r4$$TXFFQT)VETPO7BM Tis Sunday MFZr-BEZ4UBMMJPOTSBMMZQBTU 4PVUI#SVOTXJDLr1BDLUSJQT West Columbus High School hosts 8FTU#MBEFOGPSêSTUMFBHVF Celebrate the Arts from 1 until 5 p.m. XJOr'BJSNPOUUPQT7JLJOHT Sports r-BEZ,OJHIUTEFGFBU8)4 See story on page 7-A. 4FFQBHF# ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Tursday forReporter the County of Columbus and her people. Tursday, March 22, 2012 Man, woman County ofers shot while Volume 121, Number 65 fussing how to discounted Whiteville, North Carolina raise children hook-up fee to 75 Cents nFelon used sawed-off shotgun to fire through new customers Inside Today bathroom door, and wom- By NICOLE CARTRETTE an gets pellet in eye. Staff Writer 4-A r1JMMDBTFBHBJOTU By BOB HIGH It starts April 1 but it is no joke. Staff Writer Columbus County commissioners, eager to QPMJDFNBOTXJGF add new customers to the county’s five water ESPQQFE An argument about how districts, are offering a discounted tap fee. to raise children between a Potential customers who do not have a meter 31-year-old woman and her at their home can connect to county water for DIDYOB? 20-year-old boyfriend erupted $100. That is about one-third the actual cost Did you observe ... into gunfire from a sawed-off of installing a meter. shotgun Wednesday afternoon It is an offer that Public Utilities Director Louise Farmer win- along Williams Road south of Kip McClary said is typically only available ning her fnal game of Chadbourn, and both the man during the construction phase of a water and woman are hospitalized. district project. marbles? Farmer, an Sheriff’s Detective Rene “If we have a run on it, will you be willing to avid marbles fan who Trevino and Deputy Melanie amend the budget?” McClary asked the board. played every Tuesday Avant provided the following Commissioner James Prevatte is hopeful it information: will encourage lots of households to sign on night with her friends, Prenessa Rene Young, 31, to the system. He suggested the discount be died this week. ... Local and Rashawn Tremaine Rose, offered for six months. musician Wanda Diefes 20, both living in a mobile Commissioner Buddy Byrd asked the board being called into action home in the 2400 block of to include a waiver of penalty fees in Water Williams Road, were arguing District IV. Last year the board gave house- to sing her frst public Wednesday about how to dis- holds who signed up for water and purchased solo of Te National An- cipline children. taps six months to hook on to the water and be them?....Becky Kendall Hit right eye forgiving of accumulating penalty fees. Many Young went to the bath- have still not hooked on to water. and Terry Ikner attend- room, and locked the door. The vote to offer a discounted fee followed ing the International Rose attempted to get it open, public comment by Gene McNeil of Riegel- Art Show in New York?... but couldn’t, and got his sawed- off shotgun. He fired one shot See Discounted, page 12-A Former Sen. R.C. Soles “head high” at the door, and Jr. testing the waters one of the small pellets entered at his Tabor City ofce See Shootings, page 5-A Railroad takes Tuesday as he continues Staff photo by Mark Gilchrist to recover from heart surgery?...Carolyn Han- Trains and cranes another shot kins following the Yellow Tigpen to Travis Herring, left, of Coastal Cranes in Myrtle Beach, S.C. signals to one of two crane operators lifting a vintage railroad car off its trucks at federal grant Brick Road for her 70th hang up his and onto equipment made for hauling heavy items on highways Tues- birthday scavenger hunt day afternoon in the Chadbourn yard of Carolina Southern Railroad. nRailway remains closed. along with her grand- stethoscope children from Arkansas By NICOLE CARTRETTE dressed in character, and afer 33 years Staff Writer Beverly Justice dressed An Horry County, S.C., committee voted By FULLER ROYAL Whiteville man was recently to seek yet another federal grant on as Dorothy? Hankins’ Staff Writer behalf of Carolina Southern Railroad. birthday coincides with The Conway-based rail service has several Long- the 70th anniversary Tuskegee Airman miles of track in Columbus County and vol- time local untarily shut the line down about six months of the release of “Te physician nHelp needed in second lieutenant and ago after the Federal Railroad Administration Wizard of Oz”… Former Dr. F. Ray locating flight of- made a flight officer. identified several bridges in need of repair. T h i g p e n ficer or his family. Interest in the air- WHS pitcher Michael Carolina Southern is seeking a $15 million is ending men has risen in recent federal transportation grant. The company Wright pitching