Officials tell what to expect in 2011

The start of a new year brings with it the promise of new opportunities and the chance to move forward. Officials at school districts and municipalities across the region are hopeful 2011 will offer a delivery on long-promised developments and continued successes with projects already in the works.

From the anticipated opening of an indoor market at the site of an old department store to the first curtain call at yet another renovated downtown theater, this year could offer residents a host of changes.

As 2010 wound down, The Daily Journal asked local leaders to explain what's on their calendars for 2011.

City Of Vineland,.

The city has some major redevelopment plans in the works. Some will only pick up momentum this year, while other projects long in planning will come to fruition this year.

Residents can expect Landis MarketPlace to open in March in the former J.J. Newberry department store on the 600 block of East Landis Avenue. The indoor public market has several tenants already on board, including an Amish market on the bottom level and flowers, fresh fish, spices and other specialty foods on the main level.

The Amish Market in Mullica Hill, run by the same people, gets thousands of visitors a day and Mayor Robert Romano hopes some of that will be replicated on Landis Avenue.

"That would be a lot of foot traffic for Vineland," he said. "It should be nice when it's open."

Also this year:

Vineland will celebrate its 150th birthday. The actual birthday is Aug. 8, but the city is planning events for the entire year. Officials are planning a parade and fireworks display on Aug. 7 and a Civil War Ball is planned on Sept. 24.

"We want to celebrate our heritage," Romano said.

Efforts will continue this year to transform the former Newcomb Medical Center into Newcomb Alliance Medical Center, a medical school with -- ideally -- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey as the anchor. The university has yet to officially sign on with the effort, but has shown interest, including visits to the State Street site and, most recently, drafting a tentative plan for operating a school there.

(source:thedailyjournal.com)

2011:Year you weren’t expecting

What does 2011 hold in store? It may well start with a flashback. Remember the Y2K bug, when the world’s computers were expected to shut down because they couldn’t handle the “00” in 2000? There’s another one expected this year. It’s known as the Y1C problem, and although equally serious, it’s confined to the island of Taiwan, which uses a calendar that dates year 1 from the founding of the Republic of China in 1912. For many computers in Taiwan, 2011 is the year 100, and with the “00,” chaos may ensue.

f you’re writing that down, make sure your marker is honeysuckle, which Pantone has designated the color of 2011. The year has also already been proclaimed the year of forests and the year of chemistry by the United Nations. You’ll be able to book tickets to two places you’ve never been able to visit before: a massive new Legoland in Dubai and the abandoned city of Chernobyl, which opens to tourists this year. If you’re Canadian, you’ll be able to pay for these using Canada’s new plastic money, set to be released in the second half of this year.

What’s that? You didn’t have any of that on your calendar?

When looking forward to a new year, all too often we focus on the big and the obvious: elections, royal weddings, Harry Potter movies. But a year is much more than that: It’s one enormous landscape of exciting events you had absolutely no idea were about to occur. What follows is the Ideas guide to the year in the obscure and unexpected.

January Chernobyl begins to offer official tours for the first time since April 26, 1986, when the worst nuclear reactor explosion in history devastated the region and made the Ukrainian city a byword for techno-dystopian disaster. Tourists can see both the nuclear plant and the abandoned nearby towns. It’s reachable as a day trip from Ukraine’s capital, Kiev.

January Van Halen is expected to begin recording an album with, for the first time in more than 25 years, original singer David Lee Roth.

January 9 The world will gain a new nation if voters in Southern Sudan choose independence in a referendum that begins today. The youngest countries in the world currently are Curacao and the Republic of Kosovo.

January 11 The Dali Museum opens in St. Petersburg, Fla. It will be home to more works of Salvador Dali than any other museum in the world. Costing $36 million, it will house 2,140 pieces of art and is designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane.

January 12 A new $1 coin debuts in Plymouth, Mass., depicting the hands of Governor John Carver and Supreme Sachem Ousamequin Massasoit exchanging a peace pipe. It joins more than 1 billion dollar coins already minted. Though most Americans rarely see them in circulation, they are very popular in Ecuador, which began using the US dollar as its currency in 2000.

(source:boston.com)

2011

2011 (MMXI) is a common year starting on Saturday in the Gregorian calendar and is the current year in Oceania, East Asia including China, and Eastern Russia, while the rest of the world is in 2010. It is the 2011th year of the Common Era/Anno Domini designation; the 11th year of the 3rd millennium and of the 21st century, and the second year of 2010s decade.

The United Nations has designated 2011 the International Year of Forests and International Year of Chemistry.

Predicted and scheduled events

2011 January

January 1 – The Y1C Problem will occur.

January 1 – Start of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union.

January 1 – Estonia is set to adopt the euro.

January 1 – Inauguration of Dilma Rousseff as President of Brazil, making her the first woman to hold that office.

January 1 – Civil partnerships will become legal in Ireland

January 2 – Conjunction between Jupiter and Uranus at 13:41 UTC, with Jupiter 34 minutes of arc to the south; the third conjunction of a triple conjunction.

January 4 – Partial solar eclipse visible over most of Europe, the Arabian peninsula, North Africa, and Western Asia.

January 9 – Southern Sudan will hold a referendum on independence.

2011 February

19 February – 2 April – 2011 Cricket World Cup will be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

2011 March

March 18 – NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in orbit around Mercury.

