I
Opinion Page
THE BRUNSWICK
Edward IV!. Sweat. and Carolyn H. S
Edward M. Sweatt
Susan Usher
Terry Pope
Johnny Craig.
Mary Potts
Cecelia Gore .A
Tammle Galloway
Steve Anderson
Bill McGowan
Clyde and Mottle Stout, Jim Ballou
Page 4-A
West End Be
Stirs Fevnr A
I,ong known for its unspoiled 01
territory, the west end of Holden E
into the claws and powerful grip ol
It came as no surprise that th
Ocean Boulevard West where th(
private road brought shock and disi
motorists. Many people were shoe
time, that the clay road that has pi
end of the beach for years was, inc
They were even further shock*
would establish an "exclusive" dev
ing private ownership of the road
cess to the project and oceanfront.
Despite the fact that its owner:
barricade the road, the gesture wat
for many Holden Beach visitors
residents and property owners, Hoi
viewed as an "exclusive" beach, ar
exclusive atmosphere was shockin
So the gasps heard coming fro
Beach last week were real. What n
frontier on Holden Beach has been
side looking in.
AIDS Screenin<
%
Consideration ,
With reported cases of AIDS 01
Brunswick County Board of Corni
sider a plan by the county health di
ing for the disease, acquired iinmu
AIDS disrupts the body's imn
tirns defenseless agaiast infections
withstand.
In June, after a brief discussion
idea of screening for AIDS on a mot
Poole, who said, "I'd just as soon \
missioner Frankie Kabon was abs
Beasiey cast the only dissenting vc
The most common routes of tra
to be through body fluids and throui
hypodermic needles. The disease i
tint' ....... 11.. i2_i i
/iii/rt wii.i uiiKiiuiuy iiimru
homosexual community, Haitians
But it is now striking heterosexual:
has quickened, increasing the poss
gram's use if available locally.
This movement of AIDS into
argument enough to provide the sc
ed about passible exposure or conl
The proposed screening proje
client has AIDS, only whether furl
It could be provided at no ad
and the risk of staff members cor
be less than the current risk
hepatitis. Staff members have con
screening and for counseling thase
confidential service.
A public health department is
for a disease threatening the pub
deluge of information on the subj
be better informed and more at
rather than emotionally, with the
The plan deserves their recon
Rainb
l?st S;ilurvl.iv morning was one ol
the days we dream about on the
Carolina coa.it The air was crisp and
coot, like late September or early lie
tober Skies were clear and bright '
and the deep blue overhead was not
dimmed by hate The water was
k!istenine and lluhLs danced an even
wave rolling toward the shoreline A
more perfect day (or fishmg or walk- ??
live or |ust being on the beach could rr:
not be found'
Some (nends and I chose to fish ih
and by the time we gathered rods. ?n
buckets, sand spikes, and assorted ju
bait the good raft) lYnntUllg tisimlg fr
was coming to an end But we did th
spend a couple of good hours offering K
the remaining fish their choice of ^
several appetising treats. So much wl
was happening all around us it was
hard to concentrate on the fishing at 0>
hand. hi
A shelf of sand had built up and was M
)
[&BEACON
meat; Publishers
Editor
Metrs Editor
Staff Writer
Sports Editor
Office Manager
dvertising Representative
Typesetter
Pressman
Photo Technician
Circulation
Thursday, August 8,1985
irricade
tnaer
:eanfront and undeveloped
teach slipped even further
f growth last week,
e barricade placed across
; state road turns into a
nay to many residents and
rked to learn, for the first
rovided access to the west
leed, a private road,
id to learn that its owners
elopment on the island, usas
a means to restrict acs
have every legal right to
> taken as a slap in the face
and residents. To many
Iden Beach has never been
id the move toward a more
Sm
the west end of Holden
not; )\i? winiifnrl mc thn fiti'il
IIUJ 17V, * IV. ?I V.VI UO VIIV 1111(11
closed to those on the outg
Due
Again
i the rise nationwide, the
missioners should recon;partment
to offer screenine
deficiency syndrome,
nunc system, leaving vlci
that other people usually
i, commissioners nixed the
ion by Vice Chairman Jim
ve don't get into it." Coment;
Commissioner Grace
)te.
insmission of AIDS appear
gh the use of contaminated
usually proves fatal,
primarily with the male
and other specific groups,
s and the pace of its attack
ibility of tlie screening pro
the mainstream should be
reening for those concerntraction
of the disease,
ct wouldn't determine if a
ther testing were needed,
ditional cost to the county
itracting the disease would
they face of contracting
upleted the training for the
wlio would seek the highlythe
logical place to screen
lie health. With the recent
ect, commissioners should
)le to deal professionally,
subject,
sideration.
ows In The
>ving in toward the dunes tc
tiuUd some of what had been losl
A February It was fun to wald
r movement of sand and shel
itmenls at our feet. We were slan
X in what must have been a mob
ab hatchery, for there wen
ousands of tiny mole crab
rambling to gain a foothold in lh
nd before the retreating war
ashed them into deeper water
Three young Ospreys were soann,
erhead. angling their hawi-lik
ads in search of fish in the surf Ai
xasional dive and splash prove
Where
In 3-inch letters the sign behind his
head read "ALL FEES CASH." Over
on another wall, a photograph of Gov.
