Thirtieth Year, Number 14
e IWlTHf MUNSW1C* 8 f AC ON
50C Per Copy 40 Pages, 3 Sections, 1 Insert
South Takes Lead
Latonya Hankins and the South
Brunswick Lady Cougars took over
first place in the Waccamaw 2 -A
Friday with a win over West
Brunswick. Details are on Page 9-B.
Shollotte, North Carolina, Thursday, February 6, 1992
100th Day
Some students, like Bolivia fourth
qrader James Connollv. spent Friday
ieamiriy dbuuL " 1 00" as schools
marked the 100th day of classes
The story's on Page 4-B.
Solid Ground
Commissioners aren't wavering on
their 3-2 decision to hire a private
trash hauler, despite numerous peti
tions seeking a reversal. See Page
8-A.
Shaliotte Board Blasts Plans For Post Office
BY DOUG RUTTER
Saying it will hurl local merchants, Shallottc offi
cials Tuesday blasted a plan to move most postal service
operations from the downtown office to the new South
Brunswick station.
"We're going to do everything we can to keep it here
in town," Mayor Sarah Tripp said at Tuesday night's
town meeting. "We kind of feel let down by the situa
tion."
Mrs. Tripp said town officials were left entirely out
of the decision to move the operations to the new office
at Sunset Beach. "Nobody consulted us in any way."
Letters opposing the plans were mailed last week to
U.S. Postal Service officials in Faycttcville and
Greensboro as well as Congressman Charlie Rose.
Town officials fear moving postal operations from
the downtown office will mean less traffic and fewer
customers for area businesses.
"When they comc for their mail, hopefully we get
some revenue," Alderman Paul Wayne Reeves said.
"What concerns me is the loss of people."
Superintendent of Postal Operations Ron Reeves,
who attended Tuesday's session in place of Postmaster
Frank Bringoli, agreed with the concerns.
"You have me in your comer," he told the board. "I
agree that the post office should work hand in hand with
the town officials on any move and this is a major
move."
Bringoli told The Brunswick Beacon in December
that he plans to move most mail-handling operations and
employees to the new station on N.C. 904 at Sunset
Bcach.
Carriers for all 10 area routes will work out of the
new office, as will the postmaster. Reeves expects the
move to occur in mid-March.
Window and box service will continue in Shallotte,
where two employees will be stationed.
"This still will be the main office in name, but that's
about the extent of it," Reeves said of the Shallotlc of
fice.
"It's not to late for it to be reversed," he added.
"Even alter we move it's not too late to be reversed."
Reeves, who is second in command at the Shallotte
Post Office, said the postmaster has a responsibility to
the people he serves and should be located where they
can have contact with him.
"I think when the postmaster is removed from the
main body of people he serves that's cause for concern,"
Reeves said. "It's not proper. It's not proper at all for the
postmaster to be out of the main office."
Alderman Roney Cheers vowed to fight the post
master's plans. "I think it's a far-fetched idea, and as a
member of this board 1 am opposed to it."
Cheers later asked Reeves to deliver a message to
his boss: "You can advise him that Congressman Rose's
office has been notified."
Reeves, the only local resident on the committee that
helped select the site for the new office, said Sunset
Beach was chosen because of the growth in that area of
the county.
But Cheers said he believes there were factors other
than growth involved in the selection of the Seaside lo
cation.
"I'm almost sure politics entered into it like every
thing else," he said. "There's even politics in the
church."
Reeves said he wasn't influcnccd by polities. The fi
nal decision on the site was made by postal service offi
cials in Fayetteville, he said.
Other Business
In other business Tuesday, aldermen:
(See SHALl.OTTE, PACF. 2-A)
STAFF PHOTO BY SUSAN USHER
APPROXIMATELY 15 YEARS after other county government offices relocated to the complex at Bolivia , the Brunswick County Board of
Education is asking to make the move. School offices are housed in a 60-year-old building at Southport that previously served as the coun
ty home, with six trailers picking up the overflow.
Schools Make Case For Buiiding Plan
BY SUSAN USHER
Brunswick County school offi
cials made their case lor a bl/.i
million, five-year construction pro
gram before the county board of
commissioners Tuesday night.
Board of Commissioners
Chairman Kelly Holden described
the four-part presentation as almost
a "slate of the schools address," say
ing it was a lot more information
than the board had expected.
Commissioners also heard a re
sponsc, of sorts, to that address, in
public comments from audience
members Tom Pojx: of Thomasboro
and Warren "Bud" Knapp of
Calabash. Both men expressed con
cerns about the state of the school
system in light of its second "report
card" from the state (See related
board of education story in this is
sue).
Pope questioned whether taxpay
ers are getting what they pay for and
warned commissioners that, "With
an 'F,' we don't need to worry about
luture growth...''
"I am appalled that the business
community of Brunswick County is
not more concerned about it," he
continued, adding that most indus
tries would put in place "new
management" in a similar situation.
His comments paralleled those of
fered by his wife, Janet, at the
school board's meeting Monday
night.
Knapp raised similar general con
ccrns, saying the county needs to re
alize the schools have a problem tnat
should be addressed.