March 18 – NASA's Pluto probe New Horizons will cross the orbit of Uranus, after a five-year journey. This will be faster than Voyager 2, which took eight years.

2011 April

April 1 – The Space Shuttle will undertake its final mission before retirement.

April 29 – 2011 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships will start in Slovakia.

April 29 – The wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton will take place in Westminster Abbey on St. Catherine's Day.

Pakistan will launch its first space satellite.

The Universal House of Justice will announce the new Five Year Plan.

2011 May

Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, and Mars all visible within a roughly 6° area of sky.

2011 June

June 1 – Partial solar eclipse in the Arctic.

June 15 – Total lunar eclipse, mainly visible in Africa, India, and the Middle East.

2011 July

The Dawn spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the minor planet 4 Vesta during July. The exact date remains uncertain.

July 1 – Start of the Polish presidency of the European Union.

July 1 – Partial solar eclipse off the coast of Antarctica.

July 6 – The International Olympic Committee will decide the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

July 10 – Neptune completes its first full orbit since its discovery in 1846.

2011 August

August 15 – The comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková will pass within 0.0601 astronomical units (about 5,589,300 miles (8,995,100 km)) of Earth.

August 15–21 – XXVI World Youth Day will be held in Madrid, Spain.

2011 September

September 9 – October 23 – New Zealand will host the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

2011 October

2011 November

November 25 – Partial solar eclipse in Antarctica.

2011 December

December 10 – Total lunar eclipse, visible mainly in Asia, Australia and Alaska.

December 31 – All United States troops are scheduled to leave Iraq

2011 Unknown dates

California will open the world's largest solar power plant.

Several electric vehicles are expected to enter the U.S. market, perhaps most notably the Tesla Model S and BYD e6.

Predicted solar maximum (also predicted by other research groups for 2012).

The IPv4 unallocated address pool is projected to be exhausted.

The Nord Stream natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany will be completed.

Blue Waters, a petascale supercomputer being designed and built as a joint effort between the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and IBM is expected to be completed in this year.

A new definition of the kilogram, based on universal constants, is likely to be announced at the 24th General Conference on Weights and Measures.

Computer games on the subjects of climate change, medical innovation and women's rights will be developed in 2011.

Major holidays

January 1 – New Year's Day.

January 7 (6 in Armenia) – Orthodox Christmas.

January 14 – Makar Sankranti, Hinduism & Pongal, Tamil New Year - Says Thanks to Sun.

February 2 – Imbolc, a Cross-quarter day.

February 3 – Chinese New Year.

March 8 – Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras, end of Mardi Gras / Carnival season.

March 9 – Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent).

March 20 – Holi.

March 21 – (Northern hemisphere) Vernal equinox, also known as Ostara & Persian New Year

April 4 – Ugadi or Telugu New Year.

April 18 – Passover begins at sundown.

April 24 – Easter (Western and Orthodox).

May 1 – Beltane, a Cross-quarter day.

June 7 – Shavuot begins.

June 21 – Summer solstice (northern hemisphere), also known as Midsummer or Litha. Winter solstice (southern hemisphere).

August 1 – Ramadhan Begins — Islam.

August 1 – Lammas, a Cross-quarter day.

August 31 – Eid al-Fitr.

September 23 – (Northern hemisphere) Autumnal equinox, also known as Mabon.

September 28 – Rosh Hashana begins at sundown.

October 7 – Yom Kippur begins at sundown.

October 26 – Diwali, a religious holiday in India.

November 1 – Samhain, a Cross-quarter day and Neopagan new year.

November 6 – Eid al-Adha.

November 26 – Islamic New Year.

December 20 – Chanukah.

December 22 – Winter solstice (northern hemisphere), also known as Yule. Summer solstice (southern hemisphere).

December 25 – Western Christmas.

In fiction

2011 Film

Killer Tattoo (2001)

Millennium Mambo (2001)

2011 Television

In the television series FlashForward episode "Future Shock", the date March 14, 2011 is seen on a note during a blackout.

The Heroes television series visits 2011 in several different potential futures.

In the Aeon Flux film, 99% of the world's population is wiped out by a mysterious virus in the year 2011.

In Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles television series "Judgment Day" is predicted to take place on April 21.

2011 Computer and video games

Heavy Rain (2010)

Persona 4 (2008)

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

2011 Literature

In K. A. Applegate's Remnants book series, 2011 is the year life on Earth becomes extinct after a 73-mile-wide asteroid nicknamed "The Rock" impacts Portugal. Eighty other humans are placed in a shuttle named the Mayflower mere hours before impact and put into artificial hibernation, while a handful of humans in shelters survive the impact on Earth.

(source:wikipedia)

11 questions that frame 2011

WASHINGTON ― President Obama ended a tumultuous 2010 on high notes with the passage of a tax-cut deal, a new nuclear arms treaty with the Russians, and the ending of "don't ask, don't tell" for gay members of the military.

But his Democrats also suffered devastating losses in the November elections, and the economy ended 2010 as it began: in an uneven, uncertain struggle to climb out of the deepest recession since the 1930s.

Now, 11 key questions greet 2011:

― Will the jobs recession finally end?

2010 will almost certainly end with 20 straight months of unemployment over 9% when the December jobs report comes out. Job creation will be Job One leading into the 2012 elections.

― Will there be a crisis-inducing showdown on the federal government's debt limit?

