THF RRi I mcia/! C K<
Aii ?? SONS BOO' BI NOES
Thirty-First Yeor, Number 11 SPRINGPORT HI 49284 orolino, Thursday, January 28, 1 993 50c Per Copy 34 Pages, 3 Sections, 2 Inserts
Tanker Breaks
Loose In Tow,
Threatens To
Strike Shoals
BY SUSAN USHER
U.S. Coast Guard response teams
were preparing for the worst Tue
sday night as winds gusting up to 75
mph pushed a 603-fool cargo vessel
laden with 380,000 gallons of fuel
oil on a collision course with the
treacherous Frying Pan Shoals lying
off Cape Fear and the Brunswick
County beaches.
At approximately 9 p m. the Lyra
was 48 miles cast of the mouth of
the Cape Fear River.
"The current ETA is now mid
night if we're unable to re-establish
the tow or get the anchor down,"
said Lt. Douglas Schwam, public in
formation officer for U.S. Coast
Guard Group Fort Macon.
Brunswick County Emergency
Management Cecil Logan was opti
mistic about the chances of the car
go ship passing just beyond the tip
or over the tip of the shoals, which
extend about 20 statute miles off the
continental shelf from Bald Head
Island.
"The shoals range anywhere from
20 feet to 2 feet," he said. "With the
vessel drawing 18 feet of water and
with seas of 15 feet to 22 feet, it's
certainly possible it could go over,
especially if it crosses at the tip, the
way it appears to be heading.
"If it continues in the same path, I
think it will pass to the cast of the
Frying Pan Light Tower," he said.
"If it passes to the west of the tower
then we could have some problems.
And if Murphy's Law prevails, it
could pop the tower, but 1 don't
think that will happen."
The roll-on, roll-off freighter was
being towed "dcadship"?without
crew and with engines dead?from
Baltimore, Md., to New Orleans
Tuesday when its towline snapped
arrn:".a 7:4S a m. jurt south cf Cape
Lockout in 20-foot seas and winds
gusung up to 60 mphs. The cargo
vessel was carrying 340,0(X) gallons
of No. 6 bunker oil and another
40,000 gallons of dicsel oil.
As of 9 p.m., efforts to slow or
halt its course had come to nothing
as storm conditions worsened, with
seas in excess of 22 feet and wind
gusts of more than 75 mph, Schwam
said. "As we speak conditions are
worsening, but the storm is expected
to ease by morning."
'That's one of the problems we're
having. If the weather was clear re
establishing a tow would be easy,
but wh<?n ymi'rp. rocking and rolling
like a rowboat...."
Four representatives of the ship's
owners, Lykcs Lines, were lifted by
helicopter to the Lyra by a Marine
Corps helicopter out of Cherry Point
and were still working Tuesday
night to bring the careening ship un
der control.
The Stolen Island, a 110-foot
Coast Guard patrol boat stationed at
Atlantic Beach was assisting the
towboat in attempts to re-establish
the low using a 1,200-foot emer
gency tow line.
Efforts to drop anchor were
stymied at least temporarily when a
generator dropped power and went
off line, said Petty Office Wayne
Weeks of the Marine Safety Office
in Wilmington, the on-scene coordi
nator for the U.S. Coast Guard. "It's
better to lower the anchor to the
edge, then let it drop," he said. "It
has about 1,(XX) lcet of anchor chain
attached to it."
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard's
Marine Safety Office in Wilmington
was coordinating on-scene response
in conjunction with the Guard's
Atlantic Strike Team, a response
team based at Fort Dix, N.J.
"We've got three people here
See TANKER, Page 2-A)
Inside...
Birthdays 2B
Business News 8C
Calendar of Events 6A
Church News IIA
Classified 1-7C
Court Docket 12C, 9A
Crime Report 7A
C.olf 6B
Obituaries 11A
Opinion 4-5A
People In The News ...IOA
Plant Doctor 3B
Sports 6-1 OB
Television Listings 10-11C
t\ afc PHOT"! qy DOUG ?' 1TM
Seized In Sunday Raid
Brunswick Sheriff John Carr Davis displays some of the cash,
guns, cocaine and gambling records seized in a Sunday raid that led
to the arrest of nine people believed to be involved in a major drug
and illegal lottery operation in Inland. The story is on Page 9A.
