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Sidewalk Sale and
Fireworks
July 4th is
special in Elizabethtown and White Lake.
The Annual Sidewalk Sale is underway with
area merchants offering huge savings on
quality merchandise.
The 4th will be
celebrated at White Lake with a huge
fireworks show Saturday beginning about 9:15
or shortly thereafter.
A fireworks show
is slated post race at the Dublin Speedway
Saturday.
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BladenOnline is a Huge Hit in Bladen
June 30 has come
and gone and numbers speak for themselves.
We
have passed the mid-point of 2009 and
BladenOnline has had a good
first half.
Just the facts:
Ave Daily Hits Total
Hits (Jan-June)
June 2008
10,246
1,760,326
June
2009 49,663 8,920,694
Thanks to all.
For all your
advertising needs, BladenOnline is the place
to be.
Call Bobbie Todd at 876-4884 for rates and
availabilities.
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BCC fall
semester early
registration set for July 20-23
Early registration for
the 2009 Fall Semester will be held on July
20 – 23. On Monday and
Tuesday, July 20 – 21, early registration
will be from 9 a.m. until 6:30
p.m., and on Wednesday and
Thursday, July 22 – 23, it will be from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Only students who
attended BCC
during the spring or summer semester or who
completed their BCC application by July 1 are eligible to register
early.
Regular registration is
scheduled for Thursday, August 13, 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Individuals interested in attending during
the fall semester are urged to complete
their application process as soon as
possible. For information
or to speak to a
BCC counselor, call
910.879.5500.
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Woman, two children Narrowly
escape death
A Clarkton-area woman and her children were
almost killed July 1 when she car collided
with a tractor-trailer.
Wendi Wishnefsky McLamb, 40, of Lisbon Road,
Clarkton, failed to yield and drove her car
into the underside of a tractor-trailer
unit, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.
A Highway Patrol report show McLamb was
attempting to make a left turn onto N.C. 905
from Happy Home Road, south of Nakina, when
the crash occurred just before 1 p.m.. Her
car hit the middle of the trailer unit.
Ernie Wheeler Best, 38, of Goldsboro, was
driving the rig, which was filled with
groceries. He was travelling at 45 mph when
McLamb’s car entered the highway, the report
showed. All drivers and passengers were
wearing seat belts or in child restraint
seats. |
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Bladen County Has First Case of H1N1
Influenza
Bladen County Health Department
reports that Bladen County
has experienced its first case of H1N1
Influenza virus. The client is currently
receiving medical treatment from their local
physician and is on voluntary isolation at
their home, recuperating from this illness.
We as citizens
have an important role in protecting
ourselves and our families.
The Center for
Disease Control (CDC) and prevention
recommends that the public stay
informed as to the
signs and symptoms of H1N1 flu and ways that
they can help prevent the spread of this
illness. Health officials are providing
information updates and guidance to both the
public and physicians as they becomes
available. 
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North
Carolina's Southeast Commission Has New
Director
Paul Butler,
longtime director of North Carolina
Southeast Commission recently retired.
Butler is the only director having been
hired in the mid 90's after the North
Carolina Legislature approved 7 Partnerships
across the state.
The Board has
promoted Steve Yost to director. He
was the agencies Marketing Manager.
Joe Melvin of Elizabethtown has been
promoted to Marketing Manager.
Yost is a former
Economic Development Director for Columbus
County. 
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Bladen Had
Three Education Lottery Winners In June
June was rather a slow month for
lottery ticket players in Bladen County.
There were three $1,000 winners, two
from Bladenboro and one from Elizabethtown.
Cynthia Strickland of Bladenboro bought a
ticket from Kangaroo Express #3156 in
Bladenboro for her winning $1,000. Deloris
Johnson, also from Bladenboro, won a $1,000
with a ticket purchased from Kerr Drug #224
in Pembroke.
Wilford Davis of Elizabethtown bought
his winning ticket from Rod’s Convenience in
Wadesboro.
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Two senior students selected for
Teaching Fellows Valerie Newton
Each year the North Carolina Teaching
Fellows program in Raleigh, NC identifies
academically talented students who have
leadership potential and who are interested
in teaching. 500 North Carolina seniors are
awarded scholarship loans of $6,500 each
year for four years of undergraduate study,
repayable by agreeing to teach for four
years in a North Carolina public school.
Bladen County is pleased to recognize two
recipients of the scholarship. They are
Brittany Jacobs of West Bladen High school
and Mary Kathryn Anderson also of West
Bladen High school. Brittany will attend
East Carolina University for her teaching
certification. Mary Kathryn will attend
North Carolina State University.
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July 3rd, 4th and 6th
Sidewalk Sale |
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Smithfield Employees Union Vote Underway
Workers at the
world's largest pork slaughterhouse at Tar
Heel are casting their ballot
on a contract
offer from Smithfield Foods subsidiary
today.
The proposed
agreement comes after several bitter fight
by the union to get into the
processing plant
that opened in 1992.

