Deadly consequences
SADD members Mindy Keill, Kristy
Poulos and Heather Hardee direct
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VVDHJ DIUUCI ILO atLCI ItlUI I lO LI IC uai I
gers of driving drunk. Page 14-A.
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Soaring Scorpion
North Brunswick's Maduka Ballard set
a state record last week when he
cleared 7 feet. 2 inches in the high
jump. The story's on Page 13-B
Thirtieth Year, Number 24 Shaliotte, North Carolina, Thursday, April 16, 1992 50c Per Copy 1 10 Pages, 4 Sections Including Supplement, 3 Inserts
Voter List
Stands At
29,921
Approximately 29,921 residents
will be eligible to vote in the May 5
primary in Brunswick County.
That's the number of people
who were registered to vote before
the deadline passed last Monday,
April 6.
"1 thought we were going to top
30,000 voters," said Lynda Britt,
Brunswick County Board of Elec
tions supervisor.
Of those registered, 17,691 are
Democrats and 10,783 are Republi
cans. Another 1,447 arc listed as
unaffiliated with any political party.
In North Carolina, an indepen
dent party isn't recognized so voters
must either register as Democrat, \
Republican or unaffiliated.
The county gained 1.563 voters
since October 1991, when 28,358
were on the registration books.
Democrats gained 679 voters,
up from 17,012; Republicans gained
651 voters, up from 10,132; and un
affiliated voters increased by 233
persons, up from 1,214.
Voters will go to the polls at 22
Brunswick County precincts to vote
for local candidates for the board of
education, board of commissioners,
(See VOTER., Page 2-A)
Charge
Dismissed
Against Cop
A trespassing chargc against a
Shalloite policc officer was dis
missed last week in Brunswick
County District Court
Assistant District Attorney Ola
Lewis dismissed the second-degree
trespassing charge against Cpl. Ray
Altizcr last Wednesday.
Altizcr was served with a criminal
summons last month after a neigh
bor accused him of going on his
property after being told to stay
away.
Pcrriu Alford, who served as a
town policeman from April 1989 to
January 1990, had pressed the
chargc before a magistrate on March
12.
Ms. Lewis said Tuesday that both
parties agreed to dismiss the charge.
"We all came to an agreement be
hind closed doors," she said.
Altizer's lawyer, James Payne,
said the assistant district attorney
did the right thing.
"A prosecutor has an ethical
obligation to dismiss baseless charg
es such as this one," Payne said
To find someone guilty of sec
ond-degree trespassing, Payne said
the state must prove a defendant was
on the property of another after be
ing asked to leave.
"The state simply did not have
any proof that any of this ever hap
pened," Payne said. "Corporal Alti
zcr is a fine example of an honest
and ethical policc officcr in whom
Shalloite should take great pride."
v
w
STAFF PHOTO BY TIRRY POP*
In Time For Easter
Lynne Can of the Shallotte Junior Woman's Club delivers Bunny grams filled with candy and surpris
es to Colin I ^en is (right) and Andrew Lewis last Friday. The Easter program is the club's annual
spring fund-raiser. Colin and Andrew are the sons of Mark and Betsy I-ewis of Shallotte.
NEW BRANCH OPENS AAAY 4
Post Office Moving Day Nears
Moving day is right around the corner for most
Shallotte post office personnel who will be reassigned to
the South Brunswick branch postal station.
The move will take place Saturday, May 2, when
equipment will be loaded into vans and transferred to
the newly-constructed post office on N.C. 904 between
Grisscttown and Seaside. ,
No date has been set for dedication of the new branch
facility, said Shallotte Postmaster Frank Bringoli.
At the new site, in a 13,450-square-foot facility, the
majority of the mail-handling for the South Brunswick
Islands will be done. With three times the floor space of
the Shallotte post office, it is located on four acres of
land, providing parking spaces for 55 customers.
It is here that most postal action will originate, begin
ning Monday, May 4, the first day of operations. Both
Bringoli and Ron Reeves, superintendent of postal oper
ations, will have their offices at the South Brunswick
station incoming mail will be sorted and taken by carri
ers from the station as well.
Post office boxes at the new location can be rented
(See POST OFFICE, Page 2-A)
South Brunswick Churches Mark
Easter With Special Services
A number of local churchcs plan
special scrviccs this weekend in ob
servance of Easier.
Many will hold traditional out
door services at or near sunrise, pos
sibly on the strand of a local beach;
others will celcbrate with special
music. Visitors arc welcome.
Calvary Haptist
Calvary Baptist Church will cele
brate Easter with the dedication of
its newly renovated sanctuary with
baptistry and a cantata. Rock of
Faith, by the choir.
The service begins at 1 1 a.m. with
the 30-minutc cantata, followed by
the dedication and the first baptisms
in the new baptistry. Afterward a
covcred dish lunch is planned. The
Rev. John Landers is pastor.
Calabash Presbyterian
Calabash Presbyterian Church
worshippers will meet just east of
the Sunset Beach Pier, 8 a.m., Easter
Sunday and again each Sunday
morning between Memorial Day
and Labor Day.
The Rev. Francis Womack, pas
tor, and other ministers will lead the
services. The style and content is
non-denominational and will not
take the place of regular services. It
is intended to provide a place of
worship for vacationers and tourists
on the beach.