In their earlier presentation,
school system leaders asked com
missioners to get back to them
quickly with word on whether they
should begin planning construction
of a new administrative office at the
county complex.
"We don't want to have to wait
until July to start planning," said
(See SCHOOLS, Page 2-A)
Commissioners Set 1 20-Day Deadline For Zoning Ordinance
15 Y SUSAN USHKR
Brunswick County planners have 120 days to
prepare a "basic" zoning ordinance for consider
ation by the Brunswick County Commissioners.
Meeting Tuesday, commissioners voted 4-1 in
favor of District 3 member Gene Pinkerton's
motion to set a deadline on the long-awaited set
of regulations, making it clear they want to
move ahead quickly with adoption of an ordi
nance.
Lost in other thoughts at the moment. District
4 Commissioner Frankie Rabon almost didn't
vole no, slipping in his usual answer on zoning
mailers just as Chairman Kelly Holden began
declaring the vote unanimous.
Holden, Pinkerton and Jones said that during
the round of public meetings held in January on
the county's CAMA land use plan update, zon
ing, solid waste management and education
were the top issues raised by county residents. A
need for zoning was the concern most men
tioned at the District 3 meeting, Pinkerton said.
Pointing out lhal commissioners started ask
ing for a zoning ordinance two years ago,
Holden said he thought it was "about time" to
set a deadline for getting the job done.
" I've been hearing it was
coming for a good
while. " ? Gene Pirikerton
District 3 Commissioner
Zoning, a means of guiding land use, also re
ceived support of a majority of those participat
ing in a "straw poll" conducted in conjunction
with the November 1991 elections.
Pinkerton first offered a motion setting a 60
day time limit. Warned that might be unrealistic,
he extended the limit to 120 days.
District 2 Commissioner Jerry Jones, the com
missioners' liaison with the planning board, said
he understands that the planning department has
been tied up with work on the 911 system, road
naming and staffing changes.
"It's coming shortly, 1 think," he said of the
requested ordinance.
But that answer didn't satisfy others on the
board.
"I've been hearing it was coming for a good
while," said Pinkerton "But 911 is almost fin
ished."
If time and/or staffing arc a problem in getting
the ordinance drafted, said Finkerion, "1 have no
problem with getung him help to get the ordi
nance done that we've been waiting for for two
years."
Two years ago commissioners designated the
county planning board as the lead agency for
getting the ordinance drafted, with the expecta
tion that work would begin on the ordinance
shortly thereafter.
The board- has since told County Planning
Director John Harvey it expects the ordinance to
be completed. To date, no draft ordinance has
been presented for the Planning Board's consid
eration. Once approved by the planning board
the proposed ordinance would then go to the
commissioners for consideration.
In an unrelated request, Rabon asked County
Manager David Clcgg to check on what the
county needs to do to establish extended-area
service within the county. The matter would
have to go before the state Utilities Commission.
If approved, such a system would make all calls
within the county toll-free.
Filing Opens Monday
For Some If Not
All Political Offices
BY SUSAN USHER
Barring a last-minute vote by the
state's General Assembly, candi
dates can begin filing for county of
fices Monday at noon, but candi
dates for state legislature and U.S.
Congress may have to wail.
Local scats up for election this
year are the Districts 1 , 3 and 4 scats
tin ihc Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners and Brunswick
County Board of Education, county
coroner and county register of deeds.
The Brunswick County Board of
ticcuons office is lucuicu ai iiic
county government complex ai
Bolivia.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the state
legislature had yet lo hear from the
U.S. Justice Department on whether
it had accepted new redisricting
plans tor state House, state Senate
and Congressional seats, said Rep.
David Rcdwinc.
Meeting Monday in Raleigh, he
said legislators adopted a plan to
cover several contingencies.
If the plans were approved by the
Justice Department Tuesday or
Wednesday, then filing for aii seats
would begin :tt noon Monday, Fcti
10. Otherwise, oniy candidates ior
local officc can begin filing Monday.
Barring that early Justice Depart
- . ... ?_ ' " T .L . _ 1 . ..
IIIC'lll UCCIMUII, II UIC pioio Ult Up
proved after today (Thursday) but
before Feb. 15, then filing will begin
at 12 noon Feb. 17 for seats in the
state House and Senate and U.S.
(See FILING, Page 2-A)
DMV Pulls Trucks
In Safety Crackdown
More than half the tractor-trailers
inspected by the N.C. Division of
Motor Vehicles in a ihrw.-day crack
down last week nc<u ShalloUC were
pulled off the road for serious safely
violations, according to DMV
spokesman Tiffany Williams.
These included no lights, bad tires
and no brakes.
DMV enforcement officers work
ed around the clock from Thursday,
Jan. 30, through Saturday, Feb. 1,
inspecting 113 tractor-trailers on
U.S. 17 near Shallotie.
The blitz came about in response
to a double fatality last Nov. 1 at the
intersection of U.S. 17 bypass and
N.C. 130 that involved a logging
truck, said Transportation Secretary
Thomas J. Harrelson.
That accident has since fueled
community concern about the need
for an overpass at the intersection,
which is near West Brunswick High
School, with a petition circulating u>
that effect.
