Columbus County Community Chat

Representatives from area churches bring petitions containing more than 6,700 signatures.

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

The Columbus County Board of Education is facing one of its biggest decisions in recent years – a decision that could result in legal action from two opposing groups and a decision that will leave some folks angry, no matter what’s decided.

The school board met in open forum Monday night in the Cerro Gordo Elementary School auditorium to discuss its 2007 decision not to allow the Columbus County chapter of Gideons to offer Bibles to fifth graders throughout the system.

The auditorium was about two-thirds full with county residents mostly in favor of allowing the Gideons to continue the 35-year tradition.

Superintendent Dan Strickland opened the meeting with a detailed history of the events leading to the Monday night gathering.

He said that two years ago, after the board of education had already okayed the Gideons’ Bible request for spring 2006, he received a call from the state representative of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

“We understand that in Columbus County, you have a policy of distributing Bibles,” Strickland said the representative asked. Strickland said there was no policy.

Strickland explained to the caller that the board had been approving a single request from Gideons to place Bibles on tables for fifth graders to pick up.

Strickland said that the ACLU representative informed him that the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled such a Bible distribution was unconstitutional.

He said that the ACLU guaranteed that if the practice were to continue, there would be a lawsuit.

Strickland said that the request had already been granted, but they would look at it for 2007.

At the same time, the Brunswick County Schools was dealing with the ACLU on the same issue.

The Brunswick County Board of Education elected that year to not allow the Gideons to distribute the Bibles in order to avoid what could be expensive litigation.

One year ago, when the Gideons submitted their annual request, the Columbus County board turned them down but offered to allow them to distribute at the high school level, which would be allowed under law.

The right thing

“Our thoughts as a board were that we were doing the right thing,” Strickland said. “We never took the Bible out of the school. We moved it from fifth grade to high school.”

Strickland pointed out that students can bring Bibles to school and give them to all of their friends if they wish.

Strickland said that in Brunswick County two years ago, there were six or seven organizations ready to file suit for equal access.

County schools’ attorney Bill Phipps spoke next.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with the Gideons all of these years,” Phipps said, adding that there has never been a problem since “we live in the middle of the Bible Belt.

“But no one had ever shot a bullet across our bow,” he said of the 2006 letter from the ACLU.

No policy

Phipps said the real problem lies with the county’s lack of a policy, one way or the other, concerning open or closed forum schools.

He said that the N. C. School Board Association (NCSBA) is working to complete a new policy manual this spring that is aligned with recent court decisions.

To comply with recent court decisions, the school board must decide if it will practice open or closed forum.

In open forum, Phipps explained, all religious groups, and not just the Gideons, must be granted equal access to students.

That means, when the board chooses a day for Bible distribution, it must also provide equal space for any other religious group – Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan or in extreme cases, Satanists or witches.

In closed forum, no religious group is allowed any access at all to students.

Phipps said that the policy written by the board could allow community-based materials promoting Scouts or area festivals.

No objections

He said that the board has been able to accommodate the Gideons because there have been virtually no objections from parents and there has been little religious diversity in the county.

“We haven’t had a complaint about the Gideons except from the ACLU,” he said.

He said that without a policy, the ACLU will take a hard look at all of the school board’s actions and determine if it’s an open forum with equal access.

Phipps said that Brunswick’s superintendent said she had received literature from non-Christian religious organizations to pass out on the same day as the Bibles, including several boxes of colorful Wiccan literature from a Wiccan church in Asheville.

A note was attached that read, “When you display the Bibles, display ours also.”

Phipps said that if his fifth-grade kids had come home with the Koran or Buddhist and Wiccan materials, he would have explained what they were as he threw them away.

He said that the only element the board could control would be illegal matter such as pornography or material that encouraged illegal activity or sedition.

Legal help

Phipps said that the school board had been contacted by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Christian rights group with a history of fighting the ACLU.

