Grateful!
Good Through 11/6/16
The Pender-Topsail
Back after the ood
A little ood water can’t keep a good ďŹ sh house down. After seeing a lot of high water over the years, Holland’s Restaurant is open again after the latest ood. Read more on page 1B.
Volume 47, No. 5
Local officials, along with representatives of the N.C. Department of Transportation, broke ground on the new Surf City bridge Monday. The new concrete bridge will have a 65-foot clearance above the Intracoastal Waterway, eliminating the need for a bridge to open for vessel. The new bridge will provide increased traffic flow on and off the island. The current swing bridge often causes traffic backup, especially when it opens at the top of each hour and for commercial vessels. “It was a historic day for Surf City,� said Mayor Zander Guy. “We broke ground to replace an icon that has been in place since 1954. There is a lot of history that will always be remembered with the old bridge. The new bridge is a symbol of the future that we will carry for many years to come.� Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson said replacing
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aging bridges and improving highway connections are important components of Governor McCrory’s 25-year vision. “This project plays a key role in fulfilling both of those goals and in supporting mobility, emergency response and economic vitality in this region,� Tennyson said. Tennyson was joined at the groundbreaking by N.C. Board of Transportation Member Sandra Fountain and Guy, along with other Surf City officials. The ceremony was held on the island side of the project site The new bridge will also be the first over the Intracoastal Waterway to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic with separate bicycle lanes and a multi-use path. The additional width provided by the bicycle lanes will allow two lanes of traffic to exit the island during emergency evacuations. The new bridge is expected to be completed and open to traffic by mid-September 2019, with final project completion in November 2020.
Staff photos by Andy Pettigrew,
A costumed trio greeting guests at ArtBeat in Burgaw for Halloween festivities Monday night. See more photos of the event on Facebook.
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From Staff Reports Early voting in Pender County will end Saturday Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. Polls will open on Election Day Nov. 8 at 6:30 a.m. and remain open until 7:30 p.m. Pender residents voting on Nov. 8 must be registered and vote in their assigned precinct. Early voters may vote at any early voting location across Pender County. Early voting location information is available on page 11A of this edition of the Post & Voice. Pender County Elections Director Dennis Boyles said as of Monday, nearly 13,000 county residents have cast early ballots. Pender County has about 39,500 registered voters. “So far things have been running smoothly,� Boyles said. “We have one more early voting location this year than the last election. We are working to do the best we can for Pender County voters.� A list of county polling locations in the various precincts in Pender County is available on the county’s website on the Board of Elections page. Call the Elections Board at 259-1220 for more information.
Saturdays, holidays are the best options
Making up lost school days can prove difficult By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
about 300 vaccinations. That doesn’t include the vaccinations we have given here at the Health Department.� Steele says national health officials are not expecting an
%
Early voting ends Nov. 5
Halloween fun in Burgaw
With the peak of flu season running December through February, Pender County Health Department officials are urging residents to get their flu shot. Flu vaccines are readily available this season and help prevent the spread of the illness, which can be fatal to the very young, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. The Pender County Health Department offers flu vaccines at several locations across the county. Although no confirmed cases of the flu have been reported this season, Pender County Health Department Director of Nursing Shirley Steele says now is the time to get the vaccine. “We have been out in the community and have given a number of vaccines. We don’t give as many as we used to, because the vaccine is available at more places than it used to be,� Steele said. “Since about mid-October, we have given
The last regular season football games are Friday and that means Pender and Trask will face off – this year in Rocky Point. Read more about the rivalry in sports on 8A.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Health officials urge flu immunization By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
County rivalry Friday
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Officials break ground on new Surf City bridge By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
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After losing a week of school to Hurricane Matthew, making up those days can prove to be difficult, according to Pender County Superintendent Dr. Terri Cobb. The Pender County Board of Education has adopted revisions to the traditional, Penderlea, and Pender Early College calendars to make
up instructional time due to the impact of recent severe weather. State law requires schools to provide 185 days or 1,025 hours of instruction. It also mandates start and end dates for school calendars. All schools must observe Veterans Day as a holiday and this year’s national election requires school to be closed on Nov. 8. An issued State of Emergency does not change
the calendar law. “Creating a schedule to make up for lost instructional time is never easy,� said Dr. Terri Cobb, Superintendent of Pender County Schools. “The Board put much thought into the make-up dates, recognizing that it would be impossible to schedule instructional time without affecting scheduled activities and events, as families plan activities based on the adopted school calendar.�
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Often, Saturdays are the best, if not the only days available to school officials to make up lost days. The problem with Saturdays is a high absentee rate – as high as 70 percent at some schools. With a high number of students absent, teachers are unable to proceed with the usual teaching schedule. “Our teachers make the best of their teaching time,� Cobb said. “A smaller number of students in the class on a Saturday can give the teacher more individual teaching time with students. Often teachers will use that time for remediation and special work with students.� Cobb expects the Nov. 23 make-up day, the day before Thanksgiving, to have a high absentee rate. “I know a lot of families Mowers have plans, but we simply have to make up the days and we don’t want to carry missed days into the second semester,� Cobb said. In addition to the requirements for instructional time for students, the state also mandates the number of days staff must work each calendar year. Staff must work 194 days of the 215-day contract, with
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Surf City ofďŹ cials, along with county and state representatives, toss sand to ofďŹ cially break ground on the new Surf City bridge Monday.
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