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Twenty-seventh Year, Number 33 ciwothebrunswickbeacon bhaiiotte, Nortn oarui iia, Thursday, July 5,1330 25C Per Copy 36 Pages, 3 Sections
STAfF mora BY DOUG *UTTt?
NINETEEN PEOPLE in four families vacationing at Ocean Isle Beach teamed up to build this miniature sand city?complete with a
castle, sports complex and sewer system. The families involved in the five-hour effort were the Powers of St. iMuis, Mo.; the Mohrs of
Janesville, Wis.; the Curps of Memphis, Tenn.; and the Milexes of Greenwood. S.C. "Trump Properties" was the name of their cre
ation, which was swept clean by the tide around noon.
Preparation And Timing Called
Keys To Wendy Williams' Success
BY SUSAN USHER
Congratulatory signs at several
local businesses and a huge sign on
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UtV UWVi VI liVI ? Ui Mil ? .1 IIWIIIV VII
Ivong Leaf Drive in Leland brought
smiles and a few tears to Wendy
Gav Williams' face on her return
from the Miss North Carolina Pag
eant Sunday.
"I knew die people in the com
munity were supporting me," she
said, "h was great:"
Miss Williams was named first
runner-up to Miss North Carolina,
Scarlet Morgan, who was represent
ing l orsyih County., in outurday s
pageant at Memorial Auditorium in
Raleigh.
She is the first Miss Brunswick
County to be named a finalist in the
state pageant and to win a prelimi
nary event, she won her swimsuit
preliminary Wednesday night, con
fidently wearing the same suit she
took to Raleigh two years ago as a
first-time contestant with butterflies
in her stomach.
Two previous county title-holders
have earned recognition at the state
paneant. Miss Brunswick County
1976, Diane King of Winnabow.
was Miss Congeniality. Her succes
sor, Wanda Little of Wilmington,
was named Most Talented Non
Finalist in 1977.
"Pageants are a lot like politics:
timing and preparation are every
thing," said her manager, county at
? a r*iif- ? i
U/IIICJ v IVI t IV. IA I'lt.MUl ltl
of The Miss Brunswick County
"Just to see her up
there, as far as I was
concerned she had
won."
?David Clegg, Manager
Miss Brunswick County
Scholarship Pageant Inc., which
sponsors the local preliminary
pageant.
Along wnh statewide recognition
for herself and Brunswick County,
Miss Williams returned with schol
arship funds of S4,4(X) to help de
fray the cost of earning her master's
degree. She received a S3,(MX)
scholarship as first runner-up, S250
for winning her swimsuil prelimi
nary and SI50 as a pageant partici
pant.
Initially shocked when named as
a finalist. Miss Williams said her
second reaction was "Gosh, I was
so closc."
But that may be as close as she
will come to holding the title; Miss
Williams said she has no plans to
enter the pageant again. "I don'i
think I could ever top first runner
up," she said in a telephone inter
view Monday. "There would be so
much pressure to win and I've seen
too many contestants go back and
not even make top 10."
But she is wishing die best for
Miss North Carolina, Scarlet Mor
gan, in the Miss America Pageant in
Atlantic City Labor Day weekend.
"We were really good friends.
We became very close toward the
end (of pageant week). I was really
thrilled for her," said Miss Wil
liams. "1 think she'll have a good
chance of winning." And should
Miss Morgan win the nationa1
scholarship pageant. Miss Williams
would relinquish her Miss Bruns
wick County title and assume that
of Miss North Carolina.
Miss Williams is iustlv pleased
with her performance in her second
and last state pageant. "1 was very
proud of myself. It seemed like ev
erything was just going for me this
year. I did the best i could do and
evidently it paid off."
She was pleased with her talent
and her interview, an area she had
prepared for diligently with the help
of her manager
Miss Williams said she was
pleased when the judges chose to
ask questions relating to her resume
?such as health, physical educa
tion, sex education and college ath
letics ? rather than regarding the
national or international political
sccnc.
Rui she had gone to Raleigh as
groomed in all areas as was possi
ble.
"Preparation was our ace in the
hole," Clcgg said. "When we arriv
ed (June 30), we both knew we had
done everything we could do.
