\ 3
'j
Parents Seek Board Responses On Behalf Of Students
BY SUSAN US!IKK
Pjirciits of two hiuh school students went tx-fore ttie
Brunswick County Bojird of Kducation Monday nmtit
seeking redress of situations involving their (diildren.
Cher> l Powell of I,eland asked the ho;ird to take ac
tion against an assistant iH incipal who she aliened had
her son. Darren (Irice, arrested on false pretenses last
June 11 when several finhts erupted on the campus of
North Bninswick Hinh School durinn final exams. .She
was told to expect a re.spon.se from the hoard, probably in
September.
Blundell Kobinson of Varnumtown aske«! the board to
do somethinn about the ready availiibilitv of dnins on the
West Brunswick llinh .School campus, sayinn his
daunhter ■won’t no Iwck" because she’s frinhlened.
lie al.so que.stioned procedures beinn used to collect
past-ilue fees at the school.
Board members heard from the parents at TslO p.in..
after meetinn for 1 * 2 hours behind clased doors with (lene
Causby. executive director of the N.C. School Bojirds
.Assocuition. 1 hey discussed, .said Action Superintendent
John Kaufliold. problems relatinn to hirinn a new
superintendent, includinn specific misUikes made by
other boards. 1 he board also met for an additional two
houre later in the eveninn to di.scu.ss school personnel.
The board is lookinn for a succes.sor to (lene Yar-
brounh. who resinned last month to become superinten
dent of the Buncombe County sclu»ols. The process con
tinues .Monday. .Ann. at 7 p.m.. when the board mei'ts
for ;i work session on superintendent policy.
‘Didn’t Fieht’
.Ms. Powell said (Ince was one of .about five .students
taken from their classriwiiiLs and arrested for allcuedly
fistfiithtinit in what .she called "a uencral ruckus" that
beitan when two studenLs exctianijed blows that niiirnini’.
1 he chari’es were later dismissed in Brunswick
(’oiinty District Criminal and juvenile courLs.
.Ms. Powell critici/ed the way As.si.stant Principal .An
nie Walker handled the incident in the absence of Prin
cipal .lames .Mc.Adams from campus. She disagreed with
an in-house investiitation that resulted in a letter from
former .Superintendent (lene Yarbrough that advised her
there were ".some areas oi coiiecrn. but nothinn that war
rants personnel action”
Ms, I'owell asked the board to recoiisidei. savinu. "I
want her job. no doubt aliout it. 1 don’t think she’s fit to be
a vice-principal .And Mr. Mc.Adams needs to renam con
trol of his .school."
I he situation, she said, "was an escalated incidence
of some of the incompetent decisions beiiii> made there."
The inorniiiK conflict apparently was renewed at
lunch in the cafeteria, with an exchanue of words and at
least one blow. At the same time, another finht enipted
across the cafeteria, she said. A boy was beaten un
conscious and a Kiri was struck in the face
(.Seel».AKK\T.S. PaKeJ-Ai
HOAG GONG BOOl E;IMOBRV
1 j/Gi
GFRI MGp.-iRT
MI 4'GGG4
Twenty-fifth Year, Number 41
1^67 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON
Shallotte. North Carolina, Thursday. August 20. 1987
25c Per Copy
30 Pages Plus inserts
Trustees Take No Action
Fo!lowing Secret Session
TIIK I)R1\ KR OF this 1980 Huick, Dorotliy .lohiLsnii of
Longwood, was seriously injured when a triiek erossed
SIAff Photos By SUSAN USHER
the eenter line and struek her car head-on last Thurs
day on U.S. 17 near Supply.
HIGHWAY TOLL CLIMBS TO 13
Accidents Claim 3 More Lives
BY DOUG Kl ”rTKK
Brunswick Teehnieai CoileKc
trustees took no action followiiiK a
‘Jb-ininiile executive .session at a
special meetiiiK Monday called by
Chairman David Kelly.
Kobert .Scott, president of the stale
eommiinity collcKC sy.stem. was in
attendance alonK with Kddie Spea.s.
special deputy in the education .sec
tion of the Attorney Genenil’s office,
and Tom KiiiK. vice president of
finance for the eonununity collcue
.sy.stem.
Kelly said the hoard dLsciis.scd a
per.sonnel matter in the closed se.s-
sion. but would not dLscli«e any fur
ther inforinalion.
Kelly and hoard member James
Kaboii would not comment on
whetlier any of the dLscussion dealt
w ith an inquiry by the State Biu-eau
of InvestiKation into the continuinK
education proeram at Brunswick
Tech.
riie investiKation at BTC was
bcKun in .March after the dLseovery of
fraudulent classes at Cape Fear
rectinical Institute in WilminKton
was reported.
DLstrict .Attorney .Mike Fvasley .said
Tuesday he still needed more infor
mation from the SBl after reeciviiiK
two reports over the last three weeks.
' We had to request additional in
formation," he said. “Some ques
tions came to mind while Koiii.K
IhrouKh the initial reports, 1 would
hate to tiave to make a decLsion with
only [lartial information."
