Topsail Gun Gal February 2026

A mushroom that has a link to fairy tales? Could be. In the Chinese Province of Yunnan, the Lanmaoa asiatica mushroom, considered a popular food, has been known to lead to hallucinations of seeing little people if the mushroom is eaten partially uncooked. If visiting this area of China, remember to cook your mushrooms for 15 minutes (or more) to avoid seeing lots of little people, described as tiny elves, that are seen on clothing, walls and furnishings. The most interesting thing is the majority of people who have these hallucinations recall the same tiny people. Hmmmmm. My question is when tested the mushrooms on mice and they hallucinate, what do they see? 

A man was arrested for indecent exposure when entering an Onslow County convenience store naked (during this frigid weather). I'm sure it was a shock to everyone but my first reaction would be to give him a blanket and something warm to drink! Pleas for help and mental health issues present themselves in lots of different ways, of course he may have been looking for the Nudist Campground in New Bern. Who are we to judge?

One of the most important lessons to teach your children is responsibility. When a person takes responsibility for their actions it shows character. Responsibility is not spoken about that much anymore, but it should be. 

One of the worst parts of social media is not taking responsibility to comments. I cannot stand "anonymous" participants. Own up to your words. That is your power. If you are too ashamed or embarrassed to make a post under your REAL identity, then maybe you should not be doing it at all. 

I think it is time we re-instate nap time. Remember in kindergarten when there was a nap time after lunch? The teacher made the room quiet and dark and the kids would lay on their little mats and everyone would take 30 minutes to recharge our batteries. It was also a wonderful time for the teacher to get some "quiet" time. We all need this in our lives are we are being deprived of it on a daily basis. 

Coyotes are out in abundance. With all the massive construction and destruction of their native environments they are coming into neighborhoods and yards in search of prey. Keep your outdoor cats locked up (dusk to dawn) and make sure your outdoor cats have a place to hide during the day. Coyotes are hunting for food - it's nothing personal. 

Are you tired of sitting in traffic? Worried about low water pressure and what they means during a fire? Stressed about all the local schools being overcrowded and the lack of teachers and bus drivers? Concerned about all those families that got sick on Camp Lejeune? Well, here is YOUR chance to use your voice to stop it from getting worse! 

A developer who applied to annex 1200 acres of land into the city limits of Holly Ridge last August (which includes 300 acres of Pender) is back again! This time it's worse. The new annexation request is for 1500 acres and a possible 3,000 homes!!!!!!!!! That could add 5,000 cars a day to Highway 17 traffic! There is no doubt this project will extremely over burden both Pender and Onslow Schools with up to 5,000 more students - as this is being sold as "work force housing" and though we don't really know what that means - it most likely means families. What about the land itself? Why hasn't anything been built on that land so far? Simple - it is the old Camp Davis Army base from the 1940s and there is documentation being researched by outside groups regarding possible contamination. Does that sound like a wise place to develop to you? Currently this land is owned by ONWASA (Onslow Water and Sewer Authority). Don't you think if this was "good" land that it would be a sewer spray field to accommodate the current over-development? When I asked ONWASA how many properties they had for sale I was told "none" since they are not in the business of selling land. Hmmmm. I may not be a rocket scientist like my father, but I do know when something feels wrong on this level that there reasons that we ALL need to be aware of. Please use your voice - ask questions and ATTEND the meetings in February. There is a "Public Information Session" on Wednesday February 11th and then on February 19th is the BIG meeting where the Holly Ridge Council members may actually VOTE to annex the massive tract of land, re-zone the land, approve a PUD (planned unit development) and agree to a "50 year developers agreement" - which in my opinion is INSANE committing future generations to giving the developer(s) EVERYTHING they want and need for 50 years. Two of the current council members have a lot of questions and concerns - WHY don't they ALL? It is my understanding that this massive project has not even gone before the Planning Board yet. Isn't that the first step? Don't sit by and think someone else will handle this. Let your voice be heard. 

Please come to the meetings on Wednesday, February 11th at 6pm at the Holly Ridge Community Center on Sound Road and Thursday, February 19th at 6pm at Holly Ridge Community Center. 

Remember knowledge is power and greed is no reason to destroy the quality of lives for generations to come. Use your voice and do your own research and VOTE in the primary.