"She was confident. It wasn't like
she went on stage wishing she had
rehearsed her talent more or exer
cised more. She was satisfied with
STAFF PHOTO BY SUSAN USHER
Competition Was Wet And Wild
Concentration and control paid off for Civietown volunteer fire
fighters in the barrel push competition at the Brunswick County
Firefighters Freedom Competition Sunday afternoon in
Southport. Six county fire departments competed in six events,
with Tri-Heach winning the overall competition. Civietown mem
bers above are, from the hose nozzle back, Kenny Smith, Mike
Hewett, Wayne Lovett and Jackie (iriffin, with At Sord coaching
from the side. More photos and a story are inside, on Page H-A.
Human Tide Floods
Brunswick
V-IV UV/UVI
BY DOUC RIJTTKR
A human tide flooded the South
Brunswick Islands bcachcs over the
weekend, as vacationers arrived
from near and far to enjoy the coast
and celebrate the Fourth of July.
An estimated 30,000 people rent
ing dwellings at the three local
bcachcs and thousands of oilier day
visitors survived a sweltering week
end to kick off the Independence
Day week.
ShalloHc Point meteorologist
Jackson Canady recorded high tem
peratures of 96 degrees at his home
Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures
were more bearable Monday and
Tuesday after a violent storm
moved through Brunswick County
Sunday night.
Real estate companies at Sunset,
Ocean Isle and Holdcn bcachcs re
ported rental units arc booked solid
for the week. Merchants that cater
io tourists also reported good busi
ness over the first few days of what
is typically the busiest week of the
summer.
?There is a head on every piiiow
on every bed in every house," A!
Odom of the Odom Company at
Sunset Beach said Monday. "It's not
just that we don't have any houses
left, we don't have any pillows
left."
Odom estimated this week's
crowd at 6,(XX) people, based on
750 rental units on Sunset Bcach
and eight people per house. Odom
said his rental units are booked for
the next six weeks.
Bookings arc up 25 percent this
year over last year, Odom said,
thanks in part to Hurricane Hugo.
The storm that caused millions uf
dollars in property damage along
the South Carolina beachcs last fall
has sent a lot of "Grand Strand
refugees" to Sunset Bcach this sum
mer, he said.
Debbie Fox of Sloane Realty at
Ocean Isle Beach estimated that
there arc between 15,1-100 and
(See HUMAN, Page 2-A)
Kaufhold
Settles With
School Board
BY SUSAN USHER
Under the terms of an out-of
court settlement reached June 27,
former Superintendent of Schools
John A. Kaufhold will receive
530,000 from the Brunswick
County Board of Education, but
may have to pay part of it back later
after an audit of expense accounts.
In addition to repaying the sys
lorn any rnoncy he muy owc it,
Kaufhold agreed to voluntarily drop
a $412,000 lawsuit he had filed fol
lowing the board's split decision in
April not to renew his legally
n.
I 111 ?? V.V1 WUIIU UVl.
In a separate vote, the board
agreed to hire the public accounting
firm of Coopers & Lybrand to audit
cash advances, travel and expense
reimbursements and telephone
charges made by the superintendent,
other school system administrators
and board of education members
from July 1, 1987, to the present
The board found some "irregular
ities" in expense accounts, said
Robert Slockett, who moved that
the audit be conducted. "We found a
few things that we feel arc very mi
nor in amounLs but arc gross in na
ture. We suspect if we go back to
1987 there may be a lot more."
Kaufhold had filed suit against
the board as a whole and members
Slockett, Dorothy Worth and Donna
Baxter individually.
Both the board and Kaufhold will
pay tneir own attorney tees under
(See KAUFHOLD, Page 2-A)
PHOTO TAKEN MOM WECT. TV.6 MOAQCAST
MISS BRUNSWICK COUNTY (right) hugs Miss North Caro
lina 1989 Kelly Dawn Fletcher after being named first runner
tin in the ctnt*> nnapnnt Sntisr/lnv niaht
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her talent, her menial attitude, her
physical fitness, her interview. She
was just going to compete and be
satisfied with whatever happened."
The pageant did have its nervous
moments for the Brunswick County
contingent, however. On Thursday
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*?(?.?.? ?? lltlUill.) UIM'Ul l/VVUIIIV oviui*
chy and her voice began getting
hoarse, possibly from allergies.
Clegg had Miss Williams move all
the flowers from her room into the
hall and then stocked up on over
the-counter remedies, lemon and
hot tea.
By Friday she wasn't feeling well
at all. But with medication and a
few extra hours of sleep gained Fri
day evening. Miss Williams was
much belter Saturday. Her voice
was a litUe husky, but Clcgg
thought that added a sexier, jazzier
edge to her vocal, "The Gypsy In
My Soul."