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NEW
OFFICERS - BLADENBORO ROTARY CLUB
During ceremonies
at the weekly meeting of the Bladenboro
Rotary Club, Hiram Hester was sworn-in as
2009-2010 President. Lane Walter was
sworn-in as President-Elect for 2010-2011.
Other officers are Brent Anderson Secretary,
Eddie Walters Treasurer, and Fred Bowen
Sergeant-at-Arms. (The Rotary year
runs from July 1 thru June 30.)
Outgoing President Johnny Anderson
instituted several innovative actions that
has given the club new vigor for local and
International projects. The club is
conducting a membership drive to add to its
18 active members. Membership is open
to civic-minded men and women. The
club meets Monday nights from 6:30 PM
through 7:30 PM at the Bladenboro Community
Building. For more information contact
Hiram Hester at 978-6871.
Pictured
left to right – Outgoing President Johnny
Anderson, Secretary Brent Anderson,
President Hiram Hester, President-Elect Lane
Walter, Treasurer Eddie Walters, and
Sergeant-at-Arms Fred Bowen.
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Don’t feed the
bears
Among the least
welcome visitors at White Lake and elsewhere
this summer are black bears.
Black bear yearlings tend to migrate
during the summer months, finding their own
territories. Grills, garbage cans, and pet
food are irresistible to the big critters.
With the continued loss of habitat,
bear-human conflicts are becoming more
common. Recent encounters with bears in the
Triangle area, Hampstead and Lumberton have
prompted Wildlife officers to remind people
to leave the bruins alone.

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Greg
Killingsworth is new Bladen County School
Superintendent

Greg
Killingsworth is the new Superintendent. He
has been the Assistant Superintendent of
Human Resources with the Robeson County
School system
for the past 2 years and prior to that he
served as principal of Lumberton High School
for 8 years.
Killingsworth
will replace Dr. Kenneth Dinkins who is
leaving after failing to be re-appointed by
the Board of Education on a 5-4 vote.
Killingsworth was
hired on a unanimous vote by the board
earlier this year.
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July 3rd, 4th
and 6th
Sidewalk Sale |
July 3rd, 4th
and 6th
Sidewalk Sale
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Upcoming Events
July 2.....Boost
the Boro Board of Directors will meet
Thursday, July 2 at 6 PM at the Historical Building
in Bladenboro. Boost the Boro General Meeting will
follow at 7 PM. Everyone invited.
July 6 -20....Bladen
County Public Library invites kids to their
Summer Reading program,
which runs July 6-29. Programs will be held
weekly at 3:00 PM on Mondays at Bridger's
Memorial Library in Bladenboro, on Tuesdays at
Clarkton Public Library, and on Wednesdays
at Bladen County Library in Elizabethtown. For more
information, call 862-6990.

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Charges
made in Bladenboro Man's Death
A 46 year old
Bladenboro man has been charged in the death
of 70 year old Horace Ray Long, also of
Bladenboro. A. Jimenez of 7766 242
South is charged with misdemeanor death by
vehicle.
Wednesday, June
24 Long was operating a tractor with a front
end loader near his home on NC 242.
Both were traveling east when Jimenez,
driving a 1988 GMC pickup, failed to reduce
his speed and struck the tractor..
Long was
pronounced dead at Bladen County Hospital.
According to the
investigating officer, Jimenez was operating
with a valid drivers license and and was
fully insured.
A court date has
not been set for Jimenez.
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July
3rd, 4th and 6th
Sidewalk Sale
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Operation
Drywater nets three locally
A statewide crackdown on
impaired boaters resulted in three local
arrests at White Lake.
Law enforcement officers
said the three boaters were arrested on
suspicion of Operating While Impaired, also
known as OWI or boating while impaired.
Wildlife enforcement
officers checked boats at White Lake and
elsewhere over the weekend, performing
routine safety checks and watching out for
suspected drunken boaters.
Operating while impaired
carries the same criminal penalties as
driving while impaired, and can result in
fines and jail time. While .08 is the legal
blood alcohol limit in North Carolina for
operating a boat or a vehicle, wind and
water can cause what’s called “boater’s
fatigue,” which multiplies the effects of
alcohol.
Wildlife officers will
be out in force during the busy Independence
day holiday as well. July 4 is one of the
busiest boating days of the year, and
officers expect this weekend to be doubly
so, since the holiday falls on a Saturday.
Statewide, 43 arrests
for boating while impaired were reported by
Wildlife officers, with the majority of the
arrests taking place on Lake Norman.
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Hammonds
offers Helpful Tips for Municipal Candidates
Larry Hammond,
Director of Bladen County Elections has
issued a few tips that potential candidates
for the upcoming filing season for Municipal
elections need to know prior to visiting the
local Board of Elections.
1. Friday
is a state and county holiday. The
first opportunity to file will be at 8:30
a.m., Monday, July 6. Several folks
have indicated that they will be here on
Friday, July 3, according to statute, but
the office will be closed that day.

