'Red Ti
BY DOUG RUTTEI
State environmental officials th
"red tide" which has plagued the No
since last October appears to be en i!
Within the past week, water sam|
toxic levels of the ptychodisc-is brc
i'nree locations. Levels greater than i
are considered toxic.
George Gilbert, assistant superv
shellfish sanitation program of the
Health Services, said, "We feel fairly
on its way out."
Water samples taken Monday si
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NEW SUPERINTENDENT OF
of Education Chairman James Forst
Brothers Se
BY RAHN ADAMS
Two brothers who were indicted in
Brunswick County last June on cocaine
trafficking counts received
suspended prison sentences this
week, and were fined $5,000 each on
reduced charges,
f ollowing a sentencing nearing
A* ?C* 2- n t ?
muuuay micuiuuu in nrunswiC'K
County Superior Court, Judge Giles
R. Clark sentenced Leslie Ronald
Newsome, 44, of Ocean Isle Beach,
and Kenneth Dean Newsome, 37, of
Whiteville, each to a two-year prison
term, suspended for three years,
with three years of special supervised
probation.
Clark, however, ordered Kenneth
Newsome to serve an active 120-day
prison sentence, which was stayed
until Feb. 22. The judge also recommended
work release.
Leslie Ronald Newsome was
ordered to serve an active 45-day jail
term, with work release allowed.
Clark stayed Leslie Ronald
Newsome's jail sentence until July
1?when Kenneth Newsome's prison
term will have expired?to enable the ]
brothers to continue operating two <
family businesses in the area.
The judge required that each <
man's $5,000 fine be paid within 2^
years. Each defendant also was
ordered to perform 100 hours of community
service work within 12 weeks ]
of the compietion of las active |
sentence. i
In addition, both men must pay |
court costs, community service fees |
and probation supervisory fees. As
part of their probations, they also
must submit to drug counseling and
treatment, if recommended by mental
health agencies in Brunswick and t
Columbus counties. i
Both men were represented by i
Raleigh attorney Joseph B. Cheshire j
V.
The Newsomes were among 32 j
defendants indicted on cocaine traf- |
ticking charges June 11 in Brunswick
County by the state's first special in- i
1
>
de Los ir
l 5,800 cells, at onl;
lis week said the Samples lake
rlh Carolina coast inlet and Lockwo
c \UQU nut ?lit* tMwin Annnot
? " ??- TT IUI WA1V. Wlivw.
lies have revealed Lockwood Folly s
ivis algae in only whiie Shallotte Ir
>,000 ceus per iiter Jim Tyler, s
Marine Fisheries
isor with the state gone down an a'
N.C. Division of they've gone dow
confident that it's Although ma
"red tide" for sev
lowed high levels, from Buxton to I
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14 S :*?S !H? SSUMSWiriC RFACON
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DMaHjjj^fflH * *B|
SCHOOLS John Kaufhold (right) ac
ner Monday night.
;ntenced In D
vestigative grand jury.
The brothers were both charged
with conspiracy to traffic in more
than 23 grams of cocaine and trafficking
by possession of more than 28
grams of cocaine. Both faced 14-year
prison sentences on those initial
Cimrgea.
On Sept. 10,1987, both pleaded guilty
to conspiracy to possess cocaine
and possession of cocaine, with the
felony charges involving between one
gram and 28 grams of the controlled
substance. Sentencing was continued
from term to term of Superior Court
at the discretion of the district attorney's
office.
Special Assistant District Attorney
Wiliiam Wolak said both defendants
Rozell Hewett: [
With Governme
A Shallotte Point man who gained a
reputation as a maverick during four
years on the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners has set his
sights on a higher office.
Rozell Hewett is running for the
14th District State House of
Representatives seat held by Rep. E.
David Redwine. Once a die-hard
Democrat, 6&-year-oiu Hewett is running
under the umbrella of the
Republican Party. He has no
primary opposition and in November
will face either Redwine or
Redwine's primary opponent, Glen
Peterson of Iieland.
A decision to file was made late,
and as of last week, he still hadn't lined
up a campaign manager. Despite
mat, Hewett insisted his campaign is
a serious one.
The county's rapid growth, he said,
isn't being done "to preserve our
natural state" and he feels also that
"people have lost control of government
in Brunswick County and on up.
t
lg Grip j
y one station, Carolina Beach Inlet,
in last Friday revealed that Shallotte
od Folly Inlet were the only two areas
iirsiions of the 44 red tide" organism
arnples contained 13,000 cells per liter,
ilet had counts of 5,800.
jpokesrnan for the N.C. Division of
I, said Monday, "The numbers have
wful lot. Even in Brunswick County
n an awful lot."
ny northern areas have been free of
eral weeks, the entire 200-mile stretch
the South Carolina state line has rer-uV.K
E UJC'ERV ?
