Lumina News

LUMINA NEWS YO U R C O A S TA L C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E M AY 2 0 0 2

Dec. 17–23, 2015

Volume 14 | Issue 51 | 25¢

luminanews.com

Source: National Weather Service

Creative costumes at Jingle Bell Run

Garden club fundraiser

Hoggard basketball

Page 7

Page 10

Page 6

Coastal reps seek to halt offshore seismic testing

Dawson takes county board chair as candidates begin to crowd election slate

warm holiday weather

By Chris Russell Contributing Writer

Local opposition to seismic testing received federal support when 33 members of Congress urged the federal government not to issue permits for the procedure used to find oil and gas offshore until more environmental reviews are conducted.

The letter received support from a handful of congressional representatives in the region, but Rep. David Rouzer, the Republican representing Wrightsville Beach, parts of New Hanover County and the North Carolina coast from Surf City to the South Carolina border, said there is no evidence showing seismic testing can result in harm to marine life.

However, Rep. Walter Jones, the Republican whose district includes parts of Wilmington and the rest of the North Carolina coast, is a signer of the letter, as is Rep. Mark Sanford, a South Carolina Republican representing the southern portion of the state’s coast. Sanford was a lead author of the letter, along with Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va. Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Wilmington have all passed resolutions opposing seismic airgun testing off of the North Carolina coast, citing concerns that the technology can be harmful and disruptive to marine life.

The full effect of seismic airgun testing on marine life needs further research, the 33 members of Congress wrote to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Dec. 10. Until further research is conducted, the bureau should n See SEISMIC Page 5

By Terry Lane Staff Writer

As Republican Beth Dawson seeks re-election to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, she will do so as the board’s sitting chair after the commissioners voted her to that position on Monday, Dec. 14.

Former board chairman Jonathan Barfield Jr., who nominated Dawson for the position, was elected to the position of vice-chair. Both positions carry one-year terms.

“It is an honor to serve the citizens of New Hanover County and I look forward to continuing to ensure that our community grows and prospers in a meaningful way,” Dawson said.

Competition for several local races became more heated this week as candidates continue to file ahead of the Monday, Dec. 21 deadline for registration with the New Hanover County Board of Elections.

While both Dawson and Barfield are running for re-election, it’s still unclear if fellow commissioner Woody White will seek another term on the board. White has already said he won’t seek a seat in Congress and has said he is waiting to see Walkers enjoy mild temperatures Wednesday, Dec. 16 in downtown Wrightsville Beach. ~ Allison Potter

n See ELECTION Page 5

Groups work to spread holiday care Public works director retires

By Chris Russell

Staff photo by Allison Potter

Kacin Mercer, front, and Joel Shackelford unload canned goods at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard Friday, Dec. 12 as part of Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors’ year-long campaign, Feed ILM.

By Emmy Errante

Contributing Writer

Staff Writer

Sporting Santa hats and lugging armloads of canned foods, members of the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors unloaded more than $5,000 worth of food and supplies at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard on Friday, Dec. 11.

The donation was just one of many that groups in the Wilmington area are making during the Christmas season to help the homeless, school children, and many who may be in the group of nearly 17 percent who fall below the poverty level in New Hanover County in a 2014 census report.

“I think helping the community is very important, especially during the holidays.

We have a lot to be thankful for,” said Bobby Jean Harvey, chairman of WRAR’s Community Affairs Committee.

“Most of us have so many blessings and to be able to provide a little happiness for others during the holidays is what it is all about.”

Philanthropic surveys and websites confirm November and December are the busiest months for charity donations.

The National Philanthropic Trust reports the average American household donates

Wrightsville Beach public works director Mike Vukelich announced his retirement Dec. 15 after 15 years in charge of the department. His last day of employment will be Jan. 31, 2016.

His career has spanned more than 50 years, so retirement has been on his mind for a while, he said.

n See HOLIDAY Page 5

Police Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 ­­For the record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

For daily updates visit LuminaNews.com

n See VUKELICH Page 5

Wrightsville’s volunteer firefighters honored

By Emmy Errante Staff Writer

Staff photo by Allison Potter

Firefighter of the Year Marc Scott and his wife, Bethany, attend the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department’s annual awards dinner Saturday, Dec. 12 at 22 North.

Lifestyles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Sports/Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Find us on Facebook facebook.com/LuminaNews

He tried retiring briefly after his previous job with a Fortune 500 company but said, “It didn’t work well for me. I need to be active and interact with people and feel like I make a difference.”

In an email to town staff he stated the goal of the public works department is to be invisible to residents — “when you turn on the water it is there, when you flush it isn’t there, when you leave your

Follow us on Twitter @luminanews

The Wrightsville Beach Fire Department honored Firefighter of the Year Marc Scott and several other volunteer members Dec. 12 for their exceptional efforts toward keeping the community safe.

The awards, which included a Service Commendation Award for firefighter Garrett McQueen, were handed out during the fire department’s 100th annual Christmas Dinner at 22 North.

The event was sponsored by the Wrightsville Beach Volunteer Firefighters Association, a nonprofit corporation comprised of the fire department’s volunteers and interns.

Only volunteer firefighters were eligible for most of the awards because, Smith said, “you’re recognizing people that volunteer their time — and in a lot of n See FIREFIGHTERS Page 5

LUMINA N EWS LuminaNews.com YO U R C O A S TA L C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E M AY 2 0 0 2

2

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002

Dec. 17–23, 2015

County delays adoption of land use map after concerns over environmental areas

By Terry Lane Staff Writer

Lumina News file photo

Participants in the Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry’s fourth annual Resolution Run take a quick dip in the Atlantic Ocean after finishing their 5K run Jan. 1, 2013.

Despite safety concerns, town approves Polar Plunge site change

By Emmy Errante Staff Writer

Large events on Wrightsville’s beach strand can cause public safety and parking concerns for town officials, but Dec. 10 the board of aldermen approved a request to hold a 400-person New Year’s Day Polar Plunge at Stone Street after organizers promised to take extra precautions.

The town originally approved the inaugural Communities in Schools Polar Plunge for Johnnie Mercer’s Pier and town officials were hesitant to comply with organizer Jim Busby’s request to move the event to Stone Street. Johnnie Mercer’s Pier has more available parking, a better staging area and easier access for emergency vehicles, they argued.

Town officials were also worried about repeating a situation encountered during a previous Polar Plunge held near Moores Inlet.

“That polar plunge exceeded organizers’ expectations,” said Katie Ryan, Wrightsville Beach parks and recreation program supervisor. “It resulted in some emergency access issues.”

Busby acknowledged the town’s reasons for preferring the Johnnie Mercer’s Pier location but was adamant about moving the event to Stone Street because of the site’s proximity to the central business district.

The Polar Plunge itself takes no more than 15 minutes, Busby said, so it is important to provide activities like shopping and dining for participants to do afterward.

“We believe it’s unrealistic to expect people to drive out to the beach, jump in the ocean and then get back in the car and drive home,” he said.

“We’re promoting the event as a family outing to the beach, which could involve breakfast, lunch, shopping and viewing football games at the local restaurants and bars.”

The aldermen voted in favor of Busby’s request because he agreed to take extra measures to compensate for what the Stone Street area lacks in parking and space.

Busby said he plans to hire off-duty police officers to help with traffic and in-water lifeguards to provide medical support. He will have portable toilets to supplement the public restrooms near the Trolly Stop Hot Dogs and Wrightsville Beach Methodist Church has donated their lot for overflow parking.

“You need to make sure you give access to the people living on Stone Street,” Mayor Bill Blair pointed out, “and enough policemen. So if you can agree on that number [with police chief Dan House] that would satisfy us.” email emmy@luminanews.com

Hampstead Wellness Clinic uses Energy Medicine to maximize health

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners delayed approval of a comprehensive future land use map for development after concerns over whether the map would meet Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) environmental requirements.

The board didn’t vote on a resolution that would approve the future land use map as part of the process to adopt parts of the comprehensive plan for future development, instead asking for the county planning staff and members of the planning board to meet with state officials to get more clarification of how environmental protection rules could affect the map.

At issue was what county planners called the “exceptional resource areas” map, which laid out certain areas where environmental concerns could be a factor in development. The map distinguishes features such as primary aquifer recharge areas, flood zones, potential wetlands areas, potential significant natural heritage areas and public inland and coastal waters.

The current county zoning map prevents development in these areas, but with the future population growth expected for the county, it’s likely that this land would need to be utilized for future projects, said county planner Jennifer Rigby.

Commissioner Woody White raised the question about whether exceptional resource areas should be identified on the future land use map because areas like wetlands are outside of the county’s regulation.

“We ought to regulate and chart out what we have authority to, and not put words and things in maps that are up to

other jurisdictions,” White said.

“Two years from now, three years from now, it will still be confusing to people. The definitions will have changed.”

Tyler Newman of Business Alliance for a Sound Economy, a regional business lobbying group, spoke in support of the land use map, but also agreed with White when he said that exceptional resource areas should be removed from the map.

“Federal rules are changing, regarding waters of the United States and what constitutes a wetland. It’s not really infor-

are looking for,” Rigby said.

“I’m not sure we can change direction.”

White said that since CAMA rules are likely to be relaxed, the new map should reflect these changes.

The board approved a resolution from commissioner Jonathan Barfield Jr. to require the planning board and county planning staff to meet with state regulators to get more information on possible CAMA changes and approval of the map, and return to the board with that information.

The county’s planning board

“We ought to regulate and chart out what we have authority to, and not put words and things in maps that are up to other jurisdictions. Two years from now, three years from now, it will still be confusing to people.

The definitions will have changed.” mative to have it on a map,” said Newman, who pointed out that the precise location of the aquifer and its recharge areas aren’t known. “The cross hatch lines on the map are somewhat arbitrary and could cause more confusion than they need to.”

Rigby said the future land use map would need to be certified through the CAMA process and that removing the exceptional resource areas from the map could jeopardize that. CAMA is a state law that governs development near coastal areas, with its regulations overseen by the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission.