Clcgg was ecstatic over his pro
tege's SUCCCSS in RaiOign.
"I'm not over it. I don't think 1
will be for six or seven months," he
said Monday. "I'm going to enjoy
it."
When Miss Williams was named
a finalist Saturday night, Clegg said,
"at that point whether she was go
ing to win wasn't an issue. Just to
see her up there, as far as I was con
cerned she had won."
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numtziN UCIO vvmick rKUJCH Mrriwjvcu
County Budget Calls For 9-Cent Tax-Rate Hike
BY BOB HORNE
Gene Pinkcrton, chairman of Ihc
Brunswick County Board of Com
missioners called it a "realistic"
budget.
But Commissioner Grace Beasley
disagreed, calling it "not a Cadillac
but a Rolls Roycc of a budget."
Commissioner Kelly Holden ad
dressed it as "something that has
never happened before. For once
this board is addressing needs that
have been put on the back burner by
prior boards. I don't like a tax in
crease, either, but the people have
mandated."
The "it" was a 1990-91 budget
the county Board of Commissioners
adopted Friday, at literally the 11th
hour. The deadline for adoption of
the budge;, which went into cffcct
Sunday, was midnight Saturday.
The budget adoption, which calls
for a tax-rate increase of 9 ccnts per
1(X) valuation of personal property,
from 59 1/2 cents to 68 1/2 cents,
came after six budget sessions
spread over more than a week.
In the end, it was adopted by the
commission's three Republicans?
Chairman Gene Pinkcrton, Kelly
lloldcn and Frankie Rabon after
Democrat Benny Ludlum refused to
attend the final session. Democrat
Grace Beasley cast the lone dissent
ing vole. By law, because the Friday
session was a continuation of a re
Water Project Would Reroute Proposed Line
BY BOB HORNE Georgetown Road, where the line size would change
Water improvements approved by the Brunswick from 20 inches to 12 inches, and a 2,200-gallon-per
County Board of Commissioners just minutes before minute booster station at Seaside.
the board adopted the i 990-91 wouid provide sum- The other part of die motion would provide county
cient water to the southern part of the county, says water to Shallotte Point, Holdcn said, by extending
Commissioner Kelly Holdeit. the line on Village Point Road to Shallotte and loop
The motion made by Holden would reroute a pro- 'n8 it oul by the Bay-Piggott Road back to the main
posed 24-inch water line out Shallotte from the Old water line.
Shallotte Road to U.S. 17 to Grissettown, Holden Holden said Monday that he plans to propose that
?? ?-? in
said. Thai stretch would need the approval of the
Department of Transportation, he said. Primary School.
_ ? . . ... ... ,, . According to Holden, who said he checked with
m /r?u ?rrrn- * 20"LCh ;n'W.OULd ? "SS? **>* county Public Works Director Jerry Webb and
Nr. 904 to the Georgetown Road (Suite Road 1163), c EnJ,nccr Robert Xuckcr> ^ lin? ^ Scaside
where ,t would become a 12-mch l.ne to Seas.de. woul/provfde sufncient water for any SADs (Special
where it would end. Assessment Districts) needed toward the Calabash
Holdcn amended his original motion to eliminate area.
a proposed 12-inch line down the Georgetown Road Holdcn's motion was to apply S600.000 toward
to Calabash, after Commissioner Frankie Rabon ex- ihc water improvements, so the county can borrow $6
pressed concern about that part of the proposal. million and construct the improvements. He earlier
That line would include a 2-million-gallon ground successfully passed a motion to earmark $235,000 for
storage Link and 9.000-gallon-per-minute booster the design of the water system. Holden says he hopes
pump station about halfway between Shallotte and to get the design completed this fall and begin con
Grissettown, a 1-million-gallon elevated tank at siruction early in 1991.
ccsscd meeting, Ludlum's Friday vision near Leland. Holdcn original- Road 1163 (Georgetown Road) lo
votes counted lor the majority, al- ly proposed S7(M),(XX), which he Calabash and amended his proposal
though he was absent. said would have given the board S7 to S6(X),(HX). The proposal passed
The vote followed a motion by million worth of borrowing power, unanimously just before the com
Moldcn lo earmark S6(X),(KK) of which was estimated to approxi- missioners adopted the budget.
about S2 million in bond money for mately the amount needed to com- Without first settling the water is
water-system improvements south plete the project. But he agreed to sue, Holdcn said later, he would not
of ShaMotte and to Jennifer's Subtli- eliminate a water line down State (See COl'NTY, Page 2-A)