Jim Martin hung directly above the
office's newest piece of equipment, a
computer linkup with Raleigh. A list
of services and fees hung on that wall
and against the door. Next to the
opening were two more signs, one a
review of road symbols, the other a
red, white and blue job that read,
"Register To Vote Here."
There was more than enough time
to read the writing on the walls?and
the doors?last Wednesday afternoon.
It was one of those miserable,
but universally shared experiences,
like waiting at the doctor's office.
More than 20 of us squeezed into
Room 107, sitting at the old-timey
wooden pupils' desks or standing
wherever there was space; the rest
overflowed down the hall that serves
the Brunswick County Sheriff's
Department.
I had breezed by on the way to
Southport, planning to plunk down
$10 in cash, identify a few signs, sit
for a mug shot, and exit five minutes
later with a brand new driver's
license. It had taken no more than a
quick five back in October 1981, when
I moved back to the Shallotte area
and had to change addresses.
That experience was a fluke, no
doubt about it.
On a "normal" day, business backs
up down the hall. Wednesday, it so
happened, was busier than normal.
And, as my luck (and his) would have
C rT7\
' 7 #'
75f Kf-ffil
ALO^tr -ft
Islanders i
Sonic folks believe the only thing
"wild" on the South Brunswick
Islands is a few teenagers who stay
up past their bedtime and hang out at
the arcade on Friday or Saturday
nights. But there is a different form
of life on these islands tliat don't depend
on quarters and "Centipede"
video games ulong with an occasional
hamburger or french fries.
To many folks, an island is just an
island, a place with no woods and no
natural hideouts. The ocean itself
and the life it supports holds enough
mysteries to keep curiosities occupied
for a weekend stay or vacation.
That is. until along comes a friendMist
fruitless on this particular morning
as they came up without any fish
They were practicing and moved up
and down the beach every' tune a
school of menhaden created some activity.
Kach time a wave splashed against
the sand shelf a wall of mist would
nse and catch the light of the bright
i sun with a momentary rainbow 1
I wondered how many of the people eni
joying a morning walk on the beach
1 saw the rainbows The one or two I
asked thought 1 was crazy; it wasn't
t raining and there were no clouds in
theskv"
s My grandfather always said there
was a whole kg more to fishing than
t catching fish On (his Saturday morning
in August 1 had to agree. 1 didn't
it do any better than the young
t Ospreys. but may be they were ?)oyn
mg a beautiful day and rainbows ui
d the mist as much as 1 dad.
There's A V
Susan
it, only one license examiner was on
duty, a beleaguered Mr. Reynolds. At
2 p.m., there were 11 people ahead of
me and at least 10 behind, many of
them waiting for road tests. The office
closed at 5 p.m.; that didn't stop
people from getting upset when
Reynolds announced at 3:15 p.m. that
he couldn't take any more customers
that day.
With a client seated humbly before
him, cash extended, Reynolds was
heard to mumble, "I really
overestimated it today. There's no
way to do all these before 5." And
orders are orders, he announced at
one point. The government didn't
want him in the office after 5 p.m.;
he'd been doing all his paperwork at
home. This day it looked as though he
might be doing road tests on the way
home.
Merely glad not to have been turned
away, 1 sighed in relief, having
waited until the last possible day to
get my license renewed.
After a mere 45-minutc wait,
Shallotte Rescue Squad member
Jean Mearns finished up and stopped
fin ik
=" 1^0Ads wrfi
Must Share
r '
J0>? ' ^Jk
ly raccoon or two. There is an are.
next to Heritage Harbor on Holdei
Beach that is partial wetland an
partial woodland. Poco, my cocke
spaniel, and 1 recently found out tha
it is also home to rabbits and rac
coons Nevertheless, he's delighted.
Many times, weekend visitors o
property owners have just left behin
the rolling hills and woods of the piec
moot or mountains and are lookin
forward to seeing the ocean. The
may not even notice that the island
also have a few places that are bom
to wild creatures.
They may not realize what is teai
ing into their garbage bags or whs
that dark object is darting acre*
their lawns. On a recent aflemoo
Smoking Bo
To the editor
tn recent issues of the Beacot
there hate been several accounts i
the Sunset Beach Town Council a<
ticm to ban smoking at public hea
ings Initial coverage of the actio
was followed by an editorial con
men! from Susan Usher supportir
the Town Council's action
1 would like to roice a differe
perspective on the action and of M
Usher's commentary. My perspe
Vill, There's
to say hello on her way out I slipped
in a seat between Cliff Woods arid
Herman Berry, all of us in for a lorff?
wait.
Cliff, who lives in the Seaside corf"
munity with his parents, Wilton arid
Zola, had just turned 16. He had passed
the written test and was waiting U>
drive. He seemed a lot calmer than
the visibly shaken girl ahead of hirf.
who had just finished driver's education
that morning. A short while
later, she learned she had failed tfie
written test by just a few pointsThat's
misery.