“These are elements they

also considered whether it was useful to have exceptional resource areas identified in the map, but ultimately decided to leave it to the board of commissioners to decide whether they needed to remain in the future land use map.

County manager Chris Coudriet told the board that delay in adopting this part of the plan could push back the completion of the comprehensive development plan by months.

Additionally, Coudriet said that it would be the change in zoning and ordinances, not adoption of the map, that would ultimately enact the comprehensive plan. email terrylane@luminanews.com

Oleander Drive tree removed

T

he Hampstead Wellness Clinic is the newest, and local, hotspot for better health. We are excited to offer you a variety of tools to help you reach a better, healthier you. Our approach at the clinic is based on the German model. That is, equipping the body for what it needs to stay healthy and disease free. We focus on immune system building via detox and boosting key parts of one’s immune system, using infrared/fever therapy, ozone therapy, oxygen therapy, energy medicine, and high dose vitamin C. We are also having excellent results with pain elimination and management via energy medicine and far-infrared mineral therapy.

Super Immune Boost/ Energy Boost

A very effective treatment used in Germany for immune building, energy boost, and total detox. The treatment consists of Pulsed A PEMF device stimulates and mobilizes the ions electromagnetic field therapy in the cells of the body (PEMF), ozone and infrared sauna (fever). The treatment lasts for 1.5 hours. PEMF recharges all of your cells. Ozone kills on contact virus, bacteria, pesticides, and cancers. Ozone also binds to most toxins.

The infrared sauna carries the debris and bound toxins out of the body very quickly via the sweat glands. At the same time the infrared therapy initiates hyperthermia, which starts an immune response.

Please feel free to contact Hampstead Wellness Clinic with any questions that you have and we look forward to equipping you with applications and information that will have a profound impact in your life!

Hampstead Wellness Clinic Maximize Your Health Russ Tatum

363 Sloop Point Loop Road, Hampstead, NC 28443

910-300-7642 • 910-270-9029

www.hampsteadwellnessclinic.com

A crew from the City of Wilmington removes a dying laurel oak beside the Salt Works Station driveway on Oleander Drive Thursday, Dec. 10. The tree had previously dropped large branches onto the road, creating a hazard for drivers. ~Allison Potter

Study facilitates more efficient erosion protection

By Emmy Errante Staff Writer

A new study showing how Wrightsville’s 4-mile beach strand erodes will make future coastal storm damage reduction projects, also known as beach renourishment, more efficient by indicating where sand should and shouldn’t be piped.

Engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol’s second annual shoreline mapping study, presented Dec. 9 to New Hanover County’s Port, Waterway and Beach Commission, compiled erosion rates for 116, 736 feet

of shoreline from Mason Inlet to Fort Fisher. In addition to showing the varying rates of erosion along that shoreline, the study proved regularly piping sand back onto the beaches mitigates long-term erosion.

Previously collected data showed Wrightsville Beach would lose a significant amount of sand yearly without renourishment. With renourishment, the beach’s yearly erosion rate is essentially zero.

The same holds true for Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Fort Fisher. Without renourishment, the local shoreline would

lose 650,000 cubic yards of sand a year but with renourishment, there is almost no overall erosion.

The county’s shore protection coordinator, Layton Bedsole, said that data helps justify spending $10 million to pipe sand onto the beaches every four years. Moffatt & Nichol engineer Robert Neal agreed, saying the yearly studies will be useful in the beach towns’ fight for continued renourishment funding from the federal government.

But it is also valuable, Bedsole said, to know where the sand is most needed, and therefore how

to get the greatest amount of erosion protection using the least amount of sand.

The center of Wrightsville’s beach strand, approximately from the Blockade Runner Beach Resort to the Holiday Inn Resort, erodes much faster than the rest of the beach, so renourishment should be focused in that region, Bedsole said.

“The purpose of the shoreline mapping is to ensure we’re placing the right amount of sand in the right location,” he said. “No more, no less, because sand is a limited resource.” email emmy@luminanews.com

Dec. 17–23, 2015

3

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002

For The Record Question and photographs by Lexi Schimelfenig

How do you help others during the holiday season?

Bethany Pratt

Hamilton Wells

David Estrada

Kate Harrington

David Montague

“I have been going around to members of my family and helping them get ready for the holidays like decorating and that sort of thing.”

“I try to help those in need. Sometimes we do a canned food drive or donate toys for kids through our church.”

“I give my family presents and also volunteer to wrap presents for people at home.”

“I help the family I babysit for wrap Chanukah presents and babysit while they do their shopping.”

“By giving all you can give. … That’s what I love to do. I love people.”

Cincinnati, Ohio

Hampstead, N.C.

Asheville, N.C.

Wake Forest, N.C.

Boston, Mass.

Mason Inlet relocation starts in January

Weekend Police Report

By Emmy Errante

Dec. 11

Staff Writer

Citations

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners will provide funds to a $3.6 million project to correct the southward migration of Mason Inlet, which separates Wrightsville Beach from Figure Eight Island, by nudging the inlet north.

The board agreed on Dec. 14 to fund the project through the room occupancy tax under the condition that the county is reimbursed by property owners on Wrightsville’s north end and Figure Eight’s south end. The project is scheduled to begin in January 2016.

Those 1,044 property owners whose homes could be affected by the inlet’s migration make up the Mason Inlet Preservation Group and through a 2001 agreement are responsible for funding the inlet’s maintenance.

The district includes properties north of the Wrightsville Beach’s Holiday Inn Resort because “it was determined those properties would benefit by the relocation of Mason Inlet,” said David Kellam, president of the Figure Eight Island Homeowners Association.

While Figure Eight’s properties aren’t threatened by the inlet’s migration south, those homeowners benefit from the deal because they buy the sand dredged during

• Samantha Stortini was cited for expired registration.

• Eric Cornielle was cited for hit and run and driving during revocation.

• Laura McClain was cited for a stoplight violation.

Dec. 12 Arrests • Solomon Njiraini was charged with order for arrest out of Guilford County.

Citations • Solomon Njiraini was cited for driving during revocation and stop light violation.

• Kendall Kirsteier was cited for a stoplight violation.

Dec. 13 Lumina News file photo

Sand removed from Mason Inlet is relocated to Figure Eight Island during routine maintenance dredging Jan. 22, 2013.

the relocation and use it to build up the south end of their beach.

“That’s our only benefit,” Kellam said, “being the recipient of the sand.”

Figure Eight buys the dredged sand at $5.50 per cubic yard, so the more sand that is dredged, the less Wrightsville Beach homeowners have to pay. This time, based on an engineer’s estimate, Figure Eight will buy $2.6 million worth of sand, leaving Wrightsville Beach stakeholders to pay the remaining $1 million of the project cost.

Over the last decade, Mason

Inlet has required maintenance about every three years, although the county’s shore protection coordinator, Layton Bedsole, told the commissioners “we’re trying to make efforts to extend that [cycle].”

In the late 1990s, the inlet’s extreme southern migration necessitated a wall of sandbags protecting Wrightsville’s Shell Island Resort, which Kellam said was “falling into the water.”

In 2002, to save the hotel and nearby residences, the inlet was moved 3,000 feet north.

Bedsole said to avoid such

drastic measures in the future, triggers were put in place to prompt a minor maintenance project if the inlet moves too far south or becomes too shallow in certain areas.

“It’s much better to maintain anything than to re-fix it,” he said.

The project will involve a dredge in Mason Inlet, but all the plumbing to deposit the sand will be located on Figure Eight Island. Bedsole said the project should be finished by the third week in March. email emmy@luminanews.com

Citations • Charles Angelo Saia was cited for expired registration.

• Brittain E. Knowls was cited for speeding.

Warning tickets • Charles Angelo Saia was warned for fictitious registration tag.

Correction

Matthew Snyder was served a subpoena as a witness in a shoplifting case. He faces no charges. The Dec. 10 edition of the Lumina News did not clearly make this distinction. We regret the error.

IMPORTANT DATES Friday, Dec. 18

Tidal Creek food co-op seeking downtown move

By Terry Lane Staff Writer

Facing lower sales following increasing pressure from competitors, the Tidal Creek Co-op said last Friday that difficult business conditions would likely force the food market to move from its Oleander Drive location to a new location in downtown Wilmington.

A public letter from the board of directors on Dec. 11 detailed several issues the co-op was facing, including new competitors, declining sales and a loss of available parking and greenspace.

The co-op announced in March it was considering a move to downtown, but recently the ownership of the unoccupied Cinema 6 property changed, resulting in a loss of use of the site’s additional parking. Tidal Creek will also lose access to greenspace by the co-op’s 8,000-foot location in a shopping plaza at 5329 Oleander Drive, the space it has occupied since 2002.

With these changes coming after Dec. 31, Tidal Creek said it had received positive reaction from its March proposal to move locations. The March announcement said it was possible the Oleander location could remain

open, but the latest announcement said the parking changes would make conducting businesses at the current location even more difficult.

“Given the above conditions and after months of exhaustive research and debate, a move to downtown seems to represent our most compelling alternative,” the board wrote. “Despite being a disappointment for some who wish to see us remain at Oleander, we have had an overwhelmingly positive response from the community, the community leaders we have connected with, and most importantly, the ownership of Tidal Creek.”

From its opening in 1982, Tidal Creek offered local and organic food options long before stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods capitalized on the growing trend. Those two specialty grocers are among the 15 grocers, all with natural foods offerings, that are located within four miles of the co-op.

The competition appears to be driving down the co-op’s revenues. The letter included a graphic that showed Tidal Creek’s sales had dropped from nearly $5.5 million in 2012 to around $3.75 million in 2015.

Another problem the co-op’s

board raised is access to the store, which requires sharp turns onto and off Oleander to reach, with a parking lot that’s difficult to manage.

However, downtown Wilmington offers the co-op the opportunity to relocate in an area bereft of grocery options. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has classified the downtown area as a “food desert,” reflecting the lack of grocery stores with healthy food options available to residents there.

“Downtown needs more food options, and we need downtown,” the board wrote in the letter. In its March message, the co-op described a downtown location as “an amazing opportunity to provide a service to the community.”

