W R I G H T S V I L L E B E A C H ’ S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 2 0 0 2
August 29 - September 4, 2019
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K9 Jango is ‘Top Dog’
New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office police dog K9 Jango won first place at the Patrol Cannie Trials in Waynesville, N.C. last week, where he competed against teams from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. He scored a 697.33 out of 700 points.
Property Tax Bills Arriving Soon The New Hanover County Tax Department has started mailing real estate and personal property tax bills, so property owners should receive their bill by the end of August. Property taxes are due on September 1, 2019, but can be paid without interest until January 6, 2020. Property owners who escrow taxes will receive a courtesy notice of their tax bill, and are encouraged to verify that their taxes are paid with their mortgage company. New Hanover County residents will see that the county tax rate of 55.5 cents per $100 will remain for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. In addition, the fire services tax rate for residents in the unincorporated county remains at 7.75 cents per $100. Tax bills also include municipality taxes for residents in the City of Wilmington, and the towns of Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach. To assist property owners and encourage penalty-free payments, tax bills include four payment coupons that reflect the total amount owed, divided into four equal payments with monthly due dates. “We are always willing to help taxpayers meet their tax obligations, and that is why we offer numerous payment options with a lot of flexibility,” said New Hanover County Tax Administrator Allison Snell. “We just ask that residents reach out to us before taxes become delinquent and interest begins to accrue on January 6, 2020, so that we can set up alternate payment arrangements for you.” Tax bills can be paid online, by mail, or in the Tax office. For questions or to make payment arrangements, please contact the Tax Department at (910) 798-7300 or visit Tax.NHCgov.com.
Wahine Classic wraps at Wrightsville Beach • Krista Grace Hammel, South Carolina The final of three headline surf events in Vivian Jordan of Myrtle Beach captured August in Wrightsville the Open Shortboard title, • Samantha Newkirk, Wrightsville Beach ended Sunday while Becca Kenney of Beach, NC with the conclusion of Wrightsville Beach won • Malia Harrell, Oak Island, NC the all-female Wahine the Women Shortboard Women Shortboard Classic. category. Kylee Heath of • Becca Kenney, Wrightsville Beach, NC "The girls are all Carolina Beach was the top• Samantha Newkirk, Wrightsville smiles, and their families performer in Girls Under 14 Beach, NC had a great time," said Jo Shortboard. • Vivian Jordan, Myrtle Beach, SC Pickett, event organizer Samantha Newkirk of • Michaela Boone, Wilmington, NC for the long-running and Wrightsville Beach earned Junior Women Shortboard prestigious Wrightsville the Women Longboard title, • Callie Hertz, Wilmington, NC Beach Wahine Classic. and Kylee Heath of Carolina • Malia Harrell, Oak Island, NC "Our contestants came Callie Hertz of Wilmington, NC – Beach was top-of-the• Roxy Chaney, Wrightsville Beach, NC Courtesy of Robert B Butler from North Carolina, podium for Girls Under 14 • Alyssa Parker, Wrightsville Beach, NC South Carolina, and Longboard. Girls Under 16 Virginia," said Pickett. "We had 62 ath- Nancy Salter of Virginia Shortboard letes and 105 event entries." Wahine Classic Beach took top honors in • C a l l i e H e r t z , is always open to lady surfers of all ages. the Standup Paddleboard Wilmington, NC Competitors include teenie-wahines, ama- category. • Alyssa Parker, teurs, and professionals. Over twenty-five sponWrightsville Fifteen-year-old Callie Hertz of Wilmington sors make the Wahine Beach, NC posted an impressive performance in Classic possible, including • Lucy Ferguson, 2019, winning the titles in Junior Women Marine Warehouse Center Wrightsville Shortboard, Girls Under 16 Shortboard, and and the Crystal South Surf Beach, NC Junior Women Longboard. Hertz posted C o m m u n i t y. B l o c k a d e • Ashton Loring, second place, with partner Natalie Parker Runner Beach Resort is host South Carolina in Tandem Longboard, and was awarded hotel and long-time supporter Girls Under 14 a special presentation from Michael Paul's of the Wrightsville Beach Shortboard Vivian Jordan of Myrtle Beach, SC – Courtesy • Kylee Heath, Surfboard Shaping School, aligned with Hot Wahine Classic. Wax Surf Shop. "Wahine Classic inspires, of Robert B Butler Carolina Beach, Surf conditions for Wahine Classic were motivates, and develops comNC favorable, starting with light waves, Northerly munity with the ladies and their families," said • Krista Grace Hammel, Sunset Beach, wind, and clear to partly cloudy skies on Pickett. "Surfing is now in the 2020 Olympics SC Saturday. Conditions on Sunday were more in Japan, with each country represented by • Ella Champion, Oak Island, NC challenging as steady Northerly winds gained female and male surfers.” • Malia Womble, Wilmington, NC speed while wave action increased in interval Complete list of winners: Women Longboard and height. "Waves were quite contestable on Open Shortboard • Samantha Newkirk, Wrightsville Sunday," added Pickett. • Vivian Jordan, Myrtle Beach, SC n See WAHINE Page 3