As several of us "newcomer^'
stood in line waiting to register,
another familiar face entered to exclamations
of "Hey, Margie!"
l ne only seal leu was uie one yvsit
in to have your snapshot madeMargie
took it, reigning like a quee'n
for most the afternoon against a
backdrop that changed from yeilow
to blue to red, depending upon tPe
age of the driver being photograph"
ed. Yellow was for 18-year-olds, bWe
for 19 and 20 year olds and red for tPe
rest of us.
One man had brought along a
paperback. The rest of us just s3'
there, occasionally chatting or watching
the fate of those around its.
One person took the written tc?'.
admitting she hadn't studied the
North Carolina handbook. She failedAnother
required an oral test, but
failed it. He apparently had rtot
studied with anyone in advani?6Another
took the chauffeur's test, d?
- -*
45
IN4
H A L-Of &
take: &&
'
2 Home WH
walk, Poco and I encountered '
creature stalking across Sand Do"al
Drive with a long, bushy tail an<
what looked like a curved spine,
large cat? At first glance it wPs
possibility. Then another da"1
creature with an identical tail am
body jumped from a trash conta^ne
just yards in front of us and skirts
into the bushes, carrying a ha
burger wrapper or some other dehri
? sagging from its jaws.
d Meanwhile, the animal furlhe
r down the street stopped and stared u
't our direction with such an mno?en
> face. 1 had never encountered a rac
coon before and now here were tw0
>r Poco considered them more than jus
d innocent and began begging me t?
1- go of his rope.
g On the same walk, we also er
y countered a small rabbit resting i
Is someone's driveway. I allowed P00
* to give chase, just for fun, kno*in
that his short legs could in no wa
r- match the rabbit's speed. The r^bbi
>t darted through some bushes in a ^
a clearing that only he could ha
? known about, leaving Poco ori
LETTER TO THE EDlTC
i > n
n ^oiumn nas *
tive renters around three points i
i_ follows:
jf 1) The issue of ' si>e'4
o engineering." that is the intrus#<?1
r- govenment in matters of indrv*hi
? behavior, is both unnecessary' ?
rv- repugnant
ig Si There is ample evidence?'fra
studies by our own government ?'
foreign countries?that there a '
nt health threat from ambient srod**
la. 31 The writer of the editorial 001
c- me nt-Susan Usher?is one of '
*
A Way I
ing well until he came to the trucking
questions. He lucked up, however,
getting credit for past years of experience?an
option that won't be
available to manv more chauffeur's
license candidates, Reynolds pointed
out.
Cliff's big moment came. "Is your
gas tank full?" Reynolds asked
Cliff's dad as they headed out the H
door.
"No, but it's got some gas in it,"
Wilton replied.
"Does it have enough in it to get me
out of state?" came Reynolds' quick
response.
It sounded like he had Virginia or
Tennessee in mind, not nearby South
Carolina. Can't say as I blame him.
Three o'clock rolled around; there
would be no way to get to Southport in
time to help judge a photography
contest for the Brunswick CountyParks
and Recreation Department at
3:30 p.m. As it happened, it would be
after 5 p.m. when I straggled back to
the office. Meanwhile, in response to
a call of desperation, a P&R summer
intern, Emma, appeared at the examiner's
door with a portfolio of
photographs.
Slipping around the corner into the
kitchen at the sheriff's department,
we gave the photographs a quick
once-over and then sped them off to
Southport for Randy Davey's critical
inspection.
It doesn't matter who said it first,
but believe it: Where there's a will;
there's a way!
v
-C &
z\ %
$
V
uf1D n; |
L A I _
ri A\nimais
> outside looking in.
r Earlier in the summer, a deer was
i spotted swimming in the surf near
the Lockwood Folly Inlet on the east
a end of Holden Beach. Police Chief
t Raymond Simpson said the crowd
1 that had gathered to watch the swimr
ming buck was cleared back to allow
1 the deer room to come ashore.
j Once the deer beached Itself, he
darted into a nearby wooded area on
the island. The swim even made a
r local television newscast, since it's
i not everyday that a deer is spotted in
t the surf.
!- Holden Beach Commissioner
i. Gloria Barrett also noted at a recent
t board meeting that she saw a "furry
t little black thing" running across her
lawn. It was larger than a rat, she
>- said, but did not have a flat tail like a
n muskrat
o It looked like what a black mink
g would look like, if they were running
ir uriM nn th? hoonK ? ?
t skunk, she said. Did anyone know
y what it was? she asked,
d No one did. but then no one was sure
prised either.
)R
eader Puffing
is fiiutesimal number of people allergic
to smoke.
1 Instead of banning smoking in the
of town hall, which may very well exal
dude people (ran the proceedings,
id why not look into better ventilation of
the faciLty ? Better yet, why not ask
m that individual courtesy control the
id issue rather than adding one more
no local government action to the
books?
n- Charles S. Martin
n- Chesterfield, Virginia