REVIEW: The Herald’s Neil Morris takes a look at the new ‘Shrek’ film • Page 11A
The Sanford Herald FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2010
QUICKREAD
SANFORDHERALD.COM • 50 CENTS
SANFORD
SPORTS
JACKETS FACE FAMILIAR FOE TONIGHT IN RALEIGH Like Lee County, Broughton High School’s baseball team has made an improbable run to the third round of the playoffs Page 1B
WORLD AP photo
Sanford’s Big Buffalo wastewater treatment plant, located on Iron Furnace Road, is set for an expansion, though some have questioned the need for the project.
MEXICAN LEADER BASHES ARIZ. IMMIGRATION LAW Mexican President Felipe Calderon took his opposition to a new Arizona immigration law to Congress Thursday, saying it “ignores a reality that cannot be erased by decree” Page 12A
SEWER EXPANSION Officials argue for and against sewer, water rate hike to pay for plant work By BILLY BALL
STATE
bball@sanfordherald.com
HARNETT CO. ALPACAS GETTING A CLOSE SHAVE Alpacas, which are smaller and more subdued than their llama relatives, hail from the cool tops of the Andes Mountains. In North Carolina’s moist heat, the animals couldn’t survive a summer without being shorn. Page 6A
SANFORD — With a $67 million expansion on tap for Sanford’s Big Buffalo wastewater treatment plant, some city officials are questioning the timing of the long-planned move. The questions came up as the Sanford City Council voted this week to bump up sewer and water rates as part of a multiyear plan to pay for work at the sewer plant. The expansion, set to be completed in 2013, will up Big
FOR EXPANSION
AGAINST EXPANSION
“I’m in favor of sticking with the gameplan. If we don’t stick with the gameplan, then next year if we get a big water user in here, it could come to a point where we’d have to double the (rate) increase.” City Councilman James Williams
“You go fish when the fish are biting. When the economy returns, go up on the rates and people won’t feel it because they have jobs. People will feel it now, they’re just trying to pay the bills.” City Councilman Mike Stone
Buffalo’s capacity from 6.8 million gallons per day to 12 million gallons per day. City leaders have readied the work for the better part of a decade, drafting plans and meeting ever-shifting state requirements policed by the N.C.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Officials say the work is needed to meet expected growth through the year 2030, but some council members are pointing to data that indicate the economy
LEE COUNTY SCHOOLS
Page 7A
NATION POLICE OFFICERS KILLED DURING TRAFFIC STOP Two Arkansas police officers were fatally shot Thursday during a traffic stop, and a short time later, the suspects were killed in a separate shootout with the local sheriff and a deputy, authorities said Page 10A
TO INFORM, CHALLENGE AND CELEBRATE
Vol. 80, No. 118 Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
has slowed water demand. According to Sanford Mayor Pro Tem Mike Stone, the city could back off, at least for a time, on the project and the rising utility rates. “You go fish when the fish are biting,” Stone said. “When the economy returns, go up on the rates and people won’t feel it because they have jobs. People will feel it now, they’re just trying to pay the bills.” Despite Stone’s calls to wait a year, which were shared by Councilman Charles Taylor, a majority of council members voted to increase the utility rate anywhere from 9 cents to $1.04 per 100 cubic feet, or 748 gallons, of water or sewer consumption, pointing to the expansion as a
See Water, Page 5A
CAROLINA TRACE
Emergency drill planned for Saturday
HOUSE BEGINS PROCESS OF APPROVING BUDGET
House budget writers on Thursday started considering the Senate’s $19 billion budget plan, singling out some differences and announcing they would aim to cut an additional $200 million from public education
Does Sanford really need it?
By JONATHAN OWENS owens@sanfordherald.com
A computer rendering of the new entrance to Lee County High School.
Ceremony to mark LCHS renovations From staff reports SANFORD — Work has begun on the renovations of Lee County High School, and the county will celebrate the occasion with a groundbreaking ceremony at 3 p.m. on June 3. Last week, construction crews poured a temporary sidewalk around the perimeter of the construction site
HAPPENING TODAY n Patrons are encouraged to bring lawn blankets and chairs, purchase dinner from a downtown restaurant and enjoy a movie under the stars every Friday night at Depot Park (106 Charlotte Avenue) this spring. This week’s movie is “E.T.” CALENDAR, PAGE 2A
while maintenance crews prepared modular units on the 57-year-old campus, marking the beginning of work on the $20.4 million project. According to officials with Lee County Schools, a fence will be installed around the main work area next week while work is being done.
See LCHS, Page 5A
CAROLINA TRACE — If current projections hold true, Hurricane Carolina should reach Carolina Trace early Saturday morning. There will be mass casualties. Power is expecting to be knocked out, along with telephone lines, by the Category 2 storm packing sustained winds of more than 105 miles per hour. Hundreds of trees will block all roadways, cutting the entire Carolina Trace community off from all emergency services. Who ya gonna call? OK, so it's only a drill. The Carolina Trace Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will conduct a simu-
High: 84 Low: 62
WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information on creating or joining a Community Emergency Response Team in your area, contact Lee County Emergency Services at 718-4670 or Lee County CERT Coordinator Eugene Wilson at ewilson6@charter.net.
lated disaster exercise beginning at 5 a.m. Saturday with the premise that the hurricane has destroyed all emergency response capabilities at Trace. Forty-one Trace residents have completed the Department of Homeland Security/ FEMA CERT training course taught at Central Carolina Community College and are
See Trace, Page 3A
INDEX
More Weather, Page 12A
OBITUARIES
SCOTT MOONEYHAM
Sanford: Josh Britt, 17; Aubrey Cox, 85 Bear Creek: Laurene Tally, 87 Lillington: Terry McDougald, 52; Tim Newton, 56
In six different counties, convicted felons tried to win sheriff’s positions, but lost
Page 4A
Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 5B Classifieds ....................... 9B Comics, Crosswords.......... 6B Community calendar .......... 2A Horoscope ........................ 5B Obituaries......................... 5A Opinion ............................ 4A Scoreboard ....................... 4B