the tug and barge on schedule for its trip to Jacksonville, r ia., while leaving behind a group of greatly inconvenienced isianuers. II* Cunenl Unu/il) iiiinK f a viami nn in iUnin At uuiiocv uv.av.ii iuiiiaiiii\.iou) wirjii iu lldllg Uil IU lllt'Il lAIU" que bridge then t hey had best arm themselves with better ammunition than simple arguments against growth. There are other interests to consider when trying to weigh the value of a high-rise structure. Commercial boats traveling the Intracoastal Waterway can travel from the Virginia state line to within miles of the South Carolina line without having to fear the type of disaster the pilot of the the Angels M experienced Saturday morning. The addition of two new high-rise bridges ai Hoiuen and Ocean Isle beaches, set for completion in 1986, will make traveling by boat safer in Brunswick County's waters. While the pontoon bridge remains a landmark and exciting part of visiting Sunset Beach, it, like every other aspect of the town, Is a vlcUm of modernization and growth, it may already be too late to argue that slower traffic across the bridge will produce slower growth. For some residents who have protected the bridge in the past, Saturday's accident?and resulting inconveniences?may mark the end of the honeymoon. Others may yet feel the hassles are worth it to keep tilings the way they are. No mailer what type of bridge the town decides it needs, it's worth renewed discussion between both opponents and proponents of the last pontoon bridge along the North Carolina coast. hilling A Niche Avoids Competition j Mast of us like to know where wo I "tit in' in it community oi ? . nelnhUuhood or a social |tulhertli|i. fij Wo fool a sense of security when we establish our "role" or liotcrmine 1|P^> Bill what ts expected of us in the study of plants and anunnls the place in the FoVSf system filled by a particular species tHMb is known us its niche. One of tlie expectations In ecology is that If there is no species in a com- cover. This egret then conveniently muntty to fill a particular niche, cats its ftU! The longer-legged Great another species will adapt itself over Blue Heron can wade out into deeper the years to fill that niche Probably water for its seafood dinner ami thus thr best example of this has to do ts not in competition. You seldom see with "Darwin's finches" on the herons and egrets fighting (or food or Galapagos Islands Since ttiere was x-ytng (or space in the marsh apparently no woodpecker to extract Another importance of niche is that the boring Insects from trees ami a balance is created. The ecological driftwood, a particular species of "law of control" ts tlial when any finch took oxer thai role Not bv snecies dexelocw taevond the canacltv developing a woodpecker bill ami a of a community to carry that number liutdtui hni Kli Irtiirfxlixo l.x t.bw U -* 11?' ' *- " - * * ..ouw* ?' umr a u> mull"KllUliS, IIW nUIllOcr Will DC straw tn its bill and probe the insect reduced by famine, disease, or from Its hole While this is a very prestation !t is a good thing, too. (or unusual example ttie idea w the same we ate told that if It were not for conin almost every community of plants trols like these, the prolific house flv and animals would breed enough oil*spring in just Killing a niche usually means the three months to cover the earth at the animals are not in competition enimtor In a hand SO miles wide and a Herons and egrets in a marsh can it nule high Niche is probably the most lustrate this idea They each depend important element is maintaining the upon small Crustacea and small fish ha lance If a species is eliminated for food, but their mrthods of feeding and the niche remains unfilled, the keep them from being competitors organism on which thai particular lhe night herons usually feed after species (ed will develop beyond dark when their daytime cousins are limits sle eping The small tireen Heron sits What about man's niche* Man is low in a shrub or a piece of driftwesxi not only controlled by his environwaiting (or a minnow to swim by and ment as are all other animals, but then quickly grabs its lunch The man is one of the few species who can white Snowy Egrets frantically run consciously control his environment areund In sfcaiiesr water ffi p**"1' ot u or. thst later Man awl the food The Reddish Egret stirs up the cockroach are about the only species shallow water to excite the fish, then who have extended their range world extends its wings to last ? shadow wide without much regard to niche whore the confused fish run for This should tell us somethu^r It Was Q During last week's Brunswick County Board of Education meeting, right between the energy management proposals and the non-certified salary scale proposal, came a sound from outside. "Skrrrrrr''' It must have lasted for several seconds as everyone in the crowded room hunched their shoulders up around their ears and waited for an ugly, loud crash. Someone had slammed on brakes outside the conference room on N.C. 133, The anticipated loud crash never occurred. Eyes rolled about the room, and shoulders once again foiowoH and nettled in their normal positions as the meeting continued. It was cold outside and all the doors and windows to the building were lis 'Wl m, Howmms >m Keduce Dr To the editor: Our (treat nation was constructed' on a fnumiiiiion of majority rule This idea lias given tile United Slates a stable government with peaceful succession to public office. But no government is perfect, and the majority rules at the expense of minor!