Home Care In Wrightsville Beach, NC

Steve McMillan

The Harbor Island Garden Club is sponsoring a Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker placement on Wrightsville Beach.

Blue Star Memorial Markers honor veterans for their service to our country. There are over 3,000 markers throughout the United States, and now there will be a new stop in Wrightsville Beach.

The markers are of three types.

Blue Star Memorial Highway Markers are placed along highways. In North Carolina, there are more than 1,000 miles in the Blue Star Highway network operated in partnership with the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Blue Star Memorial Markers are placed at non-highway locations, including national cemeteries and veterans medical centers.

Blue Star By-Way Markers are placed in historic sites, civic gardens and parks.

The Blue Star originates from World War II, when the symbol was seen on flags or banners in the homes of families that had a son or daughter in the service.

The markers originated in New Jersey in 1944. The president of the Garden Club of New Jersey and the roadside chairman wanted to honor the state’s World War II veterans with a living memorial. The club planted 8,000 flowering dogwood trees with the aim to plant one for every man and woman from New Jersey who served during the war.

The program quickly caught on, and in 1945 the National Council of State Garden Clubs approved a project for a national coast-to-coast Blue Star connected highway and seven north-to-south routes.

There are 110 Blue Star and Gold Star markers in North Carolina. The addition of a Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker to Wrightsville Beach ties the Harbor Island Garden Club to garden clubs across the country.

The Wrightsville Beach marker has been several years in the making. Leigh Kelly, a member of the Harbor Island Garden Club, suggested the club add a Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker to the town. Her father is a veteran, and after attending a state meeting, Kelly was inspired to bring one to Wrightsville Beach.

North Carolina has the highest number of Blue Star markers in the country, and club members felt it was important to bring one to Wrightsville.

“My dad was in the Marine Corps and my son is in the Air Force. We are excited and moved by the opportunity to pay tribute to the residents and visitors of Wrightsville Beach who have served in our armed forces on behalf of the Harbor Island Garden Club,” says club president Ashley Miller.

The National Garden Club requires that a garden be built around the sign.

The Harbor Island Garden Club’s vision is for the garden to be a place where veterans can come and have a small space of peace and an attraction for everyone.

“The Harbor Island Garden Club aims to create a patriotic garden around the marker, with red, white and blue flowers,” says Kim Wilt, chair of the Blue Star committee. “It’s about veterans and honoring them.”

The Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker will be dedicated Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. The event will be held at the greenway space at the intersection of Keel Street and Old Causeway Drive.

The Harbor Island Garden Club would like as many veterans as possible to attend, so they and their families can be recognized. The public is also invited.

Jon Evans from WECT will serve as the master of ceremonies, light refreshments will be served, patriotic music will be played, and Wilt and Zeke Partin, a chair of the Blue Star Memorial Marker program, will provide a history.

“As a Marine Corps, Vietnam veteran I think I can speak for all veterans to express our heartfelt thanks for the Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker being erected. These memorials serve to remind veterans that people do care. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Harbor Island Garden Club and the Town of Wrightsville Beach for their hard work and dedication in bringing this historic memorial to our town,” says Joe Partin, a veteran and Zeke Partin’s husband.

Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker DedicationNovember 9th at 2 p.m.At the intersection of Keel Street and Old Causeway Drive, Wrightsville Beach.

The Harbor Island Garden Club would like as many veterans as possible to attend, so they and their families can be recognized. The public is also invited.

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — After a petition garnering more than 500 signatures went live last month accusing the Wrightsville Beach fire chief of creating a toxic work environment, Josh Haraway is now on administrative leave.

READ MORE: WB Board of Aldermen to hold special meeting Jan. 17 to discuss public employee

A Wrightsville Beach alderman confirmed the news to PCD Friday.

“My understanding from the interim town manager is that Chief Haraway is on administrative leave, pending an investigation by a third party that has begun,” Mayor Pro Tem Hank Miller wrote in an email.

Miller added he was limited on information at the time, due to it being a personnel matter.

Port City Daily reached out to the interim town manager, Tony Wilson, for more information; however, he cited it a personnel matter as well, without further comment.

According to the North Carolina Press Association’s Amanda Martin, personnel statutes require governments to provide the media some information when it comes to municipal staffing. GS 160A-168 indicates information can be shared on: “(9) Date and type of each promotion, demotion, transfer, suspension, separation, or other change in position classification with that municipality.”

PCD has asked the town how much Haraway was making, if his administrative leave is paid and if he received any raises during his time there. Haraway took over as the town’s fire chief in 2022; Wilson said he would send the requests to human resources officer Cindy McGrady.

Stepping in as interim fire chief is Matt Holland, who has been with the department for 18 years. Holland confirmed with PCD Haraway went on administrative leave at the same time town manager Tim Owens retired.

Mayor Darryl Mills announced last month during a meeting regarding parking at Wrightsville Beach that Owens would retire. Alderman Ken Dull told PCD it was effective immediately but also praised Owens.