Many of the 84 new Republicans elected to the House of Representatives ran campaign ads criticizing opponents for raising the debt limit. Will they use it as an opportunity to shut down the government, or force deep spending cuts, when the need to raise that limit arrives early in 2011?

― How will the president handle a potential lose-lose situation in his promise to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan as early as July?

Those expecting whole brigades to come marching home may be disappointed; those who want a stable Afghanistan before the U.S.-led forces start pulling out may be, too.

― Will a shaky peace hold on the Korean Peninsula?

2010 ended with more saber rattling between North and South Korea than any time since the truce nearly six decades ago. North Korea ― nuclear-armed, isolated and under sanction – is the proverbial powder keg.

― What will Sarah do?

Sarah Palin is ``prayerfully" considering a presidential run. Unlike many of her potential rivals, she can wait until the latter half of 2011 to declare her intentions. Money and name ID won't be a problem. The GOP '12 field will not be complete until Palin declares one way or another.

― Who emerges as hot, fresh Republican challengers for Obama?

For the first time in recent memory, Republicans don't have a logical next-in-line for the 2012 presidential nomination. Any number of newcomers could step into the breach, especially if Palin doesn't run.

― Can Obama placate his liberal base?

He'll need an energized left to get re-elected in 2012. Liberals were mad at him for a tax deal that keeps breaks for wealthy taxpayers for two more years. But the gay military service breakthrough salved left-wing wounds. A big drawdown of troops from Afghanistan in 2011 might mend that left wing even more.

― Will surviving Democratic moderates play along or defy Obama?

House Blue Dogs staged an insurrection against Nancy Pelosi for leader. But there are far fewer Blue Dogs since the November elections, and they may run with Republicans on issues like deficit reduction.

― Will the Tea Party be as big a force in legislative battles as it was in the election?

We've seen a hint of what might be ahead. In December, a Tea Party backlash helped turn former Republican pork advocates into born-again pork busters after a massive spending bill contained a few billion dollars of pet "earmarks." That bill was rejected.

― Will veteran Democrats stick it out or decide to call it quits leading into the 2012 elections?

Some House Democrats barely won re-election in 2010 and might look at serving in the minority as futile. Democrats or independent allies hold 23 of the 33 Senate seats up for grabs in 2012, several in GOP states.

― Will Americans shake their wrong-track blues?

Surveys show that Americans are more sour on the country's direction and on their leading institutions than they have been in decades. New job creation could topple mountains of doubt. But many of the country's challenges defy short-term fixes, from debt to terrorism.

They are problems for the long haul.

(source:koreatimes.co.kr)

Five Fearless Predictions for 2011

In Washington, 2011 is opening with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Things are going to be different than 2010, but we can't be sure exactly how.

In this moment of uncertainty, I can offer five sure things for 2011.

Media Steeped in Tea

Some of the very same reporters and commentators who spent much of 2010 pondering whether the members of the Tea Party movement were racists, corporate-backed phonies or militia nuts will find a strange new respect for the small-government enthusiasts.

It's won't be because the New York Times will suddenly be taken by the spirit of the Founding Fathers but for the same reason that conservatives so often find mainstream acceptance: for criticizing Republicans. As Tea Party activists complain about wishy-washiness of Republicans in Congress in 2011, they will find the doors to the media establishment thrown open to them.

It might be hypocritical for pressies who once discerned dark motives in the movement to suddenly be trumpeting its message, but that won't make it any less dangerous to Republicans looking to keep their base on board.

A Republican in the White House

As President Obama looks to recover his standing with disenchanted moderates and independents, look for him to find a GOPer to bring into his administration.

Obama appointed four Republicans to top jobs in his first three years.

He tapped Sen. Judd Gregg to head the Commerce Department, but Gregg walked away citing policy disagreements. Obama made former Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood secretary of Transportation, but LaHood's limited portfolio has kept him out of view. Obama also chose New York Rep. John McHugh secretary of the Army, another job with a low public profile. Obama sent Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to China as ambassador, but the faraway posting did little to burnish Obama's reputation for bipartisanship.

As he continues his pivot to the center in the run up to 2012, Obama will need to show that there are Republicans with whom he can work.

Many have put forward former Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, an apostate Republican, as a replacement for Defense Secretary Robert Gates, expected to retire sometime in 2011.

Hagel is widely reviled on the right and had bitter disagreements with his fellow Senate Republicans, so it wouldn't do much in the way of bridge building. And since Hagel endorsed him in 2008, Obama wouldn't be seen as stretching very far. Plus, Hagel is famously headstrong and not known as a team player.

Other potential candidates would have to include Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe. Snowe faces reelection in 2012 and will surely suffer the wrath of conservative Mainers for supporting key parts of the Obama agenda. Plus, with her in his cabinet, Obama would enhance the chances of Democrats picking up her Senate seat.

Dems Break Away on Afghanistan

While President Obama has a large coalition of Republicans and moderate Democrats behind his Afghan war effort, he is on the brink of losing the mainstream of his party on the conflict.

The nation-building effort showed modest progress in 2010, but has also been beset by rising violence and weak allies. A series of reports on corruption in the Karzai government in Kabul and the instability of key ally Pakistan have reinforced Democratic doubts about the Obama surge strategy.

America's main ally in the effort, Britain, has will soon be reducing its presence and the aid from other NATO allies will similarly shrink as brutal austerity measures take hold on the continent. Europeans won't accept cuts to social programs and continued spending on the American-led war.

