BY RAHN ADAMS Carolina Power & Light Co. headed the list of Brunswick County's largest taxpayers for 1987 and accounted for one-fifth of the county's tax ha so. According to the Brunswick County Tax Administrator's office, CP&L's property in Brunswick County, which includes a nuclear power plant in Southport, was valued at almost $778.5 million last year. J" Ti ! | lbs Twenty-sixth Year, Numb s_ - ? hbmss^'s'%imb8^, gggf INCUMBENT CLERK OF COUR' (right) was the first candidate to primary elections, as the filing pcric County Th BY RAHN ADAMS "We'll do whatever's necessary to ' 'aon our convictions," Long Beach Mayor Johnny Vereen said, after receiving word that Brunswick County Commissioners Monday threatened to take Long Beach to court if the town doesn't settle a water rate dispute with the county within a month. "It sounds like the commissioners made it pretty clear by their action last night... They're trying to force us to pay it," Vereen said Tuesday, r : c:r. *L. 1 C1CI 111:5 IV UiC fuu,uuv uini uk. vuuir ty contends the town owes for water. During their regular meeting Monday night in Bolivia, county commissioners unanimously approved a motion by Commissioner Chris Chappell to instruct County Attorney David Clegg to settle the Long Beach water contract within 30 days or "seek legal Bolivia Woman < RY RAHN ADAMS Authorities Monday said they had uncovered no motives in a domestic snooting over the weekend that left a Bolivia area man dead and his wife charged with first-degree murder. Brunswick County Sheriff John C. Davis said Billy Hay Randolph, 33, of Route 2, Bolivia, apparently died of a single gunshot wound to the chest in the 4 p.m. Saturday incident at the couple's Randolph Road residence. J--- ?*- tt no 111C& ifiauci ucntu 00t was arrested at the murder scene by sheriff's deputies after the shooting Student B BY RAHN ADAMS Officials at West Brunswick High School Monday suspended a student bus driver who was charged with driving while impaired during his afternoon bus route as school closed for the Christmas holidays. West Brunswick Principal liavid Corley said Monday that Terry Trell Clifton, 18, of Shallotte, initially was suspended for 10 days, although school officials are considering a "long-term suspension." "We are looking at some form of long-term suspension," Corley said, "but we're going to wait until the case is decided (in court)." Corley said he would make a recommendation io interim Superintendent John Kaufhold to extend Clifton's suspension if the stu Tons Tax L r" ? ~ With the county's 1987 tax rate a1 50'v cents per $100 valuation, CP&L'j property taxes last year amounted tc more than $3.3 million. That figure exceeded the combiner tax amounts for the county's nexl four largest taxpayers: E.I. Duponl de Nemours & Co., N.C. Eastern Municipal Power Agency (NCEMPA), Pfizer Inc., and International Paper Co. 1 SFRINGPC'F 6T 9 V 11)0j IHE BRUNSWICK Bf ACON pL_ mm 1 i ? e | A ^ <1^^. W-rS^ssm Snkmaw r Diana Morgan at the Board of file for the May tured is Lynda I id opened Monday ireatens Lege action against the town." Commissioners aiso unanimously Vuicd net to cut off water service to any Brunswick County water customer until the Long Beach dispute is settled, and delayed action on a proposed water leak policy. Clegg said the rate dispute began about 14 years ago when the county raised its wholesale water rate to SI.20 per 1,000 gallons and Long Beach continued "making timely payments" at the town's old contract water rate of $1 per 1,000 gallons. "The crux of the matter is it's the same old contract problem which we have addressed successfuiiy with every other municipality," Clegg told commissioners. "They've been the holdout. All of our other municipalities operate under a water users' agreement." Bui according to Vereen, Kong Charged With H was reported by the couple's neighbors, Davis said. "We have no motive for it at this time," Davis said Monday. "Our investigation is still continuing We're still questioning people." Det. I^arry Joyner is handling the investigation. According to Davis, the alleged murder weapon was a 22-caliber rifle. The victim's body was taken Monday from The Brunswick Hospital in Supply to the Regional Medical Examiner's office in Jacksonville for us Driver S dent is convicted of DWI. Clifton was scheduled to appear in Brunswick County District Court on Tuesday, Corley said. According to the N.C. Highway Patrol and Sunset Beach Police, Clifton was arrested for DWI Dec. 18, aftpr Rns fil?carrying at lpa?t 15 passengers?careened through Sea Trail CllKrli?ioinr> nff ^ 1 rTr* ? >1MMU1 T I.11UII I'll 1^1. \j. I /y, damaging a fire hydrant and water pipe at a construction project. Damage to the bus was estimated at $000 to $700. No one was injured in the incident. Corley said Monday he also suspended eight other West Brunswick students who were "involved in drinking" that day on Bus 61. The suspensions ranged from five to 10 days, he said. f ist At 9 / - -* ?