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Local News

  • Annexation hearing draw mixed comments in Sunset Beach

    SUNSET BEACH—Most comments from residents along N.C. 179 Monday indicated they would rather not be annexed into the town.

    With less than 20 people in attendance, the hearing was conducted to gather citizen input about the town’s effort under way to annex a 99-acre residential stretch mostly along the eastern side of the road between The Colony II at Oyster Bay and the Calabash River.

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  • Holden Beach behind on fiscal year revenues so far

    The Town of Holden Beach is about $45,000 shy of the $1.486 million in estimated revenues so far this fiscal year, town manager David Hewett told Holden Beach commissioners during a budget workshop Monday at the new Emergency Operations Center.

    Ninety-seven percent of property taxes have been collected.

    The town manager is hopeful that percentage will increase.

    “I understand it’s a common practice in a beach community for some homeowners to wait until the rentals start coming in to pay their taxes,” Hewett said.

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  • Taking the leap of faith in a difficult market

    SUNSET BEACH—Mary Ann Bechtel knows the importance of establishing a good reputation in business. It was her reputation as a Realtor that gave her the confidence to take a huge risk by starting her own agency last month.

    The former Navy recruiter moved to Brunswick County in 1996 and began her real estate career. For the last five-and-a-half years, she was an agent with Re/Max. Then, in February, Bechtel made the leap to her own agency—in the midst of a historic downturn in the real estate market.

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  • County cafeteria to temporarily close for retail dining

    The cafeteria at the Brunswick County Government Complex is scheduled to close for renovations for about three months.

    Assistant county manager Steve Stone said the cafeteria will temporarily close for retail dining around April 1 but will continue providing meals for inmates at the Brunswick County Detention Center and for Brunswick Senior Resources.

    The cafeteria is being renovated and while the new kitchen is operating, Stone said the dining room is scheduled to undergo renovations, which are expected to take about three months.

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  • Town hears request for skydiving permission

    OCEAN ISLE BEACH—A new type of recreation could soon be dropping from 14,000 feet in the air onto Ocean Isle Beach.

    Bill Leppert, a commercial pilot and flight instructor at Ocean Isle Beach Aviation, approached the board of commissioners Tuesday with a skydiving presentation, hoping to bring the air sport to the Ocean Isle Beach Airport in the near future.

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  • Lawsuit filed by former West Brunswick student's family against Board of Education dismissed

    A lawsuit filed by the parents of a former West Brunswick High School student against the Brunswick County Board of Education has been dismissed.

    U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III dismissed the lawsuit filed by Robert Frye, Kathy Frye and Kylee Rose Frye on Monday, March 9.

    The Frye family filed the lawsuit against the board last year, after learning their then 17-year old daughter, Kylee, was found engaging in a sexual relationship with David Arrowood, a former West Brunswick High School math teacher, according to the lawsuit.

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  • Chamber presents awards at annual meeting

    SUNSET BEACH—The Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce honored its members for their work over the past year at last week’s annual meeting.

    In addition to the annual awards, chamber staff did something a little different this year. Chamber President/CEO Cathy Altman gave a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the member companies’ accomplishments over the past year, which drew positive response from the audience.

    “I’ve gotten such good feedback,” Altman said last week. “The members are saying we should do that every year.”

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  • CLARIFICATION

    A story in last week’s Beacon about a bond reduction in Carolina Shores should have said Amie Drucker was acting as civil engineer for Portrait Homes. 

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  • Black history highlighted with ‘Voices of Freedom’

    SHALLOTTE—The West Brunswick High School Theatre Department and Drama Club showcased “Voices of Freedom,” a Black History Month celebration, last weekend.

    Bill Negron, the show’s director, said directing the play was a “dream come true,” as it was the first Black History show of its kind to be produced at West Brunswick. Sponsored by a grant from the Brunswick Arts Council Multicultural division, Bill Negron created the play’s script by incorporating famous people, places and speeches in history.

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  • Schools lose more money as lottery funds reduced

    BOLIVIA—The Brunswick County Board of Education was asked to send back about $470,000 to the state in a reversion earlier this year. While the state has not asked for another reversion, schools will be taking another hit to their budgets, as state lottery funds will be reduced.

    Freyja Cahill, executive finance officer, said Gov. Bev Perdue reduced the district’s lottery funds to $340,000—25 percent of what was originally allotted.

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