Arctic conditions Local bodies of water freeze solid
uuSEE FREEZES, 2A The News Reporter Published since 1890 every Monday and Tursday for the County of Columbus and her people. WWW.NRCOLUMBUS.COM Monday, January 8, 2018 75 CENTS
OFFICIALS: DON’T FALL THROUGH THE ICE Lake freezes as cold spell grips region
By Jefferson Weaver [email protected]
Record cold temperatures froze Lake Waccamaw, backyard swim- ming pools and waterways across the county this weekend. Park Rangers began patrolling the access areas at Lake Waccamaw State Park Sunday afternoon as the lake was nearly frozen over for the first time since 1989. Approximately 80 percent of the lake was covered with ice, drawing a summer’s day type of crowd out to enjoy the spectacle. While a steady stream of visitors pho- tographed the ice buildup at the dam and the “icebergs” at Dale’s Seafood Pier Saturday and Sunday, the solid block of ice that is usually the State Park swimming area drew dozens of sightseers – and adventurers who went for a walk on the ice. Sara Faulk Stephens and her husband Randy live on Bella Coola, within sight of the state park. They went out on their pier to look at the ice with some of their family, and were amazed. “You can see the park from our liv- ing room,” she said, “and we could tell with the wind we have had that the ice had built up overnight. We decided to go to the pier at the state park and we were amazed at what we saw. It was beautiful but almost unreal that the lake we spend our summers on was frozen over.” Mrs. Stephens said she had to see exactly how thick the ice was.
Staff photo by Grant Merritt “I told my husband I was going to Johnston, Jonathan, Reese and Katie Honeycutt brave the ice on Lake Waccamaw Sunday afternoon after 13.3 degree temperatures froze the walk out and video this because this surface the night before. Check out more photos under “Galleries” at nrcolumbus.com. uuSEE FREEZES 2A SEVEN MOTORCYCLE FATALITIES County sets public Two intersections, motorcycles hearing on sale of G-P site to R.J. Corman Railroad dominate fatal crashes in 2017 By Allen Turner torney Mike Stephens, but no other [email protected] details were released. By Jefferson Weaver losing control of his bike on a curve motorcycles were struck from the Commissioners went behind on Rough n’ Ready Road, and in Oc- rear on N.C. 410 on Oct. 8. [email protected] The Columbus County Board of closed doors at 7:55 p.m. Tuesday to tober, a Gibsonville man died after he The Old Boardman Road/U.S. 74 Commissioners will hold a public talk about the G-P site sale and about rode into the side of a car at a high intersection and the crossroads of Motorcyclists had a deadly year in hearing at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. an unrelated personnel matter. Lani- N.C. 11 and N.C. 87 were the scenes Columbus County in 2017, with seven 16, to get citizen input on the pro- er remained in the closed meeting for of more than their share of tragedies fatal crashes, including three deaths posed $2.15 million sale of the former about 20 minutes before departing. in 2017. A total of four people died at at one intersection. Te Old Boardman Road/U.S. Georgia-Pacific industrial site to the Ten minutes later, Stephens emerged the extreme western crossroads, and Two of the county’s worst in- R.J. Corman Railroad Group. from the closed session looking for 74 intersection and the cross- a mother and child were killed when tersections also saw emergency The legally-required public hear- Lanier to return to the meeting, but the woman pulled into the path of improvements designed to reduce roads of N.C. 11 and N.C. 87 ing was scheduled by commissioners Lanier had already departed. an 18-wheeler at N.C. 11/87. Flashing fatalities. The county saw a total of Tuesday night at the request of coun- Negotiations