i*TJUUSVFUIBUHVJOFBGPXM BSFHPPEBUDPOUSPMMJOHêSF r&BTU 4PVUIBOE8FTU$PMVNCVTBMM DPNFBXBZXJUIGPPUCBMMWJDUPSJFT'SJEBZ US BOUT ui8IZEP$PMVNCVT $PVOUZSFTDVFTRVBETCJMM OJHIU XIJMF8IJUFWJMMFDPNFCBDLGBMMT GPSDBMMTXIFOUIFZHFUUBY TIPSU*UJT8FTUTêSTUWJDUPSZPGUIFZFBS 8)4UFOOJTUFBNXJOTUXP Sports Ask NPOFZ u 4FFBOTXFSTPOQBHF" ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Tursday forReporter the County of Columbus and her people. Monday, September 19, 2011 Soles arrested for assault County’s Volume 121, Number 23 Whiteville, North Carolina on man, 29 redistricting nMetal cane used in Sept. 50 Cents 10 assault with warrant plan unveiled issued on Sept. 14. By NICOLE CARTRETTE Staff Writer By BOB HIGH Staff Writer $ Commissioners got their first peek at a redistricting plan that adjusts district lines Former state senator R.C. in Coupons81 for all seven Columbus County commissioner Soles Jr., 76, a Tabor City at- districts over the weekend. Today torney, has been arrested on a The proposal keeps all commissioners in charge of assault with a deadly their current districts but shifts hundreds weapon – a cane with a metal of residents to different districts for the top – on a Tabor City man at purpose of creating more balanced districts Inside Today Soles’ home. population-wise. Soles was served at his office The map in its current form, included in 9-A with a warrant that charged the commissioners’ agenda packet, makes it him with assaulting Frankie r7PUFSSFHJTUSBUJPO difficult to discern which residents are most Lee Jernigan, 29, of Tabor City ESJWFTUBSHFUZPVUI impacted, as road names are not included on and Clarendon, on Sept. 10 at the map proposed. Soles’ home on the shores of The News Reporter requested a more de- Lake Tabor. tailed map with some roads identified and it Tabor City police reports is available online at Whiteville.com. show the warrant was obtained Tonight the board will discuss one redis- Sept. 14, and served Thursday. tricting option proposed by Tharrington- Bruised, swollen Smith, a law firm the county has contracted Jernigan, who now has an with to guide it through the process. address of Williams Road, Attorney Adam Mitchell told the board in Chadbourn, was found on Sept. recent months that the commissioner districts 14 by Policeman Chris Hilburn could be completed and approved by December in the parking area of the IGA with a 5 to 10 percent deviation acceptable. store. Jernigan was leaning General principles or guidelines the board “over the driver’s window” of agreed to follow included not drawing mem- Soles’ car. bers out of their districts, not changing lines Today’s Hilburn asked Jernigan more than necessary and using a non-retro- what was going on, and the gressive plan that would not dilute minority American Profle officer said he noticed the left majorities in districts such as I and III. side of Jernigan’s face was features “Where the Commissioners also agreed to exclude the bruised and swollen. Asked West was Filmed.” county’s two prisons from district population See Soles, page 4-A Te rugged back- See Redistrictng, page 2-A drops of Lone Pine, Cal. have provided Local SAT County lef settings for nearly scores below Staff photo by Mark Gilchrist 400 movies. Museum of Forestry replanted loophole in state average Kenny White of Signs and Designs South makes last-minute adjust- ments to the new sign for the N.C. Museum of Forestry in Whiteville DIDYOB? By FULLER ROYAL hundreds of Friday as his brother, Mike, prepares to help mount it on the museum’s Did you observe ... Staff Writer newly renovated home off Madison Street. worker contracts Darryl Diefes spend- Last week, the College Board’s annual SAT (Scholas- By NICOLE CARTRETTE ing Friday and tic Aptitude Test) report was Staff Writer Saturday nights with released revealing a slight gain for Class of 2011 graduates in Hospital recognized as a The county may have left substantial loop- 50-plus ladies? ... the Columbus County Schools holes in contracts with nurse aides it hired to Genie Carter teach- and a loss for the graduates in top performer in nation work for the Department of Aging’s in-home ing the Whiteville the Whiteville City Schools. services programs since the inception of the Statewide, last spring’s Columbus Regional Healthcare access hospitals and one of only programs that provide services to primarily First Baptist Youth graduates scored an average System has been named one of the 14 hospitals in North Carolina disabled seniors in their homes. Council several yoga 1,475 points on their combined nation’s top performers on key earning the distinction of top per- County officials, including county attorney techniques during its reading, math and writing quality measures by The Joint former on key quality measures Mike Stephens, have been