The ADF said that if the school board follows a policy of equal access and permits the Gideons to distribute the Bibles, it would represent it for free in court, should litigation arise.

“We don’t have equal access,” Phipps said. “We couldn’t win. What we’re trying to do is make sure we comply.”

Liability issues

Phipps said that if the school board were to be sued in federal court by the ACLU or a disgruntled parent, each board member could stand to have a judgment against him.

The board’s liability insurance is from the NCSBA. Phipps said if the board is sued and it’s not in compliance with recent court rulings, the NCSBA will not cover any damages or costs.

Phipps said a judgment and/or attorney fees for the plaintiffs could run several thousand dollars. He said the superintendent and assistant superintendent could also be sued.

“Judgments are collectible from the people representing you who are trying to educate your children and grandchildren,”
Phipps told the audience.

He said the members of the administrative staff are reluctant to put their personal financial wellbeing in harm’s way.

“We’re here to educate, not litigate,” he said. Phipps said it would be difficult to justify one or two million dollars in judgments and damages.

Phipps said the board is doing a good job educating the county’s children and they don’t need to be distracted by a lawsuit.

“There is a lot of worry and anguish when you’re sued,” he said.

Ed Worley, a longtime member of the Gideons, spoke next.

He asked the board not only to allow the distribution of Bibles to this year’s fifth graders, but to also to sixth graders, since they received none last year.

He said that in the 35 years he has been involved, only six children had ever turned down a Bible.

He called the Bible distribution something that the students look forward to.

“You can read it on their lips and the expressions on their faces,” he said.

Worley said that the fifth grade was the ideal grade for the Bibles. He said high school students have too many other things on their minds.

Bleak picture

Kip Godwin spoke next.

“Mr. Phipps paints a bleak picture,” he began. “You can’t believe anything the ACLU tells you. You can’t take their advice as gospel on legal matters.”

He said that the ACLU and the ADF have cited cases that support their positions.

“I encourage the board not to side with the ACLU but to side with the Christians of the county.”

Godwin told the group that if the county’s Christians don’t take a stand now, it will only be a matter of time before Bibles won’t be allowed in homes and people will not be able to assemble in church.

“We’re in Columbus County,” he said. “This has got to go a different way.”

Godwin encouraged all to pray for the board. “We don’t want them to be sued,” he said. “If we see a policy adopted the right way, the ACLU will go away.

Bad position

“As a board, you are caught in the worst possible position you could be in,” he said, addressing the board members.

He said they could be facing a lawsuit by the ACLU if they decide one way and a lawsuit by the ADF if they decide another.

“The ADF can bring suit against you as well,” he said. He accused the board of discriminating against the Gideons.

Broken the law

“By your own practice, you have broken the law,” he said. “You need a policy of equal access.

“Does that open the door to the Wiccans?” he asked. “They have the same right to assemble as we do. We’ve got to allow them all in. In Columbus County, it’s a little bit of a red herring to cite those examples.”

Godwin said that the law may not apply to just religious groups, but could also apply to Scouts and area festivals that wish to distribute literature.

Godwin suggested that a policy include the requirement that a religious group’s representative be present during the distributions of material.

“If you want to distribute materials, don’t ship it from Ashville,” he said, referring to the Wicca materials in Brunswick County. “You have to present it yourself.

“I don’t mind putting God’s word up against anything else offered,” he said. “Either you have a policy open for everything or not.”

Illegal act

Godwin said he didn’t think anyone there wanted to do something illegal, but he repeated his charge that the denial of the Gideon request was “an illegal act of discrimination perpetrated by the school board.

“You didn’t have to allow us to be on the agenda,” he said. “We appreciate this opportunity.”

Signatures

In the most dramatic moment of the evening, Godwin called for the representatives of more than three dozen churches to bring to the stage their petitions.

As they did, each church representative called out the number of signatures they had collected.