for the railroad to were the scenes of more than lights and four-way stop signs were 20 highway fatalities in 2017. ty economic developer Gary Lanier. buy the former industrial site from installed at N.C. 11/87 within weeks, The Old Boardman Road/U.S. 74 their share of tragedies in 2017. Commissioners also went into the county have been ongoing for while the Old Boardman crossing intersection claimed a motorcycle closed session for nearly an hour months. is undergoing emergency improve- driver and his passenger Jan. 1, fol- to “discuss issues involved in the The county and Corman en- rate of speed at Riegelwood. ments prior to construction of a full lowed by a single motorcyclist death proposed sale of the G-P site to R.J. tered into an “offer to purchase” A couple returning from Myrtle there May 29. Corman,” according to an account Beach were killed when their stopped uu uuSEE CORMAN 3A In July, a motorcyclist died after SEE FATAL 2A provided by County Manager/At- Evergreen native is ‘city manager’ of White Sands Missile Range By Allen Turner White Sands in December after a tour mick says. “We have everything that a McCormick’s journey from Ever- [email protected] of duty at Fort Bliss, Texas. small city would have to support the green to White Sands began in 1986, In the military, garrison com- community so, if anything is going when he enlisted in the Elizabeth- A 1984 graduate of West Columbus manders are likened to mayors of mu- wrong, they bring it to my attention. town Army National Guard unit. Af- High School who grew up in Ever- nicipalities in the civilian world, and I let the commander know what’s ter basic training at Fort McClellan, green and still has family living there McCormick’s commander, Col. Dave happening and, together, he and I will Alabama. and advanced individual is, for all intents and purposes, the Brown, fills that role. As Brown’s se- solve the problem.” training at Ft. Jackson, South Caro- “city manager” of the largest mili- nior enlisted soldier, McCormick says For national security reasons, nei- lina, he returned home to Evergreen, tary installation in the United States. that his role as garrison command ther the U.S. Army nor CSM McCor- where he drilled monthly with his Command Sergeant Major Vincent sergeant manager is akin to that of mick will talk about troop strength National Guard unit. E. “Vince” McCormick, garrison a city manager in civilian life. at White Sands but, according to “I worked around Evergreen command sergeant major of the “We are responsible for and op- the Wikipedia web encyclopedia, for about 18 months,” he says, “but White Sands Missile Range Garri- erate the fire department, police the White Sands Missile Range com- something just hit me and I decided I son in New Mexico, who has been in department, medical facility, PX and prises 3,200 square miles in parts of the Army since 1988, transferred to commissary,” the 53-year-old McCor- five counties in New Mexico. uuSEE EVERGREEN 6A CSM Vincent McCormick
Volume 127, Number 54 Elizabeth Hensley being named as a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill pep band, which plays at basket- Whiteville, North Carolina DIDYOB ball games and other events? She is a 2017 graduate of Whiteville High School…Te City of Whiteville DID YOU OBSERVE? celebrating its 185th birthday Jan. 9? Only 15 years to the bicentennial… Wendy Alley celebrating her 50th birthday on Jan. 5?... 8 95297 00000 6 2ArѮF/FXT3FQPSUFSrMonday, January 8, 2018
Staff photo by Les High Staff photo by Grant Merritt Elizabeth Kasitati takes a picture of a family standing on the ice about 200 yards from the Lake Waccamaw State Park Thick ice and the overhead sun make for slippery condi- pier. Sunday morning, about 80 percent of the lake was frozen. tions on Lake Waccamaw on Sunday afternoon.
