Starts Tonight Poems Galore •SCHS opens softball play- offs with lop-sided victory Today’s issue includes over Red Springs. •Hornets the winners and win- sweep Jiggs Powers Tour- ning poems of the A.R. nament baseball, softball Ammons Poetry Con- championships. test. See page 1-C. Sports See page 3-A See page 1-B. ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Thursday Reporterfor the County of Columbus and her people. Thursday, May 12, 2016 Fresh perspectives County school Volume 125, Number 91 consolidation, Whiteville, North Carolina 75 Cents district merger talks emerge at Inside county meeting 3-A By NICOLE CARTRETTE News Editor •Top teacher pro- motes reading, paren- Columbus County school officials are ex- tal involvement. pected to ask Columbus County Commission- ers Monday to endorse a $70 million plan to consolidate seven schools into three. 4-A The comprehensive study drafted by Szotak •Long-delayed Design of Chapel Hill was among top discus- murder trial sions at the Columbus County Board of Com- set to begin here missioners annual planning session held at Southeastern Community College Tuesday Monday. night. While jobs and economic development, implementation of an additional phase of a Next Issue county salary study, wellness and recreation talks and expansion of natural gas, water and sewer were among topics discussed, the board spent a good portion of the four-hour session talking about school construction. No plans The commissioners tentatively agreed that they had no plans to take action on the propos- al Monday night and hinted at wanting more details about coming to an agreement with Photo by GRANT MERRITT the school board about funding the proposal. Dylan Newman, Shenicka Banks and Ben Worthington, left to right, give their political views. “If we want to proceed, there needs to be a negotiation of allocation of funds; that’s the only way I can see that you can do it,” County Manager Bill Clark said. Monday’s Young adults weigh in on politics “We need to make it a workshop,” Commis- sioner Ricky Bullard said. “We don’t need to American Profile vote on it. We need to take it under advisement features “Hello and voting in Columbus County and involve the public.” Some commissioners say they are con- Summer! Best-ever By GRANT MERRITT A 2013 University of Michigan values. He said he voted in the 2012 Contributing Writer study found that personal character- election and plans to vote in the 2016 See County schools, page 10-A burgers.” istics of the candidates, evaluations election. Young adults in Columbus Coun- of government performance, ori- “The main idea for me is that DIDYOB? ty are concerned about economic entations on specific policy issues, individual states should govern and social issues such as unemploy- party identification and ideology themselves, for the most part,” Did you observe ... ment, excessive federal spending, are the primary determinants of Worthington said. “The federal Local, Clarkton police brutality and youth flight. candidate choice in elections. government should be minimal, and Malerie Leviner’s Columbus County witnessed a 30 However, any number of factors the power should be in the people.” percent increase in voter turnout can contribute to voter participa- According to Worthington, the gang members perfect game in from 2008 to 2012 for the November tion and the political atmosphere of United States’ biggest economic Whiteville softball’s general election. Will this trend Columbus County. issues are importing and exporting get long federal continue into 2016? Some suggest that increased ac- goods, underpaid teachers and staff 13-0, five-inning win Data shows that those between cess to information about political and the unemployment rate. He over Starmoiunt? 18 and 30 years old made up 12.9 platforms via social media, online said the United States is importing prison terms percent of the total number of reg- news and television may be a factor more than it is exporting, and is no ... Madison Hinson istered voters in Columbus County in motivating young voters. longer a productive nation because nGang, centered in Clarkton, oper- in 2008. By 2012, the younger demo- The political spectrum that spans of excessive spending. ated in Bladen and Columbus coun- breaking the scoring graphic increased to 13.5 percent from far right conservatism to far “There is simply no money for ties, distributed heroin, cocaine and record for White- The number of registered voters left liberalism is present in any what matters most,” Worthington prescription medication. in that age bracket has had signifi- given population, and Columbus said. “We need more laborers, more ville High School cant increases in voter turnout. County is no exception, even in its people who are willing to get their By BOB