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Strawberry time

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Springtime is strawberry time in Pender County. For one grower, it was a move from the real estate business to farming. Read about Carol Sue Farms on page 1B.

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Back on schedule After spring break and Easter tournaments, Pender County springs sports teams are back on schedule. Read about it beginning on page 8A.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Volume 45, No. 27

50 Cents

The Media of Record for the People of Pender County

BOC hears school bond project update

Springtime in bloom

Board approves Holly Shelter shooting range state partership Facility scheduled to open May 1

By Barbara Hazle Contributing Writer The Pender County School Board presented the Pender County Board of Commissioners with an update on the school bond projects involving additions to existing schools at the commissioner’s Monday meeting. Ken Fuller, Chief Officer of Auxiliary Services for Pender County Schools, invited Tim McAuliffe from Little Diversified Architectural Consulting located in Durham to present the project information. Cape Fear Elementary and Cape Fear Middle School each will be adding eight new classrooms plus the cafeterias at both schools will be expanded to accommodate the projected growth. West Pender Middle School will have a new building that will house two new science lab classrooms, a new band room and a newly reorganized entry featuring a plaza. “We believe this new front entry will be much more welcoming to visitors,” said McAuliffe. West Pender Middle will also be surrounded by fencing making access to the campus flow through one area. Burgaw Middle School is also adding two new science lab classrooms and a new band room. There will also be a reorganized entry to the building along with a new administration suite. Pender High School’s new athletic field house will have a concession area, home and visitor team locker rooms, plus a main gathering room. The high school will also have a reorganized front entry with

Continued on page 2A

By Barbara Hazle Contributing Writer

Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew

In spite of the usual April cold snap, spring has arrived in Pender County, with the azaleas around the county court house in Burgaw in bloom.

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Courthouse Square in Burgaw

Cb`m Pender Relay for Life April 16 By Shannon Humphrey Special to the Post & Voice

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Burgaw will once again host Pender County’s Relay for Life Saturday April 16 on the Courthouse Square. This event will begin at 10 a.m. with opening ceremonies and commence at 10 p.m. During opening ceremonies, the National Anthem will be sung by Katlyn Mitchell, our 2016 Teen Miss Queen of Courage, the presentation of the colors will be led by the Pender County Fire/ EMS Color Guard, and the invocation will be led by Pastor Wanda Simmons. Our special MC’s for the day will be John Evans and Ron Murphy. Music

will be provided by David Farrior. A stage will be set up on Fremont Street between Walker Street and Wright Street which will house enter-

Pender County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to partner with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to operate the shooting range currently being built in the Holly Shelter Game Lands. The board approved the measure at the April 4 meeting With an anticipated opening date of May 1, the partnership includes the county hiring three part time safety officers to supervise the site, and has the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission increasing the number of shooting stalls, adding an archery range and restrooms along with a small building to house an office and maintenance equipment. The county is planning to charge a day charge of $5 with annual passes being $75 for unlimited use. The estimated revenue will offset any expenses incurred by the county. Fox hunting The commissioners also heard from Burgaw resident Vic French regarding the lack of a public hearing to designate a proposed fox trapping season in Pender County. During public comments Mr. French stated that in March 2015 the Board of Commissioners approved holding a public hearing and to date nothing has occurred. “I have been a hunter and trapper all my life and myself plus dozens of hunters and land owners are in support of a fox trapping season. Foxes are no different from other

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Wildfire threat grows in Pender County RV RKAIB 0>SB > RKAIB By Jefferson Weaver Contributing Writer

A month into the spring fire season, state Forest Service officials are gearing up for what could be a big summer. “Long-term forecasts are calling for drier than normal weather, with thunderstorms, in May and June,” said District Eight Forester Shane Hardee. The district covers Pender, Bladen, New Hanover, Brunswick, Sampson and Columbus counties. Dry weather and cloud-to-ground lightning are a worrisome combination, he said.

“That combination could mean some severe fire risks in our entire area.” The wetter than usual fall and winter made fire prevention work more difficult this year, Hardee explained, but past rain doesn’t play as big of a factor in wildfires as current conditions. Even with a rainfall surplus for the fall, winter and spring, the fire danger chances remain high with only a few days of drying weather. “We have a lot of fires that result from people looking at the forecast, and burning the day before or after a rain event is forecast,” Hardee said. “In spring, it doesn’t take long for the wind to pick up, the sun to come out and things to

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dry out. “You can have safe conditions in the morning, and by afternoon be in a hazardous situation,” Hardee said. “Afternoon and evening thunderstorms will be back with us soon, and if the ground is dry, a single bolt of lightning can cause major problems in the right conditions.” Lightning was blamed for the 2011 Holly Shelter fire, which burned thousands of acres for weeks in the state forest. Severe drought conditions led to a string of fast-moving fires throughout the area that year, but none reached the scale of the

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File photo by Andy Pettigrew

An air tanker makes a water drop on a wildfire in western Pender County in 2011.

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