4QPSUT rFMA boys, Viking girls take Monday victories. rWhiteville boys blast East Bladen. rWolfpack takes Waccamaw Conference basketball wins over South Co- lumbus.4FFQBHF" ThePublished News since 1896 every Monday and Tursday forReporter the County of Columbus and her people. Tursday, January 27, 2011 Largest jury pool in county history called Volume 114, Number 61 750 summoned for trial of Danny Lamont Tomas in four murders Whiteville, North Carolina n250 jurors called for Feb. 28, I f T h o m a s i s in late March, and 150 are to be called another 200 for mid-March, found guilty, the for mid-April. Excuse date another 150 for late March, and same panel will de- Triple murder Superior Court Judge Thomas 50 Cents 150 for mid-April. cide if he receives Lock denied a defense motion to Lock has scheduled a session of the death penalty. move the trial from Columbus County, court on Feb. 18, beginning at By BOB HIGH Jury selection is ex- but reserved the right to hear further 9:30 a.m., to hear excuses from Inside Today Staff Writer pected to take at least arguments from the defense based on The largest jury pool in Columbus six weeks, and the the difficulty of seating jurors here. the first batch of prospective jurors 3-A County’s history – 750 residents – will Thomas trial is projected to Thomas is charged with the triple called to report Feb. 28. r8IJUFWJMMFDIBNCFS be called to seat at least 14 to hear evi- last another four to six weeks. murder on Nov. 5, 2005 of Ivery Den- No person can be excused by IPMETUICBORVFU dence in four murders in 2005 charged Superior Court Judge Thomas Lock nis Inman, 40; his wife, Regina Dossie a District Court judge or the clerk to Danny Lamont Thomas, a 38-year- has ordered 250 jurors to report Feb. 28, Inman, 33, and her brother, Anthony of Superior Court. 12-A old former resident of Chadbourn. another 200 for mid-March, 150 more r4PVUIFSO(PTQFM See Jury Pool, page4-A HSPVQJTBUIPNFJO $IBECPVSO Strickland Rabon, Hill talk Next Issue leaving $3.7 billion state county budget shortfall schools nState House and Senate convened yesterday. By FULLER ROYAL Staff Writer By NICOLE CARTRETTE Staff Writer Columbus County Schools Superintendent Dr. Dan Strick- The elections are in the past but what lies land has been chosen from a in the legislators’ futures is far from a yellow field of four finalists as the new brick road. Lawmakers must decide what superintendent of the three to do about a $3.7 billion shortfall in state school districts in Marion budget revenues. Monday’s County, S.C. When the legislature convened Wednesday Wednesday night, the Mari- it did so under the direction of Republican American Profle on County Board of Education leaders for the first time since 1870. features “Marty offered Strickland a three-year Sen. Bill Rabon, a Southport veterinarian, contract with an annual sal- is the first Republican to hold the District 8 Stuart,” on a mis- ary of $140,000 effective July seat in nearly a century. The freshman legis- sion to save the 1 or earlier if the Columbus lator vows that things will be different with the GOP leaderhip. treasures of country See Strickland, page 6-A “There has been a spending spree for the music. last two decades,” Rabon said. GOP leaders in the House are consolidat- DIDYOB? Buckhead See Shortfall, page 9-A Did you observe ... goes EMT-I Macelyn Batten nStation is seventh res- Schools may owe making the cut for cue squad to provide ad- featured dancers for vanced life support. Staff photo by Mark Gilchrist charter schools this Sunday’s ProBowl By JEFFERSON WEAVER Coming home pre-game and half- Staff Writer Soldiers from Ft. Bragg unload the casket containing Pfc. Amy Sin- additional funds time shows? ... Work kler from a jet that transported her remains to Columbus County Six members of Buckhead Airport this morning. Her funeral is Saturday at 1 p.m. at West Co- By FULLER ROYAL progressing on the Fire and Rescue have a new lumbus High School. Staff Writer ramping of Madison rescue rating – EMT-Interme- Street’s sidewalks? ... diate. During its Jan. 18 meeting, the Columbus The “I” classification is a County Board of Education discussed the very Frustrated boys’ high new county requirement for real possibility that it may have to write the school tennis players rescue squads in Columbus Soldier’s funeral is two local charter schools a check for $345,000 County, according to Chief due to two lawsuits filed by a group of charter trying to get practice Stefan Jacobs, and required schools in Mecklenburg County known as the sessions in between nearly a year of training. Saturday at WCHS Sugar Creek lawsuits. “This helps us provide a Columbus Charter School, north of White- bouts of rain, snow By FULLER ROYAL with The News Re- higher level of care for our ville, and Charter Day School, near Leland, porter