•Touchdown Club TRACK Trail holding locker See what’s going on at drive for new Lake Waccamaw’s new WHS football trail for youngsters. fieldhouse. Sports INSIDE See page 1-C. See page 2-B. ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Thursday Reporterfor the County of Columbus and her people. Thursday, June 9, 2016 Committee Volume 125, Number 99 Whiteville, North Carolina to study 75 Cents upgrades Inside 2-A at elections •County adopts bud- get with no tax hike, building 2 percent employee By ALLEN TURNER raise. Staff Writer •No tax, fee increases at Lake. The Columbus County Board of Commis- sioners Monday named a committee to iden- tify ways to resolve space and design issues 3-A at the elections office. •Agent Orange town Elections Director Carla Strickland, hall plays packed County Manager Bill Clark, Maintenance house. Director Anthony Jolly, Building Inspector Waties Greene and one member of the board of elections were named to the committee. 4-A Commissioner Ricky Bullard thought the •Assault on female matter should be investigated. cases handled. Strickland appeared at a recent budget workshop and complained, sometimes tear- 5-A fully, that the 1950s building is too small, has inadequate wiring and storage space and is •Boys and Girls not accessible to persons with disabilities. Homes to open One elections employee is confined to a equine therapy wheelchair, but the elections office does not have a handicapped-equipped bathroom. training center. Members of the Board of Elections have •Light Columbus said they want to move to another, larger voting gives nod building, but Bullard said Monday the prob- lems could possibly be resolved by a building to Edmunds. an addition. He suggested a metal building on a concrete slab may be more economical than relocating to another building. DIDYOB? Staff photo by FULLER ROYAL Commissioner Charles McDowell recom- Father and son pharmacists Danny McNeill, left, and Brad McNeill look over the credentials of ancestor Did you observe ... mended a study committee to identify more Joseph G. Edie, tracing their pharmacy heritage back to 1880. T.J. Spivey receiv- specific needs and possible solutions. See Elections, page 11-A ing the Mideastern Conference Baseball McNeill legendry lies in pharmacy Coach of the Year By CLARA CARTRETTE Danny McNeill said with a laugh. sions, one of the pharmacists at Danny McNeill earned his phar- Baldwin Woods Pharmacy, “took it Edwards award? ... High Staff Writer school seniors across macy degree at UNC Chapel Hill. and ran,” doing most of the com- Pharmacists Danny McNeill He owns and operates Baldwin pound mixing. He noted that they Columbus County and his son Brad can trace their Woods Pharmacy in Whiteville, a can’t compound anything that is says time preparing for to- pharmacy heritage back to 1880 modern, customer service-oriented commercially available. when their ancestor Joseph G. Edie drugstore. However, he and Brad “We don’t do anything sterile or day’s commence obtained his medical and pharmacy have begun to do something their chemo related,” he said. ment exercises? ... licenses in Iowa. ancestor Joseph G. Edie did … mix “It’s pretty basic,” Brad added. “A has come In addition, Joseph was the medi- their own medicines. lot of skin-type preps, such as mild John Thompson and cal examiner, so he attended deaths Brad, a pharmacy graduate of skin bleach for liver spots.” Bill Rabon receiving as well as delivered babies and Campbell University, says he enjoys Brad is a fifth generation pharma- treated patients for various and working in the compounding lab, cist, beginning with Joseph G. Edie for growth Outstanding Eagle sundry ailments. According to his mixing medicines for pain therapy, on the McNeill side of the family. By ALLEN TURNER hormone therapy and other ail- Then came two pharmacists on his Scout honors at the ledger, he was often paid with a cord Staff Writer of wood, fresh vegetables or some ments. mother’s side of the family. Eugene June meeting of the other product. Danny said he started the com- See McNeill, page 10-A Rick Edwards has a tough time hiding his Cape Fear Coun- “He didn’t leave a lot of money,” pound lab but Brad and Amy Ses- enthusiasm. “I feel very good about Columbus cil BSA’s executive County,” the president of the Columbus Jobs Foundation (CJF) said Wednesday. “Our time board at Camp Bow- has come. There’s no question.” ers? ... County schools to roll out EMT classes On the heels of a June 2 annual din- By NICOLE CARTRETTE Whiteville City Schools Superin- service, Columbus Transport, which ner meeting of News Editor tendent Kenny Garland said the city employs about 10 people. the Jobs Founda- schools do not have such a technical “I think that’s great,” said Guyton. tion – formerly the County