HIGH girls soccer with 133 Voter turnout between the ages younger demographics. hands dirty. Everyone wants to be Staff Writer of 18 and 30 was 1,735 in 2008 and Ben Worthington, 27, a native of a college graduate, sitting in a nice goals? … 3,300 in 2012 in Columbus County, Cerro Gordo, said that he is a Re- office when it is simply not feasible.” Eight members of a United Blood Nation according to Carolina Transparency, publican because he supports free Worthington said the biggest so- gang, including two with ties to Whiteville, a project of the Civitas Institute, a market capitalism, free enterprise, cial issues today are entitlement, our have been sent to federal prison for terms conservative Raleigh think tank and business, a strong national defense ranging from 24 to almost 40 years. County Deaths nonprofit. and traditional Judeo-Christian See Politics, page 13-A Shawn G. Schenck, 39, who has addresses in Clarkton and Whiteville, and named as the Whiteville leader of the PIRU MOB gang, was sentenced Wednesday, May 11, to 24 years (276 months) James Harold Sessions after he pleaded to being involved in a continu- Arthur Lamar Creech Sr. NCDOT, state parks to coordinate ing criminal enterprise. Chadbourn Anthony Jerome McLean, 31, also of White- Magdalene Floyd Horton ville, was sent to prison for 14 years after Nancy Kaye Sellers on pedestrian, bike bridge for dam he also pleaded to the continuing criminal enterprise statute. Jacob Baldwin By JEFFERSON WEAVER whole area.” Local investigators The $300,000 came from DOT Board special project Clarendon Staff Writer The Columbus County Sheriff ’s Drug Unit, funding. The bridge will not be designed for motor ve- Grover Selmon Stanley headed by Lt. Steven Worthington, did the hicle traffic, Cox said. The Department of Transportation board has ap- major portion of the investigation of the gang. Fair Bluff “I can see it being big enough for emergency ve- proved a proposed $300,000 footbridge over the Lake It began major activity in the probe early last L.V. Reel hicles,” he said, “but regular vehicular traffic isn’t Waccamaw Dam. year, and was assisted by other law enforce- in the plans. This is going to be more on the lines of a “We’re really excited,” Lake Waccamaw Town Man- ment agencies from Bladen County and the boardwalk.” ager Harry Foley said. “Even though the town isn’t federal government. Cox said the bridge will have to be above flooding involved in this project, it will be a great benefit to the Others sentenced include James Calvin Index levels, to reduce strain on the lower beams. park and our community as a whole.” Quinn, Orlando Rashaud Childress and “You don’t want the pressure of all that water push- Editorials ......... 14-A Currently, the dam can be safely crossed only during Haskell T. Williams, each to seven years. They ing against the beams underneath,” Cox said. It might periods of low water, and even then, pedestrian traffic each pleaded to possession of a firearm during Obituaries ......... 7-A have to be out in the lake itself, then curve back toward is not recommended. The dam will connect the end of a drug trafficking crime. Sports ................ 1-B the park property, but it can’t be downstream. Canal Cove Drive with the Lake Waccamaw State Park Malcolm Harvey got a term of 62 months “Everything is still so early, we can’t say anything Crime ................ 4-A property. (five years, two months) for conspiracy to definite yet. But this is going to really be a nice feature.” Living ................ 1-C Events such as Take The Lake have attempted to use distribute heroin, distribution of heroin, and Lake Waccamaw’s town commissioners on Tuesday the dam as a walkway in the past, with mixed results. the firearm charge. Wildlife officers and park rangers regularly warn enthusiastically approved a resolution supporting the ‘Violent shootings’ walkway bridge project. Foley said the bridge will pro- walkers to use caution crossing the moss-covered dam, Harry Lane Hardie Jr. pleaded to the fire- vide a boost to tourism in the town. which is popular with hikers, campers, bicyclists and arm charge and was sentenced to five years, “We are elated to have DOT provide the funding for fishermen. and Corey Scott Alford, 37, of Clarkton, the bridge and take care of managing the construction Drew Cox of the Department of Transportation said pleaded to the heroin conspiracy charge, and of the project,” Foley said. “I think the impact of this the project is “in its earliest stages.” got 46 months (three years, 10 months). project will be “huge” and will be a boost to tourism and “We still have to meet with the park and negotiate A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s of- the economy at Lake Waccamaw and Columbus County. how this will be handled,” he said.