Hidden Fire Hydrant

At the May 8, 2012 meeting Of Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer- H2GO, Leland Fire Chief John Grimes addressed the Board of Commissioners concerning inoperable fire hydrants located within the district. Grimes stated “This is not the first time in the last couple of years where we’ve pulled up to the scene of a structure fire, and the hydrant closest to the structure was not in operating condition”. It’s a life safety issue Grimes said. The fire trucks responding to the scene of a structure fire carry 750 gallons to 1000 gallons of water. Grimes went on to say that “Our firefighters on the end of the hose, mostly volunteers, are concerned about the water supply after the initial attack on the fire. Will the hydrants work?”
During a PowerPoint presentation Chief Grimes showed numerous hydrants within the district with overgrown vegetation or vegetation planted around the hydrants blocking the location as the fire trucks approach, along with utilities installed in front of hydrants blocking access and hydrants that were either completely buried, or had dirt mounded in such a way making it impossible to turn the hydrant wrench.
According to the Department of Insurance, in order to maintain our Class VI fire rating, maintenance must be performed every six months on the 900+ hydrants within the service district. This maintenance includes greasing the caps, lubricating the valve stems and flow testing the hydrants to ensure proper flow. The maintenance also includes maintaining proper clearances from the hydrants by trimming or removing vegetation and ensuring that the hydrant is not partially buried or even buried.
Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer-H2GO has an ongoing maintenance program to address these problems. The board is also looking at adopting an ordinance regarding vegetative clearance around the hydrants.

by Mike Leggett

mike@theLNR.com

Car Crimes:

What’s in Plain Sight is a       Thief’s Delight!

There has been a recent spike in the number of vehicles being broken into in our town. Please keep the following in mind when securing your vehicle:

• Don’t leave anything in plain view! A few key items to make sure are secured:

ü  Gps

ü  iPods

ü  Purses

ü  Wallets

ü  Backpacks

ü  Briefcases

ü  Prescriptions

ü  Expensive Sunglasses

ü  Money

• Lock the doors!!!!

Most of the crimes we have encountered have been crimes of opportunity… the suspects are walking up checking a vehicle’s doors and if found unlocked they are entering the vehicle.

If you have seen any suspicious persons or vehicles in your neighborhood try to get a description of the person: gender, race, height, weight, hair color and or a description of the vehicle: color, make, model and license plate number.

If you have any questions please call us: (910)371-1100

To report a break in that has already occurred : (910)253-7490

To report a break in that is in progress: 911

Tues May 8—

Don’t know where?

go to http://www.brunswickcountync.gov/Portals/0/BC/files/elections/Polling%20Place%20List.pdf

David Zacek, Matt Renning, Matt Lowry, Steven Linkous, and Dylan Reed

by Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com  photos by Kassira Harrelson
Brunswick spoiled Senior night for West Bladen in their last outing, and the five Scorpion seniors made sure that didn’t happen to them as they scored early and often in a 10-0 win over East Bladen. With the win North Brunswick stayed in the mix for the Waccamaw Conference regular season Champions.
Senior Dylan Reed took the mound for the Scorpions and escaped trouble several times early in the game when the Eagles stranded seven runners over the first three innings. Reed settled down however after the third inning and cruised to the six inning when he was relieved by Kevon Perkins with the Scorpions holding a 9-0 lead.
North Brunswick scored in the first when Steven Linkous led off the inning with a single off the pitchers leg. After stealing second he advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher and scored on a passed ball.
The Scorpions hung four runs on the board in their half of the second. Jared Strange walked with the bases loaded for the first run. Matt Lowry lifted a sacrifice fly to center to push another run across, before Tyler Barnes drove in a pair with a two out single to left field for a 5-0 lead.
In the fourth North Brunswick scored four unearned runs, Strange lined a two out single to center to get things started. Matt Lowry reached on an infield error and with Strange on third, he stole second and Strange would score on the throw. After Barnes reached on a walk, he also stole second and Lowry scored on the throw. Barnes later scored on an error and David Zacek singled to right driving in the fourth run of the inning for a 9-0 lead.
The game ended in the last of the sixth due the 10 run mercy rule. Barnes drew a one out walk and advanced to third on a single by Jacob Shumate. With a drawn in infield Shakeem Graham lined a shot to the shortstop that he couldn’t handle bringing Barnes home to end the game.
Linkous, Barnes, and Shumate all had two hits to lead the Scorpions hitting attack. Matt Renning, Strange, Zacek, and Graham had the other hits.  Reed pitched five innings, scattering five hits, with four walks and five strikeouts including the side in the fifth. Perkins pitched a perfect sixth inning to complete the shutout.
The five Scorpions that celebrated Senior Night included Matt Lowry and Steven Linkous who have both been four year starters. Linkous will be playing at UNC-W, and Lowry will be heading to UNC-CH where he will be playing for the Tar Heels next season. Pitchers David Zacek and Dylan Reed have both signed letters of intent to play at Brunswick Community College, and the other senior is Matt Renning playing his first year at North Brunswick after moving here from New York.
With the win the Scorpions improved to 16-4 overall and 8-3 in conference play while the Eagles fell to 6-12, and remain winless in conference play with 10 losses. North Brunswick travels to South Columbus May 3 in the regular season finale. They will then wait until the playoff schedule is announced to see who they will be playing.

