Wishing all of our Celebrate the Arts readers a Happy Beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday, at West Columbus High School. See story below. St. Patrick’s Day Southern Farm Days Beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday and Sunday. See story and ad on page 3-A. ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Thursday Reporterfor the County of Columbus and her people. Thursday, March 17, 2016 Bond passes Volume 125, Number 75 Commissioner Whiteville, North Carolina incumbents win 75 Cents big in light voting By ALLEN TURNER Staff Writer Less than 30 percent of eligible county voters turned out Tuesday and in early vot- ing to overwhelmingly Inside name two incumbent county commissioners as 2-A Democratic candidates •Missionaries con- for their seats, and to approve the Connect NC nect people to their bond referendum. family’s past. With all precincts reporting, incumbent 4-A James Prevatte received •Felony arrests in 474 votes, or 45.06 per- cent of the District 2 Byrd various incidents. total. Challengers Tim Blackmon finished with 9-A 296 votes (28.14 percent), •Bond passes by a Chris Smith 171 votes (16.25 percent), Michael landslide. (Hunt) Lewis 73 votes (6.94 percent) and Jo Ann Bailey 38 votes (3.61 per- cent). Next Issue In District 2, Prevatte carried six of the 10 Prevatte Staff photo by FULLER ROYAL precincts in the district: Welches Creek, Western Prong, Whiteville 1, ID please North Whiteville and West Whiteville. He also Kathryn and Kirk Clark present their driver’s licenses to Whiteville Precinct I workers Sara Thompson received a heavy vote in early voting at the and Diana Matthews Tuesday evening. More than 450 voters turned out at Whiteville I. board of elections and got the only early vote cast in the race in Tabor City. In District 3, incumbent Giles E. “Buddy” Byrd won by an even bigger margin over his Robeson County slides into bottom slot only opponent, Perry Dixon. Byrd received 1,067 votes (66.36 percent) to Dixon’s 541 (33.64 percent). County no longer ranked Blackmon prevailed in Chadbourn, Tatum, See Primary, page 8-A Monday’s American Profile as state’s unhealthiest features “Exercising By ALLEN TURNER Kindess:” A per- Staff Writer Celebrate the sonal trainer builds For the first time in seven years, Co- muscle and hope lumbus County no longer has the dubi- ous distinction of being ranked as the Arts is March for people with dis- unhealthiest county in North Carolina. abilities. Rankings for 2016, released Wednes- day, move Columbus County to 96th in 19 at WCHS the ranking of North Carolina’s 100 counties, marking the first time since the Visual art, dance, music and DIDYOB? rankings were begun in 2010 that Colum- Did you observe ... bus County has not been designated the theatre part of events planned unhealthiest county in the state. from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Pollen, pollen and Neighboring Robeson County re- placed Columbus as the state’s unhealthi- By NICOLE CARTRETTE est in the most recent rankings. News Editor more pollen? ... The rankings, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of It is one thing to think outside the box but Princeton, N. J. and the University of another to reinvent the box. Wisconsin Population Health Institute in That’s what Clark Whittington, 49, of Madison, look at health factors in all but Winston-Salem did when he began restoring County Deaths 86 counties in the United States. and repurposing vintage cigarette machines “I think our increase was a very good Whiteville in 1997 as a way to make art affordable and jump,” Columbus County Health Direc- Lloyd Poe “Pebo” Collier Jr. accessible. tor Kim Smith said. “Here at the health Mary Gayle Grubbs Stoll department we have worked hard at get- “Don’t go round Artless,” is his Facebook Alyssa Ann Smith Nobles ting different programs up and running page motto, but the positive role art plays in everyday life really is something Whit- Merrel Willis Dick Crutchfield of Lake Waccamaw works on this cross-trainer See Healthy, page 9-A tington said more people need and should Marvin Oscar Hagen four to five times each week. experience. Chadbourn Today, he connects artists’ smaller art- Jackie Eugene Spivey works packaged in small boxes with buyers Cathy Faye Carter Butler via colorfully restored machines placed in Tabor City 300 locations across the country, including Royce “Brian” Harrelson Master jeweler Pebo Collier dies the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. and the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. nCollier was known as much “We are just lucky to be doing this,” said for his dedication to helping “If anyone needed any help, Whittington, who spends as long as three to Index young people as he was his at- six months carefully restoring and brining tention to detail in his down- he would do anything he new life to old machines. He has as many as Editorials ......... 