BIG TALKER TOP STORIES

US Senator Richard Burr will be making his away across the Cape Fear region over the next couple of days. The Republican Senator took part in the opening dinner last night for the Defense Trade Show going on at Fort Bragg. Around two thirty this afternoon, Senator Burr will tour Chemtex USA on Eastwood Road and then will pay a visit to Police Headquarters here in Wilmington. On Wednesday, he will speak at the Wilmington Industrial Development Breakfast, tour the GE plant on Castle Hayne Road and then have lunch with employees from the four county electric membership in Burgaw.

A man in Brunswick County was arrested in the Holden Beach area over the weekend for his involvement in multiple break-ins during the last month. Eighteen year old Brandon Evans faces up twenty counts of breaking and entering into a motor vehicle in addition to a number of other charges. Authorities say a number of community leads led to Evans arrest.

Deputies have also arrested a man from South Carolina for an armed robbery that occurred in the Supply area last week.  Last Thursday August fourth, twenty four year old John Seward allegedly entered an occupied home on Junction Way in Supply. The suspect was reportedly carrying a hand gun and led the resident into the master bedroom and demanded the money from her purse. Deputies were able to locate Seward and took him into custody at a Gas Station on Kirby Road. He is charged with felony breaking and entering and robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Following his arrest on drug charges last week, Kure Beach Commissioner Barry Nedler has decided to resign. Mayor Dean Lambeth says Nelder left his letter of resignation on the town clerk's desk over the weekend. The Kure Beach Mayor said Nelder did not give a reason for his resignation, but did say he appreciated the time he served the community. Nedler was arrested last week for possession of marijuana.

Two men face a number of drug charges in New Hanover County following a traffic stop for speeding on I Forty. During the course of the stop, the Deputy became suspicious of the two men in the vehicle, and the driver ultimately gave consent for law enforcement to search the car. During the search, more than seven hundred bags of Heroin valued at around twenty one thousand dollars and about pound of Marijuana was found located inside. Authorities say the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas have become two major sources of narcotics coming into the New Hanover County area. They say they are working with local law enforcement there to identify the source of the supply.

The State Forest Service is once again allowing outdoor burning throughout state but says dry conditions do remain a concern. The ban on open burning that’s been in place since June in nineteen eastern counties has been lifted. State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says much of North Carolina is still facing drought conditions of varying intensity. If wildfires start sparking up again, a new ban will be put into effect.  More than forty wildfires have been fought this year in the eastern part of the state.

Detectives in New Hanover County also recently wrapped up a two week investigation with the arrest of a man on multiple drug charges. Vice Detectives seized nearly two ounces of cocaine, a digital scale, and packaging materials at the home on Harris Road. The cocaine was in both powder and crack form and was worth some five thousand six hundred dollars.

New Hanover County School Superintendent Doctor Tim Markley would like parents and the local community to join him over coffee this morning to discuss issues facing the district for the upcoming school year. This morning’s Coffee Talk with the Superintendent will begin at seven thirty inside the cafeteria at Ashley High School. A similar event will be held next Tuesday morning, the sixteenth at Holly Shelter Middle School in Castle Hayne. The first day of school in New Hanover County for traditional schools is August twenty fifth.

Standard and Poors downgraded the nation's credit for the first time in history late last week. It says the deficit reduction plan passed by Congress did not go far enough to stabilize the country's debt situation. Following S and P’s decision to downgrade the country’s credit rating from Triple A to Double A plus, Senator Richard Burr issued a statement. He said clearly, what we have done so far is not enough and now is the time to make meaningful cuts in spending, reform our entitlement programs, and simplify our tax code.

In Sports, in local baseball, the Wilmington Sharks picked up two big wins over the weekend in Fayetteville and have advanced to the second round in this year’s playoffs in the Coastal Plain League. The Sharks will begin the second round with a home game tonight against Edenton. Game one in the best of three series is scheduled to begin just after seven o’clock at the Legion Sports Complex on Carolina Beach Road. In local soccer, The Hammerheads wrap up their regular season home schedule on Wednesday. The local soccer club will also be in this year’s playoffs and could host a home game as well.

New Hanover County Superintendent Doctor Tim Markley would like parents and the local community to join him over coffee tomorrow morning to discuss issues facing the district for the upcoming school year. Tuesday morning’s Coffee Talk with the Superintendent will begin at seven thirty inside the cafeteria at Ashley High School. Superintendent Markley will hold a similar event next Tuesday morning, the sixteenth at Holly Shelter Middle School in Castle Hayne. The first day of school in New Hanover County is August twenty fifth.

A thirty year military veteran and Wilmington resident was officially pinned on the rank of brigadier general during a ceremony in Charlotte. David Todd Kelly was accompanied by his wife and three kids at the event held at the Air National Guard base at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

This past weekend was one of the most deadliest for our troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for shooting down a helicopter that killed thirty soldiers over the eastern part of the war torn country. Thirty Americans were killed, most of them belonging to the same elite Navy SEALs unit that killed Osama bin Laden. One of the NAVY Seals was thirty six year old Chris Campbell, a native of nearby Jacksonville.