about her and freezing weather? patients,” he said. “We have Staff Writer both serve students who live in the Columbus daughter. several more scheduled to get County Schools District. They are operated by ... Work speeding Funeral services for Chadbourn Thompson said theirs pretty soon.” The Roger Bacon Academy. native and U.S. Army Pfc. Amy Renee that her daughter along on the new Mc- EMT-Is can administer IVs “They have the authority to ask for more Sinkler, 23, will be Saturday at 1 p.m. had been a mem- Donald’s restaurant and defibrillate cardiac arrest money from us,” Superintendent Dan Strick- in the auditorium at West Columbus ber of WCHS’s victims, as well as use other land said. “Even grants that we write, they in Whiteville? ... High School. JROTC each of more advanced drugs and air- can ask for a share of those funds, even if Sinkler, a 2006 graduate of the the four years she ways that are off limits to first they don’t have any of those programs in their school, died Jan. 20 from injuries was enrolled at responders and personnel with Amy Sinkler schools. There are counties banding together sustained in an attack on her unit the school. the EMT basic rating. to repeal this.” in Afghanistan, where she had been “She really en- County Deaths “It’s taken a lot of work and “Thus far, there is no actual movement stationed since July of 2010. joyed her time spent with JROTC,” dedication for our EMTs to get toward any active opposition to (the ruling),” Whiteville On Monday, Sinkler’s mother, board attorney Bill Phipps said. “The problem See Sinkler, page 2-A Julia G. Perritt Williams See EMT-I, page 9-A Jackie Bullock Thompson, spoke See Charter schools, page 6-A Sylvia Williams Nunnery Chadbourn Amy Renee Bullock Sinkler National organization honors SCC dean Peggy Blackmon, dean of allied honor, and I am proud that she is being when 2010 data is compiled. Index health, business and technology at recognized on a national stage for her Blackmon was also nominated for Southeastern Community College, has leadership,” said SCC President Kathy upholding Southeastern’s commitment &EJUPSJBMT" been selected as one of four adminis- Matlock. “She sets high standards for her to community involvement. 0CJUVBSJFT" trators nationwide to receive the 2010 programs, and her tireless leadership She has served in leadership posi- 4QPSUT# Instructional Leadership Award from is always focused on ensuring that our tions with numerous local organiza- the National Council of Instructional students receive an excellent academic tions, including the Columbus Regional $SJNF" Administrators (NCIA). experience.” Healthcare System Foundation, Friends -JWJOH$ Nominations for the awards were so- In the nomination, Morgan Phillips, of the Library, Columbus County Board licited from community colleges across vice president of curriculum instruc- of Public Health, Daughters of the the country to recognize “demonstrated tion, praised Blackmon for promoting American Revolution and the Gamma exemplary leadership” in such areas as professional development, boosting Zeta Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, an student outcomes assessment, curricu- enrollment and creating a culture of international honorary organization of lar transformation, advancing diversity, safety through her position as chair of women educators. institutional effectiveness and faculty the college-wide health and safety sub- Blackmon started as an instructor at development. committee. SCC in 1981 and progressed to director A panel of community college profes- Additionally, all programs under of nursing and dean. sionals evaluated the nominations and Blackmon’s supervision had at least a She earned an associate degree from selected individuals for recognition. 95 percent success rate on state exams SCC, a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Char- “Peggy is very deserving of this in 2009, and similar results are expected See Blackmon, page 9-A Peggy Blackmon 2-A – The News Reporter, Thursday, January 27, 2011 Staff photo by Fuller Royal Another four years The three returning members of the Whiteville City Schools Board of Education recite their oaths of offce during the board’s Jan. 18 meeting. From left: Margie Flowers, holding the Bible for husband Dave Flowers; Jim DiMuzio and Carlton Prince. Flow- ers and Prince were unchallenged in November’s election. Sinkler Continued from page 1-A Thompson said. and after her husband could son said. “Everybody was JROTC was her “main join her, she was going to start proud of her – her family – and thing” in high school. When her family,” Bullock said. “She friends of her family.” she was at Chadbourn Middle told me, ‘You always wanted a Thompson said she’s thank- School, she played softball and grandson.’” ful that Sinkler accepted Christ basketball.