In The News

November 12-18 is National Hunger and Homelessness Week
Show that you are grateful for what you have by helping your fellow citizens. November 15-18, 2006, Next Media, home of the popular radio stations 104.5, Z107.5, B99.9, and Surf 98.3, will partner with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to present the 50 Hour Food Drive, an annual event that collected 3,850 pounds of donated food items in 2005 for the population that continues to go hungry in North Carolina. This year, the team hopes to meet a goal of 5,000 pounds. Radio DJ’s will stay on the air for 50 hours nonstop to promote the food drive. To find out where to donate, visit www.foodbanknc.com.

At least 50,000 people in Brunswick, Columbus, Pender, and New Hanover counties go hungry each day. The Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC addresses this problem in 34 counties across the state, and the Wilmington branch uses resources to feed the hungry in these four counties. A recent food drive at a Myrtle Grove location was very successful, and the collections were distributed in this immediate area.

Local Kart Racer is Speeding Towards Success
Jonny Szewczuk, 15 years old, has recently been taking the kart-racing world by storm. As a Carolina Beach local, Jonny attends Ashley High School during the day, and dreams of race season at night. Jonny has been racing for over a year and recently came in first place in the Junior Unrestricted Class and third in the Lite Stock Class, an accomplishment to be recognized since that class is restricted to racers 16 years or older. Jonny’s driving skills were the determining factor for allowing him to compete in the Lite Stock Class. Racing is Jonny’s passion, but schoolwork is also taken seriously. He is consistently on the honor roll and volunteers in his spare time. Check out Jonny’s website at www.jonnyszewczuk.com.

This Year, Don’t Let the Flu get You!
In 2004, 1,686 people died of pneumonia and influenza in North Carolina. Although in most cases the flu only debilitates it’s victim for a week or two, these statistics show the importance of prevention. Regional influenza activity typically begins to increase in January, peaking in February or March. The New Hanover County Health Department is now accepting appointments for flu shots, so think ahead and get your yearly flu prevention vaccine now. To schedule an appointment, call (910) 798-6646 or (910) 798-6684. In addition to flu vaccine, the NHCHD will also be offering the pneumonia vaccine, tetanus vaccine, and the new TdaP vaccine, which is a tetanus vaccine with a booster for pertussis (whooping cough). Residency of New Hanover County is not required to receive a flu shot at NHCHD, as there is no indication of shortage or delay of vaccine, but an appointment is required.

McIntyre Visits Area Beaches
The Norfolk Dredging Company will begin preparations for off-shore dredging operations for the beach renourishment in Kure Beach and Carolina Beach sometime after November 16, 2006. The actual dredging will probably take place sometime in January or February 2007, and will be conducted one and a half miles off the shore, 24 hours a day, for about two weeks. The beaches have not been renourished in three years, and the funding was particularly difficult to obtain for this project, despite an existing fifty-year contract with the federal government for beach renourishment. Congressman Mike McIntyre visited the beaches on Columbus Day and stressed his commitment to protecting and preserving our seashore. He and his staff made it possible for the towns to obtain several million dollars in funds for the renourishment project. Approximately 65% of the funding came from the federal government, and 35% came from the state government and New Hanover County. All of the New Hanover County funds come from the Room Occupancy Tax collected from hotel and motel room rentals.

Watermark Marina Makes the Cape Fear River Easy to Enjoy
Located along the historic Cape Fear River, Watermark Marina of Wilmington has opened a boat dry-storage facility at the intersection of River Road and Independence Boulevard in Wilmington, NC. The marina offers covered dry-storage for boats up to 36-feet in length. With a call ahead, the marina will launch your boat into the Cape Fear River—allowing you more time for water activities and less time worrying about the logistics of boating.
 

The facility currently has 90 drive-in units available for lease. There are two sizes of the economically priced units available—12’X32’ and 14’X46’ and each has a 4’X12’ lockable storage area—perfect for coolers, fishing gear, floats or life preservers. The gated entrance and surveillance cameras offer 24-hour security and accessibility to those leasing boat storage units.
Once construction is completed, Watermark Marina of Wilmington will be one of the largest dry-stack boat storage facilities on the entire East Coast. The new 5-tier, 895-boat dry-stack facility is scheduled to be fully operable in late autumn of this year.
 

The full-service pier, located on the Cape Fear River, is the longest in Wilmington, and has two 182-foot floating docks. It will offer fuel, water, electricity and a pump-out station as well as a boating concierge service so the hassles of boating maintenance have been eliminated. The beautifully landscaped clubhouse, scheduled to open in late February, will have a BBQ & picnic area, swimming pool and showers, ship store and full service bar & deli.
 

The Cape Fear River has long been over-looked as a recreational venue for water activities. Watermark Marina of Wilmington has brought this natural resource to light so that many families can now enjoy the luxury of boat-ownership as well as many other amenities as an added bonus.
Call (910)-794-5259 for information or visit www.watermarkmarinas.com.

Art Awareness Continues to Grow
Yard Art Party’s Kristi Jenkins and Christina Wood are at it again! In order to form a foundation for the arts on Pleasure Island, the creative duo has been canvassing the island, raising money to file for non-profit status. The Living Artists Foundation will assist artists through education, creative assistance, and financing through grants. LAF will also promote art education in the community by hosting creative and artistic events, as well as by doing large community art projects to enhance the beauty of Pleasure Island. “We believe by providing more to do and enjoy for visitors and locals, the beauty and community of the island will flourish,” they said. The women feel that Pleasure Island is on it’s way to becoming a hub for the arts. “It became obvious to us when we put out a call to local artists for the opening of the gallery that there is so much talent here,” Jenkins and Wood encourage anyone who wants to donate to LAF or contribute in any way to get in touch with them and to become involved. To contact these ladies, send them an email at info@yardartparty.com.

Oceana Marina Nears Completion
The Oceana Marina project on the North End of Carolina Beach is nearing completion with some unexpected, but exciting twists. The marina itself will be completed in the next three and half months. There will be 74 slips ranging in size from 30 to 90 feet. When completed, the deep water marina will feature state-of-the-art decks, full utilities, wireless internet and pump out.
Marina developer Vaughn King and his brother, Mark, have proposed some new additions to the marina. Their unique addition is the mooring of a 188-foot cruise ship at the marina. They will be presenting this proposal to the P & Z committee in November and Carolina Beach’s City Council in December. Discussions with Town Hall and local residents about this new addition have been very positive.
 

The cruise ship will be run as a hotel with 34 state rooms and a 149 seat restaurant. There will also be conference space for meetings, weddings, and parties on the ship. Valet parking and a shuttle bus service will also be available to guests of the ship/hotel.
 

The ship slated to be moved to Carolina Beach is currently in Vancouver, British Columbia. “We’ll make plans to bring it here as soon as our proposal is approved,” says Vaughn. “It will be about a 3-week trip from Vancouver through the Panama Canal and into Carolina Beach.”
 

“We may need some company in bringing the ship to Carolina Beach,” said Mark. Stay tuned for possible promotions to choose some lucky citizens to travel to Vancouver and stay on the ship as it sails to Carolina Beach. “We plan to have the ship/hotel operational by Easter,” added Mark.

Island Women Unite!
An unaffiliated group of women from Pleasure Island have formed together for the betterment of the island and simply to have fun. These women are motivated and have lots of great ideas. If you are looking for a way to get involved, come to the bi-monthly breakfasts.at Victory Beach Vacations located at 206 Fayetteville in Carolina Beach.
For more info visit www.islandwomen.org.