Star-News (Wilmington, NC) articles from September 2007

Star-News (Wilmington, NC) archives from September 2007

Hooters billboard: No way to greet visitors?
September 5, 2007... Sep. 5--The Hooters girl reclining across the front of a Dawson Street billboard will have to find a different place to relax if Wilmington City Councilman Jason Thompson has his way. The problem, as Thompson sees it, isn't with Hooters --...

County denies public funds for inlet.
September 5, 2007... Sep. 5--A contract is a contract. That was the message from the New Hanover County commissioners on Tuesday as they declined to spend public money to help maintain Mason Inlet. "Promises were made, assurances were given and I expect...

Pender advised to delay permit moratorium.
September 5, 2007... Sep. 5--BURGAW -- Pender County officials need more details before establishing a moratorium on special-use permits in Hampstead's commercial corridor. That advice came from County Attorney Trey Thurman at Tuesday's commissioners meeting...

Oak Island, N.C., debates regulation of beach clubs.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Shelby Sebens Sep. 7--OAK ISLAND -- This town's council took the first step Thursday toward creating an ordinance that would regulate beach clubs. The clubs, which provide gathering spots at the beach for residents of inland...

Army Corps delays Topsail Beach, N.C., dredging.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Tyra M. Vaughn Sep. 7--TOPSAIL BEACH -- Town officials will have to wait more than a week before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin pumping sand on the town's eroding beach after the corps requested more money to complete...

Wilmington, N.C.-area home sales lowest since 2002.
September 14, 2007... Byline: Sam Scott Sep. 14--The Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors posted its August sales number this week, notching 597 single-family home sales, the lowest figure for that month since 2002 and a 16 percent decline from last...

A Mexican-American tunes into her Latino roots by helping others.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Veronica Gonzalez Sep. 17--Two men strum guitars while another man bounces on his feet, clapping to the catchy beat. In unison, a group of men and a woman sing a Spanish song: "Dona Laura, muevete, muevete, (move, move)," the...

High bridge, high bid: It's lower than first bid, likely to be accepted.
September 19, 2007... Byline: Shannan Bowen Sep. 19--The low bid to build a new Sunset Beach bridge is still higher than the state's estimate for the project, but a state official said it's likely to be accepted. Bids were accepted for the second time and...

Wilmington helps fund joint utility agency.
September 19, 2007... Byline: Chris Mazzolini Sep. 19--The Wilmington City Council voted Tuesday to provide nearly $1 million to the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, despite the request of one member to delay the item. The 5-1 vote gives the fledgling...

Foreclosures on the rise in region.
September 20, 2007... Byline: Sam Scott Sep. 20--The number of area homeowners in danger of losing properties to foreclosure has soared this year, with experts predicting the problem could worsen. Foreclosure filings in Brunswick, Pender and New Hanover...

GE-Hitachi and Invista set to expand Wilmington facilities.
September 21, 2007... Byline: Gareth McGrath Sep. 21--Good, well-paying jobs with benefits. That's what politicians crave for their area, and New Hanover County officials could soon have nearly a thousand reasons to smile. The county is close to signing...

Deals seen as bargain for county.
September 21, 2007... Byline: Sam Scott Sep. 21--You don't have to be a nuclear engineer to figure this one out. It's a bargain. That at least seemed to be the early reaction to New Hanover County's plan to offer $13 million in incentives to a pair of local...

New facility will ease surgery backlog.
September 21, 2007... Byline: Veronica Gonzalez Sep. 21--Atlantic Surgicenter will open to patients Oct. 30 in Porters Neck A new outpatient surgery center is scheduled to open in Porters Neck Oct. 30, relieving overbooked operating rooms and cutting wait...

Navy testing waters with 6 new sites.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Gareth McGrath Sep. 24--MAPLE HILL -- Woodrow Wilson Morgan rubbed his grizzled chin as he pondered the question. "Jets," he said slowly. "They wouldn't like that." For 37 years, Morgan has run a produce stand at the corner of...

Wave Transit chief works on bus-to-beach route in Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Patrick Gannon Sep. 24--Before year's end, the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen might consider a proposal for a public bus route between Wilmington and the beach. Beach town manager Bob Simpson and members of his staff met...

Potential private isles in area: 231.
September 28, 2007... Byline: Gareth McGrath Sep. 28--The number was enough to make developers drool -- and environmentalists cringe. A preliminary review of the North Carolina coast using aerial photography has found 468 non-barrier islands of an acre or...

Median melee.
September 28, 2007... Byline: Patrick Gannon Sep. 28--The owner of the J. Michael's Philly Deli at Monkey Junction said his business is down $20,000 in sales compared to last summer, a drop he attributes to a new traffic pattern on Piner Road that provides...