VOL. 11 NO. 19
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2006
50 cents
The Jolly Old Elf himself
NEWS HEADLINES Holiday parade to be Friday evening The Laurel Christmas parade, sponsored by the Laurel Fire Department and Laurel Chamber of Commerce, will be Friday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. Rain date is Saturday, Dec. 9, at the same time. Lineup begins at 6 p.m. at the entrance of Oak Lane and Evergreen Drive. The theme of this year’s parade is “An Old Town Christmas.” For details, call the chamber office at 875-9319.
The highlight of Saturday’s Christmas parade in Delmar was the arrival of Santa Claus on a Delmar fire truck. The parade also featured color guards, Scouts, bands, floats, a motorcycle club and and pipe and
CALIO RESIGNS - Commissioner of elections calls it quits, but promises he will return to ‘part-time work’ soon. Page 2
drum club. There were even representatives of a club that focuses on Irish wolfhounds, walking with their large, fluffy
TRAIN STATION RENOVATION - Town and state to get to work on redoing old station. Page 4 MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES - Clinic for children and teens to expand. Page 10 RELIGIOUS JOURNEY - Laurel High grad and Methodist minister publishes a book about his struggles with religion. Page 20 WINTER SPORTS - The Delmar girls’ basketball and wrestling teams each feature a number of young players. Page 41 ALL-STATE - A Delmar soccer player is named to the all-state team. Page 42
$500 HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY See page 30 for details 24 Shopping Days until Christmas
INSIDE THE STAR © Business . . . . . . . . .6 Bulletin Board . . . .22 Church . . . . . . . . .26 Classifieds . . . . . .32 Education . . . . . . .52 Entertainment . . . .30 Gourmet . . . . . . . .51 Health . . . . . . . . . .12 Letters . . . . . . . . . .54 Lynn Parks . . . . . .19 Mike Barton . . . . . .57 Movies . . . . . . . . . . .7 Obituaries . . . . . . .28 Opinion . . . . . . . . .58
Pat Murphy . . . . . .38 People . . . . . . . . . .50 Police . . . . . . . . . .39 Snapshots . . . . . . .56 Socials . . . . . . . . .57 Sports . . . . . . . . . .41 Tides . . . . . . . . . . .59
dogs. Additional pictures are throughout the paper. Photo by Mike McClure
First reading of Discovery annexation passes council By Tony E. Windsor Laurel’s Mayor and Council spent yet another council meeting debating the merits of a major annexation that has created controversy among Laurel area residents. By the end of the meeting Monday night, the Discovery project, a 480-acre entertainment, retail and sports complex slated for an area just northeast of the town of Laurel, was one step closer to reality. By unanimous vote, the council approved a first reading of annexation of the property. A second and final vote cannot take place for 30 days, meaning that approval of the annexation request could come in January. A vote on the developers’ request to
rezone the property as a Large Parcel Development – Overlay District was delayed until the next meeting, which will be Dec. 18. Also at that meeting, the council will look at the 48 stipulations placed on the development by the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission. At Monday’s meeting, developer Bobby Horsey objected to 15 of the conditions and the town attorney James Waehler objected to 28 of them. According to a press release sent out by the town Tuesday morning, “This two-week period will allow time for our town staff, town solicitor and mayor and council to evaluate the conditions recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the con-
Commemorating World AIDS Day Youth from the Coverdale Community Center at Coverdale Crossroads helped
Todd Crofford . . . .21 Tommy Young . . . .44 Weather . . . . . . . . .59
with the lighting of the candles at the Laurel Town Park in remembrance of Aids Day 2006. About 50 people gathered in the park Friday to commemorate World AIDS Day. See story, page 5. Photo by Pat Murphy
ditions recommended by the town solicitor and to consider objections raised by the developers to the proposed conditions.” During Monday’s meeting, the council also approved a first reading of annexation of the Car Store property on US 13. This property has been identified by the town’s annexation committee as a “lynch pin” for development along the US 13 corridor in Laurel. The Car Store property annexation would enable the 480-acre Discovery project to be contiguous to the town, a requirement for annexation. After Laurel Mayor John Shwed read the ordinance calling for annexaContinued on page 16