Now, on Thursday of this week, stop by the Long Island Eatery on Kerr Avenue in Wilmington as Chad Adams will be broadcasting his show live from six till ten am. It’s all part of the Packages from Home initiative with the non profit group Step Up For Soldiers. Two times a year, we collect simple care items that will be sent as individual care packages to our troops overseas. We will wrap up this installment Thursday at the Eatery from six till ten am. The eatery is located right next to Apple Annie’s on Kerr Ave. Following the broadcast, volunteers will gather the donated items and put them into the care packages at the Armory next to the Airport.

 The State Division of Air Quality has issued a new draft air quality permit for the proposed Titan cement plant in the Castle Hayne area. A draft air quality permit allows the public to comment and review the Division of Air Quality’s findings prior to the division deciding whether to issue the permit as written; issue the permit with modifications; or deny the permit. Bob Odom, General Manger for Carolinas Cement Company said his group is committed to constructing one of the most efficient, environmentally safe cement plants in the world. He went on to say that when Carolinas Cement reaches full operations, the estimated annual fiscal impact to New Hanover County will exceed one hundred twenty million dollars. The proposed cement plan would reportedly create more than one hundred sixty permanent, full-time jobs, and one thousand construction jobs during its two-year construction phase.
The Division of Air Quality plans to hold public hearings on the draft permit in the area in late September. We will get you more information on the times, dates and locations for these hearings as soon as available.

A forty six year old man was killed late Saturday night after he was hit bit a car as he attempted to cross Market Street near Princess Place Drive. Authorities say Francisco Camy was wearing dark clothing and was drunk when he was struck. Mister Camey was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries. He is the second pedestrian to be hit by a car and killed in the City of Wilmington this year. The driver involved in the incident will not be charged in the case.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held today to mark the opening of the new VA clinic in Brunswick County. The grand opening was delayed last week so workers could put the finishing touches on the inside of the building. The ribbon cutting will be at one o’clock this afternoon at the clinic, located at twenty Medical Campus Drive in Supply.

UNCW will conduct a full volume test of its Seahawk Warning Siren System today at noon. During the four to five minute test today, the university will also be testing other emergency communication alert tools including text messages to students, faculty and staff, in addition to website and social media postings, and through emails. UNCW cancelled its annual test last week, a few days after the sirens failed to go off following a shooting at an apartment complex near campus. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the shooting. Officials said it was human error and not a technical issue as to why the sirens did not go off after the incident.

Cape Fear Academy will hold a Grand Opening ceremony today for its new Athletic Center. The new forty three thousand square foot facility houses two gyms, a half dozen classrooms, a weight training room, locker rooms, a walking track on the second floor, offices and concession areas. Schools officals say with fourteen different teams at the school, they will now have the ability to house all practices and all teams on campus. The Grand Opening event going on from now until seven o’clock tonight is a open for the public to tour the new facilities located on the Academy’s main campus along South College Road.

US North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan would like to get input from the public on potential post office closures across the state. The U.S. Postal Service announced in late July that twenty North Carolina Post Offices face potential closure, including the Post Office up in Surf City. Senator Hagan sent a letter to the Postmaster General Thursday urging the USPS to give her constituents in each community a chance to voice their concerns before any final decisions are made. A petition has also been circulating the Surf City area in Pender County in an effort to keep the post office in operation.

In Sports, in local baseball, the Wilmington Sharks fell to Fayetteville last night five one in eleven innings in game of in their best of three series in the first round of this years Pettit Cup Playoffs in the Coastal Plain League. The Sharks now have to win back-to-back games in Fayetteville over the next two nights to keep their season alive. In local Soccer, the Hammerheads take on the Los Angeles Blues in the United Soccer Leagues PRO Soccer Game of the Week that will be nationally televised on the Fox Soccer Channel tonight. The game kicks off at seven o’clock at Legion Stadium. The Hammerheads wrap up their regular season home schedule next Wednesday. During the two final home games, Hammerheads fans will be able to enter a free raffle drawing through a promotion with the soccer club, the Wilmington International Airport and American Airlines. The winner will get airfare for two for flights anywhere in the US, Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. The winner will be announced during halftime at next week’s final home game.  American Airlines made its debut at the local airport in July, now offering two daily non stop flights to the Windy City.

We are now just about three weeks away from the upcoming school year and throughout the weekend, consumers across the state will be able to buy certain school items free of the state’s six point seven five percent sales tax. Running today through Sunday night, retailers will be participating in the statewide Sales Tax Holiday. The event, which started in two thousand one, allows for tax-exempt purchases on clothing, school supplies, computers and recreational equipment. North Carolina is one of sixteen states across the country that offer tax-free holidays.