The board said it was working on a presentation to the city of Wilmington with the goal of forming a partnership with the city to encourage the co-op’s relocation.

Commercial Realtor and developer Gene Merritt said in May that Carolina Heights, Carolina Place, Forest Hills, the historic and mansion districts, Princess Place and other north side Wilmington neighborhoods could all benefit from

closer access to fresh groceries.

The closest store to downtown is a Food Lion at the intersection of Dawson Street and Oleander Drive.

A co-op operates as a locally owned organization where individuals can buy memberships that provide an ownership stake.

It is operated by a board of directors. With its goal of keeping resources within the community, a co-op will buy more locally sourced goods, while also using profits for community services like educational programs and charitable donations. Only an estimated 5 percent of Tidal Creek members live near the store, with many members coming from as far away as Leland and Jacksonville to shop.

The co-op did not announce a time frame for any decision. The board encouraged its members to continue to shop at the co-op and renew their ownership.

“While this change will be hard, we feel entirely confident that this new chapter is actually an exciting opportunity,” the board wrote. “Together we can redefine what our co-op is and how we serve this awesome community, we just need your support to do it.” email terrylane@luminanews.com

New Hanover County Schools holiday luncheon, noon, Board of Education Center, 1805 S. 13th St., Wilmington Monday, Dec. 21 Deadline for 2016 candidate registration, New Hanover County Board of Elections, noon, 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 38, Wilmington Wednesday, Dec. 23 New Hanover County offices closed for Christmas holiday Thursday, Dec. 24 Wrightsville Beach town office, New Hanover County office closed for Christmas holiday

Wrightsville Beach Family Medicine — NHRMC Physician Group

is Welcoming new patients of all ages Same day appointments available 1721 Allens Lane, Wilmington, NC 28403 Call 910.344.8900

nhrmcphysiciangroup.org

4

Dec. 17–23, 2015

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002

Editorial/Opinion My thoughts B y P at B r a d f o r d

’Tis the season of giving, with the ultimate example set for us. We celebrate Christ-mas to remember the Father giving His only Son to redeem the world back to what we lost when Adam ate the apple.

Emmanuel — God with us. Lamb of God; Jesus left heaven to be born of a virgin and live among us. It is His birth we celebrate.

This is the season of joy.

How will you celebrate this year? Will you spend it lost in bah-humbug? Or feverishly shop to shower family and friends with gifts they may never use?

If your family is like mine, they have everything they need, two or three times over.

There was a time when I knocked myself out shopping for the perfect gift for each of them, wrapping and decorating each to the max, ’til my fingers were sore.

Admittedly some in the family are grateful for anything they receive, very appreciative. But mostly it’s “Thanks” and my special gift joins a pile of returns, is stuck in the closet, or becomes regifted. I am not throwing off on my family, just saying 90 percent already have more than enough. Their lives are saturated with good things.

When I talk to others this time of year, in lines, in stores, in parking lots, those serving me, I don’t see a great deal of joy.

Instead, I see worn out people. Edgy. In a hurry.

Busy.

In the last 24 months, I have come to realize busy, even in ministry, is not a gift of the Spirit. I want more love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, and faith; not busy, rushed, and late for an important date.

Among my friends I count a guy who has no place to live come January 2, and yet he spent three days this week helping others move their goods and belongings into new homes. Backto-back-to-back days and nights moving others without compensation — instead of out searching for a place to lay his head in a matter of weeks.

That’s giving.

Another friend will routinely pay for the meals of the people in line behind her at the fast food

drive-through window.

Do you want to create some simple, instant joy this Christmas? Let me suggest following her example and paying for those in line in front of or behind you. In a drive-through, coffee shop, movie theater, grocery or hardware store, anywhere. The possibilities are everywhere. We stand in line endlessly.

Yes, it takes an initial moment of courage, but the return on the investment is high. Lean in to include the cashier in on what you want to do, he or she will quickly get on board. Or with an “I’ve got that,” swipe your card with a big smile. This will always be met with a burst of joy for everyone present. This time of year I promise there is satisfaction in adding a sincere “Merry Christmas.”

In a restaurant, notice those around you and tell the waitress you want to pay for another table’s meal(s).

Another option that will step it up a notch: The next time you eat out, consider blessing your waitperson by tipping 50 or even 100 percent of your meal ticket, no strings attached. This one takes less courage, but the results are pretty big.

If you are more adventurous, make several dozen sandwich and fruit bagged lunches, drive to the downtown Wilmington library at lunchtime and hand them out to the homeless who gather there. Not good in the kitchen? Hot pizza or chicken biscuits will go over well. Do even more and take a stack of new blankets, or hoodies or clean socks and dispense those at the same time.

Programs, soup kitchens and the host of ministries to the least of these are wonderful options, but you don’t have to join one to be your own little joy program and ministry of one. It begins with you taking action.

And it is contagious. Do it once and you’ll want to do it again.

Too shy to step out on your own? Enlist a friend or coworkers and get to it.

The Good Book says we are to do good unto others, loving them more than we do ourselves.

This is the Spirit of Christmas.

Go spread the joy.

Do you want to create some simple, instant joy this Christmas? Let me suggest following her example and paying for those in line in front of or behind you. In a drive-through, coffee shop, movie theater, grocery or hardware store, anywhere. The possibilities are everywhere. We stand in line endlessly.

Do you have an

OPINION? Now you have TWO places to share it

Write a letter to the editor Mail to:

Lumina News, P.O. Box 1110, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480 Email to: letters@luminanews.com

Visit the Lumina News Facebook page

Award winning • First Place — Best Feature Writing • Third Place — Best Sports Photography • Third Place — Best Online News Reporting

2014 • First Place — General Excellence for Newspaper Websites • Second Place — General Excellence for Newspapers • First Place — Wrightsville Beach Magazine, Sept. 2014, Best Niche Publication • Second Place — Wrightsville Beach Magazine, July 2014, Best Niche Publication

2010 • First Place — Best Feature Writing • First Place — Best Feature Photography

• Third Place — Sports Photography • Third Place — Feature Photography • Second Place — General Excellence

2006

• First Place — Best Use of Spot Color • First Place — Best Innovative Concept, Hurricane Preparedness Guide

2005

Lumina News A publication of: SoZo8, Inc.

(ISSN 1937-9994) (USPS 025-292)

PUBLISHER/EDITOR

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Pat Bradford

Allison Potter

NEWS DIRECTOR

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Terry Lane

Emmy Errante Allison Potter

Simon Gonzalez Susan Miller

STAFF WRITERS Emmy Errante Terry Lane

EDITORIAL INTERNS Krys Estes Lexi Schimelfenig Elizabeth Weaver

2004 • Third Place — Sports Feature Writing • First Place — Best Full Color Restaurant/ Entertainment Ad • First Place — Best Newspaper Promotion • Second Place — Best Institutional Ad

• Third Place — News coverage • Third Place — Editorial page

• First Place — Best Editorial • Second Place — Best Feature Photography • Third Place — Best Appearance and Design

• Second Place — Best Full Color Real Estate Ad • Third Place — Best Real Estate Ad • Third Place — Best Use of Spot Color

2008

2012

• First Place — Best Motor Vehicle Ad • Third Place — Best Institutional Ad • Third Place — B est Full Color Restaurant/ Entertainment Ad

2007

2009

2013

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

• First Place — Best Niche Publication • Second Place — Best Shared Page • Third Place — B est Home Furnishings and Appliances Ad • Third Place — Best Institutional Ad • Third Place — Best Classified Section

2011

THE N.C. PRESS ASSOCIATION

NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL FEDERATION

2012 • Southeast Region — Brown Pelican Award

• First Place — Photo Page

Harbor Island Ship Models Bldg.

7232 Wrightsville Ave. Ste. D, Wilmington, NC 28403 Address all correspondence to: Lumina News, P.O. Box 1110, Wrightsville Beach, N.C. 28480

Phone: (910) 256-6569 • Fax: (910) 256-6512 E-mail: info@ luminanews.com

PRODUCTION & GRAPHIC DESIGN

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Cissy Russell

Jill Sabourin

CONTRIBUTORS

DISTRIBUTION

Skylar Walters Carl Waters Andrew Wommack

Jim Rees

Lumina News Since 2002, Lumina News has illuminated Wrightsville Beach with award-winning news, beautiful photography and insightful views of life on Wrightsville Beach. Lumina News is published weekly and is distributed to the public on and around Wrightsville Beach. Audited circulation 2,500. www.luminanews.com.

Wrightsville Beach Magazine Wrightsville Beach Magazine keeps people informed of what’s going on in and around Wrightsville Beach while providing glimpses of Wrightsville’s glorious past, so the past will not be forgotten. In all that we do, we strive to raise the bar in our dedication to excellence. Wrightsville Beach Magazine is published monthly and is distributed to the public for free at hundreds of locations on and around Wrightsville Beach. www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com. (ISSN 1938-0003) • For distribution locations nearest you, please call (910) 256-6569.

• Postmaster: Send address changes to: Lumina News, P.O. Box 1110, Wrightsville Beach, N.C. 28480.

• LUMINA NEWS is published weekly, 52 times per year.

• Back issues of Lumina News are available from our office for $1 per issue.

• Subscriptions to Lumina News and Wrightsville Beach Magazine can be made by calling (910) 256-6569. A yearlong subscription to Lumina News can be purchased for only $42.95 In-County, $68.95 Out of County.

• Periodicals Postage Paid at Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

• Photography* published in Lumina News is available for purchase. For sizing, prices and usage terms, please call (910) 256-6569. *Some exceptions apply.

• Advertising information for all publications can be obtained by calling (910) 256-6569.

Lumina News is published weekly by SoZo8 Inc. © 2015 SoZo8, Inc. All property rights for the entire contents of this publication shall be the property of SoZo8 Inc. Lumina News’s content is protected by copyright and all rights are reserved.

Content may not be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from the copyright owner.

“Praise be to Jesus, all Glory and Honor is Yours.”

Dec. 17–23, 2015

5

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002 against seismic testing or offshore drilling, but current protocols don’t allow them access to the testing data to determine whether the risks of seismic testing outweigh the potential benefits from offshore drilling,” the letter said.