12/xi
nl 492*^
Shcllotte. North Carolina.
m wzmzs- !
STAFF PHOIO BY SUSAN USHER
cepts congratulations from Board
rug Cases
entered guilty pleas as part of plea
agreements. Both faced maximum
10-year prison terms on the charges
to which they pIcHdcd guilt v.
Court records show that 23 of 37
defendants who were indicted last
June and July as a result of work
"i?>? ij? in** invwsiigativp grand lurv
pleaded guilty and were sentenced.
By Tuesday, nine others who pleaded
guilty had not been sentenced.
Three defendants were awaiting
trial. Two others remained fugitives.
Wolak said Tuesday he did not expect
to dispose of all 12 pending cases
during this week's court session.
The next criminal session of
Brunswick County Superior Court is
scheduled to begin March 21.
Disillusioned
nt, Demo Party
"They're not for the people, the
average person, but for special interest
groups," he continued, such as
"developers, lawyers, insurance people."
The county should help development
while at the same time, he added,
"developers should take into consideration
other people who earn a
living m Bmnswick County."
Hewett was in the shrimping
business from 1956 to 1972 as a boat
owner and packing house operator
and then laughi marine occupations
at West Brunswick High School for
eight years, until the program was
repiacea wun a uuuoing trade program.
Since losing a primary re-election
bid, Heweit has lobbied for extension
of county water to the Shallotte Point
area, which was given a high priority
of need in the 201 Facility Needs plan
for southwestern Brunswick County
several years ago, but isn't due to
receive water in the near future
-Jong Bn
mained closed to shellfishing.
Scientists have continued to cond
on shellfish meats in those areas. Gi
been encouraged by results of the 1?
would not speculate on when she!
reopen.
"It still may be some time befc
reopen beds because of the high conce
which infested those areas for so Ion
really don't know."
In South Carolina, samples taker
traces of "red tide" algae at two loeat
let and Magnolia Beach.
| SI U
Thursday, February 11, 1988
^
interim buj
To Lead Br
r**? ntto i *o*TT?n
u x ocionn uoiiun
It's not often a school board gets to
see a future superintendent in action
over a period of several months
before hiring, but that's the case with
the Brunswick County Board of
Education.
Monday night, following more than
two hours of closed-door discussion,
the board hired as superintendent of
schools John Kaufhold, who has served
as interim superintendent for the
past six months. The vote was
unanimous.
"We were pleased with his performance,"
Chairman James Forstner
commented after the meeting in
Southport. "His recommendations?both
official and unofficial?were
very good and he was
universally praised by our faculty
and staff."
Along with routine checking of
references, board members researched
the backgrounds of finalists for
the post through informal network
ing, ne saia, contacting professional
and personal acquaintances in
various communities. "We feel we
did our homework thoroughly."
Kaufhold, 44, began work last July
ti as assistant superintendent for personnel,
coming here from Camden
County, where he was superintendent
of one of the state's smallest units,
with 1,100 students. Previously he
was assistant superintendent in
Roanoke Rapids, in charge of curKaufhold
C-U I- *r
sJ^.1 lUUIb V.
BY RAHN ADAMS
interim Superintendent John
Kaufhold doesn't expect a
preliminary SBI investigation of
Brunswick County school system
finances to turn up any criminal
wrongdoing.
At the recommendation of the 14th
District Attorney's office, the SBI is
reviewing the Brunswick County
Board of Education's 1986-87 budget
audit which showed a $553,242 deficit.
The audit was conducted by
ROZELL HEWETT
... Changed party
through the county's special assessment
district program.
He would like to see the state help
the poorer or less populated counties
with grants for projects such as
sewer systems to serve their more
' (See HKWETT. Page2-A)
jnswick (
Charles Newell,!
luct toxicity tests S.C. Department of f
lbert said he has said there were no otl
1st two tests, but areas where the leve
itish beds couia The shellfishing
Murrells Inlet remaii
ire we're able to was to continue later
ntrations of algae Meanwhile, aftei
g," he said. "We tidal conditions, sli
return to the river
i Monday showed under the state Div
ions, Murrells In- relocation program.
(See F
uEATi
ptnwi
25c Per Copy
Derintenden
unswick Sc\
riCuiuiu ami staff development.
On arrival in Brunswick County, he
was almost immediately appointed
interim superintendent in the wake of
Eugene Yarbrough's resignation to
accept the superintendency of the
Buncombe County Schools.
As interim superintendent, he has
faced several serious issues, including
dealing with a $553,242 shortfall
in the school system's 1986-87
budget. The audit of that budget was
submitted to the SBI for a
preliminary investigation last week,
on the recommendation of an assistant
district attorney.
School officials attributed the
shortfall to poor management under
a previous administration and unanticipated
cost increases rather than
stolen or misspent funds.