Tiie church began services on
Sunset Beach last year for the first
lime. An estimated 2, (XX) people at
tended from Memorial Day week
end to Labor Day weekend.
The church is located on Old
Georgetown Road.
St. James Episcopal
St. James the Fisherman Episco
pal Church in Shallouc will hold
three services Easter Sunday, with a
6 a.m. Easter Vigil Scrvicc at Sea
Mist Camping Resort on the water
way at Brick Landing.
A 9 a.m. family service will be
held at the church, 4941 Main
Street, including the flowering of the
cross and an Easter egg hunt for
children on the church grounds.
An 1 1 a.m. Festive Celebration of
our Lord's Resurrection with the
Holy Eucharist will be conducted
with the Rev. Thomas Wright, re
tired bishop, presiding followed by a
light reception. The Rev. Richard
W. Warner Jr. is church rector.
On Saturday, April 18, a Holy
Saturday Liturgy servicc is planned
at 10 a.m.
Holden Beach Chapel
The Holden Beach Chapel on
Rothschild Street, Holden Beach,
(See CHURCH, Pajje 2-A)
Baxter Cleared
Of DWI Charge
IIY TERRY POPE
A driving while impaired charge
was dismissed Tuesday against
Brunswick County Board of Edu
cation Chairman
Donna Baxter,
who is running
for rc-clcction in
the May 5 pri
mary.
SBl lab tests
showed Ms.
Baxter's blood
alcohol content
following a
March 16 traffic BAXTER
accident in Boiling Spring Lakes
was .032, prompting District
Attorney Rex Gore to drop the
chargc in Brunswick County District
Court.
In North Carolina, a blood-alco
hol reading of .10 or higher is con
sidered too drunk to drive.
"1 believe this serves as a lesson
that if one cooperates fully with any
investigation," said Ms. Baxter, "and
all of the evidence is gathered, the
truth will eventually be known and
the innocent will be exonerated."
Ms. Baxter, 43, was charged with
DWi and improper passing by
Boiling Spring Lakes Police Officer
Richard Timberlake. In court
Tuesday, she pleaded guilty to im
proper passing and was ordered by
Judge Jerry A. Jolly to pay court
costs.
Tnc DVv'i charge was filed after
Ms. Baxter told iho officer she hail
consumed one and a half beers over
dinner with friends prior to the
wreck, a statement from Gore's of
fice indicates.
Ms. Baxter sustained a concus
sion from a head injury after her
1989 Oldsmobilc was totaled in the
accidcnt on Boiling Spring Road
near the intersection with North
Shore Drive.
Gore said Tuesday that bccause of
her statement to Officer Timberlake,
the DWI charge was filed pending
blood test result?. Her injuries pre
vented the officer from conducting
the usual roadside sobriety tests.
'The test results also indicated
that there were no controlled sub
stances in Ms. Baxter's system,"
said Gore.
Gore said he thought Officer
limberlake acted propcriy at the
time, considering the adverse cir
cumstances he had to deal with ? an
accident, physical injuries and with
transporting the injured to the hospi
tal.
Ms. Baxter said she appreciated
the thorough investigation conduct
ed by the police department and was
confident the lab results "would es
tablish my iiuiucciice of the alleged
violation."
"1 did not make a statement about
the accidcnt earlier," she said, "be
cause I believe that it was appropri
ate for the investigation of this mat
ter to be completed Itclore making
any cornrncni"
(See BAXTER, Pa-e 2 A)
Corps Plans Maintenance
Dredging Of Shallotte Inlet
BY MARJORIE MEGIVKRN
A long-standing effort to get Shalloue Inlet dredged for boating
safety and fishing interests, finally achieved success, Ocean Isle Beach
Mayor Betty Williamson announced at a Occan Isle Beach Town
Council meeting Tuesday morning.
The original pursuit of a channel dredged to a six-foot depth by
the U.S. Corps of Engineers was thwarted when a Corps study reported
last month that such a project was economically unfeasible.
However, the Corps suggested that it could do annual mainte
nance dredging of the inlet with equipment used to maintain the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Dredge spoil would be placed on the
critically eroded east end of the island.
"I think this is fantastic," exclaimed Dr. Kendall Suh, OIB board
member. "It saves Ocean Isle taxpayers some tax dollars and it will help
the east end erosion, too."
The first dredging action will take place this fall, said
Commissoner Debbie Fox.
The board had earlier applied for a Coastal Area Management Act
(CAMA) major development permit, with a view to funding its own
dredging project. The permit application proposed a channel 150 feet
wide by 1,000 feet long and eight feet deep between Occan Isle and
Holden Beach.
"After Hugo caused such erosion hcre,"Williamson explained,
"we requested the Corps' feasibility study; then we decided to apply for
this permit, because if the Corps' work is insufficient and we have a
permit in hand, we can pursue additional dredging with the equipment
already in place."
Williamson said another feasibility study has been requested by
the board, regarding the renourishing of the strand on Ocean isle Beach.
"This will, of course, be a cost to taxpayers, but we definitely
need an erosion control plan," she said. "The results of this one will be
ready this summer."
BEACON FlLfc PHOTO
BEACON Fill
THE SUN peeks over the horizon at Ocean Isle Beach prior to Easter services there last year