Pirate Promise Agreement Signed Between CFCC and ECU On Tuesday, August 27, 2019, East Carolina University Interim Chancellor Dan Gerlach and Cape Fear Community College President Jim Morton signed the Pirate Promise Agreement at Cape Fear Community College. This co-admission agreement is designed to advance transfer student access and success through a collaborative baccalaureate degree. The agreement guarantees Cape
WB launches memorial bench program
At its August meeting, the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen voted to set up a formal process for adding memorials to the benches located at several beach access points. While the town had been allowing people to erect benches that are engraved with the names of lost loved ones, town officials said there were inconsistencies in the style and quality of the benches, leading to the town’s board to vote to create a standardized system. “We wanted to standardize the benches to make them more safe and durable,” said town manager Tim Owens. Town staff proposed purchasing up to 20 new benches for the program, each of which cost about
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$225 to purchase. Each bench can be sponsored with a memorial to a lost loved one for a cost of $600, as the town would add a commemorative bronze plaque with the name of the deceased. Officials said the plaque can be used to memorialize a person who has died, but it is not open for commercial sponsorship. The town’s lifeguard stands can be sponsored by businesses. Sponsoring a memorial doesn’t transfer ownership of the bench, town staff said during the meeting. The town also doesn’t take responsibility if the bench is destroyed or stolen, officials said. Call (910) 256-7925 for more information about the program.
Fear Community College students admission to East Carolina University based on the following criteria: •The student is enrolled in an Early College, Career and College Promise program, or is in his/her first year of enrollment prior to applying for the Pirate Promise •The student is committed to a full-time status (a minimum of 12 semester hours) at CFCC
unless the student is enrolled in an Early College or Career and College Promise program. • The student completes degree requirements for an Associate in Science, Associate in Arts, Associate in Fine Arts, Associate in Engineering, Associate in Applied Science in Early Childhood Education, or an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) for the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology
or a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management programs. Students enrolled in Pirate Promise will benefit from guaranteed admission, joint academic advising, financial aid counseling and scholarship opportunities, a waived ECU application fee, access to ECU libraries and transit, and more.
New Hanover County shares report on comprehensive floodplain management To show the county’s strategies to reduce floodplain hazards, as well as ensure homeowners receive discounted flood insurance rates, New Hanover County has completed its annual progress report on the mitigation efforts related to floodplain management in the Southeastern NC Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. This report, which outlines the county’s approach to floodplain management, is part of the annual recertification process for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System. “New Hanover County has participated in the Community Rating System since 1991, and it is important that we continue to exceed the minimum requirements of the NFIP and that our community benefits from a comprehensive floodplain management approach,” said County Manager Chris Coudriet. “Through the Southeastern Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, New Hanover County is working with municipal partners to help prevent damage from flooding and disasters. This helps protect properties and also amounts to cost savings for our citizens on
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their insurance premium rates.” The NFIP’s Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. Last year, New Hanover County’s CRS rating improved from a Class 8 to a Class 7, meaning eligible homeowners in the unincorporated areas of the county receive a 15 percent discount on flood insurance premiums in FEMA designated Special Flood Hazard Areas. New Hanover County participates with the City of Wilmington, beach towns and Brunswick and Pender counties in the Southeastern NC Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, and nearly half of the strategies outlined directly relate to floodplain management. Some of those
include regular meetings with other local CRS programs to leverage resources and learning opportunities, enforcement of the NC Building Code, stormwater ordinance updates, enforcement of land use and zoning ordinances in flood zones, education of landowners, and capital projects addressing drainage and water egress. The 2019 Progress Report for New Hanover County’s Community Rating System was submitted to the Insurance Services Office last week and can be found here. The Southeastern NC Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan undergoes review every five years, with the next review to be complete in 2021. For more information, visit New Hanover County’s Planning and Land Use Department website or call 910-798-7165.
EDITOR’S NOTE An article in the Aug. 15, 2019 Lumina News on the 2019 Wrightsville Beach mayoral race was not printed in its entirety. We apologize for the error. It has been reprinted in its entirety on Page 2 of this edition.
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