Last week, the Mid and South Atlantic Management Councils reiterated their concern with seismic airgun blasting and offshore drilling off the East Coast.

Specifically, the councils took action to update their policies related to non-fishing activities in order to ensure fisheries in the region are protected from other ocean uses such as oil and gas exploration and development.

Under federal law, the councils are given a voice in the management

of ocean resources in their jurisdictions, which stretch from New York to Florida in an area from three to 200 miles offshore.

Oceana, a world-wide ocean advocacy group, supported the efforts to stop airgun testing.

“These policies should be a wake-up call to the federal government, highlighting the threats of offshore drilling exploration and development on fish, fish habitat, and everything that relies on a healthy ocean ecosystem.

Commercial fishing and other coastal industries would suffer from routine leaks as well as the looming risk of BP Deepwater Horizon-like oil disaster along the East Coast,” Oceana campaign director Claire Douglass stated.

n FIREFIGHTERS

n ELECTION

cases, a lot of their time — to be a member of the fire department and perform on the same level as the career employees who are getting paid to be there.”

Scott earned Firefighter of the Year for his contributions to the department during the past year, Smith said. He attended over 200 hours of fire service training and participated in 34 drills, 10 more than the minimum requirement.

He also completed the extensive assessment process to become a lieutenant.

“He really shows initiative to advance his fire service training and take advantage of all the training opportunities he can,” Smith said.

Scott’s promotion to lieutenant also proved his diligence because the process involves a group interview with members of the fire department’s command staff and tactical simulations of emergency situations. As lieutenant, he is now responsible for leading and directing groups of firefighters, both during training and emergency situations, Smith said.

“He’s performed that responsibility very capably as well,” he added.

One of the fire department’s interns, 22-year-old Garrett McQueen, was honored for furthering his training with the fire

if other conservatives will run for the board before he decides.

He said Patricia Kusek, a financial planner who is campaigning for a seat on the board of commissioners as a Republican, is one conservative running and if another conservative runs, he would consider filing for re-election in order to create a voting block of three conservatives for the three open seats.

The most crowded race is for the Democratic representatives for the New Hanover County Board of Education. So far, five candidates have filed for the three seats that will be contested in the election. A race is also emerging for the District 20 seat in the state House of Representatives, as now two Republican candidates seek to replace Rep. Rick Catlin, who announced earlier this year he will not seek re-election.

This week, Lisa Estep joined Jeannette Nichols as Republicans school board members that will run to defend their seats. Frank Christopher Meares has also filed as a Republican candidate for the board of education.

Estep, a mother of five children who are in or have attended county schools, is running for her second term on the board of education. In July, Estep was appointed by Governor Pat McCrory to the State Board of Community Colleges, where she will serve a six-year term.

There will not be a primary election unless other Republican candidates enter the race for board of education.

The Democrats will face off in the primary however, as now five candidates for board of education are competing to be among the three that will be on the ballot in November 2016.

They include Emma Saunders, Rev. James Jamison Jr., Chris Meek, Kevin Spears and Sandra Leigh. The primary election is scheduled for March 15, 2016.

Saunders, a retired educator with more than 30 years in the New Hanover County school system, unsuccessfully sought a board seat in 2014. She serves

on the board of directors for the Child Development Center and the Wilmington Convention Center.

Jamison is a recently retired Wilmington Housing Authority safety and security official and pastor of Hope Baptist Church at 1401 Greenfield St. and Church Without Walls for the homeless. Though he has more than two decades’ experience volunteering in different charity organizations, this is Jamison’s first time running for local office.

Jamison said he had considered running for years and felt it was necessary to add both ideological and economic diversity to the board. Currently, all members of the county board of education are registered Republicans.

“When you’re at a certain economic status, you may not see the impact some decisions will have. A decision that costs parents an extra $15 a month can be a fortune in some circles,” Jamison said. “It’s good to get the pulse of the other side of the track in addition to your side of the tracks.”

Another Republican on the board of education, Tammy Covil, has filed as a candidate for the District 20 seat.

She will face Holly Grange, a graduate of the United States Military Academy, who serves on the North Carolina Ports Authority, as well as on the Cape Fear Community College Foundation and the U.S.O. of North Carolina.

In other developments, the board of elections will add a day of Sunday voting to its early voting schedule for the March primaries, said New Hanover County Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Redenbaugh, who pushed for the Sunday voting schedule.

“Some voters are working multiple jobs and have other responsibilities. Sunday voting gives them another opportunity to vote,” she said. “There are businesses that are open on Sunday. The board of elections should be treating the voters like customers as well. A lot of people want to participate in the democratic process.”

n SEISMIC Continued from Page 1

stop issuing permits for seismic testing along the Atlantic Coast, the members of Congress wrote.

“The current basis for issuing seismic testing permits is incomplete,” the letter said. “It does not take into account the long-term effects that seismic testing will have on marine life or the impact on the economy due to industrialization of the coast. Accordingly, we don’t think testing that could profoundly affect our coastal communities should be allowed to proceed based on an insufficient study.”

In a statement to Lumina News, Rouzer said the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded in 2014 that there is “‘no proof that [airgun arrays] can cause serious injury, death, or stranding, even in the case of large airgun arrays.’”

“However, extra safety measures, in the form of exclusion zones, are taken to ensure that marine life is safe from harm,” Rouzer wrote. “Moreover, all entities must undergo strict compliance tests and receive authorization from the state and federal government respectively to proceed with their proposals.

This additional rigorous oversight is taken to preserve all marine resources.”

In March 2015, a group of 75 scientists, including some of the

world’s leading experts in marine biology, called on the administration to reverse its decision to permit seismic surveys in the Atlantic. Close to 90 towns, cities, and counties along the Atlantic Coast have passed resolutions opposing seismic testing and/or offshore oil drilling.

The representatives’ letter stated nearly 1.4 million jobs and more than $95 billion in economic production rely on healthy ocean ecosystems, mainly through fishing, tourism, and recreation in the Atlantic. They contend that seismic testing and oil drilling will put the coastal economy at risk, due to industrialization of the coast, daily impacts and regular spills from

oil drilling activities, and possible catastrophic accidents like the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The representatives expressed concerns, noting the information gathered by the oil companies will be proprietary, and any seismic data gathered in the Atlantic about offshore energy resources will not be available to states, the public, or other companies. The letter said states will not gain information from seismic airgun testing that would enable them to make a cost-benefit analysis as to whether the risks posed by offshore drilling would outweigh any benefits derived from offshore energy extraction.

“Over 85 cities and counties along the Atlantic coast have spoken out

Continued from Page 1

n HOLIDAY Continued from Page 1

close to $3,000 per year to charities.

North Carolinians may wonder where they rate among donors in the 50 states. A 2012 Chronicle of Philanthropy report states North Carolina ranked ninth in total charitable giving.

It is not hard to find ways to donate to good causes.

Opportunities abound at local chain stores, fast food restaurants, schools, civic groups, hair salons, churches, grocery stores and even stoplights.

Great Clips hair salons raised more than $20,000 for New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s Foundation in support of children with cleft lip or cleft palate. Part of the monies help

n VUKELICH Continued from Page 1

trash out it disappears, the beach strand stays clean,” he stated.

Yet he is proud of many of his department’s accomplishments over the last 15 years, like operating the town’s water, sewer and stormwater systems despite the unique challenges presented

by Wrightsville Beach’s low elevation, coastal location.

Although Vukelich is retiring, he doesn’t anticipate sitting around. He wants to travel, but most importantly, he plans to spend time with his wife.

“It’s very important to me, in the autumn of our years, that my wife and I get to spend time together,” he said. “I’ve dedicated 100 plus percent to my career and any success I may have had in life is in large part due to her and her support.”

Wrightsville Beach’s public works department must now

Continued from Page 1

Staff photo by Allison Potter

Kyle Miess, from left, Kayla Thompson, Haley Overman and Garrett McQueen attend the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department’s annual awards dinner Saturday, Dec. 12 at 22 North. McQueen, senior intern and a director of the Volunteer Firefighters Association, received a Service Commendation Award.

department while earning his graduate degree at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

McQueen is studying and working to becoming a federal law enforcement officer, Smith said, but on top of his role as a graduate student he is also the fire department’s senior intern, a director of the Volunteer Firefighters Association, an emergency medical technician and qualified to be a fire equipment operator and an ocean rescue lifeguard.

“He’s involved in nearly the whole spectrum of the department’s operations,” Smith said.

The fire department also values

McQueen’s ability to serve as a mentor to younger interns. Newly hired interns are often recent high school graduates who have just moved away from home for the first time, and McQueen helps them with that transition, Smith said.

“It’s really important to have someone who can mentor them but still is close enough to their age and their situation that they can directly relate to,” he said.

The Volunteer Firefighters Association handed out several other awards during the dinner.

In addition to his Firefighter of the Year honor, Scott received the

Best Drill Attendance Award for attending 34 department training drills and he, along with firefighters Kyle Kling, Gordon Smith and Caleb Vankirk, were recognized for attending over 200 hours of fire service training during the past year.

Vankirk also received the Most Duty Time Award for serving 416 on-call duty shifts and the Most Fire Alarm Responses. A five-year Service Anniversary Award was presented to firefighter Trey Shipp and a 10-year Service Anniversary Award was presented to firefighter Mike Arthur.

provide specially shaped bottles and nipples and teddy bears wearing lip-area stitches like the patients who will undergo surgery.

Feeding New Hanover County children is the priority of Nourish N.C. The non-profit’s website states that one in four children in the county lack sufficient food at home. They are currently supplementing food to over 500 area children, with plans to aid 600.

County employees and others have been donating canned foods and non-perishables through a drive, which ends this week.

“We are almost there, we are just 15 children short, but things are going to ramp up this week,” executive director Steve McCrossan said.

The group is also preparing holiday boxes to help children

through the long break during school closings. Donors can help to meet these needs at www.nourishnc.org.

“Schools are closed 16 days and we hope to provide three meals a day,” McCrossan said.

