i)PXDBO*HFUBDPQZPG r1PTUUSJQT1PTUJOTFSJFTPQFOFS BOPMETUPSZPSQIPUPUIBU r8IJUFWJMMF0QUJNJTUUBLFTTFDPOE US SBOJOTe News Reporter u TUSBJHIUXJOJO%JTUSJDU%JYJF:PVUI i"SFUIPTFIJHIJOUFOTJUZ .BKPS5PVSOBNFOUr$PMVNCVT%J DPMPSFEOFPOMJHIUTMFHBM YJF(JSMTUFBNTIFBEJOUPUPEBZTUIJSE Sports Ask POWFIJDMFT u SPVOEPGTUBUFUPVSOBNFOU 4FFBOTXFSTPOQBHF" 4FFQBHF# ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Tursday forReporter the County of Columbus and her people. Monday, July 11, 2011 Pleas made in 2007 spill Volume 121, Number 3 Whiteville, North Carolina of hog waste 50 Cents nFederal court sentenc- ing is probable within 90 days. Inside Today By BOB HIGH 4-A Staff Writer r3BJO4BUVSEBZëPPET William Barry Freedman VQUPXOIFSF of Freedman Farms Inc., en- r5XPHFUQSJTPOBT tered a misdemeanor plea last QSPCBUJPOSFWPLFE Wednesday to violating the U.S. Clean Water Act by allowing a spill of hog waste in 2007, DIDYOB? and the corporation entered a felony plea to the same offense Did you observe ... in a New Bern federal court. Sentencing is to be set by Austin Kenyon of Staff photo by Mark Gilchrist Federal Judge Louise Flana- A deluge of rain fooded much of Whiteville early Saturday evening, including J.K. Powell Boulevard just south Whiteville Opti- gan, and is probable within 90 of Washington Street. Northbound lanes were impassable for about an hour, and only brave, careless or well- mists hitting a walk days. Freedman faces a term equipped motorists forded the southbound lanes. Three fooded cars blocked traffc until tow trucks arrived. See of up to a year in prison and/ story and more photos on page 4-A. of a two-run home or probation, and government run in Wednesday prosecutors asked for the farm corporation to pay a fine of $1.5 night’s AAA District million. 2 Championship Freedman was also ordered Rains came but too late for corn Game? ... Alan Ulrich to publish a public apology, and it is part of today’s issue By RAY WYCHE of District 8, N. C. Division of Forests, at Turnbull Creek in Bladen County, meeting Josh Groban of this newspaper. The plea Staff Writer just west of Whiteville. and 0.05 inches in Holly Shelter in inside the U.S. Capitol agreement was announced District Ranger Mike Hardison said Pender County. Thursday afternoon. Rains came to most of Columbus Sunday afternoon that Forest Service Rainfall amounts varied in different afer the July 4th con- Browder’s Branch County during the weekend, ending the personnel are still monitoring the fire sections of the county but most areas cert and freworks in The hog waste spill took severe drought classification that state in the Green Swamp despite heavy received estimated one to two-inch Washington? ... Two place on Dec. 13-19, 2007 at weather officials put on the eastern rains Saturday. rainfalls from Thursday, plus Satur- Freedman Farm’s hog facility portion of the county on Tuesday, but “The rains helped appreciably but it day’s downpour. hitchhikers Friday on off Jordan Road in the Western the rainfalls were too late to save some is still smoking and smoldering so we A Nakina resident reported 2.2 J.K. Powell Boulevard Prong community. The waste of county’s corn crop. are still monitoring it,” he said. inches of rain since Friday. Downtown Whiteville received five Firefighting personnel have set up Precipitation was recorded at the holding two signs? See Hog waste, page 4-A inches of rain Friday and Saturday, an irrigation system to keep the soil Border Belt Tobacco Research Station One read, “Jesus with weather observer Bill Ghent re- wet as forest debris and limbs buried northwest of Whiteville on Thursday, cording 3.98 inches Saturday evening in the peat soil are smoldering under- and by Friday afternoon, almost two Loves You.” Te other as a thunderstorm sat over most of ground. inches had fallen at the station. read, “We Will Not Lake to review the city and areas east. Ghent had 1.02 Other rainfall amounts in the area Extension Service Field Crop Agent Kill You.” A motorist, inches Friday. Saturday, according to Forest Service, Michael Shaw said Friday afternoon sewer impasse The cloudburst that hit the White- instruments, were 1.76 inches in the that rain had been noted in Tabor however, thought the ville area about 5 p.m. Saturday dumped Nature Conservancy plot alongside N. City, Old Dock, Cerro Gordo and Fair sign read, “We Will Tuesday 4.53 inches of rain at the headquarters C. 211 in Brunswick County, 0.06 inches See Rain, page 2-A Kill You,” which drew By JEFFERSON WEAVER the attention of WPD Staff Writer afer a call to 911. Te Lake Waccamaw commis- police sent them on sioners are set to discuss op- Courthouse their way. … tions on the Whiteville sewer Filings slow