More that 6,700 signatures were gathered. The meeting switched to the open meeting portion. Two people spoke.

First was Dulah Baptist Church minister Ragsdale Allsbrook.

“Let them sue,” he said, adding that he was troubled when he first heard about the board’s denial of the Gideons’ request.

Sitting idly by

But he had a different take.

“Are we expecting the Gideons to do what we Christians ought to be doing?” he said. “We’ve been lazy and we’ve let (the Gideons distribute Bibles) while we sit idly by.”

He said he was thankful for the Gideons. “If lives are changed, it’s by the word of God,” he said. “The best method to distribute Bibles is by students.”

He suggested giving church youth Bibles to give to their friends.

‘”We’re going to take the offense,” he said. “God will do the rest. We need to be wise as serpents and harmless as does.”

A teary-eyed Allsbrook returned to his seat amid a standing ovation.

Strickland reiterated Allsbrook’s comment saying that students can distribute Bibles of their own accord.

The last speaker was Andrea Miller, a member of Hinson’s Crossroads Baptist Church.

She recalled receiving her red Gideon’s Bible as a fifth grader and how much it meant to her. Her daughter received one also several years ago.

“It’s wonderful to see the light of God’s word in a child’s eyes,” she said. “I believe our laws stem from our Bible and God laid down the first laws.”

She said that if other groups and religions place their materials in the schools, it will be the duty of parents to say to their children – “Hey, you don’t pick up that stuff.

“These kids need these Bibles. Some kids are from bad homes. These might be the only Bibles they get. I appreciate what the Gideons do, even if it means other groups’ stuff will be beside it.”

Keep partnerships

Strickland stressed how important the churches are to the schools and that he didn’t want to see any partnerships with churches come to an end.

He cited the Good News Clubs at two schools, the Bible Club at one of the high schools, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Meet at the Pole prayer programs as well as some church-based after-school tutoring programs in place for students at Hallsboro-Artesia Elementary School.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed at Christmas.

An estimated one-third of U.S. citizens don’t buy the first present until the week before Christmas,
Christmas cards must be written and addressed, and major meals must be prepared for Christmas day.

But despite the histrionics, uneasiness and heightened emotions that often come with the season, we’re always impressed with the number of people who take time to help others at Christmas. 2007, from what we’ve seen, has been no exception.

There are the church groups who arrange carolling at the nursing homes, there are the families that adopt less fortunate families, there are toy runs by bikers, there are school kids sending care packages to our soldiers overseas, there are people asking friends and family to donate to good causes rather than give gifts…and the list goes on.

The bad news is that the freneticism of Christmas isn’t likely to change anytime soon. The good news is that peace and happiness can just as easily be found if the true joys of Christmas – compassion and love for our fellowman, especially the less fortunate – are observed.

This year, make Christmas what it is supposed to be: a reflective and rewarding time that is centered on others rather than yourself.

If there is a department of county government that must do its job well, it’s the 911 Center.

No matter how good the county’s fire, police and EMS services are, their efforts will be diminished if there are procedural issues at the 911 Center .

Sheriff Chris Batten recently appealed to the county commissioners for help in resolving issues with the 911 Center and communications with his deputies.

When it comes to stressful jobs, 911 dispatchers are at the top of the list. We have a dedicated crew at the 911 Center here, but they need to be in an environment where they can do their jobs effectively.

Bear in mind that dispatchers not only answer phone calls, they also dispatch them, type in information for record keeping, plus maintain radio communications with responding units – all simultaneously. Usually, four dispatchers can handle what comes in, but sometimes, several emergencies happen concurrently. That’s when you don’t want to be understaffed.

Several problems listed by Batten and brought to light recently need to be addressed. Perhaps the first is the simplest: 911 dispatchers here have to handle too many non-emergency calls. Often, these are calls for situations like interrupted water or sewer service or lost pets.

Citizens should expect answers to these calls, but intermingling these with heart attack or house fire calls is putting too much stress in an already stressful environment.