With tough going ahead and an increased share of the financial burden, liberals in Congress will increasingly buck Obama on his central foreign policy initiative. It's not likely to lead to Congress defunding the war, but it will further fracture Democrats. In fact, with Republicans at the helm in the House, the consequences of opposition will be lower and Democrats will have a freer hand to attack the war and Obama's strategy.

This division will complicate Obama's other efforts that will require Democratic support, including a possible deal with Republicans on tax simplification and entitlement cuts. It will also tend to dampen the hopes for change among the president's political base, much of which was drawn to him for his opposition to the Iraq war and Bush surge there.

Energy Back to the Fore

One of the consolations of a lousy economy has been low energy prices, but as a weak dawn of recovery breaks across the land, that comfort is disappearing.

Big demand for energy in fast-growing nations like China and Russia is driving up costs around the world, as are new regulations from the Obama administration, particularly on the coal industry.

Add to that increased domestic demand and you have the recipe for sky-high prices.

Economists worry that the energy spike, particularly if coupled with inflation in other areas, could kill off the tenuous recovery. But the politics will be interesting, no matter what.

On one hand, higher prices will strengthen Democratic arguments for energy alternatives. But they will also strengthen Republican arguments against any limits on existing sources, particularly President Obama's hard line on offshore oil exploration and new coal mining permits.

A Sordid Sex Scandal

Why should this year be any different than any other in Washington?

Happy New Year.

(source:foxnews.com)

New Year's Eve 2011 around the world

By the time you read this, you may have already seen the fireworks in Sydney. One of the first major cities to cross into the new year, Sydney’s celebration is often broadcast around the world. It’s also one of the world’s largest New Year’s Eve celebrations – the Guardian reports that at least 1.5 million people were expected to gather around Sydney Harbor (roughly 500,000 more than the number of folks expected in New York's Times Square) to watch the fireworks display.

So many people wanted to gather around the harbor that police said they had to cut off entrance to the area around the harbor at 3 p.m. Some people camped out the night before to make sure they could snag a spot, AOL News reported.

2010 year in review: Revival and change

Remember the saying, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times?" For Metro Detroit, the year 2010 was neither.

Thankfully.

It was a year of recovery and change as the region took the first steps to dig out from a decade of job loss, economic decline and corruption. After a brutal industrywide restructuring, our carmakers began to find their footing — and profits. City Hall started cleaning up as Bing replaced bling. Unemployment dropped from the nation's worst. And the gridlock in Lansing, for better or worse, seemed set to end.

Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Co. continued to recover from federally backed bankruptcies, with GM going public in November. Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. earned $6.37billion, making it the most profitable carmaker in the world.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing moved ahead with plans to consolidate neighborhoods in a city that has shrunk from nearly 2 million to less than 900,000. But the prison population threatened to swell as racketeering indictments were issued against convicted ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father and cronies.

Voters swept incumbents, especially Democrats, out of Lansing, installing Republican Gov.-elect Rick Snyder and a Republican-controlled Legislature in hopes of breaking years of political paralysis. The state economy bottomed out and began bouncing back, with unemployment dropping 2.2 percentage points from a worst-in-the-nation 14.6 percent last Dec. 31.

In sports, the Wolverines and Tigers faltered and the Pistons went to the auction block — maybe to a new downtown stadium. We ended the year without Ernie Harwell and Sparky Anderson. And just to prove anything can happen if we wait long enough, the hapless Lions ended 2010 with three straight wins.

We gave up smoking in bars but got to buy booze on Sundays. We tuned in "Detroit 1-8-7," cheered Eminem's new hit, missed the striking Detroit Symphony and prayed for Aretha.

In short, 2010 was a year that inspires only the briefest New Year's toast: "Better days." And while that's a wish for tomorrow, it's also a weary sigh that the worst seems to be behind us.

(source:detnews.com)

2010 News Year In Review

January

A combustion fire engulfed Jersey Mike’s restaurant on Eastwood Road in the Lumina Commons shopping center.

Retired Wrightsville Beach Police Lieutenant Michael Bruce Lassiter passed away.

Hugh Trey Sandlin pled guilty for assaulting Jud Gee in Wrightsville Beach last year. Sandlin was sentenced to four months and three years probation, but given credit for time served. The brutal attack, which left Gee hospitalized for five weeks suffering multiple injuries and broken bones, sent ripples throughout the community.

An $86,500 budget deficit was discovered by county tax officials.

Injured pelicans began washing onto local beaches once again; authorities renew search for perpetrator.

Several dozen Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach doctors and nurses left for Cap Haitien to render medical aid to injured Haitian earthquake victims. The group was led by Dr. Ken White, who has ongoing involvement in Medical Missions International in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Family and friends of the late Bobby D. Dowless walked from King Neptune restaurant to the beach strand during a Celebration of Life. Dowless, a Wrightsville Beach volunteer firefighter in the ‘80s, passed away on Dec. 31, 2009.

The Wrightsville Beach Museum of History held its annual meeting with an unusually large number of people in attendance.

The town of Wrightsville Beach, Mayor David Cignotti and the board of aldermen awarded the Nancy Faye Craig Volunteer of the Year award to volunteer firefighters Capt. Bill Ivins and Steve Lewis.

