More than a judge District Court Judge James H. Faison, III does more than just preside over a courtroom. Read about his civic work on page 1C.
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ST &Voice
The Pender-Topsail
Regular season ends Pender County cagers will play the last games of their regular seasons this week – but there is more basketball to come.
Thursday, February 12, 2015 Volume 44, No.20
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The Media of Record for the People of Pender County
Officials say school grades do not show student progress
Feeding those who search
Student growth is most important, superintendent says By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Pender County school received one A, four B’s five C’s and six D’s on the North Carolina school report card report released last week. Pender County Schools Superintendent Dr. Terri Cobb says the grades do not reflect an accurate picture of what is happening in the county’s school system. Cobb says the grades are largely based on where a child is academically at the beginning of the school year and does not take into account the progress students make during the school year. “We have children moving into our system from other districts that are behind and parents know we can help. We have kindergarten students coming in that don’t know their alphabet, colors or numbers. All this affects our schools’ report card,� Cobb said. “We are held accountable for where that child is when they come in.� Cobb says the focus of the Pender School system is growth. “You cannot help where the children are when they enter the classroom. You can im-
pact the growth the child has during the school year,� Cobb said. “We want a year’s worth of growth for a year’s worth of seat time.� In Pender County, 75 percent of schools either met or exceeded growth expectations. Cobb feels the school report card grades are reflective of the socioeconomics of the students of the students – many schools serving students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds earned lower grades. According to a report released by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, schools with 50 percent or more students in poverty reported more C’s, D’s and F’s than schools with less poverty. “We are going to continue to focus on growth,� said Cobb. School board member Kenneth Lanier is concerned with the impact the grades have on the schools. “I don’t think the grade is a true and accurate reflection of what the school really does. It labels a school and is a real disservice to teaching,� Lanier said. “It doesn’t look at the whole picture of what a school is doing. This grade comes from a small part. That’s not fair.�
Hampstead sign ordinance meeting Feb. 20 at library Businesses along the US Hwy. 17 corridor have signed a petition requesting Pender County to review the temporary sign ordinance. Business owners will meet at the Hampstead Library on Feb. P M TO DISCUSS PROPOSED language for changes to the county’s Unified Development
Ordinance temporary sign verbiage. /RGANIZER 2ACHEL 'AINES urges business owners to attend the meeting. Attendees should bring suggestions and signage needs. The UDO gets reviewed every five years and is scheduled for review this year.
Staff photos by Andy Pettigrew
Louise Shrum and Jane Teachey work Saturday morning at the annual Swamp Stomp search and rescue exercise preparing food for the searchers. Tom Gergar cracks a few eggs in the early morning chill to help prepare breakfast for the participants in the training. The Swamp Stomp is held each year in the Holly Shelter Gamelands, and attracts search and rescue teams from across the state who seek to polish their searching skills.
Rocky Point woman arrested on drug charges Receptionist in Hampstead doctor’s office called in unauthorized prescriptions for narcotics From Staff Reports Six people are awaiting court proceedings on arrests for operating a prescription drug ring in Eastern North Carolina that yielded more than 6,000 illegally obtained pills valued at $50,000, according to the State Bureau of Investigation. Four local law enforcement agencies and the SBI combined efforts to investigate Amy Wynne Blankenship,
36, of Rocky Point, her two brothers and three of their friends who police believe were selling a large number of the illegally obtained drugs, mainly Lorcet. Blankenship was a receptionist in a Hampstead doctor’s office from where she allegedly called in unauthorized prescriptions to local pharmacies in the names of her brothers and friends who then picked up the drugs. “This excellent example of teamwork between the N.C. SBI and local law enforcement agencies allowed officers to dismantle this drug ring and reduce the amount of potentially deadly narcotics being sold on the streets,� said Special Agent in Charge Donnie
Amy Wynne Blankenship Varnell of the SBI Diversion and Environmental Crimes Unit. Blankenship was arrested on 35 drug charges including fraud/forgery, trafficking,
conspiracy and simple possession. Also charged with fraud/ forgery, trafficking and simple possession are: s -ICHAEL ! 7YNNE Castle Hayne s 3TEPHEN $ 7YNNE Castle Hayne s -ATTHEW $ #OOPER Wilmington s ,AVON # 'AVINS Wilmington s %LIZABETH $ !NDREWS Siler City This investigation was conducted by the Wilmington Police D e par tment, New Hanover County Sheriff ’s Department, Carolina Beach Police Department, Pender County Sheriff ’s Office and the SBI.
Appointments, expenses round out last commissioner’s meeting By Tammy Proctor Post & Voice Staff Writer
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Members of the U.S. Air Force Rythym in Blue jazz band talk with the crowd following the concert Feb. 6 at the Pender County Government Annex in Hampstead. See photos of the event on Facebook.
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The Pender County commissioners discussed changing their standard meeting dates in order to attend the Pender County Board of Education meetings. “We need to be in tune with the school board over the next few years,� said David Piepmeyer. The board noted they will meet only once in March. The next commissioners’ meeting is bumped to Tuesday, Feb. 17 because Monday,
Feb. 16, is Presidents’ Day, a Federal holiday. Commissioners discussed changing their meetings to the second and fourth Monday of each month. In other business, commissioners appointed Bob Holm and Kevin Piacenza to serve on the Council of Community Affairs. Holm will serve in an At-Large position for one year. Piacenza, who lives in District Two, will serve on the board in an open seat for District One. Norwood Blanchard was appointed to serve
Continued on page 2A
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