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Today's News

  • Winter Fire Safety

    As cold weather ushers in the holiday season, it also brings an increase in residential fires. Residents all over the county are heating their homes for the cold weather, plugging in extra lights and holiday decorations and preparing larger meals. All of these things are attributed to a rise in fires nationwide during the winter months.

    “Statistically in the winter, there is an increase in the number of fires,” Shallotte Fire Marshal Andrew Thompson said.

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  • Shallotte Crime Report

    The Shallotte Police Department investigated the following incidents and made the following arrests last week. All information is taken directly from police incident and arrest reports.

    •Kenneth Wayne Taylor, 48, of 1604 Lovette Road, Lumberton, was charged with DWI, driving while license revoked and left of center. Taylor was held at the Brunswick County Detention Center on a $1,000 bond.

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  • Tightening the belt

    Times are tough. We all know it. We’ve all buckled down, tightened our belts and felt the pressure on our personal finances.

    In the past three years at another company I worked for, I was told my benefits were being reduced, there was a raise freeze and then my pay was being cut because the company wasn’t making enough money. I thanked my lucky stars I wasn’t being laid off like so many others but I knew it was going to be tough.

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  • Principals ask for higher standards for graduation, promotion requirements

    BOLIVIA—Principals have asked members of the Brunswick County Board of Education to adopt stricter graduation requirements and promotion standards than what is required by the state.

    At a policy meeting last week, Bob Grimes, Brunswick County Schools’ director of secondary education, presented policy committee and board members Catherine Cooke and Shirley Babson with proposed changes to the graduation policy, No. 3460.

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  • Ocean Isle Beach Crime Report

    The Ocean Isle Beach Police Department investigated the following incidents last week. All information is taken directly from police incident reports.

    •Breaking and entering and larceny on Pender Street; suspect gained entry to a storage building and removed items, including a power washer.

    •Breaking and entering and larceny at Causeway Inn on Causeway Drive; suspect entered and removed items, including a laptop computer, DVD player and jewelry.

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  • Proposed funding agreement may allocate more funds to schools than previous year

    BOLIVIA—Members of the Brunswick County Board of Education hope a funding agreement with the Brunswick County Commissioners will allocate just as much, if not more, local funding to the school system than was allocated during the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

    This comes as good news for the school district, as Superintendent Ed Pruden said Brunswick County Schools could face as much as a $12 million reduction in state and federal funds for the upcoming fiscal year.

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  • Board members want immediate action taken after bullying claims

    BOLIVIA—Brunswick County Board of Education members want immediate action taken following claims of bullying.

    During the public comment section of the board’s monthly meeting Tuesday night, a mother of a high school student came before the board and said her child had been “bullied on and off” for several years.

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  • New member sworn into board of education; board picks new chairperson

    BOLIVIA—Six years and one day ago, John Thompson left the Brunswick County Board of Education as Scott Milligan came on board.

    Roles reversed Tuesday, as Milligan left the board after deciding not to seek re-election. Thompson was elected to fill the District 5 seat last month.

    “It’s been a long voyage,” Milligan said at the beginning of Tuesday’s board meeting.

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  • Someone forgot to tell Mother Nature we prefer it warm

    In 2007 when I had the opportunity to come to Brunswick County, I also had a chance to leave the U.S. and get a taste of the newspaper business in Canaada.

    Know much about Edmonton, Alberta, Canada? 

    It’s beautiful, with rolling flat fields of bright yellow canola in the summer. The sky stretches forever, and white fluffy clouds seem to be within reach. If you tiptoe just high enough, maybe you can jump up and touch one. 

    Summers in Alberta are enticing.

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  • Commissioner isn’t a friend of transparent, open government

    Brunswick County Commissioner Charles Warren, we don’t think you’re being a friend of open government.

    We’ve had a lot of questions in the last several months about the transparency involving operations of the Brunswick County Department of Social Services Board.

    We’ve questioned decisions about closed sessions, and we’ve been apprehensive about how hush-hush the board has been on the investigation into former director Jamie Orrock.

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