February

A large group of citizens gathered outside the New Hanover County Courthouse before the county commissioners’ meeting to protest the Titan America cement plant.

Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau president Kim Hufham delivered the industry’s 2008-09 annual report which showed New Hanover County as eighth among the state’s 100 counties, and the second most lucrative coastal county as far as tourism.

The expanded presence of metered parking on Wrightsville beach, plus increases in fees and fines headlined the regular agenda during the town’s board of aldermen meeting.

A dispute over the usage of private waste haulers exposed a new rift between the Blockade Runner Beach Resort and the Town of Wrightsville Beach, with one side decrying the town’s waste operation and the other stressing the importance of Wrightsville’s exclusive right to handle trash disposal.

James Fred Rippy III, former president of Rippy Automotive, passed away.

The Wrightsville Beach Merchants Association hosted a celebrity fundraising event at King Neptune, where Mayor David Cignotti was the guest bartender.

Wrightsville Beach had a snow day!

The board of aldermen voted to increase parking fees to $1.50 per hour.

Following a ribbon-cutting, Wrightsville Beach unveiled its new municipal joint-use pier, home to both the town’s law enforcement boat and the city’s fire rescue boat.

The Great Lakes Dredge Company began dredging Banks Channel as part of the four-year beach renourishment plan.

It was discovered that Wilmington Industrial Development Inc., an economic development organization which collects hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars from area municipalities and governments, paid its CEO Scott Satterfield $303,669 in fiscal year 2008.

Economist Dr. Woody Hall addressed the Wrightsville Beach Chamber of Commerce on the national, state and local economic outlook, and predicted that the state would end in all-around better shape than the nation this year.

New Hanover County’s No Discharge Zone became official 18 months after the application was initiated by the Town of Wrightsville Beach.

Wrightsville Beach was denied

$3.6 million in transportation funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

An $11.356 million county budget deficit was exacerbated by a request for $1.832 million from the New Hanover County Board of Education, bringing the total shortfall to more than $13 million.

March

Fifty-three candidates filed for 15 seats for the 2010 midterm elections in New Hanover County.

The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen voted to uphold the limit of two seasonal parking passes issued to town residents per property.

A New Hanover County watchdog group led by Rick Catlin visited Washington, D.C., lawmakers as part of the North Carolina Water Resource Congress to address key issues that will surface along our coastline next year.

During a joint meeting, the board of aldermen tasked the planning board with a survey of resident conversion of town-owned streets.

Mayor David Cignotti led the board of aldermen through a 32-item retreat at the Fran Russ Center, forecasting the 2010-11 year to come.

The beach renourishment project ended several weeks early.

The Coastal Resource Commission debated terminating the 25-year terminal groin ban.

During budget talks, county commissioners leaned in favor of sustaining employee furloughs, holding back parks and college bonds and slashing funding for outside agencies.

Wilmington City Council passed a 90-day moratorium, and New Hanover County passed a 60-day moratorium, on cyber sweepstakes parlors as a result of public hearings.

Former Wrightsville Beach mayor Herbert Pope McKim passed away.

The Wrightsville Beach Marketing Committee discussed how technology may shift destination marketing for Wrightsville Beach.

The county considered tax increases and service cuts due to dire budget issues.

The Wrightsville Beach Merchants Association hosted a second celebrity bartending fundraiser at King Neptune, with Rick Catlin as guest bartender. All proceeds benefited the WBMA’s joint beautification project with the Town of Wrightsville Beach and the Harbor Island Garden Club.

April

New parking meters were installed on Old Causeway Drive.

Wrightsville Beach Mayor David Cignotti retired from a 23-year career of public service as a school administrator in order to devote more time to serve as an elected official.

Wrightsville re-energized its marketing by focusing on social media.

Gas prices were expected to continue increasing to more than $3 per gallon.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission concluded a six-month study of the feasibility and advisability of the use of terminal groins as an erosion control device for coastal North Carolina. The study determined that the use of terminal groins, in combination with beach renourishment, can be effective at controlling erosion at the ends of barrier islands.

The New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority steered $353,400 toward Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue.

Judson Gee, who was viciously attacked in September 2009, drafted a thank-you letter that was read during the board of aldermen meeting that thanked the town for its support throughout his recovery.

In its battle to close a $13 million budget deficit, New Hanover County issued sharp warnings that Airlie Gardens may be sold off, closed and cleared for development.

New Hanover County commissioners began pushing a quarter-cent tax increase to help soften the budget deficit.

U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre lauded the New Hanover County 2010 beach renourishment efforts, declaring it a project of regional and national significance.

The Court of Appeals once again heard oral arguments in the coastal insurance rate hike case when the Department of Insurance defended its jurisdiction over coastal communities.

County commission chairman Jason Thompson placed emphasis on the county’s far-reaching initiatives to provide quality of life services and highlighted the county’s progress despite its financial status during his dynamic, well-attended state of the county address.

The Wrightsville Beach Planning Board voted unanimously to pass on a favorable recommendation to allow Tower 7 to partially remove a wall inside the Saffo Building.

Developers dominated the list of delinquent tax notices that county officials will begin collecting, with more than $5.56 million in back taxes owed by 4,562 New Hanover County property owners.

Construction of the new public safety facility approached its final phase.

The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to prohibit the use of groins, breakwaters and jetties within the town’s inland waterways.