hesitant to discuss scores. Whiteville’s graduates Commission, the leading accredi- for attaining and sustaining excel- the status of more than 100 nurse aides and annual planning re- trailed that number at 1,351 tor of health care organizations lence in accountability measure certified nurse aides that work for the county, treat? ... East Caro- points, down from last year’s in America. performance. but tonight commissioners will take action lina Head Coach high of 1,420. Columbus Coun- Columbus Regional was recog- Inclusion on the list is based on on a resolution that calls for new contracts. ty’s graduates averaged 1,334 nized by The Joint Commission an aggregation of accountability “We are trying to correct and clarify these Rufn McNeill on points, up from 1,320 points based on data reported about measure data reported to The Joint positions as independent contract employees,” the sidelines last year. evidence-based clinical processes Commission during the previous Stephens said. “What they did sign was open- Sixty-seven percent of that are shown to improve care calendar year. ended. This has come up and we are trying to at the WHS-NBHS North Carolina’s high school for certain conditions, includ- For example, this first recogni- resolve it.” football game scout- seniors (62,149 students) took ing heart attack, heart failure, tion program is based on data that At least one document given to some aides ing a Scorpion the SAT. Forty-five percent of pneumonia, surgical care and were reported for 2010. in the mid 1990s was called a “confidentiality the county’s seniors took the children’s asthma. To be recognized as a top per- agreement” but referred to the aide “as a part- player? SAT while 60 percent of White- Columbus Regional is one of time temporary employee.” ville’s seniors took the test. only 405 U.S. hospitals and critical See Hospital, page 3-A In the early 2000s some were asked to sign County Deaths See SAT, page 2-A See Loophole, page 2-A Clarendon Bernice Hardie Stephens Deborah Harrelson Sunken grave marker puts Dowless to work By RAY WYCHE Such a base would cost more than $300 and while the fed- Staff Writer eral Department of Veterans Affairs will furnish a bronze or marble grave maker for veterans at no cost, there is no Index During the past 10 years, Layton Dowless has earned a provision for furnishing a base for the bronze markers. reputation of helping families obtain government grave In keeping with his long-time personal desire to see &EJUPSJBMT" markers for their deceased military personnel. that all military veterans’ graves are properly marked, 0CJUVBSJFT" Recently he was called on — and answered that call — Dowless went to work. 4QPSUT# when a previously government-issued bronze flat tomb Word of his unselfish efforts in marking the graves of marker had sunk completely out of sight in the Williamson former military service personnel has spread, giving Dow- $SJNF" Crossroads Baptist Church Cemetery in the western part less a wide circle of acquaintances. When he was informed -JGFTUZMFT" of the county. of the problems with the bronze marker sinking, he knew The plaque marked the resting place of Elbert Clem- where to go for financial help. His reputation of obtaining mons Brown who died in 1990 and who served in World government-issued grave markers for veterans, most of War II. whom he did not know, is widespread. Grass was growing over the marker that is 12 x 24 inches Thanks to large contributions by the Vietnam Vet- in size. erans of Columbus County and the Elizabethtown VFW “The only way you could tell there was a grave there post, and to numerous individuals, Layton soon had ac- was by the flowers somebody had placed on the grave,” cumulated enough funds to pay for the stone. Dowless said. Then he went through the procedure he had been The solution to the sinking bronze plaque was to place through many times before: placing the block of granite it on a substantial base, such as a block of granite, with the mostly underground to serve as a base for the bronze top surface of the marker about one inch above the ground See Tombstones, page 3-A Layton Dowless 2-A – The News Reporter, Monday, September 19, 2011 This week, on... 2011 2011 2010 2009 2008 This week, on... 2011 SAT Math & Math, Reading Math, Reading Math, Reading Math, Reading Number Percent Math Reading Writing Reading and Writing and Writing and Writing and Writing SCORES Tested Tested Score Score Score Score Score Score Score Score Columbus County Schools 167 45.3 467 440 427 907 1334 1320 1315 1328 East Columbus High School 48 45.3 466 421 411 887 1298 1267 1251 1268 September 19, 2011 South Columbus High School 47 40.2 476 446 447 922 1369 1371 1451 1458 Southeastern Early College 23 45.1 490 491 470 981 1451 1661 Whiteville.com West