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Opinion

  • Get to know your neighbors at town...

    Brunswick County is a vibrant community. From the north end of the county to the southern border and all points in between, there is usually an event or community activity going on year-round.
    This is especially true during the holiday season, when towns are busy planning events. Most of the county’s incorporated towns plan events this time of year.

  • Cost-savings measures good step...

    Brunswick County officials have made a sound financial decision regarding accessibility of employee payroll and related information.
    Instead of firing up the photocopier and turning on printers while burning through boxes of paper, officials have moved employee payroll information to the Internet.
    Through a secure and password-protected site, county employees can now sign online—at any time at their convenience—to review pay stubs, tax forms, pay dates, vacation and sick leave amounts and more.

  • Look for ways to give back this...

    Retailers across the country are hoping as soon as you put down your fork and swallow the last bit of your Thanksgiving meal that you’ll put on your most comfortable shoes and head out for a day of shopping Thursday.
    While holiday shopping has traditionally began the day after Thanksgiving, more and more retailers are hoping to lure you in with special deals Thursday instead of waiting for Black Friday.

  • Help us promote seat belt use with...


    Week after week we here at the Beacon share news about things happening in our county. Far too often those stories include tales of lives lost, often on Brunswick County roadways.
    Some of those victims were not wearing seat belts. In some cases, emergency officials think seat belts may have saved lives.
    So far this year there have been 37 fatalities in crashes on Brunswick and nearby New Hanover County roads. Some of those victims were not wearing their seat belts.

  • Proudly serving Brunswick County...


    The dateline for the first edition of The Brunswick Beacon, which was then called the Shallotte Press, was Nov. 1, 1962.
    A few issues later, after a reader won a naming competition, the newspaper changed its name to The Brunswick Beacon.
    In the 50 years since this newspaper was founded by Robert Stanley, men and women of all ages and all walks of life have come to work here, trying the best we can to continue to provide this community with accurate, high-quality journalism, photography and advertisements, while entertaining a broad spectrum of readers.

  • Exercise your right: Vote on Tuesday

    It’s time to stop with all the rhetoric.
    It’s time to stop all of the debates.
    It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican, Democrat, Independent or other, now is the time to place all of your beliefs and convictions on the table.
    The future of our county, the great state of North Carolina and this nation may come down to one day—Tuesday, Nov. 6.
    On that day, those of you who have not already exercised your right to vote early are encouraged to make your way to the polls to vote on Election Day.

  • Brunswick roads can be dangerous

    Between Jan. 1 and July 31 this year, 676 people had died in crashes on North Carolina roads.
    Twelve of those deaths happened right here in Brunswick County, and sadly, we’ve had several more since the last update given by the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program (NCGHSP).
    For all of 2011, 21 people died on Brunswick County roads. Unfortunately, it’s a trend that doesn’t seem to be decreasing.

  • Take part in event to learn about...

    The Rev. Donna Phelps and her husband Garry have made it their mission to help others.
    Last year they and their organization, Building Hope Ministries, played a key role in organizing other churches and organizations in tackling the issue of homelessness in Brunswick County.
    As the economy tanked several years ago and has struggled to recovered, many residents—most of whom were taxpaying, hardworking, middle class citizens—found themselves suddenly out of work. Many of them still are.

  • Say thank you to wounded soldiers...

    They have made sacrifices many of us truly cannot understand.
    They have put their lives on the line to make this nation and others safer in the name of freedom and American patriotism.
    Many have scars that cannot be seen, but for others, their sacrifices may be more visible.

  • Joint board consolidation is...

    It would have been easy for Brunswick County commissioners to keep the status quo with the county’s board of health and board of social services.
    It would have been even easier for some board members to delay making a decision altogether and instead wait until after the November election to let a new county commissioners’ board tackle the problem.

  • Now is not the time to limit free...

    When the town of Sunset Beach announced recently it planned to put a temporary moratorium on construction along Sunset Boulevard, it left us feeling a bit uneasy.
    We’re glad to see they have since backed off the idea.
    The last report had Brunswick County’s unemployment at 11 percent. That was tough to swallow, especially when numbers that high occurred during our busy summer season.
    Without question, after the real estate and building construction industry slowed down people have been in need of more opportunities to go to work.