I
JS Restaurateurs Oppose
Draft Health Board Plan
To Certify Food Workers
BY KRIC CARLSON only for the person holding the restaurant licensc. Some
Requiring any business that serves fixxl to have a said that sending several employees to Bolivia for eight
county-trained and -certified food service manager in hour, of training would cost too much, especially for
the kitchen at all times is unfair to restaurants that have a small establishments.
tradition of good food-handling practices. "Why are you doing this? Arc we so bad?" asked
That was one of many criticisms heard at a public Rodney Mellon, owner of the Crows Nest Grill in
hearing before the Brunswick (( f Southport. "If the health depart
County Health Board Monday night Jj \\>C YC ment finds something wrong, we
as about 80 people, mostly rcstau- . . correct it.
rant owners, voiced opposition to COtltlYlHOUSly QCttlYl Q "My wife and I can take the test,
proposed new regulations for food but we can't be there all the time. I
handling establishments. CM A , WC YYlUSt KflOW have two or three high school stu
Aftcr the hearing. Health Board , , . dents working for me. They can't
Chairman Skip Davis said the pro- WflClt WC YC ClOlfl il. get away from school and work to
posal will be returned to the board's _ take this course."
environmental health committee for ?Jeff Whitfield Jeff Whitfield, owner of the
modification. A second public hear- Beach Cafe at Holdcn Beach, said
ing will be scheduled, he said. The board also plans to he approves of the health department's desire to improve
ask several restaurant owners to advise the committee. restaurant sanitation, but suggested that existing restau
Thc proposed regulations would require restaurants, rants with a track record of good health inspections
cafeterias, coffee shops, food stands, lunch counters, day should be exempt from the law.
care centers and other businesses that prepare food to "If we're continuously getting an A, we must know
have someone on the premises at all limes who has tak- what we're doing," Whitfield said. "Maybe only those
en an eight-hour food-service manager course and who aren't performing should be required lo take the
passed a certification test. test.
The two day course would be taught at Brunswick "I don't mind myself and my wife and my cooks get
Community College at an estimated cost of S35. ling certified, but what if someone has to run an errand?
Certification would have to be renewed every three 1 wouldn't want to have to worry about who has a ccr
ycais. tificate in case the health inspector comes."
"For 24 years, I've run the kitchen at the Ocean Isle Whitfield also suggested that food workers be al
Bcach Fishing Pier and every time I've been inspected lowed to study the training book and take the test with
I'vc scored between a 94 and a 96," Ethyl Williamson out taking the eight-hour course.
told the board. "I don't need a lest. I'm clean." Robin Schuster, owner of the Robin's Nest Child
Oilier restaurant owners voiced similar opinions. Development Center in Southport, expressed the con
Scvcral suggested that certification should be required HOARD'S, Page 2-A)
Anonymous Donor Pledges $150,000
A donor who doesn't wish 10 be named publicly has
pledged S150,(XX) to ihe Brunswick Community College
Foundation to be used for its Fund for Academic
Excellence.
? The gift wilt be mafr- m yea/ly donations of SI S
overlO years. The majority of the annual donation w ill
be in the form of an endowment. Prcrr's of this en
dowment will perpetually fund student scholarships,
grants and a variety of student programs.
The donor has expressed a special interest in BCC's
Odell Williamson Auditorium, said Foundation Director
Glenn Barefoot. One way the balance of the yearly do
nation will be used is to fund student work-study oppor
tunities in that facility when it opens later this year.
The 7iind For Acadcmic Excellence supports limited
r?n.| '<v?l fmds to help en?u?* cxccHctkv if n.ain
ttined. developed and rewarded BOC. * io".ies from
the fund arc used to provide scholarships, 10 provide
needed equipment and supplies for programs, minigrants
for faculty and staff development, recognition and
awards, work study student support, and foundation
events and operations.
SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT WARNS:
No Improvements Without Change, Commitment
BY SUSAN USHER <<t-i ? i i /? County's plan, which Johnston cxpccts to be
More changcs will be nccessary if 1 rlCSC ICICCIS Cit'C KCVOlUtlOHClt'y JOY r^ady to submit to the state around April 1.
Brunswick County Schools arc to achieve the ?0^ ? i He is drawing on school improvement teams
excellence being demanded not only by par- W SOT71C PCODlC D6CCIUSC tflCy CIV6 flOt already in place at the county level and in
cnts but business and industry as well, * r t ? ? t? most schools to help speed the effort.
Superintendent Ralph J. Johnston told school \ m t/lC YlOt'ftlCll WC1V Of (JoiHi* bUSiflCSS." Projecting from throe-year averages, staff
board members during a daylong work sc.:- Mz J J c> ' members arc developing performance goals
sion Saturday. ?Ralph J. Johnston f?r l^e ihrce years covered by the plan as
He warned it won't happen overnight, S& .U Rnincwirk SSrhnnk SnnprintenHent well as annual milestones. For each indicator
even with the full support of staff and com- ?Sk % W BRinsWlCK SCIIOOIS iupennienaeni lhc scboo, system must set a goal at least
munity. higher than its current performance level.
