News Watch

A Quick Look at News Across the Region

Compiled by Sam Calhoun

Letter to the Editor Correction
In a letter to the editor written by members of the Boone Town Council and published in High Country Press on April 9, a sentence read, “These efforts are not going to be enough, as projections show Boone’s population will double over the next 10 years, and the number of water users will more than double.” Per a correction released this week by the Town of Boone, the sentence should have read: “These efforts are not going to be enough, as projections show Boone’s population will double over the next 50 years, and the number of water users will more than double.”

Jordan Williamson

WHS Student Serves as Page for N.C. House
Jordan Williamson, a student at Watauga High School, recently served as a page for the N.C. House of Representatives. He is the son of Bill and Cathy Williamson of Blowing Rock and was sponsored by Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-Watauga). Speaker of the House Joe Hackney (D-Chatham, Orange and Moore) appoints the pages and introduces each one to members and citizens in the House gallery at the start of each week during Monday night’s session.

For decades, the state House has relied on the service of pages, who help deliver bills and amendments for representatives during daily House sessions and committee meetings, offer assistance in individual representatives’ offices and run errands around the legislature. Pages spend a week at the General Assembly assisting members and their staff and learning about the structure of North Carolina government.

WNC Economy Slowed Its Decline in February
Western North Carolina’s economy declined in February, but at 0.1 percent, which represents the smallest decline since mid-2008, according to data compiled in the Western North Carolina Economic Index.

“It’s not all bad news, which is an improvement,” said Todd Cherry, a coauthor of the index. Cherry is the director of the ASU Center for Economic Research & Policy Analysis and a professor in the ASU Department of Economics.

“The regional economy continued to decline in February, but it was the smallest decline since the middle of last year,” Cherry said. “Another bit of good news is that the regional economy also showed more strength than the statewide economy, which is noteworthy because the region has been lagging relative to the state during this recession.”

Regional activity declined 0.5 percent in the first two months of 2009, an improvement from the 2.4 percent decline experienced in the last two months of 2008.

Declines in seasonally adjusted employment for WNC showed signs of leveling off in February. Regional employment declined 0.26 percent in February, the smallest decline since June 2008. North Carolina employment fell 0.4 percent in February.

Mapping the growth in employment over the preceding month provides a county-level account of job creation. Seasonally adjusted employment grew in 17 of the 25 WNC counties in February. This marks an improvement from the previous month, in which 24 of the 25 counties experienced job losses. Wilkes and Avery counties had the largest net job gains—1.59 and 1.42 percent, respectively—while Caldwell and Alexander counties had the largest net losses at 1.28 and 1.17 percent.

“Unemployment remains a growing problem,” Cherry said. “The region’s unemployment rate was 11.6 percent in February; 15 of the 25 counties in the region have rates above 10 percent and four have rates above 15 percent. Those are striking numbers. Though there are some signs of leveling off, it is far too early to say we are on our way out of the woods.”

The state unemployment rate increased 1 point to 10.7 percent. The national unemployment rate registered 8.1 percent in February, up 0.5 points from January.

For more information, click to www.business.appstate.edu/economics/cerpa/wncindex.php.

North Carolina Employers Slashed Payrolls in March
North Carolina employers shed 41,300 payroll positions in March, according to data released on April 17 by the Employment Security Commission. This makes March the second-worst month for job losses since the start of the recession.

“The March payroll numbers are abysmal,” said John Quinterno, research associate at the NC Budget & Tax Center. “With the exception of the government, every major industry group slashed payrolls. Only three states lost more jobs than did North Carolina in March, and none lost more in percentage terms.”

Private-sector employers eliminated 41,500 positions in March. Net losses occurred in every industry with the greatest numerical declines occurring in professional and business services (-10,100), followed by manufacturing (-9,200, predominately in durable goods manufacturing) and construction (-8,500). Relative to payroll sizes, construction employment fell the most, down 4.1 percent. These private-sector losses were offset slightly by an increase in government—primarily federal government—employment.

“Job losses accelerated in March,” added Quinterno. “Since the start of the recession, North Carolina has recorded a net loss of 214,000 jobs. Some 43 percent of the jobs losses have occurred since January, and 81 percent have occurred since last September.”

Despite the sizable job losses, the March unemployment rate ticked up only slightly, rising to 10.8 percent from 10.7 percent in February. Last month, an additional 2,417 individuals joined the ranks of the unemployed, bringing the statewide total to 492,512.

The minimal change in the unemployment rate likely is tied to the contraction of the state's labor force. In March, 31,000 individuals left the labor force, many probably due to their difficulty in finding work. While many such individuals are effectively jobless, they are excluded from the monthly tally. If even half of those individuals were both jobless and included in the survey, the state unemployment rate would have equaled 11.1 percent. “There are no green shoots of hope in today's state employment report,” said Quinterno. “North Carolina's labor market is simply unraveling.”

For more information, call 919-856-3185 or 919-622-2392.

