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Today's News

  • Board evaluates superintendent

    BOLIVIA—The annual evaluation of the superintendent of Brunswick County Schools has been completed, but the public will not see the results.

    Superintendent Katie McGee chose Tuesday night to give a public statement rather than release the evaluation in its entirety.

    The Brunswick Beacon submitted a formal request to McGee in July asking for the entire evaluation be released to the public. At the time McGee said she “had no problem doing so.”

    After the board concluded McGee’s evaluation Tuesday evening, she decided not to release it.

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  • Contestants practice for 'Are You Smarter than a Village Schooler?'

    All 12 contestants in Evelyn Smith Wray Village School’s upcoming event “Are You Smarter Than a Village Schooler?” bring different skills to the playing field.

    When it comes to math and science questions, contestants need to look out for Scott Kucera, executive director of Ocean Isle Museum Inc.

    Kucera has a master’s of science degree in environmental science and engineering from UNC-Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University, where he majored in physics.

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  • Holden Beach, public talk about cabanas

    No one said he or she wanted to ban cabanas totally from Holden Beach as town leaders sought citizen input during their regular meeting Tuesday night.

    But it seemed to be a consensus from the island residents who spoke they would like cabanas banned from sunset to sunrise each day, as they said it is on Sunset Beach.

    Island residents said the cabana issue is a small problem now, but they would like Holden Beach commissioners to set a policy before it becomes a big problem.

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  • Vision plan's draft discussed

    SHALLOTTE—Urban planner Allison Platt sees downtown, mixed-use development in this town’s future and also as an esthetically pleasing, economic alternative to suburban sprawl across the country.

    At a special meeting Tuesday night, Platt presented her latest draft of Shallotte’s 10-year vision plan, complete with downtown, riverfront development, and gave town aldermen guidelines for implementation.

    The board is scheduled to vote on the final plan at next Tuesday’s regular meeting set for 7 p.m. at town hall.

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  • San Rio property owner cries foul

    George Dedrick and his wife, Kay, of Gibsonville decided to buy a lot in the San Rio Ocean and River Club last July. The deal was finalized the following September.

    The two had always been careful with their money, George Dedrick said, and they were looking for an investment or maybe a future retirement residence. San Rio fit the bill.

    They liked the uniqueness of the plans for San Rio, off Gray Bridge Road in the Shallotte area. They knew the developers, Wakefield, had a history of good projects in other parts of the state.

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  • Senator, USDA reps visit fire station

    SHALLOTTE—U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a staffer from Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s office and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development department paid a visit last week to the Shallotte Central Fire Station on Wall Street, built from a USDA Rural Development grant.

    The town planned a lunch and a celebration to honor the USDA grant and federal representatives for their assistance.

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  • Shallotte Fire Department awarded hiring grant; board seeks more info

    SHALLOTTE—The federal government has awarded the Shallotte Fire Department $406,420 to hire four new firefighters, but town aldermen want to wait a week to decide whether to approve it.

    The new firefighters would provide enough staffing to meet federal recommendations for safety.

    The five-year grant requires the town to provide matching funds at a greater rate each year, and at Tuesday night’s pre-agenda meeting, aldermen said they wanted a week to have all their questions answered before approving it.

    The grant will be on the Sept. 2 meeting agenda.

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  • CAMA grants $500,000 for Sunset Beach boat ramp

    SUNSET BEACH—A Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) grant of $500,000 has been approved for a new public boat launch site in Sunset Beach.

    “It’s good news, of course,” Sunset Beach Town Administrator Gary Parker said of the announcement made last week.

    Parker said the grant will have to be used for what the town has proposed—acquisition for $1.9 million of a 1.2-acre mainland site next to the waterway where the ramp is to be built.

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  • ABC store reopens in Village at Sunset Beach

    SUNSET BEACH—“Today we should get our first customer,” Bob Bobinski said, standing in the town’s newly relocated ABC store as it opened in a drenching rainstorm at 9 a.m. Monday.

    The Sunset Beach councilman and local ABC board member was right.

    Minutes later, Roy Greenwood of Sunset Beach bellied up to the liquor-store counter to buy two George Dickel Tennessee Whisky mini-bottles from store clerk Brooke Farquhar for $3.21.

    “All my friends are coming to visit tonight,” Greenwood joked.

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  • Lessons from the end of a paddle left lasting impressions

    My teacher made it very clear. She was leaving the room. We were to work on our assignments and should not speak a word while she was gone.

    Knowing my penchant for jabbering—reflected in the “Stacey talks too much” that often appeared on my grade-school report cards—my teacher looked right at me.

    “Don’t talk,” she said as she headed out the door.

    I tried hard to do my work, but with the teacher gone, the impulse to talk was much bigger than my third-grade body could contain.

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