Kaslcy said he would like to luive
the final re|Kirt from the SBl by next
week so be can have plenty of time to
niiike a decision, lie hopes to present
his report when the Krand jury con
venes on .AuK. •tl.
The meetiiiK w-as adjourned follow-
iiiK the closed session with board
members aKreeiiiK to pasipone any
action luitil their rcKular meetiiiK.
which has been rescheduled for .Aug.
'24 at 7;:10 p.m.
Board member Chuck Lanier of
Mill Creek was absent.
_ BY rEKBV POI'K
’Diree more persons liave died as a
result of traffic accidents on
Brunswick County’s tiighways. ac
cording to the Stale Highway Patrol.
Two persons were killed in
separate head-on collisions Friday
and Saturday on U.S. 17 and U.S. 74 in
Brunswick County. A third person
died Tuesday morning from injuries
received in a July ’29 aceident. said
Highway Patrol spoke.sper.son Kiiby
Oakley.
Five persons have died as a result
of traffic accidents in Brunswick
County within a ten-day period. On
Aug. 9 i vn persons were ki'lis) in a
fiery twivcar collision on N.C. ’211
near Supply.
Killed in la.st week’s head-on colli
sions were James H. Walsh, 5:i. of
Thomasville, and Willie HiuLson
Bryan. 75, of Bladenhoro. A third per
son. Kltie I.ovitt, 70. of Supply, died
’I’liesday morning in ?7ew Hanover
.Memorial Hospital in Wilmington
from injuries received in a .July 29 ac
cident on .N.C. no near Holden
Beach, .said Ms. Oakley.
Ms. I.ovitt was a passenger in a car
driven by Nellie Ixickamy Ixivitl, ;I9,
of Supply, according to Highway
I’iilni! repori.s
In I'riday’s accident. Walsh wa:
killed after tiis 1982 Lincoln was
struck head-on by a 1984 tractor-
trailer rig on U.S. 17 in Bolivia.
I’he driver of the truck, David Bell
Jr., 54. of Wilmington, was eliarged
by Trooper D A. licwis with death by
vehicle.
.According to I’rooper Lewis’
report. Bell was driving north on U.S.
17 when he swcr.'cd into the .south
bound lane to avoid a car that had
slowed to make a right turn. After
striking the Walsh car, Bell’s tnick
(See ACCIDENTS, Page 2-A)
Count'/ To Decjde Fate Of
Lockwoofd Folly Water Line
BY TEKKY I'OPE
Brunswick County commi.ssioners
are expected to make a decision
tonight iThur.sdayi on whether to
pay for running a county water line to
a proposed $20 million golf course
development near Holden Beach.
Several residents of Sea Aire Canal
siilxlivision. beyond Sea Aire Estates
on N.C. 120, asked coiiunissioners
Eleven Plead Guilty To Cocaine Charges
Eleven of 32 defendants iiuiieleil on Others who entered pleas of guilty
vestigative grand jury on June 11
have pleaded guilty to all or a portion
of the charges against them. Two
others have pleaded not guilty.
A WhitevilJe man, Ralph Louis
“Chuck” Wheeler, 41, pleatled guilty
la.st week in Brunswick County
Superior Criminal Court to 11 counts
each of conspiracy to traffic and traf
ficking in cocaine, as indicted.
In his case and the others, prayer
for judgment was continued, with
sentencing expected after all the
cases are closed.
•Perry Alfred BrowTi, Route2, Sup
ply. passe.ssion of more than one
gram of coc-aine. He had been in
dicted on one count each of con
spiracy and trafficking.
•Scott Dale Brown, Route 2, Supp
ly, two counts possession of more
than one gram of cocaine. He had
been indicted on two counts each of
coaspiraey and trafficking.
•Edgar U>e Uaison Jr.. Route 2,
Supply, six counts each possession of
more than one gram of cocaine and
(ainspinicy to possess more than one
gram of cocaine. He had been in
dicted on six counts each conspiracy
and trafficking.
•Kevin I-ane Caison, Route 2. Supp
ly, six counts each of conspiracy and
trafficking, as indicted.
•Jerry Gale Clemmons. Supply,
felonious possession of more than one
gram of cocaine. He had been in
dicted on one count each of con
spiracy and trafficking.
•Eddie R. Jones, Shallotte. two
counts each of conspiracy and traf
ficking, as indicted.
•Rocky I«e Robinson, Route 3,
Supply, two counts each of con
spiracy and trafficking, as indicted.
Two other defendants, Ricky
Bellamy of Shallotte and Richard
Woods, entered pleas of not guilty
la.st week, Bellamy to traffiekuin ’u\
possession and Woods to conspiring
to traffic by (xi.ssession.
Earlier in the week. Jack ami Don
na Triicsdale of Ft. Myers, Fla.,
entered guilty pleas, he to 11 counts
of conspiracy and .six counts of sale
and deliven, of more than 4(X) graiiLs
of cocaine, and she to three emints of
conspiracy and one count of .sale and
delivery of more than 41)0 grams of
cocaine. C’larence Virgil Roberts of
Holden Beach pleaded guilty to six
counts each of conspiracy and traf
ficking, as indicted.
