.....Advertisement.....
.....Advertisement.....

Today's News

  • District court docket

    The following cases were adjudicated over five days of District Criminal Court on Aug. 18, 19, 20, 23 and 24 in Bolivia.

    Codes: PG, pleaded guilty; PNG/NG, pleaded not guilty, found not guilty; PNG/G, pleaded not guilty, found guilty; BCDC, Brunswick County Detention Center; NCDOC, North Carolina Department of Corrections.

    Wednesday, Aug. 18

    Judge Scott L. Ussery presided over the following cases with prosecutor Cathi Radford and courtroom clerk Jennifer Hearn:

    Click here to read more...
  • It’s all fun and games right until someone gets stung by wasps

    My great-grandmother made it clear. My cousin and I were to stay far away from the old pickup truck she had parked near some trees in a clearing.

    Seems the truck had been there some time, not running, and wasps had decided it was as good a place as any to call home.

    “If you don’t want to get stung, stay away from it,” she said.

    My cousin and cohort in crime smiled with his back turned toward her and nodded in my direction. We headed outside.

    Click here to read more...
  • What exactly is going on at DSS and why is the board keeping it so quiet?

    We’re not exactly clear what’s going on with Brunswick County’s Department of Social Services, but we have some concerns about the actions taken recently by its board.

    On Aug. 6, the board had a meeting where it made a decision to place Jamie Orrock, DSS director, on paid administrative leave. We can find no record of public notice being given for this meeting.

    Click here to read more...
  • Tourism officials say summer was off to slow start, made some progress

    The beaches are still dotted with umbrellas; people are still lining up for ice cream at the local parlors, and traffic is still slower on the bridges, but tourist season is about to officially wrap up in Brunswick County.

    Has this season been busier than last year? Some local business owners are saying yes, although it did get off to a slow start.

    Mitzi York, executive director of the Brunswick County Tourism Development Authority, said June was about 1.6 percent below last year, although the months of January through May were better than 2009.

    Click here to read more...
  • Coastal Horizons receives funds from Reynolds trust

    Coastal Horizons Center, which recently opened an office in Shallotte, has been awarded $137,500 from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. The funds are to be used to hire a family nurse practitioner and case manager to help provide primary care services for patients.

    “We’re giving priority to chronic conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which is what we see often with our clients who come in. They have a multitude of illnesses,” Coastal Horizons CEO Margaret Weller-Stargell said recently.

    Click here to read more...
  • Diverse culture, heritage represented at upcoming Intercultural Festival

    The diverse cultures and people that make up Brunswick County will be celebrated this year as part of the annual Brunswick County Intercultural Festival.

    The event, which is set for noon-5 p.m., Sept. 11, will be on the grounds of the Odell Williamson Auditorium on the campus of Brunswick Community College in Bolivia. The event’s theme is “Bringing the World to Brunswick County.”

    Click here to read more...
  • VIDEO INCLUDED: Kindergarten — Their first day

    ASH—The bell rang at 8 a.m., officially marking the first day of kindergarten.

    At 8:05 a.m., one 5-year-old announced he did not want to listen to the morning story.

    At 8:12 a.m., another decided she wanted chicken nuggets and ketchup, unaware that’s not on the day’s menu.

    At 8:16 a.m., another little girl decided to color the dog on her paper green.

    8:29 a.m.: “Hey, can we go outside and play on the swing set?”

    By 8:30 a.m. two students had already to the bathroom and back.

    Click here to read more...
  • Shallotte Crime Report

    The Shallotte Police Department investigated the following incidents last week. All information is taken directly from police reports.

    •Forgery and uttering and obtaining by false pretenses at Coastal Drugs; suspect forged prescriptions for Percocet, Soma and Oltram. The doctor whose prescription pad was used for the prescriptions said he did not write them and the suspect was not a patient.

    Click here to read more...
  • UPDATED: DSS board takes no action on suspended director

    UPDATE: The private investigator hired by the county’s social services board to investigate DSS director Jamie Orrock, who has been on leave since Aug. 11, has cost the county more than $3,000.

    According to an invoice filed with the county Aug. 31, the county owes PDS Investigations $3,300 for three hours of document/questionnaire development, six hours of travel to Bolivia, 20 hours of investigative interview services and four hours for a final report.

    Click here to read more...
  • Category 4 Hurricane Earl not expected to make landfall in Brunswick County

    Its name is Earl.

    A Category 4 Hurricane, Earl had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as of the 6 p.m. National Weather Service briefing Tuesday, Brunswick County Emergency Service Director Anthony Marzano said.

    “We are expecting the storm to weaken. It will most likely be a Category 3 when it begins to impact the coastal waters of North Carolina,” Marzano said.

    “We are currently expecting that it will stay off shore. It continues to slide ever so slightly west,” he said.

    Click here to read more...