A contract is to be ready for signing
by Kaufhold and the board on
March 7.
Though Kaufhold said he had
wanted a four-year contract, he accepted
the board's offer of a twoyear,
five-month contract which ends
June 1990, at a salary between $60,000
and $65,000. Details will be worked
oui oetore the contract is signed.
An extension clause provides that
the contract can bo extended for two
years provided that Kaufhold is
evaluated at the December 1988
meeting or as soon after as it can be ,
arranged and the evaluation is I
favorable. I
Says Probe W
n;ii /m i i
jean dim ut n
Flowers and Associates of Raleigh,
an indenendpnt auditing Mrm
"I expect that the SBI will probably
come to the same conclusions
as the Flowers people and give us a
clean bill of health," Kaufhold said
Friday.
According to Kaufhold, the auditor
reported that "to the best of their
knowledge, nothing was done illegally
and no money was misaD
propriated."
County and school finance officials
said last month the deficit apparently
stemmed from expected revenues
that were budgeted but not collected.
"It's more or less a preliminary investigation
at the state level."
Kaufhold said.
He added that "if they get into a
full-fledged investigation, they'll
want to see our books, files, receipts,
purchase orders?all of our records."
Last Wednesday in Bolivia,
Kaufhold met with Assistant District
Attorney Napoleon Barefoot Jr. and
SBI Agent Fred McKinney to discuss
a possible investigation?a step that
Nc*\a/ incirlc* Thi
m ? w WW mum W M W w m u m
In this week's issue, Brunswick
new features, plus the return of a po
5^^oto^r?iphcr/n?it.i!*?i!ic' Rill ^
ington, a longtime Beacon columnist
an absence of several months due to i
Page 4-A.
TV viewers will find expanded li:
the new TV Ixig. Found on Pages 8-1
weekday daytime network listings, w
plete morning, afternoon and evenini
I-ocal golfers, both pros and
perspective of Will Cockrell, a U.S. G
and golf coach at West Brunswick Hi|
ly golf column makes its debut this v
t
Zoast
shellfish program manager for the
iealth and Environmental Control,
tier traces of algae detected and no
Is were toxic,
bar. from the state line through
is in effect. Water sample analysis
this week.
p a week of waiting tor the right
lellfishermen were expected to
Wednesday to continue working
ision of Marine Fisheries oyster
1EDTIDE, Page 2-A)
SU
J\\
TM
36 Pages Pius Insert
it Km ifhnlrl
iooIs
Kciufiiulu saiu Munday night he
understands the shorter contract is
the best one this board could offer
him.
"I at first resisted taking a shorter
contract," he added, "but after
(boardattorney) Mr. (E.J.) Prevatte
talked with me about the legal concerns,
I considered the loyalty and
good faith shown by the board. What
turned the tide was their show of support.
I felt this was the best they
could do."
A vagueness in the state school
laws relating to the hiring of a
superintendent by a "lame duck"
board in an election year forced the
limit. "We wanted to stay within the
intent of the law," noted Forstner,
chairman of the board. "Our legal
advisor said we could do what we
did."
Also, noted Forstner, the clause
also serves as a courtesy gesture to
the board that will be seated the first
Monday in December following the
November election, in which three
seats are up for grabs. "Foisting someone
on a new board?'forever'?is
not a nice thing to do," he added.
Kaufhold was chosen from a field
of approximately 35 to 40 applicants
with experience ranging from principal
to superintendent.
He will lead a system that includes
approximately 930 employees and
more than 8,600 students on 12 campuses.
'ill Give
iealth'
was suggested by the Brunswick
Couniy Boani of Commissioners Last
month when school officials asked for
financial help.
At their Jan. 19 meeting, commissioners
agreed to transfer $290,000
from the half-cent sales tax fund for
school construction to the schools'
operating budget. Additional
budgetary measures taken by the
school board brought the system's
operating budget into line.
Kaufhold said he gave Barefoot a
copy of the 31-page audit report and
rnuioinoH
ibnunvu uiw QUUIIUI o UUCC)JdgC
summary letter with the assistant
district attorney.
According to Barefoot, the audit
report appeared to be "in order."
However, it was sent to the SBI audit
division in Raleigh to check for
"anything irregular," such as misappropriations
or embezzlement.
"The SBI agent and I didn't see
anything irregular on our own, but
we're not auditors," Barefoot said
Friday.
(See PROBE, Page 14-A)
I
Beacon readers will find several
polar local columnist,
aver c? Hcidcn Bosch unci Wiim~
, returns to the opinion page after
Uness. His column can be found on
stings and easier-to-read format of
3 and 9-B of this issue, it includes
weekday evening listings and comg
weekend coverage,
duffers, will enjoy the personal
olf Association associate member
gh behoof tor four years. His weekveek,
on Page 12-C.