Opinion

It is easy to consider how members of our military put themselves in danger each time they enter a war zone, where casualties are not unexpected. We do not often realize how frequently they put themselves in harm’s way by training for that experience, even if they never engage in combat, until an accident happens.

We do not often come to that realization unless such a tragedy strikes someone we know.

Sgt. Adam Schoeller was one of us — not just because he was a Marine, but also because he married into our community.

Often when people consider the concept of volunteerism, they think of it in terms of serving charities, like Habitat for Humanity, and civic organizations, like Kiwanis. It may not occur to them they can put their spare time toward guiding their local government and the direction of the communities in which they live.

Within the past month, the Beacon has published appeals from Shallotte, Leland and Holden Beach for volunteers to serve on various municipal boards and committees.

Whether you plan to attend the New Year’s Eve Celebration sponsored by the Beacon at Brunswick Senior Resources Inc. in Shallotte or ring in 2016 with the annual events in Calabash, at Shallotte Moose Lodge or Sharky’s in Ocean Isle Beach, please make sure your plans including getting home safely and without putting others at risk.

With controversy still brewing over the Brunswick County Board of Education’s split decision to seek approval from the county board of commissioners to place a $152 million bond referendum on the November 2016 ballot, it seemed further discussion about and possible implementation of a day treatment program would be stymied until matters related to the bond proposal were settled.

Brunswick County’s homeless population may be better hidden than in other communities across the state and nation, but it does exist.

On Nov. 21, the Brunswick County Homeless Coalition hosted its fourth annual Hunger and Homeless Banquet at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Southport in observance of National Hunger and Homeless Awareness. A soup and water luncheon followed presentations from various groups outlining the scope of the issue in our community.

We said in an editorial last month there was no reason to think the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners would not allow the 2016 general election ballot to include a bond referendum for Brunswick County Schools. We said there is already no doubt the school district needs money to meet the needs of its students.

On Nov. 3, school board vice chairwoman Shirley Babson, John Thompson and Bud Thorsen voted to approve a $175 million bond referendum request.

More than a year after a community coalition took its first step toward addressing Brunswick County’s heroin crisis through a collaborative multi-agency initiative, it may seem as though little headway has been made in eradicating the problem.

Just last year, Brunswick County residents had 20 unintentional medication and drug overdose deaths — a rate of 16.8 per 100,000 people. By comparison, the North Carolina average was 9.7 people per 100,000 people, according to figures from N.C. Vital Records and State Center for Health Statistics

It has been nearly a month since Brunswick County prosecutors detailed the indictments against Harry Simmons, the mayor of Caswell Beach: 18 felonies related to his service as chairman of the Brunswick Beaches Consortium. He stands accused of embezzling $673,304.07 from funds earmarked for the consortium’s lobbying efforts.

By all accounts, the rainfall that soaked Brunswick County as a result of Hurricane Joaquin and the storm system following it constituted a historic event, the likes of which we have not seen in decades. While the hurricane never made landfall, it was the first part of a one-two punch of precipitation that left many residents along our coast and farther inland temporarily trapped in their homes and caused flood damage as though the hurricane had blown through the area.