10-A town store, Colliers Jewelers. could. That’s the kind of 60 such machines in storage. Obituaries ......... 7-A By LES HIGH Whittington’s passion for art came Sports ................ 1-B Editor man he was.” naturally. His dad was a musician and his Crime ................ 4-A Todd Collins mother a package designer. He is one of several artists, musicians, Living ................ 1-C Pebo Collier, one of the last re- maining merchants who, for more choral directors, band directors, dance and than 50 years, helped make down- Reporter and a long-time friend, said theatre instructors who will lead workshops town Whiteville a regional shopping Collier was a “go-to guy” whenever with students from across the county at destination, died at his home early money needed to be raised for a good Celebrate the Arts this weekend at West Wednesday. civic cause. Columbus High School. Collier, 77, returned home after Pebo Collier “He helped keep Whiteville viable Jonathan Drahos and Carolanne Marano attending Wake Forest University for a long time,” High said. “He was of UNC Pembroke are this year’s theatre di- in 1958 to run Colliers Jewelers, the jewelry, and Colliers Jewelers did pro-downtown, pro-chamber of com- rectors for high school students. Drahos has business his father Lloyd founded quite a bit of business with out- merce, pro-local and pro-education. been dedicated to professional acting and in 1931. of-town customers because of the He always had a keen interest in directing, and to the theoretical, historical The Colliers were experts in company’s reputation. stones and the art of making fine Jim High, publisher of The News See Collier, page 5-A See Celebrate, page 12-A 2-A – The News Reporter, Thursday, March 17, 2016 Missionaries connect people to their family’s past By SHALON SMITH participants. Staff Writer “That seven years is a link to African American history Mike and Nancy Madeo that hasn’t existed before,” have been teaching locals he said. the basics of genealogy for Mike Madeo is a retired ed- beginners in a free, hands-on ucator of 40 years and Nancy class hosted by the Carolyn T. Madeo is a full-time grand- High Memorial Library. The mother of 13 grandchildren class is scheduled for each and mother of 6 children. Tuesday in March from 10 “We do miss our family, a.m. to 12 p.m. and may run but our stay here has been longer depending on interests one that we will treasure,” of the participants. Mike Madeo said. “For individuals that are Computer seating is lim- introduced to this phase of ited for the hands-on class. genealogy, it’s important for For registration informa- them to learn how to do it on- tion contact Kim Moore at line and know what resources (910) 642-3116 or kmoore@ are there and what records columbus.org. Free online are there,” said Morris Prid- genealogy classes are offered through the learning center on FamilySearch.org at famil- “It’s much easier than ysearch.org/learningcenter/ home.html. what it used to be Class participant Emily with everything that’s Williams said, “If everyone on the computer.” would do their family history and we could figure out who Emily W illiams was connected to who, maybe people wouldn’t be talking about other people like we do gen, director of the library. because then we’d be talking Full-time missionaries of about our family.” the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Madeos are currently assigned to Elder Mike Madeo talks Emily Williams through the process of elimination when deciding which online records may help members of and lead- be those of a relative. Planter’s Day ers of the church in Tabor of Latter Day Saints. The that could’ve given up on find- City. They live in Morgan, organization is the largest ing information on 1865-1872. in Garland Utah and have been in Tabor genealogical organization in The earliest American cen- City for 10 months with their the world. Class participants sus for African Americans 18-month mission ending at are offered free access to the that had given information March 25-26 the end of this year. They resources and records found with last names and families The 24th annual Old Fash- teach the class at the library at FamilySearch.org. would be 1870 because the ion Planter’s Day will be held as community service work. “It’s much easier than census record previous to Friday and Saturday, March “I think it’s good that he what it used to be with every- that was 1860 and at that time, 25-26 at 9252 Old Fayetteville took the time, not being from thing that’s on the computer,” they didn’t have a last name Road in Garland.