*y Discrimination luis existed for centuries. Thase groups with poiilicai strength live, within reason, as they wish. The branches of government at idl leveis have passed decision after decision infringing on minority rights and privileges. The slates have iniualeo a iot oi this legislation only to have the federal government auousn it a lew decades later As late as 1900 blacks were turned away from polls in North Carolina with such constitutional trickery as a "grandfather clause." Grandfather clauses in most state constitutions prohibited voting by anyone unless his fattier or grandfather liad voted on January 1. 1867. Of course neither southern blnrks nor many poor whites were able to Y'lllI* nil liuil iiuln Mcwf ctnfoc nlcn had a poll tax which inhibited many blacks from voting. Furthermore, from the turn of the centry until World War I, the South perfected and legalized segregation. The Supreme Court supported the state's segregation laws with the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson This decision provided for separate but equal education. Most of these wrongs were created almost a century ago and have been corrected legally since then But the federal government spent decades before it realited its mistakes ami took actions to correct them The Plessy v. Ferguson decision stood for SB years. I ?5 Would you want to be known as the home of the Sea Gulls (or the next 50 to 100 years? That's the decision facing the students and trustees of Brunswick IWKniral f VI -t VWH?V. In a recent polling, students showed a decided preference (or a sea gull mascot over anything else. I'm not sure what the other choices were Admittedly they wouldn't want to go into a football or basketball game as the Shrimps. Flounders. Sea Snails, l'oadfvsh. or slippery Sand Eels Think of the morale problem And Sea Squirts sounds more like little league. But wouldn't the Sea Horses be a catchy name* Or what about the Terns* lh? Omwants* the Oyster Catchers* the Skimmers* the Sand Fiddlers * While the Sandpipers sounds more Uke use scisaoi chorus, v.cr. o War or uiet In The Cc ft \J^St shut tight. A television camera crew was in the building recording tootage of the meeting along with reporters from four area newspapers, several citizens and school personnel. Just like old times. Yet it was quiet enough in the conference room to hear a car slamming on brakes outside. The room probably has not experienced such jusvit^couuTy /guv' j tttD oP tt>U?&T16fJ Mil I I WEYW2f>J MEETIMgt r CtVM?P sma THE MfW BOA LETTERS TO THE unk Driving Now the U.S. legislature has initiated another act against a miniority. Th.'e minority is the population of adults from 18 to 21 years of age. On July 17. President Reagan signed a bill giving states two years to raise their legal drinking age to 21 or icsc 5 percent of their federal iM&itV?ay funds. Again the government lias taken a shot at a minority with little political Dower. The minimum dnnkim' aee will punish .-ill > oung people for a prohiom rn'?tfyi hv ? f<?sv The government continues to discriminate. How long will it lake them to realize their nustake this time? liaising the drinking age will Commentar Greatest CH To the editor: In New York City, unlimited souls live lives so utterly artificial and so far removed from reality that seeing black as white or pink or any oilier color can be to them the complete norm. Nor has this phenomenon (HU'fiDpd the hinterlands trwMiwiinp Washington. D.C. With an army of police, with lawyers and Judges by the thousands, protection of its productive population could easily be established, except for the profits of crime. Acting criminals are a necessary element in maintaining this odd legal and political structure. Direct action in controlling criminals in the act is taboo, not only in New York City but engulfs the entire U.S. A If the supply runs low, iroi+'c Nrknr l-fr | I W II ill Swson WBTT _ TT mans m Usher Jjk the Stingrays would suit if the school wants a tough, bo-man image Obviously the school wants a mascot that reflects Tech's proximity to the beaches and the ocean. 1 don't blame thrm: few schools in the community college system have the good fortune to be situated along the coast And the beaches are a good marketing technique t'Nr. Wilmington, home of the Seahawks. has done quite well with "UNC By The Sea" Gulls are pretty and very comuwr. >nference Roo silence on a first Monday of the month in quite a while. From the first bang of the gavel until the last (there were only two bangs for a change), the meeting was entirely Dusinessiwe. As a reporter, > it felt strange covering school business for a change, rather than arguments and personal attacks. Every motion placed before the table passed by an unanimous margin. i kept waiting to see a violent, argumentative side to those nice, sturdy candidates come out after all, but it never developed. I have a feeling it may never develop as sound and fundamental as this group seems to be. I've been told that two years ago, when I wasn't around, it seemed the ipf - ,i ?> TOOK <NH>t ' j 1 EDITOR Without Discri not solve the problem of drunk driv- , ing. However, raising the drinking j age will probably please a voting ma- ; jority at the expense ol a voting i minority. Arc peopie between 18 and 21 i adults'' Can adults be responsible | enough to make their own decisions | about dr'.RkinS'' An IR-yc/ir-olri In considered an adult in every area except a bar. In court he may be tried i as an adult and imprisoned in an rifliilt nriviin tin rt? ?