Monday to meet their water needs
first before extending lines to private
(Icvelopinents.
Graham Justice, of Sea .Aire L’anal.
said he is not opposed to the
Lockwood Folly Subdivision receiv
ing county water. He said residents
of his subdivision signed a petition
over a year ago to have water lines
extended to their homes.
•’Now they’re throwing everybody
to the side so the county can help so
meone else get started on
.something." Justice said. ‘ If they
get water, we would like for the coun
ty to get us water, too."
Developers of the 500-acrc
Lockwood Folly Gidf (,’oiirsc project
liave asked the county to pay for nin-
ning a water line to the entrance of
their development on Stone c himney
Road, ’l lic 1.5 miles of 8-ineh and
12-indi line is expected to cost the
county an estimated $99.(>lX).
The Brunswick t’ounty Utility
Operations Board was scheduled to
make its recoiiunendation regarding
the water line to county commis
sioners Monday. That presentation
was delayed after commissioners
recessed their meeting until today at
8:30 p.m.
Conunissioner Frankie Rabon. an
(See t’OM.MI.SSlONKRS. Page 2-A |
SUNSET, NAVASSA SLATES FULL
Calabash Must Rely On Write-In Candidates
BY SUSAN USHER
I’he noon Friday deadline to file for
commissioner/council member in
Calabash, Navassa and Sun.set Reach
passed Friday, with still no can
didates for the ('alabash council, but
full slates for the other two town
boards.
"Some people came Friday at
about 1:30, but filing had clased at 12
noon," .said Lynda Britt, .supervisor
of the Brunswick County Board of
Elections. That left only Mayor Doug
Simmons on the ballot, seeking re-
election. Still wide open are the five
council seats now held by Robert
Weber, Sonia Stevens. Suzy Moore.
Linda Roberts and I’ati Ixiwellyii.
At Sunset Beach, the week-long ex
tension sparked a small rush, with
four candidates filing for the thri'c
seats up for grabs on the coiiiu-il. In
addition to Edward .M. (Eddie i Gore
Jr., thase late filers include incum
bent (.’oiineilinan Donald B. Safrit,
.A.J. (All Odom Jr. and Mazie B.
Frink.
Only one candidate filed for mayor
by the .Aug. 8 deadline—.M. .Mason
Barber .Ir
In Nava.s.sa, incumbent Walter S.
Williams Sr. filed for re-election.
.Mayor IxiiiLs ’Bobby" Brown and
(’ommissioners Eiilis .A. Willis and
riioiiuis V. .Merrick luid filed for re-
election Indore the extension.
Would-be candidates in these and
other towns can .still run lor oltiee by
moiinlmg write-in cainpiigns, Britt
indicated.
Ill I alabash, the current Iniard will
.serve until the fir.st .Monday in
December, wlien members’ terms
expire. .Meanwhile, spaces will be
provided on the ballot for write-in
candidates.
Write-in candidates for municipal
and non-partisan elections, said
Britt, are not required to Uikc any
formal steps, such as notifying the
elections board or collecting petitions
in their support.
As for the po.ssibility of ( alabash
voters not electing a town council.
•Slate Board of Elections Director
Alex K. Brock saw no need to get con
cerned.
"We have every election year 20 to
30 elections where no one tiles,’’ he
said Tue.siiay. i iiaven’t known nr.
instance where at lea.st a majority
was not elected."
If a majority is elected by write-in
ballot, he said, after those eonneil
members are sworn into office, they
get to elect persons to fill the vacant
seat or .seats. “They just nominate
and vote," said Brock. “If it’s 2 to 2.
they just try again. It always works
out."
During his tenure, he has yet to see
an in.stance where a majority w as not
eiecied, but if that rarity siioiiid oc-
ciir. sUite law does provide for the
board to be appointed by slate
authority.
Brock said it was .so rare it wa.sii’t
worth mentioning.
“It’s always handled hxally. A lot
of folks don’t want to file Ix'caiise it
looks like they’re seeking the office.
Hut if they are elected by write-in,
they can .say they’re .serving mil of
civic duty.
“Even if they don’t niii a write in
caiiniaign, if fellow citizens and
(leers elect them, they usually will
.serve”
Firemen Battle Heat
■ HOIO TO*/ EDC.E
Roy I'odd. left, of the Tri-Reach Volunteer Fire DepiirlineiU, assists an
uiiideiitiiieii I'iremeu during a blaze Sunday ufternuun off «f Sion,. rhiiiinc\
Road near Varnumlown. .Members of Tri-Heaeh and Supply Volunteer I ire
Departments responded to the fire that de.stroyed one home and damaged
two others. Six firefighters were treated tor heat exiiauslioii h> memliers of
the Coastline \ olunteer Reseiie Squad, said Tri-Readi ( aplaio Keith
Sawter. The story and mor»- photos are inside this issue.