Deaths Students at South, East, and West education class in place but have “I think that’s wonderful to have Columbus County Columbus high schools will have the discussed it. classes at school.” Committee of 100 Whiteville opportunity beginning next school “We have discussed the possi- Guyton said many volunteer – Edwards says, year to pursue certifications as emer- bilities but are opportuni- “There was a lot Victor Shane Jones of vim and vigor Shayla Dawanna Williams gency medical technicians. very early in ties exist The new program is one of 28 in the process. I in Colum- at that meeting be- Mary Causey technical education that the county am familiar bus County cause of the young- Chadbourn schools will be offering, according to with the pro- with vari- er people ages 28 to Sakia D. Bellamy Columbus County Schools Superin- gram and feel ous non- 41 who have gotten involved. We’ve got Harold Dean Cartrette tendent Alan Faulk. it is a benefi- profit res- “It’s not going to be at one school, cial offering at cue squads to put our young it’s going to be at all three traditional any school,” that con- people on these high schools,” Ken Buck, CTE direc- Garland said. tract with boards all over the tor told the school board Monday. He Require- the county county, every board Index said a business and industry advisory ments to be- to provide in the county, be- board had suggested that public safety come a certi- services. cause the future Editorials ......... 12-A of our county is in academies in rescue and fire would fied EMT have “As far Rick Edwards Obituaries .......... 7-A be beneficial to the community and grown over the as the vol- their hands, and I Sports ................ 1-B students. years. unteer side there is a lot of oppor- think that bringing Crime ................ 4-A “There is a need for EMTs and A total of 169 hours of classroom, tunities on the volunteer side, not them in as an important accomplishment.” Living ................ 1-C firefighters,” he said. written, and practical skills exami- a lot of opportunities as far as paid At that meeting, members voted to add to “The county does need more volun- nations and reviews are required positions,” Guyton said. the board of directors by adding six younger teers and we do need more emergency for certification in North Carolina, He said there are young people members: Jordan Carter, a banker with BB&T; responders in the county,” said Kay according to the N.C. Office of Emer- who are members of various de- Matt McLean, CPA and manager of S. Preston Worley, Emergency Services Director gency Medical Services. partments but everybody could use Douglas; Dr. Janice Timothee, a orthodontist- for Columbus County. Class topics include, among many additional volunteers. with Timothee Orthodonics; attorney Boyd She was hesitant to discuss the others, EMS systems, the human “It would be great to get more Worley; postmaster and Chadbourn town classes further but did say Faulk body, lifting patients, airway manage- young people involved in EMS and councilman Rashad Roberts; and George planned to speak with rescue chiefs ment, communications, poisoning, fire,” said Guyton, who was 18 years Wooten Jr. of W.E. Bailey Produce. at an upcoming meeting. overdose, bleeding and shock. old when he joined Chadbourn Fire Edwards says that, working as a team, the Public safety career technical Randy Guyton is chief of Chad- and Rescue. CJF board will bring economic development education classes are becoming more bourn-Klondyke Fire and Rescue. “If I could have taken it in high efforts here to the highest level ever. “What I popular, Buck said. He also owns a private ambulance school that would have been good,” Economy, page 11-A 2-A – The News Reporter, Thursday, June 9, 2016 No tax, fee increases at Lake By JEFFERSON WEAVER expected to be $161,800. in good financial condition, Staff Writer Utility funds are required despite the sluggish economy. by state law to be self-support- “Revenues are not expected The proposed 2016-17 fis- ing, and solid waste collec- to increase significantly, while cal budget for the town of tion contracts generally are our capital needs continue to Lake Waccamaw includes no designed to be paid for out of be a challenge,” Foley said. increases in taxes and fees, user fees. “Some have been addressed although the town manager Out of the general fund in this year’s budget, like the warns increases will be need- expenditures, administra- expansion of the VFD substa- ed in the future. tion is budgeted for $290,923; tion on Dupree Landing Road, The town manager also rec- recreation, $18,500; mosquito while the much-needed up- ommends adding money to the spraying, $9,700; and streets, grade of the building and elec- town’s fund balance this year, $216,250.