*. nlcn cit nn n jury and decide the fate ui oihers. i An 18-year-old inay marry and | head a family In the business world he may sign contracts and be heiu legally responsible for his 11 y On The r Crimes port more from Italy, from Colombia?even from the south of U.S.A. All crimes are to be tolerated. After tribute is paid to the legal system, let them go, for the greatest of crimes is taking the law into their own hands by normally productive ana iaw-abiding ciiuern. Tius above all other crimes merits consideration by the Supreme Court And, while crimes of all types flourish in New York City as well as in backyard, U.S.A., incite the people's indignation by what goes on in Poland, ir. South Africa, in darkest Cambodia and Iran. A Utile more dig ging might uncover crime in Switzerland. Let the people back home (eel good that it is all over there and not here. Elmer N. I berg Southport Tha fii 11 I i i I I along the shore. Mast of us like guliwatching. We also tend to buy anything from stationery to a key chain if it "uas a picture of a seagull on it But I'd think twice before adopting ibein as a mascot. There's more to consider than first meets the eye. For tn?tanr* hav? vv*t ?vw taan <* bunch of gulls swipe a crab at the beach or fight over a piece of hamburger bun at Hardee's'' Unlike some other birds that bve along the shore, gulls are robbers and scavengers, stealing eggs and even chicks Irocn other birds such as terns and cormorants; feeding on refuse and dead animals from surface and coastal waters?and from But college students also hang ,-jt in the Hardee's parking lot That may throw points in the gulls' direction. I m Again 1 :ounty had chosen a group of fine :andidates when suddenly the honeynoon was over as it was discovered nemher?. of the eroun couldn't eet ilong willi one another at a board neetlng. It felt good last week to see board nenibers taking notes and asking questions as though a pop quiz was to allow the meeting. Board member Doug Baxley kept an ink pen flowing ill night across his yellow "legaliized" pad. You could almost see the wheels :uming inside James Clemmons' lead as he listened intently to proTosals from several energyT."r.'1 g e TT*e n t cnmnanies who had guaranteed the schools a savings in utility bills. Operating Lincoln Primary School has been the greatest part oi Clemmons' life >tory, so much so that when I :e!cphnned him at home recently he ins we red, "Lincoln Primary School. [ mean, hello." Following the meeting, Chairman James Forstner told reporters, "I oromised to keep it boring." That iad been Forstner's campaign .roTiisc, to keep meetings orderly and to ring for reporters. Jane Causey, a businesswoman, lsed her knowledge of operating \nnAinrt ? ji.m.aeu. juoiiicooco in icauiug a uutiuoiuu un .he proposed use of funds for a Srunswick County Educational foundation. And Superintendent Gene Yararough was seen leaving the conference room carrying Marvin VicKcithari iindcr 'tis siTm aiuiu c stack of papers. Of the five name alates made for the new board members, someone spelled McKeithan's name as "McKiethan" nstead?with a misplaced i. So It went oacK ior iiuiiui auI'ustments, probably in time for the aext orderly, businesslike meeting. minotion agreements. When one reaches the age of 18, he is considered mature and responsible enough to vote for .no rresiaeni 01 wc unnea states. Does America send children to war? Within 30 days of a man's 18th I Sirthda.v he is required to register for 1 the draft. He may also sign up for the wtthnnt parental coo* sent. Will the day come when a man dies for his country without tasting his first legal beer? I am not condoning drinking and driving. I believe in tougher penalties for those caught doing so. The number of school programs teaching the (iaiigvis ui ui inking also should be increased. Kurlhermore, 1 am not denying that our government is the greatest in the world. 1 am simply saying that the terrible problem of drunk driving can be reduced without discrimination. People from 18 to 21 are adults and should be treated as such in every aspect of life. Edward lawrenee l!NC-Charlotte Thanks For Support To johnny Craig wr~. ? After much deliberation, 1 have decided to resign my position as head football coach (North Brunswick High School) effective Jan. 11, 1983. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the many times that ..... _? J T*V- _ r* ? v. ?-J juu taiiu uk ocavun nave supponea the Scorpions and myself over the last six seasons. This help was much appreciated. If I can be of any assistance to you in the future, please feel free to call upon me. T.K.FarrarSr. Boiling Spring lakes Iq w And because they take refuse from the water, gulls also help in reducing pollution. That's another plus A student representative told iiuoirrs w? tJrr vuuq?c iuc ujoiCvt would be a "regular" sea gull, the kind found on local beaches. , ? la ? J > ' iK :iw( uc ui m a i uuc awuctuii^, because there's more than one kind of gull at the beach. Does he have in mind the scruffierlooking herring gull, a laughing gull i that's the neat-looking one with dark wings and cap) or the great blackbacked gull or some other kind? Lots of tunes we mistake as gulls those cute little terns that look like swallows when in flight i They aren't scavengers, by the way, and they can dive.) But maybe you've got wmething other than a good Tern or GuDwatching in mind. Let's hear it for the ? a I
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 17, 1985, edition 1
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