Batten is correct in asserting that whoever is handling sheriff’s department calls needs to be a sheriff’s department specialist – someone who understands law enforcement and is familiar with sheriff’s department protocols.

Can these current issues be resolved by honing procedures for non-emergency calls and rethinking operations? Maybe, but the 911 Center’s performance will never be predictable because of the nature of emergencies, which often occur en masse.

There are plenty of areas where the county can cut expenses, but the 911 Center isn’t one of them. Error has to be on the side of caution.

By JESSICA WAYNE
Staff Writer

When it comes to long-term relationships Claude and Mary Bowen have written the book. Married in 1932. the couple will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary on Dec. 24.

“We’ve been together all this time and we haven’t separated…not once,” said Mary. “I didn’t know it was such a big deal (making it to the 75th anniversary) until people started calling and talking about it.”

The couple started dating when Mary was a girl of 14 and they got married right after she turned 16.

“He was about my only date,” Mary said as she laughs and pats Claude’s knee. They sit sides touching on the couch with familiar ease. Their love for one another is obvious in the way they hold hands and the uncanny way they seem to know when the other is about to speak. Theirs is obviously an anniversary of love and celebration.

“It feels good (looking back on 75 years)” said Mary, “and I give the Lord credit. When I wake up in the morning I thank the Lord.”

Despite numerous health problems Claude and Mary still live in their home without assistance care. Their daughter, Sonya Bowen, said: “Dad still drives them both to town and doctor’s appointments and he still gets around well. A few months ago he drove the lawn tractor into the ditch and flipped it over. He climbed out and went to get the other tractor to pull that one out and he’s almost 95.”

“We’ve had two women… I didn’t see much work being done. One of them cooked, but we didn’t like it (her cooking) and Claude said he’d rather go to town and get food, so that was the end of that,” Mary said.

“We chose to stay home and help each other,” Claude explained, “I’m getting too old for another wife, so I’ve got to take care of this one.”

Mary spends much of her day doing exercise to keep her arthritic joints loose. She sits and uses her walking cane, lifting it over her head 15 times and smiling as she demonstrates.

“It’s amazing; when she started the exercises she could barely lift the cane off her knees,” said Sonya. Claude spends much of his time taking care of the yard and the house. “I’ve been at war with pecan leaves for about three weeks now,” Claude said with a big smile.

Mary and Claude were born three miles apart and attended separate churches and schools. Claude was a member of the Happy Hill community, now called Union Valley. He recalls, “There was one building and we had school and church in that same building.” Mary lived in the Mishop Springs community. By chance Claude attended Mishop Springs church for one year and as luck would have it, he met Mary.

The two decided to get married and when Mary told her father his comment was, “If you’re gonna get married, you’ll need a new dress.” She chuckles as she tells the story. “No, he was not happy but they (her parents) were reasonable about it. Most people my age ran off if they wanted to get married. I didn’t do that… I had to have a new dress to get married in.”

The dress Mary chose was red, which was and still is her favorite color. “I’ve tried to keep the fact that my dress was red a secret. Back then, you had to get married in white or blue, but red has always been my favorite color,” said Mary.

Claude and Mary spent their wedding night in the home of Mary’s sister. Friends assembled on the lawn to serenade the couple and bang pots and pans to keep them up all night. It’s an Irish tradition known as shiveree.

“People have quit that foolishness now,” Mary said, but she and Claude both smile at the memory.

The couple had three children, sons Bronnie Frionda and Harold LaFredge, and daughter, Sonya Cherie. “I didn’t like family names like Jim, Bill, Sam and all that stuff. 1 wanted something outside of the family,” said Mary. “I made a mistake when they started school. 1 gave the school both their first and middle names. 1 wanted them called Frionda, LaFredge and Cherie, but the school called them Bronnie, Harold and Sonya.”