  • Checkpoints help keep Brunswick...

    This past weekend was a busy one for Brunswick County. As beach bunnies tried to catch the last of the summer sun, our roads were heavy with traffic for the long Labor Day weekend.
    On Friday night and early Saturday morning, if you were traveling in the southern end of the county, chances are you encountered a group of Brunswick County professionals who weren’t off work for the holiday weekend.

  • Protect pets and people from deadly...

    Rabies is well documented here in Brunswick County. So far this year we have had four confirmed cases of animals with this disease.
    Most recently a bobcat went after a dog and a man in Oak Island. The man was able to kill the bobcat with a tire iron. Luckily the man and dog weren’t hurt.
    There have been three other confirmed cases in the county, including a raccoon that attacked a dog in Supply. The dog, which was not vaccinated against rabies, had to be put down. A fox also attacked people in Oak Island earlier this year.

  • Fair Sentencing Act isn’t fair to...

    A recent heroin bust here in Brunswick County is a perfect example of what is wrong with North Carolina’s justice system.
    It’s not the work investigators did to uncover the drug operation; it’s the fact the perpetrator was on the streets to begin with.
    Back in 1994 Christopher Mosby was convicted of second-degree murder. He was found guilty for assisting in the murder of Louis Lopez in Winston-Salem on Jan. 21, 1994.

  • Move to consolidate DSS, health...

    Brunswick County commissioners are headed in the right direction.
    On Monday, commissioners heard information about House Bill 438. The law allows each North Carolina county to determine the composition of its social services and health boards.
    Counties can have separate DSS and health boards, like Brunswick County has now. They also have the option to dissolve those boards and assume responsibilities as commissioners.
    A third option is to dissolve those boards and create a new board that oversees both operations.

  • Support Hope Harbor and cheer on...

    Tom Hunter has a big heart and a big love for Harleys.
    The almost-70-year-old Ocean Isle Beach resident recently left Brunswick County for Las Vegas. He won’t be there to spend money; he’s there to raise it.
    During the next week or so Hunter will join other motorcycle enthusiasts on a 6,000-mile journey to New York. Along the way the Hope Harbor Home board member wants to raise funds for Hope Harbor.

  • Glenda Ansley was devoted advocate...

    While Glenda Ansley lost her brave battle against breast cancer last weekend, her legacy here in Brunswick County will live on.
    Those who knew and loved her say Ansley was a tireless advocate for the county’s young people. She always put them and others before herself, believing deeply in second chances.
    Ansley played a huge role as coordinator for Brunswick County Teen Court. In that role, Ansley said it was her goal to try to reach children early on to help save them, the community and our schools.

  • Thanks, Dewey Hill, for all you...

    For 20 years Rep. Dewey Hill has served this region in Raleigh, but his service to Brunswick and surrounding counties started long before.
    Hill announced he won’t seek re-election to the General Assembly, but that doesn’t mean he has plans to retire. He says he’ll continue to work, but instead of traversing to Raleigh he’ll stay closer to his Columbus County home as he oversees Hills Food Stores and Hillcrest Corp.

  • Local grants good news for area...


    Two area agencies have recently received grants that are sure to benefit Brunswick County and all its residents.
    The first grant—which affects everyone who lives in or visits Brunswick County—is a $2.1 million grant from the N.C. 911 Board for the county’s emergency services department to consolidate two different 911 call centers.
    Currently, depending on from where you call 911, your call may be answered in either Bolivia or Oak Island. The grant will fund the consolidation of the two call centers into one 911 center in Bolivia.

  • Program makes recycling a...

    Brunswick County has a growing problem—its trash.
    While we’re blessed to be a county where people want to live, with a growing population comes a number of quality-of-life headaches, like what do we do with all the stuff residents and visitors throw away?
    As of July 1, the county has a new alternative—a fee-based, countywide curbside recycling program.
    Some of the county’s municipalities offer curbside recycling, but those who live in unincorporated areas—or in towns without recycling—were left with few options.