Duke Energy will make Christmas brighter for 59 students in 11 different NHC schools with the gift of bicycles.

“Our students and families are very appreciative of this generous donation from Duke Energy. Nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ like a shiny new bike and for many of our families this would have otherwise been out of reach,” said Cyndy Bliss, principal of Castle Hayne Elementary School.

Public Radio WHQR (91.3 and 96.7fm) partnered with Food Lion for a one-day on-air fundraiser

Dec. 10. They raised $25,052 from 399 donors, meeting the goal of $25,000. Funds go toward the programming costs and other expenses of WHQR. And for every pledge made, Food Lion is donating five pounds of food to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Almost one ton of healthy food will be donated. The Wilmington Branch Director for the Food Bank, Beth Gaglione, said the gift will provide hundreds of families with much-needed meals this holiday season.

Those who are short on cash or just prefer to give sweat equity have options for giving, too. The local Habitat for Humanity group will be digging footings for a new home this Saturday, Dec. 19. To find the location and hours contact tim@capefearhabitat.org.

move forward on several significant projects with a change in top leadership. Vukelich’s retirement comes one month after assistant public works director Steve Dellies resigned, but Dellies’ resignation was preceded by a two and one-half day suspension for sending an email to Vukelich citing frustrations like low staffing, low pay and a lack of support from town leaders.

Dellies position has not been filled, but town manager Tim Owens said filling Vukelich’s position is now a higher priority. Vukelich’s replacement will then help choose a new assistant public works director.

“Whether it be an internal candidate, or changing the organization around, or hiring an assistant director, I’d like the new director to have some say so in that,” Owens said.

He plans to advertise the soonto-be vacant director position,

email emmy@luminanews.com

Lumina News file photo

Wrightsville Beach public works director Mike Vukelich announced his retirement Dec. 15 after 15 years with the department. His last day of employment will be Jan. 31, 2016.

but admitted, “It’s going to be really hard to replace that many years of service and that type of institutional knowledge.”

Early next year, while the public works department’s leadership is in flux, the town must move forward with a major

initiative to decide the future of the its water and sewer system. Vukelich and Dellies were previously guiding an ad hoc

email terrylane@luminanews.com

committee in how to fix the town’s system to ensure better drinking water. The committee’s job is to recommend several options for the board of aldermen to consider.

Those options include water filtering techniques, purchasing water from other systems or selling the system to Cape Fear Public Utility Authority.

All options are costly and will result in an additional water rate increase for residents.

“It would have been easier to have the director in place to help with that process,” Owens said, “but we’ll pick up and move on.”

Vukelich admitted the public works department is changing, but he believes the department will weather the transition.

“We’ve got a lot of new employees,” he said. “It’s becoming a younger department, but with the proper experience and tenor on job, they’ll do just fine.” email emmy@luminanews.com

6

Dec. 17–23, 2015

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002

LIFESTYLES Making a Difference in the Cape Fear Region

Creative Costumes Inspired by Jingle Bell Run

By Emmy Errante, Staff Writer

W

ith unseasonably warm weather Dec. 12, the only snowflakes fluttering to the ground during the Wrightsville Beach Museum’s annual Jingle Bell Run 5K were the decorative kind used by team named Snowflake Ladies to create their prize-winning costumes.

Most of the 514 Jingle Bell Run participants wore holiday outfits, but the Snowflake Ladies created elaborate tutu costumes with sparkly adhesive snowflakes that started sliding off as they ran, leaving a glittering trail around the John Nesbitt Loop.

“They were melting,” team member Dawn Wallace said, laughing.

Many of the first racers to cross the finish line, like female winner Terra Jackson and male winner Ross Riar, opted for simple holiday attire like Santa hats or reindeer antlers. Soon, a correlation became apparent between order of finish and extravagance of costume.

Snowflake Ladies team member Brenda Swartz said she and her friends worked on their costumes for three weeks over dinner parties. Several of them had never entered the Jingle Bell Run before and one team member, Emily Morgan, had never entered any 5K. “And the majority of us are in the over-50 age bracket!” team captain Kathy Parker added.

While the Snowflake Ladies won a team costume prize, the individual costume prize was given to Wrightsville Beach resident Rhea Cooper for dressing up as a golden Christmas star. Patrick Argo won best pet costume for donning reindeer antlers and pulling his yellow Labrador, dressed in a Santa hat, in a wagon decorated as a sleigh.

A 19-person team from MCS Noble Middle School won best overall team costume for the fifth time in six years. Last year, after helping create 16 Elves on Shelves costumes, team captain Camille McKeon told her daughter, “We are never doing this again.”

But her daughter already had another theme in mind: The 12 Days of Christmas. They didn’t have enough people to represent all the various gifts listed in the lyrics, McKeon realized, “So we decided I would make a bunch of fake people. And birds.”

It took McKeon one month to create the props for the Noble Middle School faculty and staff to carry while they ran — or in this case, walked. They weren’t the fastest around the loop, but eventually the lords, ladies, maids milking, French hens and turtle doves crossed the finish line led by former Wrightsville Beach Mayor David Cignotti, carrying a stuffed partridge in a pear tree.

6

email emmy@luminanews.com

1

2

5

4

3 Staff photos by Emmy Errante

❶ Coleman Cooper and Rhea Cooper, winner of best individual costume, cross the finish line in the Jingle Bell Run Saturday, Dec. 12. ❷ Christopher Godwin and Emerson Moeller, part of the family that won best family costume. ❸ The Snowflake Ladies pose after the run. ❹ Patrick Argo’s yellow Labrador won best dog costume. ❺ Sandra Behrmann and Emily Church represent 10 Lords a-Leaping in the 12 Days of Christmas costume that won best group costume. ❻ David Cignotti carries a partridge in a pear tree as part of the 12 Days of Christmas costume.

W H AT ’ S C O M I N G D O W N T H E P I P E L I N E T H I S W E E K E N D ?

Christmas with the Fishes

The Season for Giving

All Aboard

Twinkling Trains

Santa by the Sea Saturday, Dec. 19, 5 p.m., $15-$18 N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher

Toys for Tots Fundraiser Saturday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m., $10 The Brooklyn Arts Center

“Polar Express” Day Saturday, Dec. 19, 9 a.m, $9.75 admission Children’s Museum of Wilmington

Light and Train Spectacular Friday, Dec. 18 to Saturday, Dec. 19, 6:30–8 p.m., $5 Wilmington Railroad Museum

The aquarium presents a holiday treat for families by closing at 4:30 p.m. then reopening at 5 p.m. decorated for the season, including holiday crafts, music, games and a meet-and-greet with Santa.

Santa might even take a dip with Sheldon the sea turtle. Each child receives a complimentary photo with Santa. For more information or to buy tickets visit www.ncaquariums.com

Local band L Shape Lot will collect toys during its fourth annual Toys for Tots Fundraiser. This year the group will play alongside special guests Rebekah Todd and The Odyssey. All new and unwrapped toy donations will be accepted. Tickets are available at the door and doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information please visit www.brooklynartsnc.com/ index.php?c=concerts

This early-morning event encourages children to show up in their pajamas and enjoy activities such as painting train ornaments, writing letters to Santa, drinking hot chocolate, and receiving a Christmas spirit bell — just like the story. A reading of “The Polar Express” begins at 10 a.m. For more information email info@playwilmington.org

Filled with holiday cheer, this event showcases more than 20,000 Christmas lights and holiday cookies with Santa Claus. Model train layouts and musical animations are also entertainment for the evening. For more information, contact wrrmnc@bellsouth.net

Dec. 17–23, 2015

7

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002

Garden Club gathers for fundraising, festivities

By Terry Lane Staff Writer

The Harbor Island Garden Club renewed its annual tradition of fundraising and merrymaking on Friday, Dec. 11 when its luncheon and silent auction at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort drew more than 80 attendees.

The club’s biggest fundraiser helps raise money for the beautification projects that occupy the members’ time throughout the year. But on this afternoon, the members spent their time mingling through the silent auction room and bonding with their fellow members.

“All of the proceeds go back into beautification of Wrightsville Beach,” said club president Melynda McNeil, who is in her first year of a two-year term. “We put the money back into these projects so that people can enjoy them.”

The club’s contribution to beautification begins with the Harbor Way Garden, located on the west end of Wrightsville Beach Park. The club maintains the lush grounds around the 36,400-square-foot garden that includes the Children’s Fountain, which uses collected rain for its water supply. The club also works to beautify the three parks on South Harbor Island.

Their beautification projects also include uplighting trees throughout the town, and hanging the mermaids that adorn light poles during the Christmas

Staff photo by Terry Lane

Members of the Harbor Island Garden Club review items up for bid during the group’s silent auction at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort on Friday, Dec. 11. All items were donated by members, which included baked goods, arts and crafts and vacation home rentals.

season and the wreaths distributed in locations around town, including at the post office and on the bridge tender’s tower of the Heide Trask Drawbridge.

The club sponsors the Junior Garden Club at the Wrightsville Beach Elementary School, which provides the flowers and boutineers for the students upon graduation. They also organize a field trip to Airlie Gardens for the students.

2014’s auction was a banner year for the club, but mainly because a substantial donation of furniture by the Blockade Runner

bumped up the total, which was estimated to be about $17,000.

The garden club has been a Wrightsville Beach institution since 1952. McNeil said it was the garden club that helped create the inviting foliage that makes the town attractive for so many.

“All of these trees weren’t here,” McNeil said. “It was just sand and sand spurs.”

The garden club currently has 62 members, 45 of whom are active. The club has an exclusive membership, as they must either live on the island or have a family member in the group. The holiday

luncheon is a popular event with members because it is one of the few events where members can invite friends.

The club is also preparing to host the district 11 meeting of the state’s federated garden club next October, inviting members of garden clubs from Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Duplin, Greene, James, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Sampson and Wayne counties to visit Wrightsville Beach.

Former president Elise Running said the job keeps both the

president and the volunteers busy.

“There’s something to do every day,” she said.

Members donated all of the items for the auction, including crafts, baked goods and art.

While those items were bid on through the silent auction format, the luncheon concludes with a live auction during which club members bid on more exclusive items, like weekend stays at vacation homes.