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Bill Affecting White Lake
Boaters Clears The Senate, Goes To Governor
Purdue For Her Signature
A bill recently passed by the House of
Representative, and now approved by the
Senate, will go to Governor Bev Purdue for
her signature. This bill will affect young
boaters on White Lake. It requires young
motorboat drivers to meet minimum boating
safety education requirements before being
allowed to drive a boat on North Carolina
waters.
According to the bill, people under the age
of 26 must complete an approved boating
safety course, or pass a test to operate a
boat with a motor of at least ten
horsepower.
Exceptions in the bill include those who
operate in state waters for less than 90
days, commercial fishermen, and someone who
is renting a boat. If caught without the
safety certification the penalty would be
court cost only if a ticket is given.
The Senate passed the bill by 39-8 in
favor of House changes.
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Commissioners Changes Meeting Date
The Bladen County
Board of Commissioners has re-scheduled its
July 6, 2009 meeting to Monday July 13, @
6:30 PM.
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Thoughts
While Shaving
We have reached
the midpoint of 2009.
Unbelievable. Just a few weeks ago the
technology world
was concerned about making computer changes
from 1999 to 2000.
July 4th, a
special holiday....we think of the birth of
our nation...vacation, fireworks and sales.
Elizabethtown
Merchants are prepared for a huge sidewalk
sale this weekend and the fireworks can be
seen at White Lake Saturday evening.
We welcome Greg
Killingsworth to Bladen County as
Superintendent of Schools.
Everyone thinks
of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of
changing himself. (Tolstoy}
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Farming
Big in Bladen
Farming accounts
for a significant economic engine in the
Southeast Partnership Region,
and it
exemplifies North Carolina's diverse
agricultural productions. That was the
findings
of the North
Carolina Rural Center earlier this year.
The Southeast Partnership Region
consist of
Bladen, Columbus, Brunswick, Robeson,
Pender, Sampson, Cumberland,
Hoke, Richmond,
and New Hanover. Three Southeast
counties (Sampson, Bladen and
Robeson) were
among the state's top 10 list for cash
receipts in 2007. Bladen County is
the largest
producers of blueberries in the state, and
Sampson County produces the most
farm-raised
catfish. The region also accounts for
almost 40 percent of the state's hog
production.

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Municipal
Elections Upcoming
Filing for Municipal
elections begins Monday, July 6 at 8:30 AM and will
continue through July 17.
Partisan primaries are
scheduled for September 8 across the state.
Non-partisan primaries are set for October 6 and
non-partisan elections are
scheduled for November 3, 2009.
Bladen County municipal
elections are non partisan.

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April Bladen Sales
Tax Collections Down 9%
The North Carolina Department of Revenue’s report
for April sales tax collections shows that Bladen
sales were down 9% from the month of March. In
April, North Carolina collected $404,644.00 on gross
sales of $9,196,542. March sales tax collections
were $433,494 on gross sales of $9,651,751.
In April of 2008 Bladen had sales tax collections of
$427,924 on gross sales of $10,046,579, which showed
a yearly decrease of sales from April of ’08 to
April of ’09 of 9.5%.
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Unemployment Rates Increase For 82
North Carolina Counties In May. Bladen Has
12.3 Percent
RALEIGH —
Eighty-two of North Carolina’s 100
counties experienced an unemployment rate
increase in May, according
to statistics released today by the state’s
Employment Security Commission. Rates
decreased in 16 counties
and remained the same in two.
“All of the state’s 100 counties
continue to be challenged by this recession.
But, in its role to help maintain economic
stability in communities across North
Carolina, the ESC has paid nearly $3 billion
dollars in benefits over the course
of a year (chart attached),” said ESC
Chairman Moses Carey Jr. “We continue to
work with customers in our 89 offices
statewide — and over the Internet and
telephone — to make sure those seeking work
can find a position and those
needing unemployment benefits receive those
monies.”
North Carolina had 46 counties which
were at or below the state’s unadjusted
unemployment rate of 11.1 percent. Rates
increased in all 14 of the state’s
Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
Total county employment
(not-seasonally adjusted) decreased in May
by 20,335 workers, from 4,079,980 to
4,059,645.Not-seasonally adjusted
unemployment increased, by 26,750 workers.
The unemployment total in May was 505,445
workers, compared with 478,695 in April.
Unemployment in Bladen County for May
was 12.3 per cent. Out of a labor force of
15,863 there was 13,917 employed and 1,946
unemployed. The unemployment figure for
April of this year in Bladen County was 11.9
per cent.
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Contestants
Wanted for July 4th Pageant
Contestants are being sought for the 6th
Annual Bladen County 4th of July Pageant.
The pageant will be July 11 at 4:30 in
Elizabethtown. The pageant is open to
females of all ages from birth thru adult
ladies. Younger divisions compete in
Sunday dress and older divisions compete in
evening gown. Optional competitions
include Photogenic, Patriotic Wear, Talent,
and Blue Jeans For Babies competition.
Division titles as well as overall titles
and optional awards will be given.
Proceeds from the pageant go to the March of
Dimes. The new queens will be
participating in the upcoming March For
Babies. For more information, call or
email Michelle Fisher at 669-3204 or
991-6299 or
fisher1@intrstar.net.
Deadline to enter has been extended to
Monday, June 22.
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BladenOnline Hits
Thursday -
7/3/2009
54,317
robert
g hester
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