NB Senior softball players Meagan Spivey, Jordan Zsidisin, Kiana Williams and Meghan Barrett.

WEIGHT: 140 lbs

HEIGHT: 5’6″

COLOR OF EYES: BLUE

HAIR: BLACK

SKIN TONE: FAIR COMPLEXTION

SHIRT: BLACK

SHOES: SNEAKERS/RED AND BLACK

PANTS: BLACK

NECKLACE: CROSS PENDANT

Columbus County Community Farmers Market will officially open for the 2012 season on Saturday, May 12, at 7 a.m.

Market manager Carol Shuman said, “The early spring this year means we should have a great variety of locally grown, farm fresh fruits and vegetables when the market opens.”  “We may be open on Saturdays only for the first week or so and then move to our normal hours of operation on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 7 a.m. until 12 p.m.,” she added.

Highlights of the Opening Day ceremony will include a flag raising ceremony by a local Boy Scouts troop and performance by the 50-member Edgewood Elementary School Chorus at 10 a.m. A delicious homemade chicken bog plate sale will be held during the lunch hour for $5.00 per plate.

In addition, the market anticipates lots of locally grown, farm fresh fruits and vegetables including green peas, squash, onions, cucumbers, mustard greens, kale, new potatoes, pecans, herbs, gourd crafts, baked goods, eggs, jams, jellies, honey and more!

The third annual Farmers Market Fun Run & Walk will be held on Saturday, May 19.  The kid’s fun run will begin at 8:45 a.m. at the Farmers Market and the adult 3-mile fun run/walk starts at 9 a.m.  Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers at the end of the event.  Participation in the kid’s fun run is free; the 3- mile fun run/walk is $5 per person.  Event t-shirts are available for $10 each.  For more information about the Fun Run & Walk and to register, visit www.fmrun.com.

The Columbus County Farmers Community Market is located at 132 Government Complex Road in Whiteville, near the Department of Social Services.  Normal hours of operation are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from 7 a.m. until 12 p.m.  For more information, visit www.columbuscountyfarmersmarket.com.

Contact:  Kipling Godwin, Marketing Consultant

(910) 840-6743

Bolivia, NC. – Fred Michaels Assistant Health Director for the Brunswick County Health Department reported that on April 29, 2012, a male resident of Oak Island was working in his yard and felt something brush up against him and bite him.  He looked down and saw it was a fox.  The fox then ran to his neighbor’s garage where a husband and wife were working.  The fox attacked the wife and bit her three times then bit the husband one time.  The first man heard the couple screaming in their garage, got his gun, ran to them, and shot the fox.  No pets were involved in the incident.  Brunswick County Animal Services obtained the fox from the Oak Island Police and sent it to the State Lab for testing.   The results came back positive for rabies on Tuesday, May 01, 2012.  All three of the people had already started post exposure treatment for rabies and will now continue treatment.
“We encourage people, especially pet owners, to report animals acting suspiciously,” said David Stanley, Brunswick County Health Director. “Also make sure all your pets are current on all vaccinations.”
Rabies is caused by a virus that lives in the saliva of a rabid animal.  Rabies is usually transmitted through an animal bite but it is also possible to be exposed to it if the animal’s saliva gets into a cut on your skin or in your eyes, nose, or mouth.  All mammals, including people, can become infected with rabies but the four main animals that carry rabies are raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats. You can not tell for sure if an animal has rabies just by looking. You should never try to touch or feed wild animals or stray cats and dogs.
To avoid exposure to rabies, the public is cautioned to do 3 things:
1.  Make sure all pet (cats and dogs) have been vaccinated and keep the vaccinations current,
2.  Do not harbor or feed stray dogs and cats.  This provides a possible means of transmission of the rabies virus from wildlife (raccoons and foxes, etc.) to human beings and,
3.  Report and seek treatment for all animal bites (legally required).
Additional information about rabies may be obtained at http://animalservices.brunsco.net.  For questions and assistance contact the Brunswick County Animal Services at 754-8204.

by Mike Leggett  mike@theLNR.com

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