Newly hired City Manager Paul Sabiston is ready to start his job Aug. 17, Mayor D.N. Beale said this morning.

Sabiston has acquired housing in the city and has been keeping up with the budget process. “He knows how we’ve increased the fund balance. He’s been excited about that,” Beale told The Spin.

Measures taken by council when the city learned in February it faced a $664,000 shortfall mean when it closed the books at the end of June, its fund balance increased 8.9 percent for a total of 17.2 percent. That represents a $1.9 million unreserved fund balance. Fund revenues for the year are expected to increase by more than $900,000.

While the city would like to restore some of the services lost during the cuts, Beale said, “We’re still not out of this crisis. Unemployment is still up. That’s why it’s important to maintain what we’re doing.”

That’s where Sabiston, town manager of Shallotte, will play an important role, the mayor said. “He’s going to do his job and we’re going to do ours.”

Beale said Sabiston is not expected to make many changes at first. “He will meet with department heads and go over their duties and take a look at the budget to see if there’s anything that can be improved.”

Sabiston is also expected to appoint a new planning director, the mayor said.

The city manager will earn $95,000 a year and will receive a monthly car allowance of $350 and 35 cents per mile for business travel outside Halifax County. He will receive a PDA/Blackberry device from the city and will be reimbursed up to $9,000 for moving expenses with the understanding he gets two estimates.

The city will pay temporary living expenses of $500 per month until he obtains a sale and closes on his existing home not to exceed six months. He is required to obtain permanent residency within the city limits within six months.

Sabiston has been in Shallotte nearly five years and was town administrator in Mexico Beach, Fla., before that.

A Roanoke Rapids man shot at a North Myrtle Beach car wash late last month is improving, sources tell The Spin, his condition upgraded to stable.

As the condition of 54-year-old James Humphries improves, the North Myrtle Beach Police Department continues to look for clues, The Sun News newspaper reported in its July 29 Web edition.

Humphries, who works at KapStone, was shot on July 20 at 12:41 a.m. while he was washing his vehicle at the Jiffy Car Wash on 15th Avenue South and U.S. 17. He sustained gunshot wounds to his upper right torso, according to a police report. Officers reported hearing four to six shots in the area.

Sources told The Spin today Humphries was washing salt off his vehicle when a man approached him and demanded money. Humphries, who is apparently hard of hearing in one ear, did not hear the demand and was shot.

Humphries was reportedly conscious when police arrived and told officers the shooter was wearing a white mask, the report states.

Most candidates in the Roanoke Rapids city council election state they will spend no more than $3,000 on their campaigns, according to records filed at the Halifax County Board of Elections.

Spending more than $3,000 requires candidates to fill out routine finance reports, although board of elections Supervisor Kristin Smith said it is a good idea for candidates not exceeding the threshold to do the same.

The only candidate who has indicated he will spend more than $3,000 is incumbent Jon Baker, who is being challenged by Greg Lawson in the Nov. 3 elections.

While initially he didn’t file his election form indicating so, Mayor D.N. Beale, who is using a consultant, said this morning he will probably spend more than $3,000 on his campaign and will file the addenda as his campaign progresses.

Baker has already itemized his early contributions and expenditures, listing a $300 donation from developer Michael Dunlow and a $200 donation from businessman Phillip Moncure. He also listed as expenses $132 in postage for a kickoff event in June.

Baker will give his unspent funds to the American Red Cross, the documents say.

Lawson indicated in the documents he will not spend more than $3,000, with residuals going to campaign debt.

In the mayor’s race, Beale has already done a telephone survey asking who would make a better mayor, himself or his challenger, city businessman Emery Doughtie, who serves on the city school board. Doughtie indicated in the documents he will not spend more than $3,000. Residuals in both those races will go to campaign debt.

Meanwhile, in the race between incumbent Ed Deese and challenger Suetta Scarborough, both candidates indicated they would not spend more than $3,000 on their campaigns, with residuals going to pay for campaign debt.

The Halifax County Sheriff's Office has received a complaint from a county resident who reported they received a letter from National Finance Company in Canada. The company sent a check for $4,850 with the promise of $125,000 from the winnings of a sweepstake, Maj. Bruce Temple said in a press release.

After phone conversations, the victim was enticed into cashing the check at a local convenience store and wired  $3,150 to the company for a "non-resident" tax. After the transaction, the company stopped answering the victim’s calls.

 Temple said typically these cases are not within budgets to investigate for local agencies and federal authorities are rarely are able to prosecute. “We would recommend that people should be skeptical when approached with a ‘too good to be true’ event. We would like for potential victims to call the sheriff's office prior to sending any money to a suspicious entity.”