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Hampstead Arts Show
The Pender-Topsail
The Hampstead Arts and Crafts Exhibition and Sale is coming Feb. 25 at American Legion Post 167. Artists from across the region will participate. Read more on page 1B
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Thursday, February 16, 2017
Volume 47, No. 19
It’s tourney time With spring sports seasons starting in a few weeks, winter sports are wrapping up with conference tourneys & state competitions. Read more in sports on pages 8 and 9A
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The Media of Record for the People of Pender County
Wildfire season off to early start in Pender County By Jefferson Weaver Contributing Writer Wildfire season is off to an early start this year in Pender County and throughout the eight-county district, according to the N.C. Forest Service. Pender County officials issued burn warnings last week due to windy conditions across the county. “It’s been a little busier than we expected to start the year, but we were ready,� said Shane Hardee, District Forester. “We’ve had several fires,
and we’re sure to see more if we don’t get some significant rain.� The dry air, high winds and warmer temperatures that have characterized the mild winter have increased the fire danger, although no burning bans have been put into place. “Right now, we’re just asking people to use common sense,� Hardee said. Much of the storm debris from last fall’s tropical systems is approaching peak dryness for burning, according to the National Weather Service. Although the spring fire season doesn’t
really get underway until March, both the Forest Service and volunteer departments have responded to fires throughout the district in recent weeks, Hardee said. “We just ask people not to burn when conditions are like they are right now,� he said. “We had rain on at least two nights last week, but it wasn’t enough to reduce the fire danger.� Prevailing La Nina weather patterns could bring drier conditions to the area this spring and summer, according to the National Weather
Service. The same effects made for an active tropical season last year, providing more fuel in the form of storm-damaged trees and debris in heavily forested areas. The NCFS recommends having basic firefighting tools close at hand, along with a water hose and buckets, is burning is required. Never leave a fire unattended until it is “cold out,� or embers are no longer hot to the touch. Having a phone immediately available is also important. Rapid changes in weather can also encourage wildfires, Hardee
said. Warm or cold fronts are usually ushered in by high winds, which can cause a fire to change direction in seconds. Burning should be saved for days when winds are calm, the ground damp, and humidity average to high, Hardee said. Burning safety conditions can be obtained by calling the local office of the Forest Service, or going online to http://climate.ncsu. edu/fwip/index.php, which features up to the minute fire dangers and
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Topsail track coach arrested on sex, human trafficking charges
Making school bond progress
From Staff Reports The Pender County Sheriff ’s Office arrested Ahmad Rashad Garrison Feb.9 for soliciting a child by computer to commit a sex act and human trafficking. Gar rison, a 27-year-old resident of Holly Ridge, was a teacher’s assistant and track coach at Topsail High School at the time of his arrest. Gar rison was ar rested when he showed up to meet a 14-year-old female for sex. An investigation by Pender County Sheriff ’s Office detectives began when parents of the girl found inappropriate Instagram messages had b e e n s e n t b e t we e n t h e i r daughter and Garrison. The victim was a former student at Topsail High School at the time of Garrison’s arrest. Investigators also charged
Ahmad Rashad Garrison Garrison with human trafficking when allegations were made in which Garrison offered to take the victim to Charlotte and have her perform sex acts for money. Gar rison had been employed at Topsail High School. He resigned immediately
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Coming home Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Brickmasons work on the addition to Cape Fear Elementary School as construction on school bond projects moves ahead across Pender County.
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Mountains to Sea Trail celebrates 40 years Coastal Crescent Trail section of MST in Pender County
By Tammy Proctor Pender County Tourism Director
The Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) is 1,170 miles of adventure from Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smokey Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks. Some portions are strenuous. Some paths meander along rivers and lakes. This year, the concept of the trail will be 40 years old this September. More than 700 miles is completed and the state recognized the MST as an official state trail in 2000. The MST is a collaboration of local communities, trail groups, land trusts, federal and state land agencies, pri-
vate landowners, the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, and Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Friends). “The trail is an official part of the state parks system, but segments of it are managed by different agencies and local governments,� said Kate Dixon, director of the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail. “Local communities help connect the trail through links to greenways and urban trails.
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Land trusts help acquire land. Our Friends of the MST provide volunteers, support and serves as a clearinghouse for information.� Portions of the trail are not complete. However, Dixon said Greenville and Kinston have made significant improvements. Much of the Neuse area is traversed not by hiking boot but by paddle. The Coastal Crescent Trail, while it appears on the MST trail maps, is not officially
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recognized by the state parks department. Volunteers are working to get that changed – not at the expense of the unfinished Neuse River portion of the trail – but as an alternative. The Coastal Crescent traPush Mowers • Lawn Tractors • Zero Turn Mowers verses the entirety of Pender Trimmers & Chainsaws County. The trail is divided into two segments. The northernmost portion of the trail is called “The Land of Historyâ€? due to the fact that it travels Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew by historic landmarks includJoined by Burgaw Chamber of Commerce representatives, ing Canetuck Community town ofďŹ cials, family, and wife Haley, Zach Rivenbark ofďŹ cially Building, a former Rosenwald School, and Moores Creek opened his law ofďŹ ce in Burgaw Feb. 7. Rivenbark, a graduNational Battlefield. An alter- ate of Pender High School, returned to practice law in Pender native loop off the trail stops County, working with attorney R. Kent Harrell. After Harrell
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was elected Superior Court Judge in November, Rivenbark took over the practice.
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