“Tim’s been a great manager and he’s been working on planning retirement,” Dull said at the time.

CATCH UP: Wrightsville Beach town manager retires, effective immediately

Owens was also implicated in the petition regarding Haraway.

“WBFD personnel were told we are no longer allowed to go to HR if we have a problem, but we must go through Chief Haraway and the town manager first,” the petition claims.

The petition was started by the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department and Ocean Rescue staff and is marked now closed. Holland confirmed he did not sign it.

“I’m aware of the complaints in the petition but don’t know a ton of details about it,” he said.

The petition was posted to Change.org on Jan. 11 as a letter expressing a “vote of no confidence” in its leadership

“In the nearly two years since Chief Haraway’s hiring at WBFD, his actions have diminished the services our fire department is able to provide to our community, as well as made our citizens and employees less safe,” petitioners stated. “He has created a culture of fear, mistrust, and authoritarianism within a line of work that requires confidence, trust, and teamwork.”

The staff stated in the petition they attempted to correct issues within the department but were met with dismissive behavior from Haraway, noting “at times [he] retaliated against employees for speaking out.”

Allegations in the petition included:

The Wrightsville Beach Board of Alderman held a special meeting last month in closed session to go over a personnel matter and would not confirm what the meeting was in regards to, due to statute NCGS 143-318.11(a)(6). The statute allows closed meetings to “consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee.”

Two days later Owens retired, effective immediately.

Mills told PCD at the time the town was taking the allegations in the petition seriously: “And we’re going to look into it and investigate it and take appropriate action that may be warranted.”

Thursday night’s Wrightsville Beach town meeting included a resolution signed off by the aldermen to seek the assistance of the North Carolina League of Municipalities to help with the search for Owens’ replacement.

Wilson and Miller met with representatives last week and according to the mayor the town has utilized the NCLM services before.

“None of this is meant as a reflection on what Tony is doing for us; he’s doing a fine job as acting town manager,” he added. “He is also a building inspector and enforcement officer, so he can’t do this indefinitely.”

Miller added Wilson didn’t have interest in maintaining the role.

The mayor thanked the town staff for “keeping the machine going” while the town worked through its management change.

When asked if the town was also searching for a new fire chief, Wilson said he could not comment as the investigation continues.

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After a series of logistics hurdles, Daytoon Distributors – the people behind Blue Shark Vodka – are preparing to launch Hacienda Chactun Tequila in January. A shipment of their blano tequila is safely in their Wilmington facility.

But on Dec. 21, cyber criminals stole 19,000 bottles of the reposado tequila, said Mark Milliken, a retired admiral and CEO of the tequila brand. While some details are confidential due to the ongoing investigation, it’s believed the thieves infiltrated the company’s logistics network, manipulating GPS systems to divert the trucks to an unknown location.

“That’s ten years of work,” said Mark Bloomquist, chair of Daytoon Distributors. “I'm shocked and disgusted... They’ve put a ding in this, but we will be back. We have only just begun."

Wrightsville Beach-based Daytoon, which also makes Summer Storm Sophisticated Moonshine, has had varieties of a Mexican-made tequila in the works for more than a decade. Officials are calling it the Grinch Tequila Heist.

“We’ve poured our hearts and souls into crafting this exceptional liquor," said Geoffrey Losee, outside counsel for Daytoon. "Now, thanks to these digital Scrooges, our launch has been thrown into disarray.”

Bloomquist said the shipment was valued at $380,000.

A logistics team working with a major trucking company was given constant updates on the shipment going from Mexico to North Carolina. But the updates turned out to be fictional and the driver, not real, Bloomquist said. In fact, they believe the fictional driver even sent fake photos of traffic and a flat tire. Police and federal authorities now believe the shipment is in California.

Daytoon isn't the only spirits company to experience such a heist. About 21,000 bottles of Crystal Head Vodka from Dan Ackroyd were stolen in 2011 and more than half-a-million dollars' worth of Hennessey Cognac were part of a 2014 heist. Earlier this year, thieves stole more than $1.6 million worth of alcohol from a distribution company in Florida.

Daytoon is still planning their tequila launch.

“We plan to still launch in January with our blanco product and begin to meet demands with blanco and reposado by February,” Milliken said in a press release. “We want our customers to know this upset will have no effect on pricing.”

A series of launch parties begins on Jan. 5 with an event at Catch restaurant in Wilmington. Chef Keith Rhodes is planning a special multi-course dinner with dishes like chicharro?nes and poblanos with a pecan cream sauce and paired cocktails. On Saturday, King Neptune in Wrightsville Beach is hosting a tasting beginning at 5 p.m. with cocktails and specials from chef Nick Chavez. The following weekend, there's another party scheduled at Lumina on Wrightsville Beach resort. On Jan 14, restaurateurs Miguel and Ramo?n Villasen?or of Los Portales and Tequila Comida & Cantina are planning specials at all of their restaurant ahead of the tequila's statewide availability.