The first year of their marriage Claude and Mary resided with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Columbus (Lummie) Bowen. Five years later, in 1937, the couple built their own house. They both agree that they have never wanted to live away from Whiteville.

“I have bought close to a dozen different locations, locally, and I could never make up my mind to build on them,” said Claude. “We’ve come close to it, but never did.”

“I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else… well, maybe other places around Whiteville, but not away from Whiteville,” said Mary.

They laugh as they recall stories from years past. Topics range from World War II bombings to Mary’s romantic interest before she met Claude.

A particular favorite involves this reporter’s “Uncle Dump.” With some prodding from her grinning husband, Mary relates the story: “I dated Dump for a while when we were kids and they say he used to write letters 13 pages long to me and hide them in the Dewey Meadow’s collard patch. But, that was before we were old enough to date. When we were (old enough to date), he met Lona Bowen (Claude’s first cousin). Claude and I got married before they did, but we were always good friends,” Mary shared.

Claude worked at Todd Furniture in Wilmington for a year during their marriage, but soon returned to the farm. “It was either come back to the farm or be drafted. We had three small children at home, so he came back here,” said Mary.

The couple also recalls hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.

“We were listening to the radio when they announced that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. We jumped in the car and drove to the radio station. I don’t know why we did that,” Claude shared.

“It was a fearful time. We had those black blinds on the windows and it was a dark town. Everyone just sat in the dark,” said Mary. Blackout blinds were used to reduce light inside houses to a minimum in an effort to avoid enemy air attacks. The theory was that if the enemy could not see the houses from the air they would not bomb the communities.

“Now we hear war so much I reckon we’ve just got use to it but it was a different time back then,” Mary explained.

According to the Bowens, a long-term marriage is easy to attain if you follow two simple rules. “You have to have patience cause you’re going to have problems, but most of the time you can iron them out,” said Mary.

Claude sits quietly as she speaks, but chimes in at the end of her sentence with, “You have to forgive and forget…and never try to win an argument.”

The Bowens suggest that those considering marriage, “Be slow about it and think about it, because the way people are now, they think, ‘I’ll get married and if I don’t like it, I’ll get out of it.’

“When we got married you didn’t get a wife on trial. Back then it was for keeps,” Claude said, “and it still should be that way.”

By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

The Columbus County Board of Health voted to change intensive livestock rules after it was brought to their attention that a new turkey growing operation couldn’t get an electrical permit from the county inspection department.

After a series of meetings held in November and December, the board voted to change intensive livestock rules that would make the new operation eligible for permits that could not be obtained under old rules.

The old rules called for a setback of at least 200 feet from adjoining property lines. Two of the houses did not meet those guidelines and rules were changed to require only a 50-foot setback from property lines, among other things.

A public hearing was not properly advertised and county officials aren’t denying it.

A public hearing has now been scheduled for 7 a.m. on Dec. 28 but the operation has already been permitted and the turkeys are in the houses.

County Health Director Kim Smith said the Board of Health looked at the rules and determined the setbacks as written were not based on a health risk.

“The board met, changed and accepted the N.C. Poultry Federation Guidelines and Standards and this is actually what the farmer built the farm on,” Smith said. “He was unaware that Columbus County had an intensive livestock ordinance.”

When asked what date those rules were changed, Smith was uncertain.

“I’d have to go back and look but I’m going to go ahead and tell you the general statute says that you have to give public notice any time you adopt new rules and we’re in the process of correcting that,” Smith said.

The Board of Health has the duty and power to protect the public’s health, Smith said.

“The footage was changed because there was not a health reason and all of the research we have done is that most of the risk is to poultry workers, not adjoining property owners or residences that are nearby,” Smith said. “In this case the board felt there were not any health reasons why this should be 200 feet from the property line.

“Where is the health risk?” Smith said. “That was the mindset going into this.”

