GOP's New District Plans Under Fire Firm Likely to Draw County District Lines
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*TJUJMMFHBMUPEJWF r4PVUI$PMVNCVT#FMMFT PĒUIF#JH$SFFL 1POZUBJMT&BTU$PMVNCVT US "OHFMT 4XFFUJFTUBLF%JT- CSJEHFBU-BLF USJDU%JYJF(JSMTUJUMFT 8BDDBNBX r1PTUESPQTIFBSU 4FFBOTXFSPOQBHF Sports Ask CSFBLFSUP)PQF.JMMTJO " UI4FFQBHF# ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Tursday forReporter the County of Columbus and her people. Monday, June 27, 2011 Grandson GOP’s new arrested Volume 114, Number 100 district plans Whiteville, North Carolina for murder 50 Cents nBetty Smith Pace found under fre in her Hallsboro home By NICOLE CARTRETTE Inside Today late Friday. Staff Writer 4-A By BOB HIGH Public hearings on changes proposed for Staff Writer some General Assembly districts were held r:PVOHNBODBVHIU across the state Thursday afternoon and eve- iEPDUPSTIPQQJOHu Jesse Vernon Pace was ar- ning. Some were sparsely attended earlier in rested late Saturday for mur- the day but one held at the campus of UNC- r5FOESJWFSTDPO- der after the body of his grand- Wilmington left no empty seat in the room at WJDUFEPG%8* mother, Betty Smith Pace, was 4 p.m June 23. found in her Hallsboro home The meetings came just days after Repub- late Friday. lican-led redistricting committees released The 29-year-old suspect was proposals for more than 25 house and 11 sen- found at daybreak Saturday ate districts in the state. GOP leaders say the making a phone call at the proposals are in compliance with the federal convenience Voting Rights Act (VRA) that is intended to store in Ash. give minorities stronger voices in elections but His grand- most of the speakers early Thursday blasted mother’s car, the proposal and criticized it for doing the a 1999 Chev- opposite. r o l e t , w a s The meetings were held simultaneously parked across with video teleconferencing used to allow all N.C. 130 at participants to take turns site-by-site broad- the Soldier casting each speaker’s presentation to all sites. Bay Baptist Betty Pace Opponents say the proposal goes beyond Today’s Church. what is required of the federal act and work Sheriff’s Detective Jeremy to create possible super-majority Republican American Profle Barber said the 74-year-old Bet- districts by “stacking” or “packing” minori- features “Visions of ty Pace’s family members in ties in to a limited number of districts and the Hallsboro area last talked diluting their influence elsewhere. Democracy,” a pho- to her about noon on Sunday, House District 20, which is comprised of tographer’s three- June 19. Barber said it was not unusual for the victim to See GOP lines, page 2-A decade odyssey to visit and stay with family in depict America. the Supply-Shallotte area of Brunswick County. See Murder, page 4-A DIDYOB? Staff photo by Mark Gilchrist Firm likely to Did you observe ... Special delivery Area fres John Russ carries an armload of fresh vegetables to the sorting table draw county Sarah Royal host- at the Extension Service last week to prepare them for delivery to their ing a steady stream simmer owners. Through the new Internet-based service, Down East Connect, of visitors as she customers in Wilmington get individual service from Columbus County district lines recovers from knee nPeat expected to burn growers without even crossing the Cape Fear River. By NICOLE CARTRETTE for weeks after spate of Staff Writer surgery? ... Serious forest fires. repair work under- Columbus County commissioners will likely turn to a Raleigh-based law firm to help By JEFFERSON WEAVER Most foxes harmless, way on Madison re-draw county commissioner districts as a Street in Whiteville? Staff Writer result of the 2010 Census. wildlife ofcials say County Attorney Mike Stephens said two A sign that the badly Area firefighters are keep- firms have offered proposals ranging from By JEFFERSON WEAVER worn and pothole- ing a weather eye on the $9,500 to $10,000 in response to the county’s Staff Writer flled street will ground and the skies, monitor- solicitation for such offers. ing ground fires in the Green While there have also been inquires made Not every fox you see this summer eventually see new Swamp and elsewhere as well by demographers, Stephens said the firms is necessarily rabid—some are just as hoping for rain. who have submitted proposals would offer a pavement. ... White- being maternal. “We need a significant rain complete job from start to finish. With the rising populations of ville’s First Baptist shower,” said Brian Council “They will give us information, we provide both coyotes and humans, foxes have Church bringing in of the Whiteville office of the feedback and talk,” Stephens said, pointing begun moving closer to human habi- Division of Forest Resources. out a number of options would be presented kids by the bus and tations, according to state biologists. “The