Shawn Braden, vice president of marketing for the Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, rolled out a new marketing campaign that emphasized rebuilding room occupancy in local hotels and lodgings.

Officials confirmed that water and sewer rates will increase 14 percent for all customers of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority.

May

Tryouts for Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue ended May 2 with more than 50 hopeful candidates.

Primary elections were held Tuesday, May 4. Brian Berger called for a second primary challenging incumbent county commissioner Bill Caster.

Wake county Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens applied the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) to Titan’s proposed cement plant.

The pending sale of Orton Plantation was announced May 6 by members of the Lawrence Sprunt family.

A non-smoking ordinance for Wrightsville Beach fell one vote short of approval.

Wrightsville Beach Police Officer Chris Kelly was named Officer of the Year.

The WBMA endorsed Family Movie Night in Wrightsville Beach Park.

Strong rip current warnings took over Wrightsville Beach.

Fire ripped through a Greensboro Street home causing more than $75,000 in damage. The cause of the fire was later determined to be smoking material.

Town staff discussed tax increases and sacrificing cost of living and benefits to balance the budget.

Boaters 25 years old and younger now must show proof that they successfully completed an authorized safe boating class in order to operate a vessel equipped with 10 horsepower or greater engine in public waterways.

Stormwater Manager Steve Dellies was presented with the 2009 Pelican Award by the North Carolina Coastal Federaion.

June

Attendees of the 26th annual Harbor Island Lobster Fest enjoyed fresh lobsters while helping to raise funds for the Church of the Servant.

During the Memorial Day celebrations, a naked streaker was tased by sheriff’s deputies; and Jedadiah Woodcock was accused of striking two pedestrians on Causeway Drive.

The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to relocate the town’s pierhead line after the three-year debate between property owners of the Moorings and members of the Seapath Marina and Yacht Club.

A litter awareness task force was appointed to examine the town’s litter ordinance and brainstorm ways to educate the public about its littering laws.

Three of Wrightsville Beach’s aldermen won their attempt to hold the line on the proposed property tax increase to 1.9 cents at a final budget workshop.

The historic firehouse pole was dedicated at the new public safety facility.

Local emergency management agencies began preparations to head off disaster should the Gulf Coast oil spill reach North Carolina shores.

Board of aldermen and bar owners that operate in the town’s central business district met to review a new bar proposal and unresolved noise issues.

New York-based money manager Guy Albert de Chimay, alleged to have siphoned millions of investor dollars into his personal bank account, was arrested in Wrightsville Beach.

Hours after Wrightsville Beach bar owners and elected officials held a discussion about the town’s nightlife, a large and unruly crowd appeared in the central business district, where verbal altercations and multiple fights were reported.

Steve Dellies made a final presentation following the completion of the town’s public safety facility. The ribbon was cut the following day.

University of North Carolina Wilmington researchers prepared for the oil slick by collecting samples around Wrightsville Beach.

Brian Berger claimed the ballot box in the Republican primary runoff against incumbent Bill Caster.

The 2010-11 county budget was approved as a slimmed down

$254 million spending plan that raised the property tax rate by 1.3 cents and eventually tacked on an additional quarter-penny to the county’s sales tax rate.

Candidate for New Hanover County commissioner Rick Catlin was awarded the Engineer of the Year Award by the Professional Engineers of North Carolina.

July

The Senate passed a bill regarding an impending ban on Internet sweepstakes.

Senate candidates debated offshore drilling, financial reform, economic growth and illegal immigration.

Masonboro.org kicked off the July Fourth weekend with volunteers hoping to educate and create awareness about the need to keep Masonboro Island clean.

Wildlife officers cracked down on intoxicated boaters during Fourth of July weekend.

Fearing the recent court order that delayed Titan America’s cement project in New Hanover County, business and economic development groups pushed through the state senate an amendment to narrow a 39-year-old rule requiring certain projects to undergo an environmental review.

With a $5,000 donation from Hope from Helen and the endorsement of the Wrightsville Beach Merchants Association and the Surfrider Foundation, the town installed six recycling corrals on the beach access.

Wrightsville Beach unveiled plans for a new public works sanitation program aimed at educating residents about proper disposal of yard debris, construction debris and hazardous material through the use of colorful stickers.

A majority in the New Hanover County commission voted to pass a resolution supporting Arizona’s controversial new immigration policy.

The Blockade Runner Beach Resort announced it will continue to pursue a parking deck to remedy the parking situation at its existing lot after a North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the Wrightsville Beach decision to reject the four-story deck plans submitted four years ago.

After county commission hopeful Justin LaNasa’s elections protest was tossed aside for lack of evidence, he announced his plans to file a lawsuit in the Wake County Superior Court.

The Wrightsville Beach Marketing Committee’s event subcommittee, led by Bob Butler promoted Wrightsville Beach-based events and earned national media coverage by sending press releases to a database of journalists and media contacts statewide in an effort to drum up tourism.

The Cleaner Greener Wrightsville Beach Committee met for the first time and agreed to break off into three subcommittees.

Thirteen-year-old Kendall Parker was bitten by a shark near Mason Inlet. Experts blamed warmer waters for the increase in attacks along the coast.

James Galloway and his son Steven Galloway dumped approximately 14,300 pounds of oyster shells into the marshlands and tidal creeks of Wrightsville Beach’s Lollipop Bay as part of the recently initiated $5 million federal stimulus project.