“The live auction is fun,” said member Patti Jacarusso, who helped set up the side room where the auction items were stored. While arranging the auction room, Jacarusso said it was important to create a festive vibe for the displays.

“You’ve got to get a flow,” Jacarusso said. “You need to make it so they keep walking. It needs to be inviting.”

One popular item was the

holiday cake from Nancy Haerne, which had at least seven bids and was up to $60.

Pam Carroll, one of the club members, had special reasons to bid on the bracelet that she won for $30. It included the name of her brother, Jay Miller, who died of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The bracelet was originally made for the Circle of Friends fundraiser Carroll helps organize to raise money for ALS research while honoring her late brother.

“It’s very meaningful,” said Carroll of the bracelet. Being able to bid on the item during the luncheon emphasized the value the club’s membership offers to her.

“Everything is all connected,” Carroll said. “This club is like family, they’re amazing.” email terrylane@luminanews.com

Staff photo by Terry Lane

From left, Leigh Kelly and Ashley Miller auction off a weekend at a Blowing Rock, N.C., cabin for members of the Harbor Island Garden Club Friday, Dec. 11 at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort.

TNT drama to film in Wilmington

By Krys Estes Contributing writer

Wilmington will again be a filming location in early 2016 after the TNT cable network announced it ordered a full season of the pilot show filmed here in October. The show, titled “Good Behavior,” will give local film crews the opportunity to resume work in the industry.

TNT announced last week it would pick up 10 episodes of the show, which stars Michelle Dockery of “Downton Abbey” along with Juan Diego Botto, an Argentine-Spanish actor who is best known for playing a supporting character in a television adaptation of “Zorro.”

Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, confirmed “Good Behavior” would start filming again in the Wilmington area starting in early 2016. Griffin said this would be the only project scheduled for filming in the area.

“Anytime a production is here, it is good for the local industry. They will provide jobs and spend money with local small businesses,” Griffin said.

In October, film crews shot the first episode, known in the film industry as the pilot episode.

Local Wilmington filming locations included downtown restaurant Manna, Isaac’s Men’s Store, Cape Fear Country Club and The Salt Works restaurant. The producers were awarded $1.25 million in grants from the state’s film production program, which covers up to 25 percent of the project’s costs.

There is no decision on who will be taking

charge of the extras casting and that information will be determined early 2016. Vanessa Neimeyer, a local extras casting director, said on social media that she was excited about the production returning and hopeful to join the crew, but won’t know until January.

“We know for sure it’s coming back to Wilmington, which is excellent news,” she wrote.

“I feel like I have an excellent chance of it, but I never want to just assume I have a job, because anything can happen!”

Casting and crew members are not the only ones expressing gratitude that Wilmywood is back in business.

“Film in North Carolina offers great opportunities for cast, crew, and background actors. It is a wonderful place for filming,” said Tony Hooper, a background actor. “People can network and gain experience while boosting the economy.”

“Good Behavior” is based on the Letty Dobesh series by best-selling author Blake Crouch. In the series, Letty Dobesh is out of prison and attempting to make ends meet when she overhears a hit man being hired to kill a man’s wife. Letty, who will be played by Dockery, sets out to stop the hit, putting her in harm’s way while entangling her in a relationship with the killer. “‘Good Behavior’ is a distinct drama that will define the new direction of TNT,” Sarah Aubrey, TNT’s executive vice president of original programming, said in a statement. “We believe audiences will love watching Michelle Dockery trade in her manners for the life of a sexy, complex ex-con in ‘Good Behavior.’”

Subscribe to

Lumina News

Sunset Special $19

From 4-6 p.m. Sunday – Thursday Starter, Entrée, Dessert

256-4519 • www.thebridgetender.com

8

Dec. 17–23, 2015

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002

The Good News Church Services

NEAR THE BEACH

LITTLE CHAPEL ON THE BOARDWALK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.) Rev. Patrick Thomas Rabun, pastor 2 W. Fayetteville St., 910-256-2819, ext. 100 www.littlechapel.org Worship at Wrightsville Beach Public Access No. 4: 8 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:15 a.m.

Traditional Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Children’s Church: 10:45 a.m.

Nursery provided.

ST. ANDREW’S ON-THE-SOUND EPISCOPAL The Rev. Richard G. Elliott, rector 101 Airlie Road, 910-256-3034 7:45 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH BAPTIST CHURCH 601 Causeway Drive, 910-256-3682 Traditional Service: 9-10 a.m.

Sunday School: 10:10-11 a.m.

Celebration Services: 11:10 a.m to 12:20 p.m.

WRIGHTSVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Doug Lain, senior pastor 4 Live Oak Drive, 910-256-4471 Worship Services: 8:30, 9:45, 11:15 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:45 a.m.

Living H2O

C A R L WAT E R S

December 13, 2015, 6:18 p.m.

Dream

I speak to you in a dream and vision, yet so few believe they are true The sign of our communication is best served by the dream that I give you Trust that My voice and the desire to speak truth into your lives Comes from your faith and trust that a vision and dream will survive And guide your spirit from time to time without any need for understanding What you see and feel in your heart and soul is My voice demanding You listen to that inner man, the one you trust with all that you are Know that I am with you wherever you stand and My touch is not far Available to soothe the pains you endure and replace them with My glory No matter what others may think your dream is not just a story But an awakening of what will be and a vision of things to come My voice is guiding your dream and is available to all, not just some Believe and trust that our communication is a valuable part of sharing What heaven is and will be here on earth as you worship Jesus My son by declaring From your hearts that His salvation is the only thing that matters Heaven will provide the dream and vision that cause all your enemies to scatter

(Joel 2:28 NRSV) Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

(Mat 1:20 NRSV) But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

(Mat 2:12 - 13 NRSV) 12 - And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. 13 - Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

(Mat 2:19 - 20 NRSV) 19 - When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 - “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”

(Mat 2:22 NRSV) But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.

(Acts 2:17 NRSV) ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

ST. THERESE CATHOLIC CHURCH Father Joe Vetter 209 S. Lumina Ave., 910-256-2471 Mass: Saturday, 5:30 p.m., Sunday, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; Monday, noon; Tuesday, 6 p.m.; Wednesday – Thursday noon; Thursday noon followed by Eucharistic Adoration ST. MARK CATHOLIC CHURCH Father Patrick A. Keane 1011 Eastwood Road, 910-392-0720 Vigil Mass: Saturday 5 p.m.

Sunday Masses: 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. en Español Monday Mass: 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday Masses: 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Wednesday Mass: 8:30 a.m.

Thursday Mass: 8:30 a.m.

Friday Mass: 8:30 a.m. followed by Adoration with Benediction at 9 p.m.

BETH SIMCHA MESSIANIC JEWISH CONGREGATION Congregational Leader/ Rabbi Marty Schilsky 7957 Market St. Wilmington, N.C. 28411 910-681-0117 Shabbat Services 10:30 a.m. Saturday

ANDREW WOMMACK MINISTRIES

One year with Jesus in the Gospels

teaching God’s unconditional love and grace

www.awmi.net

LET GOD’S PEACE LEAD YOU December 17 Luke 24:36 “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”

LUKE 24:36 Just as every sport has disputes that must be settled by the officials, the peace of God is the umpire that settles all disputes as to what the will of God is for our lives. We must learn to listen to and heed the peace of God in our hearts.

God’s peace is something that every born-again believer has. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. That peace is always umpiring; we just don’t always pay attention. How many times have you acted contrary to the peace in your heart and afterwards, you experience disaster? You say, “I never did feel good about that.” That was the peace of God umpiring, but we chose to play by our own rules.

There are some things we can do to facilitate the peace of God umpiring in our hearts. First, consider ALL the options. Many wrong decisions have been made because not all the options were considered.

Don’t let fear rule out God’s possibilities. Next, use your imagination to explore what will happen with each choice. You should be able to discern a greater peace as you consider the option the Lord would have you take. That is not to say that there will be total peace with any of the choices. In your spirit there will be total peace over the right choice, but we aren’t always totally in the Spirit and it is not unusual for some turmoil to exist. Just as an umpire has to make a call, be bold enough to follow the direction that gives you the most peace.

The rudder on a ship can’t go any direction until the ship is moving.

The ship doesn’t have to be going full steam ahead for the rudder to work, but it does have to be moving. Likewise, we have to act before the peace of God will give us perfect direction. Even if you make a mistake, you will have made it in faith, trying to follow the peace of God in your heart. The Lord can bless a wrong decision made in faith from a pure heart, more than He can bless indecision (Rom. 14:23).

Andrew’s Gospel Truth television broadcasts air M-F @ 6:30 a.m. ET on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN).

Help/Prayer Line: 719-635-1111

Praise and Worship the Whole Day Through!

Family Radio now offers live online radio so you can listen to your favorite worship music no matter where you are!

Tune In To Family Radio Online: www.wwilfm.com

Dec. 17–23, 2015

9

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002

CLASSIFIED

Classified and display deadline: Friday noon • Call 910-256-6569 ext 100 • classifieds@luminanews.com LEGAL NOTICES 14 SP 899

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

15 SP 753

NORTH CAROLINA, NEW HANOVER COUNTY

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Sharon D. Smith (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Sharon Smith) to CB Services Corp., Trustee(s), dated the 30th day of November, 2005, and recorded in Book 4944, Page 2187, and Modification in Book 5869, Page 437, in New Hanover County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of New Hanover County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on December 29, 2015 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of New Hanover, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows:

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Ryan M. Tallant and Jane P. Wood to Jackie Miller, Trustee(s), which was dated July 28, 2009 and recorded on July 31, 2009 in Book 5428 at Page 2977, New Hanover County Registry, North Carolina.

Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on December 29, 2015 at 10:00AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in New Hanover County, North Carolina, to wit: Being all of Lot 9 of Capri Estates Subdivision as the same is shown on a map of said subdivision recorded in Map Book 8 at Page 69 in the Office of the Register of deeds of New Hanover County.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 422 Crete Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403.

A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Ryan M. Tallant and Jane Piper Wood.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit.

Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 14-23923-FC01 December 17 and 24, 2015

Being all of Lot 2 as shown on that map entitled “Recombination of Tract II of Deed Book 2805 Page 624 for Wilmington AME Zion Housing Development Corporation” which map is recorded in Map Book 48, Page 124, New Hanover County Registry.

Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 2910 Princess Place Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in NCGS §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by NCGS §7A-308(a)(1).

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or encumbrances of record and any recorded releases.

Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit.

Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the

sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm. com Case No: 1169823 (FC.FAY) December 17 and 24, 2015 15-SP-331 NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S FORECLOSURE SALE OF REAL PROPERTY UNDER AND BY VIRTUE of the power and authority contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed and delivered by Shannon A Fussell and Paul E Kinnin III dated January 25, 2010 and recorded on January 25, 2010, in Book 5464 at Page 650, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of New Hanover County, North Carolina; and because of default in the payment of the indebtedness secured thereby and failure to carry out and perform the stipulations and agreements contained therein and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the indebtedness secured by said Deed of Trust, the undersigned of Poore Substitute Trustee, LTD (Substitute Trustee) will offer for sale at the courthouse door in the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, on December 30, 2015 at 10:00 A.M., and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of New Hanover, North Carolina and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 326 in MONTEREY HEIGHTS SUBDIVISION, Section 10, as the same is shown on map recorded in Map Book 20 at Page 30 in the New Hanover County Registry, reference to which is hereby made for a more particular description.

Address of Property: 320 Bodega Bay Road, Wilmington, NC 28412 Present Record Owner: Shannon A Fussell and Paul E Kinnin III Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

The terms of the sale are that the real property hereinbefore described will be sold for cash to the highest bidder. The Substitute Trustee reserves the right to require a cash deposit or a certified check not to exceed the greater of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty Dollars ($750.00).

In the event that the holder is exempt from paying the same, the successful bidder may also be required to pay revenue stamps on the Trustee’s Deed, any Land Transfer Tax, and the tax required

by N.C.G.S. §7A-308 (a) (1).

The real property described above is being offered for sale ‘‘AS IS, WHERE IS’’ and will be sold subject to all superior liens, unpaid taxes, and special assessments. Other conditions will be announced at the sale. The sale will be held open for ten (10) days for upset bids as required by law.

If the Trustee or Substitute Trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey title include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the sale and reinstatement of the loan without knowledge of the Substitute Trustee(s).

If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the Substitute Trustee(s), in its/their sole discretion, if it/they believe(s) the challenge to have merit, may declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Additional Notice where the Real Property is Residential with less than 15 Rental Units: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the Clerk of Superior Court of the County in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or/after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing writ-

ten notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the Notice that is at least ten (10) days, but no more than ninety (90) days, after the sale date contained in the Notice of Sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the Notice of Termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of such termination.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

This is a communication from a debt collector. The purpose of this Communication is to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose, except as stated below in the instance of bankruptcy protection.

EUGENE ALBERT LEES

If you are under the protection of the bankruptcy court or have been discharged as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding, this notice is given to you pursuant to statutory requirement and for informational purposes and is not intended as an attempt to collect a debt or as an act to collect, assess, or recover all or any portion of the debt from you personally.

Dated: October 14, 2015 The Hunoval Law Firm, PLLC, Attorney for Poore Substitute Trustee, LTD Substitute Trustee By: Mathias H. Hunoval Christina Rampey Hunoval Sarah E. Banks David A. Simpson, Attorney At Law 501 Minuet Lane, Suite 104-A Charlotte, NC 28217 December 17 and 24, 2015 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Horace Lee Williams, late of Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them in care of the undersigned at 93 Remington Road, Wilmington, NC 28409, on or before February 26, 2016, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 26th day of November, 2015.

Harold Lee Williams, Executor of the Estate of Horace Lee Williams Jerry A. Mannen, Jr., Attorney YOW, FOX, & MANNEN, LLP 102 N. 5th Ave. Wilmington, NC 28401 11/26, 12/3, 12/10, 12/17/2015 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE BEFORE THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT EXECUTRIX’S NOTICE The undersigned having qualified as Executrix of the Estate of Betty Midgett Boggs of New Hanover County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at the address shown below on or before the 26th day of February 2016, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 26th day of November, 2015.

Susan Boggs Reynolds, Executrix 5814 Ocean Hwy E. Winnabow, NC 28479 11/26, 12/3, 12/10, 12/17/2015 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 15 E 001430 EXECUTRIX’S NOTICE IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF:

Having qualified as Executrix of the Estate of Eugene Albert Lees of New Hanover County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of said Eugene Albert Lees to present them to the undersigned on or before February 26, 2016, that being three (3) months from the first date of publication of this Notice or same shall be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment.

This the 26th day of November, 2015.

Patsy Ruth S. Lees of the Estate of Eugene Albert Lees c/o Stephen E. Culbreth Attorney at Law P.O. Box 446 Wilmington, N. C. 28402 11/26, 12/3, 12/10, 12/17/2015 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE BEFORE THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT EXECUTOR’S NOTICE The undersigned having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Ella Marie Rodman of New Hanover County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at the address shown below on or before the 4th day of March 2016, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 3rd day of December, 2015.

Robert E. Rodman, Executor 6 Lake Forest Court Greensboro, NC 27408 12/3, 12/10, 12/17, 12/24/2015 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Executrix of the Estate of Wesley H. Harrelson, late of New Hanover County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned, c/o Brian G. Morrison, 300 N. Third Street, Suite 301, Wilmington, North Carolina 28401, on or before the 7th day of March, 2016, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 3rd day of December, 2015.

Josette Denise Harrelson, Executrix of the Estate of Wesley H. Harrelson Brian G. Morrison Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP 300 N. Third Street, Suite 301 Wilmington, NC 28401 12/3, 12/10, 12/17, 12/24/2015 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE BEFORE THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT

COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER

EXECUTOR’S NOTICE

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

The undersigned having qualified as Executor of the Estate of R. Bertram Williams, Jr. of New Hanover County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at the address shown below on or before the 11th day of March 2016, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

BEFORE THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT EXECUTRIX’S NOTICE The undersigned having qualified as Executrix of the Estate of Rodney Bruce Maslanka of New Hanover County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at the address shown below on or before the 26th day of February 2016, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 26th day of November, 2015.

Carol A. Maslanka, Executrix 222 Bayshore Drive Wilmington, NC 28411 11/26, 12/3, 12/10, 12/17/2015

BEFORE THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of BRENDA M. BEST, Deceased, of New Hanover County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to the undersigned at the address shown below on or before March 11, 2016, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 10th day of December, 2015.

WILLIAM J. BEST, Executor c/o Richard A. Horgan, Esq. Attorney at Law 1213 Culbreth Drive Wilmington, NC 28405-3639 12/10, 12/17, 12/24, 12/31/2015 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE BEFORE THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT EXECUTRIX’S NOTICE The undersigned having qualified as Executrix of the Estate of Donald Vaughn Micklos of New Hanover County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at the address shown below on or before the 11th day of March 2016, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 10th day of December, 2015.

Rebekah Lynn Micklos, Executrix 501 Marsh Oaks Drive Wilmington, NC 28411 12/10, 12/17, 12/24, 12/31/2015 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

265 Racine Drive Suite 104 Wilmington NC 28403 12/10, 12/17, 12/24, 12/31/2015 NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF ASHTON PLACE DEVELOPERS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that ASHTON PLACE DEVELOPERS, LLC, a North Carolina LLC, was dissolved on December 15, 2015. All creditors of and claimants against the LLC are required to present their respective claims and demands immediately to the LLC so that it can proceed to collect its assets, convey and dispose of its properties, pay, satisfy, and discharge its liabilities and obligations, and do all other acts required to liquidate its business and affairs. With respect to all claims, please take notice of the following: 1. Claims must be in writing and include the name of the claimant, the amount of the claim, and a short summary of the basis for the claim.

2. Claims should be mailed to the LLC at P.O. Box 15156, Wilmington NC 28408.

3. A claim against the LLC will be barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced in a proper forum within five years after the publication date of this notice.

This the 17th day of December, 20 15.

ASHTON PLACE DEVELOPERS, LLC By: Sandy D. Wood, Manager December 17, 2015

FOR LEASE One Bedroom Ocean View Condos for rent. Completely furnished also with washer/dryer. Starting at $995/month. Starting Oct 1, 2015-April 30, 2016. For more details, call 910-256-9100.

9/10-12/31/2015

FURNITURE

COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

Mattress Outlet

BEFORE THE CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT

Brand New Mattress Sets Full $99 Queen $109 King $179

CO-EXECUTOR’S NOTICE The undersigned having qualified as Co-Executor of the Estate of Donald A. Sellers of New Hanover County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at the address shown below on or before the 11th day of March 2016, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 10h day of December, 2015.

Donna S. Cudicio, Co-Executor 348 Semmes Drive Wilmington, NC 28412 Susan Johnson, Co-Executor 7429 Dunbar Road Wilmington, NC 28411 J.C. Hearne, II Attorney at Law

Can Deliver Free Layaway

910-742-7767 1040 S. College Road Wilmington (next to Katy’s Grill)

IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE LUMINA NEWS

CLASSIFIED

This is the 10th day of December 2015.

R. Bertram Williams III, Executor 2134 Gloucester Place Wilmington, NC 28403 12/10, 12/17, 12/24, 12/31/2015 NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

Call 910-256-6569 ext. 100 classifieds@luminanews.com

10

Lumina News — Your Coastal Community Newspaper since May 2002

Hook, Line & Sinker Anglers enjoying spring-like conditions in late December

By Skylar Walters

No one could have predicted the warm spring-like weather our area has been experiencing the past few weeks, but you won’t hear the local or visiting anglers complaining one bit. Air temperatures reaching close to 80 degrees and water temperatures still hovering in the mid-60s are something that only Christmas wishes are made of, and it looks like Santa made those wishes come true a couple of weeks early.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, we are nearing the latter part of December and it’s only fit that the weather return to a more seasonable density, which should be occurring about the time

found in the shallower water, around 80 feet deep, which is standard for this time of year, but there were also lots of undersized black bass and other assorted unwanted species. Anglers had better luck finding keeper black bass in a little deeper water. Those heading further off toward the blue water found some decent action from wahoo and a few dolphin.