Weather Service. than 2,000 Duke Progress En- hometown of Otsego, N.Y., other fall-throughs. his wife and daughters out to FREEZES Wind chills have been keep- ergy Customers in the dark local lakes froze to the point The team has dry suits, enjoy the frozen lake. Continued from 1A ing the “feels like” tempera- and cold Sunday morning in that vehicles could be driven ropes, and other equipment to “They played on it as well,” ture at dangerous levels for the Riegelwood area. Service across them. affect ice rescues. she said. “We were making was probably going to be the days as well, leading to de- was restored to all customers That type of longterm Whiteville City schools some great memories.” only time we would ever see layed starts for schools even by Sunday evening. A number freeze isn’t likely here, Caw- reopened today, but county The beauty of the unusual it like this again,” she said. “I before Wednesday and Thurs- of area churches cancelled ley said. Emergency officials schools are still on a two-hour scene made the frigid tempera- started walking and I prom- day’s anticipated wintry blast services due to the power out- at the Lake and elsewhere delay due to ice on some rural tures worthwhile, Stephens ised my husband if it cracked of ice and snow. An unusual age, since heating systems warned people to avoid walk- roadways. said. I would turn around.” “dry pocket” of air stretching couldn’t be used. ing on frozen waterways Sun- Shaded areas that have “When I walked out by my- Her video had more than from Horry C a w l e y day. seen some melting during self, it almost felt surreal,” she 11,000 views and 400 shares C o u n t y said the tem- A teenager in Whiteville daylight have refrozen along said. “There was no one there on Facebook by Sunday af- through Co- A teenager in Whiteville peratures at narrowly escaped serious in- several area roads, leading to but my husband and me. It ternoon. lumbus and narrowly escaped seri- least will be- jury after he went through the treacherous conditions. was so quiet and that part of Temperatures in the coun- into Bladen gin to thaw ice under the Soules Swamp While the frigid tempera- the lake was frozen solid. The ty have gotten no higher than p r e v e n t e d ous injury afer he went t o d a y, a s Bridge on Madison Street, tures meant frozen pipes and most beautiful part was the 37.5 degrees since before Jan. significant through the ice under the more season- Whiteville Fire Marshal Hal broken water pumps for many design in the ice of where the 1, said Whiteville meteorolo- accumula- al tempera- Lowder said. Whiteville Fire in the county – some of which waves were freezing. gist Chris Cawley. tions of ice Soules Swamp Bridge on tures in the and Police, along with White- are just thawing out today – “It really was a moment I While last week’s winter a n d s n o w Madison Street, White- 50s retur n ville Rescue, were dispatched the frozen lake drew visitors will never forget – God gives storm left little frozen pre- here. to the area. but the youth managed to get from across the area. us such beauty and blessings. cipitation in the county, the On ei- ville Fire Marshal Hal Some areas out of the water on his own, Mrs. Stephens said her All we have to do is look for bone-chilling temperatures ther end of Lowder said. will hit 60 Lowder said. son went home and brought them.” have challenged and broken the county, and approach “This is really fun and all both official and unofficial lo- h o w e v e r , 70 by mid- that, but the ice hasn’t had cal records. highways were closed due week, with increasing rain time to really get cold enough “We had lows of 14.1 Fri- to dangerous ice conditions. chances Monday, Thursday for long enough to harden,” day morning, 15.5 Saturday The Department of Trans- and Friday. Lowder said. “It’s pretty to morning, and a 13.3 Sunday,” portation briefly closed U.S. “I think we’ll cool down look at, but it isn’t safe to walk Cawley said. “Our highest 74-76 almost at the Brunswick again next weekend, but noth- on. You can’t tell where there temp so far this year has been County line due to heavy ice in ing like this,” Cawley said. might be an air pocket or soft 37.5 on Thursday the 4th. A the eastbound lanes Saturday. It’s difficult to predict how spot, and you can get sucked calculated wind chill of 7.0 The east end of the county long the lake will remain fro- under the ice in flowing water degrees occurred at 7:29 a.m. also saw more winter impacts zen, Cawley said. pretty quickly. It’s nothing to Sunday in Whiteville.” from the coastal low and the “Along the shores it might mess with.” The record for Sunday was stubborn cold temperatures be Wednesday or Thursday The 911 center put Colum- 13 degrees even, set in 1981, – demand was blamed for a before it goes away,” Cawley bus County’s water rescue according to the National power outage that left more said. He also noted that in his team on standby in case of
Baby’s First Christmas Red Hill Road at Whiteville by he was riding in was struck on FATAL a driver travelling the wrong U.S. 701 near Tabor City. Nolan James Malyj Continued from 1A way. Vineland born 7/26/2017 Parents: Ken & Courtenay McKinley Malyj s -ARCH &RANKIE