Mayor Pro Tem Bill Blair looked to save the town money by reducing the number of public meetings from two per month to one.

An event stage was approved for Wrightsville Beach Park.

A 16-year-old driver was eating cake behind the wheel of her car when the vehicle crashed on the Heide Trask drawbridge, smashing into the concrete guardrail.

Gov. Beverly Perdue signed a 25 percent film incentive into law.

August

The Wrightsville Beach Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee began discussing widening the John Nesbitt Loop.

FirstBank foreclosed on the 1.1-acre project site owned by Seascape, signifying the first mixed-use development project approved by Wrightsville Beach officially failed.

The Wrightsville Beach Marketing Committee ditched a news release promoting an upcoming surfing event because the Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau beat it to the punch, causing strain between the two agencies.

A local homeowners’ association requested the speed limit along West Salisbury Street be lowered from

45 mph to 35 mph.

In a record-breaking day for lifeguards at Wrightsville Beach, 214 swimmers were pulled to safety from treacherous rip currents cause by Tropical Storm Colin.

A fight involving six nonresidents in the Wrightsville Beach central business district resulted in a stabbing. Nicholas Anthony Irrera was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced tougher emission standards for mercury, particle pollution and other harmful pollutants, identifying Portland cement manufacturers as the third-largest source of mercury air emissions in the U.S.

The Cleaner Greener Advisory Committee aimed its focus at getting cigarette butts off the beach strand.

Wrightsville Beach Town Manager rated the North Carolina beach town in the top 2 percent of all others nationwide in economic performance.

In the budget closeout for fiscal year 2009-2010, town finance director Peggy Jones reflected a 101 percent return on revenue projects and an $860,000 reduction in expenditures.

The board of aldermen gave a green light to Green Coast Recycling, when elected officials unanimously agreed to an exclusive franchise agreement with the recycling provider.

Lisa Paulos Shea, 45, of Gahanna, Ohio, drowned just south of Crystal Pier while she was vacationing with her family.

Wrightsville Beach Police searched for two individuals suspected of committing credit card fraud at a Wilmington big box discount chain store.

The Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau claimed rights to promote major events, after confusion over whether it or the Wrightsville Beach Marketing Committee should market Wrightsville Beach events.

Town aldermen voted unanimously to expand the commercial parking pass program midseason with the adoption of an amendment to the town’s parking ordinance.

The Wrightsville Beach Merchants Association announced a $1,650 treasury—proceeds from three celebrity bartending events—and then doled out $1,250 to local nonprofits to support community events.

U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre faced challenger Illario Pantano during a debate for the 7th Congressional District at the Cape Fear Community College North Campus.

Terry Jermaine Whitaker, of Durham, was arrested in Wrightsville Beach for cruelty to animals and misdemeanor child abuse.

Pilings were placed for the Wrightsville United Methodist Church to prepare for the new fellowship hall addition.

The Cleaner Greener Advisory Committee met for its fourth meeting and discussed the differences between micro and macro trash.

The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department began investigating two cases of larceny that occurred on boats anchored at Masonboro Island.

September

The Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to meet once a month, on the second Thursday of each month.

Private property located at No. 2 Shore Drive adjacent to Island Drive Mini Park was cited by the town’s planning and inspections department for multiple encroachment violations.

The cause of a South Lumina house fire in August was determined to have been caused by a lightning strike.

Dr. Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Bordeaux passed away.

Wrightsville Beach’s fire, police, and ocean rescue personnel moved into the town’s new public safety facility.

It was a fairly quiet Labor Day weekend for Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue, although an un-named middle-aged man was stung by a stingray.

A North Carolina Department of Transportation official shut down the fire department’s seventh annual Fill the Boot collection effort, citing a state statute that prohibited the firefighters from soliciting donations on a state-maintained road.

Planning and inspections director Tony Wilson invited area architects to the planning board meeting to discuss roof heights, floating setbacks and their practical applications.

The Lumina Commons Blockbuster store closed.

A flagpole, presented by Woodmen of the World, was dedicated outside the Northeast Regional Library, marking the ninth anniversary of the

Sept. 11 attacks.

Two resolutions won unanimous passage during the board of aldermen meeting. The first, put forth by Mayor David Cignotti, called for support of the Supreme Court ruling ordering a full SEPA review of the Titan Cement Company’s plan to operate a plant in New Hanover County. The second resolution supported a Surfrider Foundation request to oppose exploratory oil and natural gas drilling off the North Carolina coast.

In light of recent disagreements between the Wrightsville Beach Marketing Committee and the Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, WBMC member Bob Butler suggested his events subcommittee could back out and leave events promotion to other agencies. Chairman Sue Bulluck respectfully rejected that offer, causing Butler to agree to reconvene for further discussions.

Deborah Butler and Sid Causey are the two Democrats running to become the New Hanover County commissioners.

The Wilmington City Council unanimously approved a groundbreaking set of criteria for recommendations on issuing North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control permits.

The New Hanover County commissioners approved funding for a study on beach renourishment options.

October

Sales Tax rose 0.25 percent on Friday, Oct. 1, to a total of 8 percent in New Hanover County.

Seventh District incumbent and Democratic candidate U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre and Republican challenger Illario Pantano —talked small business and health care through aggressive campaigning.

North Carolina’s 9th District state Senate candidates—Thom Goolsby and Jim Leutze—focused on tackling one of the General Assembly’s biggest issues—state budget cuts.