"Thieves will not damper our celebration.," Bloomquist said. "I am disgusted but unwavering in my commitment to this launch in North Carolina."

He added that he plans to offer a $25,000 reward for information about the heist and to bring more bottles of the reposado to market. And a launch of anejo tequila launch is planned for later in 2024.

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at [email protected].

Molly Wilhelm

Two local beaches retain their beauty and adventure even throughout the cooler months, according to Visit NC's 5 Offseason North Carolina Beach Trips list.

These two offseason locations exist here in the local area, ready to provide winter visitors with a variety of "land-based adventures and cultural attractions," all with the perks of lessened traffic and smaller crowds, according to Visit NC.

What else sets these beach towns apart?

Southport

Southport ranked No. 3 on the travel webpage's list.

Widely known as the location for the cinematic-adaption of the Nicholas Sparks novel "Safe Haven," this town's beauty is already a well-established allure.

In addition, Visit NC titles Southport a "premier paddling destination," thanks to its location "straddling the Cape Fear River, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean."

The webpage urges visitors to make a trip to the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport, indulge in paddling tour with the Adventure Kayak Company, and explore Bald Head Island, which is only two miles offshore of Southport.

Bald Head Island is home to the state's "largest swath of maritime forest" and the oldest lighthouse, known as Old Baldy, according to the Visit NC list.

More on Southport:This Brunswick County town is one of the friendliest in NC, according to World Atlas

Wrightsville Beach

While summer crowds dissipate in the colder months, "the town's charm remains," Visit NC writes.

For this reason, Wrightsville Beach ranked No. 5 on the travel webpage's list

Explore the coastline through paddling or explore buffered inland waterways, such as Town Creek or Black River, Visit NC suggests.

Visit NC also highlights Wrightsville Beach's proximity to downtown Wilmington, which is "loaded with enticing cultural attractions," according to the webpage.

The Cameron Art Musuem, Wilmington Railroad Musuem, and Burgwin-Wright House are listed as must-see attractions.

Wilmington's historical district is highlighted as the largest in the state.

The annual Cucalorus Film Festival highlights Wilmington's creative side, according to Visit NC.

Other North Carolina Offseason Beaches

Three other North Carolina beach towns made the Visit NC list.

Manteo, Beaufort and Nags Head all remain prime vacation locations even throughout the winter months, according to Visit NC.

The travel webpage provides more details about the attractions of each of these beach town locations here.

An online petition, claiming to be from staff of the town’s fire department and ocean rescue team, levels a host of allegations at Wrightsville Beach Fire Chief Josh Haraway, including misconduct and mismanagement. Mayor Darryl Mills said the town can't comment on personnel issues — but that they're taking the allegations seriously.

On January 11, unnamed staff at the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department (WBFD) started an online petition, presented as a vote of ‘no-confidence’ for their fire chief, Josh Haraway. He was hired in March 2022, after the former chief, Glen Rogers, left in November 2021.

The petition has garnered 398 signatures as of Tuesday, January 16. WHQR has confirmed that at least some of the petition’s authors are WBFD staff; however, those staff members wanted to remain anonymous, saying their goal was to ensure the town looked into their concerns.

There are several allegations in the petition; first, those claiming to be full-time staff and members of the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department and Ocean Rescue say they were “dissatisfi[ed]” with Haraway’s performance, calling the petition a vote of “no confidence”.

They accuse the chief of making the town “less safe” and for creating a “culture of fear, mistrust, and authoritarianism.”

The petition says they’ve previously tried to resolve these issues with the chief, but that he had been “dismissive and at times retaliated against employees for speaking out.”

They then proceed to detail eight specific accusations against him: (1) incidences where no fire personnel were left on the island to respond to emergencies; (2) not following FEMA and NFPA procedures about responding to the active shooter on Scotch Bonnet Lane, part of a larger series of shootings across Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach; (3) making sexist and degrading comments toward female staff (the petition claims six of seven female employees have left during Haraway’s tenure); (4) causing another employee to go on leave because of a “hostile work environment” under Haraway; (5) terminating an employee because he asked a state agency about training requirements; (6) mishandling human resource complaints; (7) deploying an emergency vehicle not equipped for beach responses; and (8) showing a lack of support for the volunteer fire program, mentioning several volunteers who have left.

WHQR reached out to the town on Friday, January 12, to see if they had any comments on these allegations or the call of no confidence for Haraway.

Wrightsville Beach Mayor Darryl Mills said, “this pertains to personnel matters so I cannot discuss it. That said, the Board of Aldermen takes the allegations seriously and are taking steps to investigate and appropriate action will be taken if warranted.”

Haraway was also asked to comment on the allegations against him, but did not respond.

Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen has called a special meeting for Wednesday, January 17 at 9:00 a.m. The statute referenced is one that “hears or investigates a complaint, charge, or grievance by or against a public officer or employee.”