Opinion

Monday night, Brunswick County Commissioners made a good decision when they decided to make changes to the county’s water availability fee.

Previously, residents, whose homes were built before 1997, had to pay the $11 monthly fee just because the water service was available, even if a homeowner opted not to tap into the system.

With changes made Monday night, residents who don’t have a tap into the system, or those who choose to have a tap removed from their property, will no longer have to pay the fee.

Between Aug. 17 and Sept. 3 last year, there were more than 500 alcohol-related crashes on North Carolina roads. Twenty-seven people were killed and more than 400 were injured.

In an effort to lower those numbers and help keep roads safe, law enforcement officers throughout the state participated in a recent Booze It & Lose It campaign. Local and state law enforcement stepped up patrols throughout the Labor Day holiday weekend to make sure drunk drivers stayed off local roads, and quickly apprehended those who decided to drink and drive.

What happened to John Floyd should have never happened.

Floyd, a former West Brunswick High School athletics director, reassumed the AD position he had years ago earlier this month. For two weeks, he dutifully fulfilled the role, replacing Marcia Heady who took another position at Shallotte Middle School.

His signed contract needed only to be approved by the board of education at its regularly scheduled meeting Aug.12. But at that meeting, the board chose not to approve the hiring recommendation.

Why?

Law enforcement officials are forced to make split-second life or death decisions every day.

In the moments they have to make decisions to protect themselves and innocent bystanders, they must also figure out ways to effectively and safely subdue perpetrators. While experience gives officers valuable tools to deal with these uncertain situations, frequent, comprehensive training is a vital component in making sure good, safe decisions are made.

For many petty criminals, life on the wrong side of the law is often spurred by bad choices directly associated with drug and alcohol addiction.

Sending those violators directly to jail, without rehabilitation plans, including a strong drug and alcohol recovery program, can do little to help many who, when out on the streets again, return to the same behaviors that put them in jail.

Why not? He has been a Democrat, and then a Republican, and now he is a Libertarian.

Mr. Gilbert’s decision to run in the general election as a libertarian is a legal, albeit sneaky, way to circumvent being tossed out of office.

According to the Consumer Price Index, in the last year, the cost of living has increased more than 4 percent. A leading factor in that increase has been the cost of gas. We’re seeing the rising cost of fuel affecting most areas of our lives—from travel and energy to food prices.

As one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, Brunswick County experiences a lot of boom and bust from its growing population.

While its impact on roads and other infrastructure can be negative, growth also brings a number of positive things.

For example, many new businesses, stores and restaurants that would have previously overlooked Brunswick are stopping to set up shop here. That means more jobs for area workers. In some cases, it also means bringing more workers into the area, which in turn spurs on increased home building and sales.

The time has never been better to get out and enjoy events and places in Brunswick County. Whether you’re a full-time resident, a part-time resident, or a vacationer, you’ll quickly see there is much to do in our community.

While a number of businesses and entertainment groups put on some outstanding productions, some of the very best things to see and do here are events put on by a broad base of community volunteers. From theater productions and musicals to art shows and weekend festivals, from May until October, Brunswick County is hopping.