Along the beach, the fishing for Virginia mullet has been on fire with sand fleas resulting in the larger fish while fresh shrimp is also enticing some decent specimens. A few black drum have also been caught with a lot of small, undersized fish stealing baits.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, we are nearing the latter part of December and it’s only fit that the weather return to a more seasonable density, which should be occurring about the time you are reading this report. you are reading this report.

The weather will have some effect on the upcoming weekend, namely for the offshore anglers, but there should still be plenty of decent fishing for those wanting to fish the creeks and inside waters.

Offshore, the past weekend produced some of the most awesome seas that anglers have had the pleasure to fish in quite some time and those who were ready took full advantage of it. Plenty of king mackerel and even an few sporadic dolphin were found in the 20-mile range and were caught on both natural dead baits and for those who were more meat fishing, spoons and planers. The king mackerel were also reported to be very thick around Frying Pan Tower.

The bottom fishing was good starting around 20 miles out to around 30 miles. There were plenty of keeper grouper

Bluefish and a few trout and red drum have been caught by those fishing for speckled trout with soft artificial baits and mud minnows.

Inshore, the fishing for speckled trout has slowed greatly with the influx of small fish and small bluefish. There are still some decent keeper fish being found but it is taking a lot of hard work and a lot of replaced baits to get fish for the cooler. Areas near the inlets and the lower Cape Fear River are better locations to try your luck with finding some keepers. A few red drum and flounder are still being found as well in the same areas but they are also becoming a little more difficult to find.

Until the weather turns really sour and winter-like, there should be plenty of options to wet a line and maybe catch a fish or two.

Until that time comes, get out and enjoy some salt air.

BUSINESS SERVICES DIREC TORY

Andrew Consulting Engineers, P.C. STRUCTURAL, MARINE and FORENSIC ENGINEERING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT 3811 Peachtree Avenue : : Suite 300 Wilmington, NC 28403 : : Phone: 910.202.5555 www.andrewengineers.com

A Gym That Feels Like Home Electronic Key Card Entry with Security System Towel Service • Clean and Friendly Environment

Sports/Marine Senior frontcourt leads Hoggard in defense of conference title

By Terry Lane Staff Writer

Led by a senior frontcourt, the Hoggard High School boys’ basketball team has started the season off strong as it seeks to repeat as conference champions and make another run in the state tournament.

Hoggard High improved to 5-1 Tuesday, Dec. 15 after defeating Topsail 55-30 in the Mideastern Conference opener.

On Friday, Dec. 11, the Vikings won their fourth game of the season when they used a decisive second-half performance to push past Jacksonville 56-46 at James Hebbe Gym on Hoggard’s campus.

Against Jacksonville, Hoggard built a lead of as large as 19 points in the second half after being up by four over the Cardinals at the half.

Senior center A.J. Frye led the Vikings with 20 points while senior forward Xavier Johnson added nine points in their win over the Cardinals, which came into the game ranked seventh in the state’s MaxPreps 3A power ranking.

The Vikings are led by their sizable frontcourt, with the 6-foot, 4-inch Frye leading the team with 16.4 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game while the rangy 6-foot, 7-inch Johnson adds 8.6 points per game and 4.8 points per game.

Frye has been named the team’s player of the game three times this season.

“We have some big guys,” head coach Brett Queen said after the Jacksonville game. “We try to take advantage of that and get the ball inside to them. I thought they were really good tonight.”

The Vikings are also getting significant help from their guard play, with senior guard Jack Bagley contributing 10.2 points per game and junior guard Robert Wilkerson adding 5.4 points per game.

Hoggard is looking to repeat on its recent success, including its 2015 Mideastern Conference regular season and tournament championship, and its run to the Sweet 16 in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A tournament. Hoggard also

Staff photo by Terry Lane

Senior forward Xavier Johnson puts an offensive rebound into the basket during the Hoggard Vikings 56-46 win over Jacksonville on Friday, Dec. 11. Johnson scored nine points in the game.

advanced to the regional quarterfinals in 2013, 2009, 2008 and 2007.

Queen said he was pleased with the team’s early season play and was optimistic since some players were joining the team following the end of football season.

“Our football guys missed a lot of practice at the beginning of the year, so we’re trying to get everybody on the same foot,” Queen said after the Jacksonville game. “I like where we’re headed. I’m really pleased at how they played tonight.”

The Vikings have some close wins early this season, including the overtime win against Coastal Christian in the season opener.

6309 Boathouse Road, Suite B

Challenge your bod, come see the squad

910-612-9477 • fitnesssquad.net

Home Sweet Home Cleaning Pros PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICES • Home or office • Trained, licensed and bonded

Sandy Carslaw

984-234-2018

homesweethomecleaningpros.com

Frye hit a basket with 1.1 seconds left to give the Vikings the win, while Johnson scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and Bagley added 10. The win was the Vikings 14th straight season winning their home opener.

The Vikings got a late surge from senior guards Bagley and Walker Bateman, who combined for 11 points in the fourth quarter, as Hoggard edged Rocky Point’s Heide Trask High 47-45 on Dec. 8 for the team’s first home win of the season.

Hoggard cruised to a 70-50 win over North Brunswick on Dec. 2, with Frye leading the way with 16 points and junior forward Patrick Morrison adding 15 points. Bagley went four for

five from three-point range to add another 12 points for the Vikings.

Following that win, the 4A Vikings fell in their home opener against the 2015 1A state champions East Carteret, who were also the state runner-up in 2014. Down by one point at the half and five at the end of the third quarter, the Vikings couldn’t keep pace with the Mariners, who outpaced Hoggard by nine points in the fourth quarter for the 71-58 win. Bagley led the Vikings with 16 points.

The Vikings’ next scheduled game will be against Ashley at Hoggard’s James Hebbe Gym on Friday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. email terrylane@luminanews.com

Seahawks’ furious comeback at Georgetown falls short

By Terry Lane Staff Writer

The University of North Carolina Wilmington men’s basketball team mounted a late, but ultimately incomplete, comeback last Saturday against powerhouse program Georgetown, with the 87-82 loss giving the Seahawks the first blemish on their season.

Now 5-1, UNCW trailed the Hoyas by 25 points with a little more than eight minutes to play before rallying behind its pressure defense and the shooting of its rising star in junior guard

Chris Flemmings. He scored 13 second-half points to lead all Seahawks with 19. Forwards Dylan Sherwood and Marcus Bryan both added 14 points and guard Jordan Talley hit two free throws with 18 seconds left to pull UNCW to within three points, giving him 11 for the game.

UNCW out rebounded Georgetown 41-36, forced 16 turnovers and scored 18 points off of them. But Georgetown’s sharp shooting proved too much for UNCW, with the Hoyas making 49 percent of their shots,

Open 7 Days a Week, 4 a.m -11 p.m.

Before the Bradley Creek Bridge behind Wrightsville Beach Animal Hospital

Dec. 17–23, 2015

TIDES Masonboro Inlet Latitude 34° 11’ N, Longitude 77° 49’ W

Date Time ht(ft) Time ht(ft) Time ht(ft) Time ht(ft) 12/17 Thu

05:19 AM 0.05 L

11:35 AM 4.16 H

06:01 PM -0.23 L

12/18 Fri

12:05 AM 3.8 H

06:33 AM 0.11 L

12:29 PM 4.01 H

07:05 PM -0.31 L

12/19 Sat

01:03 AM 3.94 H

07:45 AM 0.04 L

01:26 PM 3.87 H

08:05 PM -0.46 L

12/20 Sun

02:05 AM 4.1 H

08:49 AM -0.12 L

02:28 PM 3.78 H

09:00 PM -0.63 L

12/21 Mon

03:10 AM 4.32 H

09:48 AM -0.31 L

03:32 PM 3.76 H

09:54 PM -0.79 L

12/22 Tue

04:11 AM 4.57 H

10:44 AM -0.47 L

04:33 PM 3.82 H

10:46 PM -0.9 L

12/23 Wed

05:07 AM 4.79 H

11:40 AM -0.61 L

05:27 PM 3.89 H

11:38 PM -0.96 L

compared to the Seahawks’ 40 percent. UNCW made only 24 percent of their first half twopoint attempts, contributing to the 38-28 halftime deficit to the Hoyas.

Coach Kevin Keatts’ pressure defense helped fuel the comeback, as the pressure forced the Hoyas into turnovers, but also resulted in 55 total fouls for the game. Thanks to the team’s defensive scheme, UNCW leads the nation in turnover margin with a 9.2 advantage and is second in the nation in steals per game at 11.5.

Keatts said Georgetown’s first half shooting put the Seahawks on their heels.

“In the second half, we started believing once we made some shots,” Keatts said after the game.

“Today’s kids define their game if they’re scoring on offense. If they’re not scoring on offense, then other areas suffered. Our defense suffered because we weren’t scoring the ball in the first half. In the second half, we started scoring and picked our activity up.”

It was the Seahawks first-ever matchup with the Hoyas, who hosted UNCW in front of 8,132

at Washington, D.C.’s, Verizon Center.

Before the loss, UNCW was one of 10 remaining undefeated NCAA Division 1 teams, though the Seahawks’ early season schedule has included two lower-division teams in Milligan and Coker. The Seahawks also have wins against the directional schools of Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan and East Tennessee State, the latter being a dominant road victory.

Flemmings’ performance against the Hoyas shows he is emerging as a new star in secondyear coach Kevin Keatts offense, as he has led the Seahawks in scoring for the past four games, starting with his 19-point outburst against Western Michigan at Trask Coliseum on Nov. 21.

Senior guard Craig Ponder, the second-leading scorer on the team with 13.2 points per game, was ice cold against Georgetown, missing all seven of his shot attempts, and scoring only three points from free throws before fouling out.

UNCW plays next when it travels to Greenville to face East Carolina on Dec. 16. email terrylane@luminanews.com