Incumbent Sheriff Ed McMahon and former deputy and challenger, Marc Benson talked about trust.

Wilmington City Council voted to turn part of Oleander Drive into a Transition District that would allow light retail, among other uses, on some parcels that had been zoned residential.

New Hanover County commissioners ratified a contract with R3 Environmental to take over waste operations.

After more than a year of discussion, the Wrightsville Beach Planning Board sent its revamped nonconforming structure and nonconforming use ordinance to town attorney John Wessell to search for legal loopholes.

The Wrightsville Beach Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee voted to recommend enhancements to the John Nesbitt Loop to the board of aldermen.

Beth Dawson and Susi Hamilton, candidates for the N.C. District 18 House seat said they will cross party lines to serve the diverse constituency.

Eight candidates running for open seats on the New Hanover County Board of Education agree redistricting is still a hot topic but not worth revisiting before growth and economic shifts arise again.

The North Carolina DOT began maintenance work on the first of the two bridges that bisect the town over Banks Channel.

Wrightsville Sound Small Area planners and stakeholders met.

U.S. Senate candidates, Mike Beitler, Richard Burr and Elaine Marshall, addressed saving small businesses, health reform and immigration.

Wrightsville Beach aldermen voted 3-2 against pursuing a North Carolina DOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant, a possible source of money to seed a feasibility study of pedestrian needs paving the way for an expansion of the Loop.

Bob Butler resigned from the Wrightsville Beach Marketing Committee following a request from Mayor David Cignotti.

Wrightsville Beach officials met with engineers from the NCDOT and other transportation and planning officials to discuss traffic signals, signage and traffic flow.

Lillian Salcines Bright, Superior Court clerk candidate challenged Jan Kennedy, an assistant clerk who had worked in the office since 1993, saying it’s time for fresh perspectives.

The race between incumbent District 5 Court Judge Rebecca Weathers Blackmore and challenger Jonathan Washburn was a contest between judicial experience and life experience.

Former UNCW Chancellor Jim Leutze, Democratic candidate for N.C. Senate, spoke at the Get Off Your Butt and Vote Beach Party at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort.

Debate was sparked during "Economic Development: A Collaborative Effort" organized by the Realtors Commercial Alliance of Southeastern North Carolina, an affiliate of the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors at Shell Island.

November

A grant from the Landfall Foundation was awarded to assist the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History with the purchase of equipment to digitize photographs to be made available to the public.

Polls drew to a close on Tuesday, Nov. 2, Election Day 2010.

McIntyre was re-elected to the U.S. Congress for the 7th district.

Republicans swept county commission and school board elections.

Hogston and Kennedy won open judge and clerk seats.

Wrightsville Beach and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources conducted two dye water flow tests in Banks Channel to determine the cause of perennial swimming advisories.

Wrightsville Beach Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee discussed implementing new youth programs.

Community activists crowded UNCW’s Lumina Theater for a Stop Titan Rally.

New Hanover County Commissioners voted to place a preservation easement on Airlie Gardens which will stymie future land development.

Mayor of Wrightsville Beach David Cignotti spoke in protest to offshore drilling.

The Wrightsville Beach Marketing Committee members created a new website design.

Alderman Bill Sisson cited a skewed Cleaner Greener survey.

The Wrightsville Beach Planning Board nominated David Culp and Darryl Mills to serve on the town’s Unified Development Ordinance committee.

The Historic Landmark Commission approved a historic designation application for an East Augusta Street cottage.

A ban prohibiting the outdoor release of balloons passed on a 3-2 vote.

Elected officials from the three New Hanover County Beaches met to discuss common issues.

The Cleaner Greener Advisory Committee held its final meeting.

December

Gov. Bev Perdue cited biotechnology as a key to the state’s economic recovery during a visit to UNCW’s Center for Marine Science.

The Cleaner Greener Wrightsville Beach Advisory Committee wrapped up six month’s of study, made recommendations to board of aldermen.

The Wrightsville Area Small Plan exceeded three-meeting limit and scheduled a fourth to air stakeholders’ concerns.

Local businessman Jim Wallace filed for personal bankruptcy.

County commissioners unanimously endorsed a proposal for an Airlie Road Scenic Byway designation.

Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure beaches endorsed a joint resolution to utilize room occupancy tax dollars to pursue beach town branding, furlough Cape Fear Coast.

Jonathan Barfield, former vice chair of the New Hanover County Commission, was unanimously appointed chair by a vote of his peers. Jason Thompson, former chair, slid into the No. 2 seat.

Brian Berger and Rick Catlin were seated as New Hanover County commissioners.

Wrightsville Beach Alderman Lisa Weeks was unanimously appointed Mayor Pro Tem for a one-year term. Former Mayor Pro Tem Bill Blair took a bow.

Danielle Richardet’s film "Our Daily Ocean: A Story of Butts" was taped on Wrightsville Beach.

Room occupancy tax revenues released through October indicated eight months of consecutive increases.

Gov. Bev Perdue’s plans to streamline state government earned the nod of approval by Rep. Danny McComas and local lawmakers-elect Susi Hamilton and Thom Goolsby.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve artificial turf for Legion Stadium.

County granted R3 Environmental a 90 day extension.

Tom Ames received a 35-year service award during the town employee’s annual luncheon.

George "Pete" Saffo passes away.

(source:luminanews.com)