against a medi- In October, 1944, months as director and sought a similar grant for more than $20 mil- the Yankees Sunday in cal career Whiteville native Da- producer George Lucas lion last year but was turned down. that began vid J. Murphy was released the Lucasfilm- a spring training? He If the grant is awarded, the Horry County on July 8, awarded his wings 20th Century Fox film Council will have to vote to approve it and struck out star Yankee 1979 when as part of the famed “Red Tails” starring make matching payments. frst baseman Mark he opened Tuskegee Air men, Terrance Howard. The N.C. Department of Transportation h i s f i r s t known as the “Red President Barack Teixeira and had a has approved $350,000 to go toward the project. practice in Tails” for the mark- Obama also welcomed good outing in 2-1/3 in- Since the tracks of the Carolina Southern downtown ings on their fighter a group of Red Tail Dr. Thigpen Railroad in Columbus County have stood nings? ... Whiteville. planes. survivors to the White lonely of any traffic, the cost of transportation Primarily citing health rea- Murphy, who re- House last month. for former Horry and Columbus County rail sons, the Fair Bluff native sided at 228 W. Walter Anyone with infor- customers is a growing concern. wants to retire to spend more St. in Whiteville, had 2nd Lt. David Murphy mation on what be- County Deaths Kroy Building Products of Fair Bluff de- time with his family and do attended Howard Uni- came of Murphy and pended on the railroad for receiving raw ma- Whiteville some of the things he’s never versity before enroll- his family is asked to terials. The facility produces vinyl material in had time to do. ing in Tuskegee’s Aviation Cadet call Bob High at The News Reporter Fennell Yates Jr. a variety of fencing styles that, among others, Annie Bell Jenrette Hooper Thigpen, who has been an Corps. He was commissioned as a at 642-4104, ext. 247. Julius R. Williamson II See Thigpen, page 2-A See Railroad, page 9-A James A. Mosley Tabor City Esther Pearl Cribb Beck Chadbourn Billy Franklin Grainger Wagging tails hold hope for the future By JEFFERSON WEAVER owner in Whiteville became too ill to care for a pet. Staff Writer The program is about training and healing, said Randy Index Chavis, who coordinates New Leash on Life at Bladen Cor- There were flowing tears and wagging tails at Bladen Cor- rectional. &EJUPSJBMT" rectional Facility last week as three residents of the prison “They all have a good time,” Chavis said. “The dogs, the 0CJUVBSJFT" went to their new homes. inmates, the volunteers—it changes the facility. The inmates Izzy, Stout, and Phoenix were the latest graduates of the look for the dogs, they want to spend time with them.” 4QPSUT# New Leash on Life program, which pairs rescued dogs with The eight-week program was started in December 2004, $SJNF" inmate trainers. The dogs are socialized, taught basic obedi- and came to Bladen in 2005. At one point, Chavis said, budget -JWJOH$ ence, and learn how to deal with people and other animals. At cuts threatened the program with termination. Superinten- the same time, their trainers learn skills that improve their dent Randy Register said that Chavis and Pat Lambert of the own self-esteem, life skills and in some cases, occupational Cape Fear Rescue League stepped in “and worked to save it.” chances on release. “We thought it was shut down,” Register said, “but Miss On March 16, the three dogs went to their new, permanent Pat and Randy picked it up, and now it’s going strong.” homes. Regional Director J.C. Huggins praised Bladen and the “It’s always tough,” said Michael Martins, one of the program, pointing out that a similar prison dog effort, the inmate trainers. PAWS program, has seen great success in the McCain Hos- Staff photo by Mark Gilchrist The dogs often have as sad of a history as their train- pital. A New Leash on Life volunteer ers—Phoenix was tied and left to die in a backyard. Stout “The dogs there actually become service dogs for the dis- says goodbye to Stout, one of was abandoned at a Wilmington dog park. Izzy, an energetic abled and our wounded warriors,” he said. “The dogs are then graduating dogs of the eight- Jack Russell mix, was turned over to animal control after his week training program at Blad- See Wagging, page 7-A en Correctional Facility. 2-A – The News Reporter, Thursday, March 22, 2012 Audit shows Whiteville in good shape By JEFFERSON WEAVER trol procedures within the Staff Writer finance department,” the audit said, “we noticed a lack of seg- Aside from some procedur- regation of duties due to the al problems that can be cor- small number of employees….