•Central teams sweep Hallsboro Invitational. •Pack boys get road win over Mustangs; Gator girls up league mark. •Hallsboro semis feature buckets and baked goods. See page 1-B. Sports ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Thursday Reporterfor the County of Columbus and her people. Monday, January 18, 2016 County needs Volume 125, Number 58 Whiteville, North Carolina ‘help’ to build 75 Cents new schools nTour of schools in western Colum- bus County Wednesday may include Inside more than local officials. 2-A By NICOLE CARTRETTE News Editor •Commissioners expected to OK A tour of Columbus County schools in the discounted water taps western part of the county on Wednesday could include more than local officials. Tuesday. Commissioner Ricky Bullard said, after touring schools in Tabor City last week that 5-A were in desperate need of repairs, he asked •Dorman honored that representatives in the N.C. House and for decade with Senate and U.S. House get a firsthand look at the condition of the schools Wednesday when Visitor Center. officials tour schools in western Columbus County. “I was really shocked. Our needs are so great that we are going to need to have some help,” Bullard said. “We’ve got to get some money from Raleigh. If we don’t ask, we will never get it. The squeaky wheel gets the oil first ... We’ve got schools past their life expec- tancy. Columbus County is going to have to have some extra aid.” Some of the school buildings are 75 or more years old. A recent survey of capital needs for the next five years compiled by the Columbus County Schools totals nearly $180 million. A Today’s six- to 10-year needs survey totals $200 million. This year, Szotak Design is completing a American Profile fea- more detailed study and inventory of the 18 tures “Super Bowls: Score schools in the county school district. Big With These Easy Eats “Taxpayers can’t afford much more,” Bul- lard said. for Game Day.” Of 100 counties in the state, only 12 have a higher property tax rate than Columbus Coun- DIDYOB? ty based on N.C. Department of Revenue data. In 2015, commissioners budgeted an extra Did you observe ... $1.6 million more in funding for the Columbus Folks heading to the See School help, page 3-A Walmart parking lot Friday morning thinking country sing- er Keith Urban’s tour City’s crash buses had stopped there? They hadn’t. tax adjusted Staff photo by FULLER ROYAL It was someone else nSoftware can only process higher selling CDs for an- Up close and personal costs. other singer. ... Gurley Williams Township fifth-grader Lois Cartrette, 10, uses a magnifying light to take a much closer look at the exoskeletons left by cicadas once they emerge from their 17 years below ground. Cartrette By JEFFERSON WEAVER and Kitty Graves and and her classmates were visting the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville Friday morning. Staff Writer family celebrating their 50th wedding Drivers who cause vehicle crashes in White- ville will have to pay slightly more than the anniversary at the city originally planned. Southern Sizzler With city councilmen Robert Leder and Tim Resturant? ... For- ‘A day to remember’ Blackmon voting in the negative, the council approved an adjustment to the fee schedule for mer Central Middle Ground broken on Veterans Memorial Park the city’s emergency services costs recovery School band director fee at Tuesday’s regular board meeting. By JEFFERSON WEAVER The city approved the so-called “crash Xavier Cason running Staff Writer tax” in November, with Leder and Blackmon for Durham School also voting against it then, along with board Board? ... Standing in a former soybean member Sarah Thompson. Thompson wanted field on U.S. 701 South, Lloyd Mor- city residents to be excluded from the charges. gan, wearing his “dress green” Although City Manager Darren Currie and U.S. Army uniform, smiled as he Fire Chief Dave Yergeau said the system could County Deaths shook hands with a fellow veteran be adjusted to prevent charging city residents, Thursday. the council as a whole did not instruct the staff Whiteville “This has been a long time com- to make the change in the original or amended Marianna Ward Fowler ing,” he said. ordinances. Judy Floyd Peterson Morgan was one of more than The fees are paid by the insurance company Lake Waccamaw 100 veterans attending the ground- of drivers found at fault in collisions within breaking for the Columbus County the city response area. Polly Edwards Etheridge Veterans Memorial Park. He also City Manager Darren Currie explained that Tabor City serves on the board of directors for the fees adopted by the city in the previous Vonnie ‘R.D.’ Nealey the project. vote, while considered more “user friendly” Veterans of every conflict since as well as more efficient for budgeting, were World War II, along with family, rejected by Innovapad, the company that pro- Index friends and elected officials, motor- vides tablets, software and collections of the cycle clubs and others were on hand fees. Innovapad receives 25 percent of the fees. Editorials .......... 8-A as the first ceremonial spades of dirt The crash tax does not cover fire calls. were turned for the park. Lloyd Morgan greets fellow veterans Thursday at the ground- Whiteville firefighters respond to an average Obituaries ......... 7-A “I can’t believe we’re finally Sports ................ 1-B breaking. of 20 crashes per month, and spend from one here,” said Angela Norris, consid- to three hours on most calls, according to the Crime ................ 4-A ered the spearhead of the effort. “I property south of Whiteville last Norris and other volunteers then fire department. Lifestyles ........... 5-A knew we would be here someday, but Under the previous version of the fee sched- now that we’ve finally come this far fall, with a combination of dona- began hunting a more suitable tract. tions and a loan from BB&T. More Groups from across the state ule, the city charged a flat fee of $500 per hour — you just run out of words.” for crash response, plus $300 for heavy appara- Efforts to build a park memorial- than $25,000 has been raised so far, in came to Thursday’s event, including addition to other donations. County the VFW Honor Guard from Indian tus; $225 for lighter vehicles; $800 for extrica- izing all Columbus County veterans tion without tools or $2,000 with hydraulics; have been underway since 2013. Nor- commissioners have promised to Camp. Some individuals traveled provide $50,000 toward construction even further, with one Massachu- and actual replacement cost of materials used ris’ husband Randy, president of the to clean up oil, fuel and other fluids. The fire non-profit organization to build the of the park. setts woman attending with her Originally, organizers hoped to family. department budgeted an anticipated $70,000 park, told the crowd of more than in revenue for fiscal 2015-16 from car crash 200 that “some people didn’t think place the park at Southeastern Com- Angela Parks, who lives in Char- munity College, near the U.S. 74-76 lotte, took time off work to attend fees. The funding will go directly to the city’s this would happen.” general fund, not the fire department. The group began purchasing the Bypass, but state community college officials rejected the plan. Angela See Veterans Park, page 2-A See Crash tax, page 2-A 2-A – The News Reporter, Monday, January 18, 2016 Commissioners expected to OK discounted water taps Tuesday By ALLEN TURNER The economic incentives each year before the incentives Staff Writer would be payable over a period are paid. The project involves of five years and require the a total investment of $1.5 mil- New water customers creation of 10 to 15 new jobs lion by Sondja Textiles in plant across the county could save at the facility. Property taxes and equipment. $130 on tap fees under a county will have to have been paid Commissioners also are proposal that is part of the Co- expected to schedule another lumbus County Board of Com- public hearing on Feb. 1 on a missioners agenda Tuesday. proposal to amend the county’s Commissioners normally land use regulation ordinance meet on the first and third to change the makeup of the Monday of each month, but county board of adjustment. Monday’s meeting has been Currently, the ordinance pro- rescheduled for Tuesday in vides for five voting members recognition of the Martin “and two alternate members.” Members of the board of directors for the Veterans Memorial Park turn the first ceremo- Luther King Jr. holiday. The If the change is approved, the nial shovelfuls of dirt. meeting will start at 7 p.m. in alternate members would be commissioners’ chambers at eliminated and the board of the Dempsey Herring Court- adjustment would consist of Veterans Park house Annex. seven voting members. Continued from page 1-A The reduced tap fee is an ef- The board also will receive fort to increase participation. the annual report from chair- the groundbreaking. She be- Tap fees currently are $500, man David McPherson of the came familiar with the project plus a $50 security deposit. local emergency planning last year after the death of a The county’s water and sewer committee and approve the friend who lived in the county. advisory committee on Jan. 5 membership list. A change in “I wanted to be here for voted to recommend that the the membership list, expected those who couldn’t,” she said.