"I'm very concerned atout this
situation," said Harrelson. "We owe
it to every motorist on the road to
ensure that safely is our number one
priority."
According to DMV Commis
sioner Robert F. Hodges, the three
day operation shows that the agency
is "rightly removing trucks from the
road that are a potential safety haz
ard to the public."
He said 33 tractors or cabs and 28
trailers were taken out of service for
safely violauons. Another 12 trucks
were found overweight. One truck
driver was taken off the road for driv
ing too many hours without resting.
"It's terrible that more than half
the tractor- trailers we inspected had
to be taken off the road because they
didn't have any brakes or their tires
were flat," said Hodges. "We want
truckers and truck owners to know
that these violations arc not accept
able and that we're going to do ev
erything within our power to keep
the roads safe."
By law, truck drivers are to per
forin safety inspections on their
trucks at the beginning and end of
each dav.
High Wants Court Ruling On 1 991 Drug Conviction
BY TERRY POPE
A former Calabash businessman sentenced lo 70
years in prison on cocaine trafficking and conspiracy
charges last year wants a judge to overturn those convic
tions next week.
Jerry Lynn High, 40, of North Myrtle Beach, S.C.,
says he was illegally charged and sentenced in
Brunswick County Superior Court in January 1991.
In a motion filed Dec. 16, High asks to appear in
court to argue for his release or. bail and to have h:s cor.
victions declared illegal. That hearing is scheduled
Monday, Feb. 10, before Superior Court Judge Giles R.
Clark.
High was convicted by a jury on two counts of traf
ficking by possession of more than 4(X) grams of co
caine, one count of trafficking by uansporting more than
400 grams of cocainc and two counts of conspiracy to
traffic anil possess more than 4(X) grams of cocaine.
Those cases were consolidated for sentencing by
Superior Court Judge William C. Gore Jr., who gave
High two consecutive 35-year terms and gave him credn
for 582 days spent in prison while awaiting trial. He was
also fined $500,000.
The motion contends thai High's conviction violates
the double jeopardy law under North Carolina state
statutes, as he was convicted on two possession and two
conspiracy charges. High believes the state trafficking
law also covcrs transportation of drugs, as well as pos
session charges.
He also argues that the court sentence of 70 yeans in
prison "was excessive, unjustified and (not) in propor
tion to sentences handed down to other similarly-situat
ed defendants."
Trafficking of more than 400 grams of cocaine car
ries a maximum of 40 years in prison, a minimum of 35
years in prison and a fine of not less than $250, (XX) on
each count.
The case has also been appealed to llie N.C. Court of
Appeals. In October 1990, High had reached a plea
agreement with the district attorney's office. He had
agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to traf
fic in cocaine and one count of possession of more than
400 grams of cocaine in exchange for dismissal of the
other charges.
Judge Clark later refused to accept the plea because
High had indicated on the transcript that he was not
guilty of the charges.
A special investigative grand jury indicted High in
June 1989 for his role in two drug trafficking cases.
He was accuscd of conspiring with Dewey Earl
Rhodes and others to traffic in and to possess more than
400 grams of cocaine on Dec. 28, 1987. Another indict
ment accuscd him of conspiring with Christopher V.
Parham and Allen Dale Brooks to traffic in and to pos
sess more than 400 grams of cocaine on Jan. 2, 1988.
r\i<nn(* ItiH r?r? Ooro U ? '?? nnp'
??, < uu^V VI V ? IV/IVU * pi lUI
convictions for criminal offenses as an aggravating fac
tor. High had previously been sentenced to 13 years in
prison in 1984 in connection with the "U-Haul" marijua
na smuggling case in Brunswick County dating hack to
the early 1980s.
Judge Gore issued the 70-year sentence immediately
alter the verdict was returned Jan. 22, but High had
wanted to continue sentencing.
Gore's refusal to continue sentencing "substantially
impaired ilefendani counsel's ability to adequately argue
sentencing" or to allow time to present evidence at the
sentencing, thereby prejudicing High, his motion states.
High had choscn to represent himself at the trial, al
though the court appointed a stand-by counsel, Robert
Floyd of Shallotic.
Another motion filed by High in July was denied by
Superior Court Judge B. Craig Ellis. High had asked that
the court rule his conviction illegal, alleging that he was
indicted by a grand jury of fewer than 1 2 members.
Ellis ruled that the Superior Court lacked jurisdiction
to rule on that matter since the case is now before the
N.C. Court of Appeals.
Sentencings On Docket
Also docketed for the special two-week session of
Superior Court that begins in Bolivia Monday are sen
tencings for Henderson Matthew Davis and Roger Dale
Godwin.
Davis, 36, of Route 1, Leland, earlier pleaded guilty
to second-degree murder. He was charged in August
with the shooting death of his mother, Juanita Grady, 53,
who was shot in the head during a domestic dispute.
Godwin, 34, of Route 1 , Clarendon, pleaded no con
test last month to one count of breaking or entering a
home. He was one of three men charged with a string of
tiicak-ins on Sunset Beach in Januaiy 1991.