Reaching the goal will take more than a Based on the goals set for the system, each
few "quick fixes," Johnston said as he out- His general approach will be to help in- 52 achievement standards addressed by the school must then submit its own achievement
lined his vision for the system and broad crease the overall performance of the system Performance Based Accountability Plan plan for review by an advisory group that
goals for the 1993-94 school year. by improving the lowest performers, in terms (PBAB). Among other things the plan re- will include six teachers, three principals,
"These ideas are revolutionary for some of students and schools, without neglecting quires that classroom teachers, those working two administrators, three parents, one classi
pcoplc bccause they arc not the normal way top performers. closest to the students, be involved heavily in lied employee and a chairperson representing
of doing business," he warned while assuring 3ecause the stale requires it, the system's planning, decision making and setting goals. the administration.
board members the goals can be met. improvement will be measured primarily by Work has already begun on Brunswick See SUPERINTENDENT, Page 2-A)
FBI Investigates Owner Of Shollotte Computer Store
BY ERIC CARLSON
The Federal Bureau of Investi
gation is looking into possible mon
ey laundering violations in connec
tion with last week's seizure of a
Shallotte computer store and the ar
rest of four men on charges of con
spiring to accept stolen goods.
The owner of Pyramid Computers
on Main Street, along with his fa
ther, the store manager and an em
ployee, were set up in a joint stirig
operation by the Shallotte Police and
the Brunswick County Sheriff's de
partments.
The four were arrested Jan. 17 af
ter they allegedly purchased a
load of video games, computers and
electronic equipment from an under
cover officer who represented the
items as stolen, said Sheriff's
Detective Billy Hughes.
In fact, police had loaded the
truck with S40,(XX) worth of mer
chandise borrowed from the Wal
Mart store in Wilmington, which co
operated in the investigation,
Hughes said. After negotiating in the
store parking lot, the men agreed to
purchase the truck's contents for
S4,(KX).
"They had S23,(XX) in cash on
them, so they were ready to deal,"
Hughes said.
Aflcr completing the purchase,
policc closed in and arrested store
owner Douglas E. Tompkins Jr., 25,
and Douglas E. Tompkins Sr., 45,
both of Red Springs, along with
manager Steve Caudill, 29, of
Calabash and James C. Hariscll, 25,
of L.ongwood. All arc charged with
conspiracy to receive stolen proper
ly
Dctectives sealed the store and
seized an estimated S191,(XX) worth
of property, mostly computer equip
ment and video games. It has not yet
been determined whether any of the
items inside the store were stolen,
but. "it is very possible," said
Shallottc Police Chief Rodney
Cause.
Tompkins Jr. ownsl3 stores,
mostly in the Red Springs and
Lumberton areas, Hughes said. The
Pyramid store at Shallottc Plaza,
which opened about six months ago,
was Tompkins' only computer store.
The others arc video and video
game rental operations, he said
The FBI was called in when the
local investigation became suspi
cious that Tompkins may have been
purchasing stolen goods from other
stales, Hughes said.
Special Agent Craig Acklcy of
the FBI's Wilmington office said
Friday that his investigation was "in
the preliminary stages" and that no
federal charges had been filed in die
case. "However, that doesn't pre
clude the possibility," Ackley said.
Asked if there might be evidence
of federal money laundering viola
tions, Ackley replied, "I don't want
to blow this thing out of proportion,
but dial's one of the things we're
looking into."
One form of money laundering
involves using illegal profits in a
bona fide business to establish legit
imate financial records that can dis
guise the source of the money.
Doing so is a violation of federal
law.
Ackley, Hughes and Cause spent
much of last week taking inventory
of items seized in the Pyramid
Computers store with the help of
Caudill, who has assisted investiga
tors in the case since his arrest,
Hughes said.
According to court records, it was
Caudill who last month asked a store
customer if he could gel 1(X) Super
Nintendo games oaring his travels to
New York. What Caudill did not re
alize was that the man was a sher
iff's department informant, who re
layed the information to detectives.
See COMPUTER. Page 2-A)
STAff PHOTO BY tRIC CADISON
YELLOW TAPE and a police car block the entrance to the
Pyramid Computers store in Shallotte Plaza nfter it was seized in
the arrest of four men charged with conspiring to accept stolen
goods.