- - m mm m m t According to Tax Administrator i Boyd Williamson, Brunswick > County's 1987 property valuation was $3,878,181,448 with a tax levy of ! $19,584,886.26. Williamson said utility companies "represent about a billion dollars of i the county's total tax base." CP&L accounts for about 20 pcr1 cent of the local tax base, while the 10 largest taxpayers in Brunswick Ms BOOK BINDERY 1 2 1 i /'3'3 : i ril 4S2o?l Shallotte, North Carolina, ^gil7TYl:r O 'ijHi-- C*f jjjUfF SIArr PMOIO BY RAHN ADAMS Elections office in Bolivia. Also plcJritt, elections supervisor. 11 Action In Di Beach officials fee! the town's 1980 . a A _*:n u .MfwU n,n cumiati u> avtu ill cucci, ucaj/itv ua county's contention that Long Beach's water rate was raised to 'neip pay for expansion of the county's I'wt inntni* mioinm Uimit?u nutvi ujuhv > "We signed a bona fide contract with those folks (commissioners) in 1980," Vercen said. "We maintain we want to stick with the contract we've got... It didn't have any provision for being increased. They are in violation of the contract by trying to raise (the town's water rate)." Vereen added that the town has received "nothing but complaints about the water," which is pumped from the county's old water plant on i^.w. in. nc saiu trie water uisies bad, has a high chlorine content and contains foreign particles. Kabon's Motions The commissioners' discussion cf usband's Murder autopsy, Davis said. Ms. Randolph was charged with first-degree murder and is being held in the Brunswick County Jail without bond. She made her first appearance in Brunswick County District Criminal Court Monday morning, at which time Judge William C. Gore set her probable cause hearing for Jan. 20, also in district court. Shallotte attorney Roy Trest was appointed to represent Ms. Randolph, who stated in court that she was unemployed and had no income. uspended The students will not be allowed to ride the school bus for at least 12 weeks, and some will not be allowed to participate in extra-curricular ac tivities at school for varying periods, he said. In addition to the nine students who were suspended, Cnrlpv said three "non-students" were involved in the Dec. 18 incident. Two of the three were students at West Brunswick during the last school year, while the third is a student at the Brunswick Alternative Center, he said. Five girls on Bus G1 "were not involved," Corley said. "They were there hut they weren't participating in the drinking activities." None of the five girls were disciplined, he said. hAillinn w m a m m m w m County make up about 37.5 percent. Ocean Is!e Beach developer Odell Williamson, Federal Paper Board Co., Bald Head Island Inc., Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation (DEMC), and Sunset Beach & Twin Lakes rounded out the "Top 10" taxpayers list. The list included only two changes from 1986: Duponi bumped NCEM(SecTOP, Page 2-A) i nth !VI%^ Thursday, January 7, 1988 Candidc As Fiiini Eleven county residents, including six incumbents, declared themselves candidates for public office Monday and Tuesday as filing began for the May primary election. "I don't think I have ever filed this many (candidates) on the first day," said Elections Supervisor Lynda Britt. But according to Britt, the opening day of filing Monday held with tradition, as mainly Democrats showed up to pay their filing fees. She said eight of the nine candidates who filed Monday are Democrats, as are the two canrlirintoc tvhn filn/l i ? . w?ttu iiiv.u uj u p.in. lucau^y. In the Democratic District 1 commissioner's race, incumbent Chris spute Over L the Long Beach dispute, wiiich was flOl on luc ipfcting ogCHua, Wno ?Dititated by Comirilssionor Bonny Ludlum. "I just feel like if a citizen can be town can too," Ludlum said. An initial motion by Ludlum to give Ixing Beach 30 days to pay $50,600 or have its water turned off failed by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Grace Beasley, Frankie Rabon and Jim Poole opposing the motion. Chappell joined Ludlum in support of it. m?mzM? BRUNSWICK COUNTY COMMIS iefi) Frankie Rabon, Grace Bcus'ir pell watch as workers with Mark II T'untraetors begin digging the trench Constructii S.A.D Wa BY RAHN ADAMS After at least two years of planning, county officials saw water Hue construction begin this week in Brunswick County's first two special assessment districts. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday on the sitp nf S.A.D. 2 in the Shangrila subdivision off N.C. 179 between Brick landing Plantation in I nmoct Tnvr W ?D v? I FSiOFEKTY OWNEK Carolina Power & Light Co. E.I. Dupont de Nemours & Co. N.C. Eastern Municipal Power Ageni Pfizer Inc. International Paper Co. Odell Williamson Federal Paper Board Co. Bald Head Island Inc. Brunswick Electric Membership Cor] Sunset Beach & Twin Lakes SOURCE BRl i/Lnvt 25c Per Copy ? % i _ __ jl ___ ^ JIC II 11 CI u g Period C Chappell, 37, of Calabash Acres, filed y for re-eieciiun. Major White, 47, of Ash, and Haroia E. Hickman, S2, of " Route 4. Shallotte. also filed for the r District 1 seat. h No other commission candidates?including District 3 incum- c bent Jim Poole and District 4 incum- N bent Frankie Rabon?filed by Tues- S day a ternoon. F Board of Education incumbents L Douglas W. Baxley, 41, of Shallotte, District 1, and Marvin McKeithan, S 45, of Route 2, Bolivia. District 4, filed for re-election. Both are C Democrats. e The District 3 school board seat F held by incumbent Democrat James Forstner will also be decided this F ong Beach Wc Before the vote, Clegg said, "I can ( definitely see some legal ramifies- ii tions of it (cutting off Long Beach's v water)... I think you'd be creating v a considerable detriment to the r health and welfare of a sizeable a chunk of Brunswick County residents." "I don't care what the legal stand- si point is," Ludium responded. "Water d is water. Either cut them off or make ri them pay. That's just what we do to ci anyone else." " After his first motion failed and ""'V 5' : - stiS,- ' & ?*' ' ' w ' ir. TSl 9BQ9BRGBHB9I BUHHBUJ Bk? ~J* '" ".% V ? ? SI ON KllS (from line to be installed i i iiiii! Chris Chap- nicnt district. The gi Johnson General Monday in Shangri **t- - n- * -* a ? O iui uie iu si wuicr 5.A.U. Z. on Work Begir ter Line Expan and Bent Tree Plantation. j, According to contractor Mark Sf Johnson of Fremont, materials were c< to be delivered Wednesday to S.A.D. 1, which is located in the North ci Holden Beach area. ai Johnson's firm was low bidder on both projects, which have a eoinbin- jj ed cost of $450,058.91. C( Although the contractor has until i vn/orc Fr?r 'ft7 #VI^ W I W Wl w> VALUATION TAX AMOUNT $778,449,597 $3,931,170.48 242,170,011 1,222,978.75 :y 232,057,531 1,171,890.53 62.379,333 315,015.63 30,856,589 155,825.81 30,056,089 151,784.04 24,632,050 124,391.86 23,317,353 117,752.73 3. 16,614,372 83,902.58 16,389,096 82,765.02 INJWICK COUNTY TAX ADMINISTRATOR S OFTICt 1 )N 24 Pages 0 0* 8_ si nsgn Dpens a ear. Frank Galloway, 20, of Bolivia, iild as a Democratic candidate for egister of deeds, which is currently eld by Democrat Robert Robinson. In ine Democratic race for clerk of ourt, incumbent Democrat Diana lorgan, 35, of Long Beach, and Joe tanley, 3G, of Shallotte, filed, tepublican John R. Ramsey, 44, of ,ong Beach also entered the race. County Coroner Greg White, 26, of ripply, filed for re-election. State Rep. o. David Redwine, 40, of tcean Isle Beach, also filed for relection to his 14th District N.C. louse seat. The filing period closes at noon on 'eb. 1. i+nr ? I Vi> I ? \U 1 Jhappell's motion passed, Ludlnm !>. I 41 * MA iiuiiruiaiciv muvuu umi uv uvuul} i>ater customers be cut off from serice untii the Long Beach dispute is esolved. The motion passed ruinirncvisly, with little Hicpjiq<;inn Proposed Leak Policy Earlier in the meeting, commisioners delayed action on a proposed olicy that would allow financial elief when a major water leak ocurs in a private line, creating a financial hardship for the con(See LEGAL, Page 2-A) - |2Wi& JfT . I " '*' '^'V'i Vff Jj i jfit k> 1 STAFF PHOTO BY PAMN ADAMS n a county special water assessour.dbrcaking ceremony was held la subdivision, which Is part of | is On sion jne to finish the projects, Johnson lid Monday he expects work to be impleted in three to four months. Commissioners Grace Beasley, hris Chappell and Frankie Uabon. rid Utility Operations Board lembers Robert Nubel, Ed Gore and mmy Oldham were among the >unty officials to participate in Mon(Sec WORK, Page 2-A)

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