for local ofces agreement Tuesday. By JEFFERSON WEAVER candidate to file. Three board seats Lake Waccamaw exercised project moves Staff Writer and the mayor’s office are on the fall an escape clause in its agree- ballot in Chadbourn. ment with the city May 20 Worth Noting After a flurry of sign-ups, filing for Fair Bluff Commissioner Carl after Whiteville repeatedly forward municipal races has slightly slowed Meares Jr. has filed to run again, as Monday, July 11 increased rates even before in recent days. has Brunswick commissioner Ever- nConstruction to begin in the spring. Te Whiteville City Schools the lake was fully online with Board of Education meets at David White was the last person to lene Davis. Two commissioner seats the regional system. Citing the 6:30 p.m. in the civic room of file this week for elected office. White are open in Fair Bluff, and two are By NICOLE CARTRETTE stagnant housing market and the Central Services Building on signed up to run for the office of also open in Brunswick. Staff Writer changes in projected needs, West Walter Street in Whiteville. mayor of Cerro Gordo. The mayor’s Geraldine Jenkins Bellamy is the lake officials said the town’s office and two town board seats are only candidate thus far in the Bolton Preliminary work is underway on the Meeting delayed current plant should be suffi- open in Cerro Gordo this year. Board of Aldermen, where three county’s plan to construct a 40,000-square-foot Te Columbus County Board cient for the foreseeable future. In Tabor City, Trent Burroughs seats are open. The mayor’s term also courthouse annex behind the county admin- of Education meeting origi- Lake Waccamaw provided nally slated for Monday, July and Miona Fonvielle have filed to run expires this year in Bolton. istration office. $125,000 in a grant match and 11 has been rescheduled for for town council. Royce Harper has Whiteville and Lake Waccamaw “We are just moving ahead with schemat- purchased $500,000 in capacity Tursday, July 14 at 5:30 p.m. signed up for the mayor’s race. The have representative districts, rather ics, we have had meetings with stakeholders, in the administration building’s just before the line from Bolton mayor’s office and two board seats are than at-large voting, so under state the clerk of court, and judges and a drawing conference room on Chadbourn passed the lake. The $8.5 mil- up for election in Tabor city this year. law, filing for the two lake commis- will likely be presented at the next commis- Highway in Whiteville. lion project connects the town Chadbourn had one candidate to sioners and Whiteville’s two council sioners meeting,” County Manager Bill Clark of Bolton to Whiteville’s plant, toss his hat in the ring as of Friday. seats and mayoral chair are delayed said. and allowed Whiteville to pur- Edwin Roberts, who has previously until July 25. Filing for other area Commissioners voted earlier this year sue grant funds to rehabilitate County Deaths run for the board, is so far the only towns began July 1. to approve a $15 million project to include See Lake, page 9-A Fair Bluf See Courthouse, page 2-A Blanche Ward Cole Robert Lee Pearson Chadbourn Short fower season afects local honey output Billy Ray Grifn Tabor City By RAY WYCHE amount of honey in the hives. Staff Writer They add, however, that the bees Donna Annetter Sumter began eating the stored honey a Dry weather has had a detri- few days earlier than usual this mental effect on honey produc- year. Index tion in some Columbus County Eddy Ward, president of the hives. Columbus County Beekeepers &EJUPSJBMT" Drought conditions reduced Association and owner of about 0CJUVBSJFT" the length of time flowers were 40 hives, said he had noticed his 4QPSUT# in bloom in late spring and early bees began feeding from this $SJNF" summer, with the result of reduc- year’s honey slightly earlier than ing the amount of nectar which usual but said there was only a -JGFTUZMFT$ the bees use to produce honey. little difference in the amount of Some beekeepers say their honey produced. bees began eating honey they had “All in all, I’ve had an excellent stored in the hive earlier than year,” Ward said. usual this summer since the bees Ray Floyd, of Brown-Maultsby were unable to find blossoms from Road, said his hives are being which to obtain nectar. Normally, damaged by hive beetles, an in- bees begin eating the honey they sect that normally dwells on the produced from spring flowers ground beneath the hives. To about the first of July. control the beetles, Floyd says Others say there is very lit- he has applied a dry poison the tle noticeable difference in the See Bees, page 9-A The honey-flled cells of a beehive.