Building Inspections Director Ray Reaves said he was asked to issue electrical permits for two of four houses at 1119 Jimsie Hester Rd. at W&W Farms, but the electricity would be turned on to all four and he couldn’t.

“We stayed within our guidelines,” Reaves said. “When we were told it was cleared by the health department I issued a permit for all of it.”

Reaves said the construction and wiring were already complete before the owner applied for a permit.

“We didn’t have an application prior to him building the buildings,” said Bill Horne with environmental health. “What we acted on was that rules had changed a week ago –we just acted on what we were told,” Horne explained.

Neil Floyd, also with environmental health, said prior to 2002 swine had been included in the intensive livestock rules but after Chatham County lost a lawsuit over their rules, Columbus County changed its plan by deleting any mention of swine in the rules but made no other changes.

Floyd said the grower, Michael Wilson, did eventually submit all of the documents required of the rules, such as a site plan, waste plan and proof of an attempt to contact adjacent landowners.

The paperwork came after the houses were constructed.

Draft minutes from a Nov. 13 “workshop” state that, in part: “This workshop was held to inform the board of the new construction of four turkey houses erected in the northern part of Columbus County without notifying Columbus County Health Department to obtain the required permit.”

Draft minutes of a Dec. 5 meeting show that “a total of 15 members of the public made comments for and against the poultry farm.” Those minutes do not reflect who spoke or what was said.

After the comments were heard, a closed session was held but the purpose for the closed session nor the statute under which the board was operating to go into the private session is not noted. Anthony Terrance is the only board member listed as not being present.

County Attorney Steve Fowler and 10 other board members are listed as being present at the meeting.

The closed session lasted from 7:30 pm to 9:05 p.m. and included two environmental health employees and one USDA employee “for a brief period,” the draft minutes show.

After the closed session, Dr. Darryl Diefes, Chairman of the Board of Health, encouraged negotiation between the two parties, the draft minutes indicate. He also questioned “Mr. Prestage” about his knowledge of the rules. The minutes do not list a Prestage as being in attendance and do not give a first name.

“He assured the board that if and when Prestage Farms established any more business in Columbus County this would not happen again,” the minutes show. “Prestage” said the company had established houses in several counties in N.C. and never encountered this.

“(County Commissioner James) Prevatte wanted to know more about wetland regulations from the Army Corp of Engineers,” the minutes read.

“Steve Fowler stated the Board of Health will continue looking into this but the two parties should continue negotiations,” the drafts state.

Records show board members George Floyd, James Prevatte and Anthony Terrance were not present at a Dec. 10 meeting where the board first voted on changing the setback rules. The next morning the board had a second reading of the changes with members C. Lacy Tate, Jr., Earl Fowler, James Prevatte, Franklin Boone, George Floyd, Twyla Hodges, Clyde Burns, Peggy Blackmon and Darryl Diefes present.

The changes were adopted on Dec. 11 in a 7 to 1 vote of the board, with Prevatte opposed.

Records obtained from the county building inspections department and health department show that electrical, building, and operational permits were issued on the same day the board took its final vote.

Diefes has said the board was unaware it was violating any law and the health rules under the old policy were not based in science.

A proposed resolution that calls for stricter enforcement of immigration laws in Columbus County is better left where it was at the last county commissioners’ meeting – on the table.

The issue, which is being pushed by Commissioner James Prevatte, is low on the list of priorities of the federal government, so why should it be a priority for Columbus County?

Earlier in the year, Congress failed to pass a sensible immigration bill that would have given amnesty to illegal immigrants in the country now, but tightened restrictions in the future. So while Columbus County’s proposal may seemingly address what some consider to be a problem, we have much bigger issues on which to spend our time and energy than getting tangled up with a threatened lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU has said it’s itching to file suit against a county that adopts a resolution such as the one being considered here.

And the ACLU raises some valid points, such as the lack of due process for those suspected of being illegal aliens, and penalties for people who employ them.