ground fires won’t be ex- to the board. “Commissioners decide which is In addition to staying away from the van loads to its vaca- tinguished until that happens.” more appropriate.” larger predators, foxes often find the Ground fires are fueled by Residents may soon see action on redistrict- tion bible school? ... suburbs to be an excellent habitat. vegetative matter called peat. ing locally, as the board is expected to consider Trash cans, pet food, and even gar- The soil structure is common the two proposals at its next commissioner dens can make for easy food sources A close-up of a fox in bay forests, which dot the meeting and Stephens hopes to have the lines for foxes. County Deaths landscape across Columbus redrawn by December. The problem, according to the area around the den to keep potential County. The thick, tangled “It has to be done prior to the next filing Wildlife Resources commission, predators away. forests provide fuel through period but I want it done by December,” Ste- Whiteville comes when female foxes are protec- A series of reports of foxes on dead and broken trees as well phens said. “The sooner the better.” Annie Pridgen tive of their young. Fox pups are park walkways in Raleigh, Cary and as decades of fallen leaves and The latest 2010 census data shows that the beginning to spend more time on Wilmington, as well as reports of Edgar Hud Barnes pine straw. When the peat dries county’s total population is 58,098. That means their own by mid-June, and mother foxes in town in Whiteville and Lake Nellie D. Freeman out, it can smolder for weeks the ideal commissioner district population is Chadbourn foxes often patrol the immediate See Foxes, page 3-A See Fires, page 3-A William M. “Buddy” Cribb See District, page 2-A Wilhelmina Williamson Hallsboro Aneda Richards Betty Smith Pace Prevatte named top RSVP administrator By RAY WYCHE the number of volunteers she has re- help, particularly for receptionists. Staff Writer cruited (about 350) and the number of Others seek assistance to help with fun- Index recipients of volunteer work her agency draising drives, tutoring in schools, and Melody Prevatte is a matchmaker. has served. other duties for which the volunteer is &EJUPSJBMT" As director of the Columbus Coun- The Columbus County RSVP, funded qualified. 0CJUVBSJFT" ty Retired & Senior Volunteer Program by federal and county money and with Volunteers are also assigned to as- (RSVP), she matches volunteers with offices at Southeastern Community Col- sist in temporary undertakings such 4QPSUT# non-profit agencies with the goal of lege, is one of the largest in the state. as blood drives and to assist the health $SJNF" getting temporary jobs done and more As director of the Columbus County departments during special emphases -JGFTUZMFT" importantly, keeping everyone happy RSVP, she assigns volunteers to quali- on programs such as influenza vac- in the process. fied agencies and organizations. cinations. In such medical situations, And obviously she does well in pair- The work is more complicated than RSVP volunteers act as guides and in- ing the right volunteer to handle the calling a volunteer and asking, “Can formation sources and are not directly task the non-profit wants done. you go to XYZ offices and answer the involved in providing medical services. Prevatte has been named Volunteer phone half a day tomorrow?” Some requests border on the unusu- Administrator of the Year by the state Prevatte must know the details of the al; Prevatte recently filled an order for Association of Volunteer Administra- requested work, and also if the volun- a group of “victims,” people to play the tors. teer feels comfortable with the situation roles of disaster victims with a variety Her fellow volunteer agency di- of the nonprofit client. of “injuries” for first aid training for rectors, in choosing Prevatte for the The largest number of requests that 9th graders. organization’s top honor, considered come to Prevatte are asking for office See Prevatte, page 3-A Melody Prevatte 2-A – The News Reporter, Monday, June 27, 2011 This week, on... This week, on... GOP lines Continued from page 1-A all of Columbus County and a districts along with U.S. con- portion of Brunswick County gressional districts. now, would be made up of Hill said he would like to large portions of Bladen, a see what the other districts June 27, 2011 part of New Hanover, Bruns- are going to look like. wick and small pockets of the Under a minority voting Whiteville.com northwestern and eastern district plan for the Senate, portions of Columbus. N.C. Senate District 13 would Reader That means residents in include Robeson and Colum- Photos downtown Wilmington would bus counties in their entire- share a representative with ties. Presently Columbus some portions of rural Colum- County is in Senate District bus and Bladen counties.