But for practical purposes, does the county need to be involved in yet another costly lawsuit it would probably lose? For example, the Hazelton, Pa., town board adopted a similar resolution and spent $2.1 million defending a lawsuit it eventually lost.

We’re better off letting the federal government wage this fight to the extent that Congress allows it because we have bigger fish to fry in Columbus County.

By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

The Columbus County Fire and Rescue Association is recommending that an emergency room physician at Columbus Regional Healthcare be appointed the county medical director.

It is unclear if Dr. David Phillips will take the position if an offer is made or what the offer may be. Phillips could not be reached at Columbus Regional Friday afternoon. An employee in the emergency room said he would not be available until next week.

The Columbus County Board of Commissioners has not had any open discussion on the medical director position with the exception of asking that the position be advertised.

In a letter dated Nov. 13, 2007, the president of the Fire and Rescue Association, on behalf of the group, asked the board to consider Dr. David Phillips for the contract edposition.

“Dr. Phillips functions as an emergency room physician at Columbus Regional Healthcare System. He resides in Wilmington, N.C. In talking with Dr. Phillips, he has agreed to carry a pager and cell phone to be easily accessible to county departments.

“In the county’s search for EMS Medical Director, we hope that you would take this recommendation into consideration for this very crucial position.”

According to N.C. Medical Board data, Phillips, 39, has privileges at Columbus Regional and is certified in emergency medicine.

His North Carolina license was issued in October 2003 and he was previously licensed in S.C. and Michigan. He is a 1996 graduate of Wayne State School of Medicine.

The recommendation comes just days before the current medical director’s notice expires on Nov. 27. Dr. Fred Obrecht resigned months after eight of nine volunteer rescue squad chiefs asked the Columbus County Board of Commissioners to terminate Obrecht’s contract. Some complained of a lack of communication and favoritism.

Obrecht, who had been the medical director for eight years and is a physician at Columbus Regional, said he was being targeted for high standards and questioning squads about missed calls.

The N.C. Office of Emergency Services has said if the county is unable to fill the position prior to Obrecht’s last day, the office will work with the county until a new physician takes the position.

Under N.C. statutes the county is required to provide emergency medical (ambulance service) countywide.

The county fulfills that obligation through contract agreements with volunteer squads in exchange for certain tax revenues.

The squads also have the opportunity to bill private insurance, Medicaid and others for the service.

The county paid Obrecht $12,000 a year but has not discussed what a new contract would entail. A separate contract with the hospital for certain nurse liaison and infection control services totaling $25,000 was ended prior to Obrecht’s resignation.

Fire and Rescue Association President Tony Miller is expected to be present at the commissioners meeting tonight. Continue reading »

Two school employees test positive for drugs after system adds random drug testing to mandatory tests.

• State begins evidence today in murder trial of Clarkton man charged as one of two who killed Chase Powell, 19, of Whiteville, in March 2002.

By BOB HIGH
Staff Writer

A three-hour session of Superior Court Thursday morning ended with a ruling that recordings of telephone calls from an Horry County, S.C., jail in 2002 could be used by the state in the first-degree murder trial of Ramel Theodore Troy.

The conversations contained several references to what the state says is the murder of 19-year-old Chase Powell, who disappeared on March 27, 2002, after driving from Whiteville to Clarkton in the edge of Bladen County.

Judge Gregory Weeks denied a defense motion to withhold the recordings made from the telephone system inside the J. Reuben Long Detention Center near Conway.

By BOB HIGH and
FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writers

Extra sheriff’s deputies will be on duty at Evergreen and Cerro Gordo Elementary schools today (Monday) after written threats by a person or group invoking the name of the Ku Klux Klan made threatening statements involving the absorption of minority students from the closed Fair Bluff Elementary

The letter, making generous use of the “N” word, said that the Cerro Gordo and Evergreen communities did not want the black children from Fair Bluff enrolled in their schools. (Click on title for full story.)