North Carolina Ranks 21st in Wage to Rent Report
The National Low Income Housing Coalition released its Out of Reach Report on April 14, which reported that North Carolina ranks 21st in affordability behind other southern states such as South Carolina (18), Tennessee (14) and Kentucky (6). Out of Reach is a side-by-side comparison of wages and rents in every county, metropolitan area, combined non-metropolitan area and state in the United States.

Over the last five years, North Carolina has seen a steady rise in foreclosures. However, this influx has not translated into more affordable rental homes, according to the report. There is still an affordable housing crisis and it continues to worsen. Rental homes for workers with low to moderate incomes, seniors and people with disabilities are still in short supply. More than 44 percent of renters in North Carolina can't afford a two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent (FMR). According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a two-bedroom rents for $693 at FMR in North Carolina, slightly below an average unit. With the addition of utilities, an individual needs to earn approximately $13.33 per hour to afford to live there, up from $13.09 in 2008. Compared to 2008, people need to earn $500 more this year to afford the same apartment in 2009, according to the report.

Watauga Commissioners Approve Changes to Fire Service and Tax Districts
On Tuesday, April 21, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners approved changes to Watauga County fire service and tax districts, effective June 30. The purpose of the changes are to allow concurrence of the fire service and tax districts to the six-mile insurance rated district, which the commissioners approved in March and will also become effective on June 30. The changes are expected to improve the fire ratings of homes in Watauga County, which, in turn, will reduce homeowners’ insurance rates.

Old Watauga High School Now Surplus Property
On Tuesday, April 21, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners declared the old Watauga High School, located at 400 High School Drive in Boone, surplus property. The commissioners agreed that the next step is to meet with the county attorney to develop criteria for soliciting offers. Because the old high school is still in use while the new school is being built, the sale of the old Watauga High School cannot be consummated until June 2010, when students will officially be relocated. The commissioners agreed to revisit the topic during their May 4 regular meeting. To date, 17 developers have expressed interest in buying the property.

Watauga Commissioners Approve Resolution Supporting Boone’s Raw Water Intake
On Tuesday, April 21, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution in support of the Town of Boone’s proposed raw water intake in the Fleetwood area of Watauga County. In tandem, the commissioners also approved a resolution in support of N.C. House Bill 972, which grants the Town of Boone the right to construct and maintain a water intake system.

Dr. De Virgiliis, Mayor Clawson, and David McLemore

Mayor Clawson Recognizes Local Addiction Professionals
On Tuesday, April 21, Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson recognized two local professionals working in the field of addiction for their services to the town and region. Clawson honored Dr. De Virgiliis and David McLemore with a ceremony at Town Hall.

Virgiliis has practiced in Boone since 1993. He graduated with honors from the National University of La Plata School of Medicine in 1982 and came to the U.S. to pursue his studies. Virgiliis finished his residency in Family Medicine at East Carolina University School of Medicine in 1996, became Board Certified in Family Medicine in 1987 and taught at East Carolina University for one year. Between 1987 and 1989, he joined one of the largest family medicine practices in Charlotte and later went back for a psychiatric residency at ECU. In 1993, he graduated in Psychiatric Medicine and came to Boone. In March, Virgiliis was certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine as a specialist in Addictionology and is eligible to be a charter member of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, presently being created.

McLemore first achieved his professional status in 1995 in Texas as a state licensed Chemical Dependence Counselor/Alcohol Drug Abuse Counselor and an International Substance Abuse Counselor and now has achieved his professional status in North Carolina as a state certified Substance Abuse Counselor. McLemore is currently program director of Blue Ridge Addiction Recovery Network in Boone and has helped addicts and their families for the past 19 years.

Planning Retreat and Public Hearing Coming Up on Beech Mountain
The Beech Mountain Town Council will host a special planning retreat at Buckeye Recreation Center, located at 206 Grassy Creek Road in Beech Mountain, at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 27, and a public hearing at Town Hall at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12.

The special meeting on April 27 serves as a planning retreat for the town, and the public hearing on May 12 is to gather input on proposed changes to the town’s tree ordinance. Written comments for both meetings can be sent to: Town Clerk, 403 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain, NC 28604.

Buzz Berry, host of Sqrambled Scuares

Sqrambled Scuares Moves To MTN
Because Charter Communications’ Channel 14 is moving, Sqrambled Scuares, the High Country’s only local game show, will now air on the Mountain Television Network—Charter Communications’ Channel 18—starting immediately. On MTN, the two weekly editions of the game show will air on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., and on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. MTN Nightly News with Lindsay Ward will air between the two shows. Sqrambled Scuares tapings are held every Tuesday at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. at the studio of BZB Productions, located on Winkler’s Creek Road in Boone, and are free to attend. Current and previous episodes of Sqrambled Scuares are still available on demand by clicking to www.sqrambledscuares.biz. For more information, call 828-268-9898.

Operation Drive Smart Nets 965 Charges This Month
N.C. State Highway Patrol Troopers issued 965 charges between April 6 and April 16 during Operation Drive Smart, an effort to reduce the number of traffic collisions in North Carolina’s work zones.

According to NCDOT, there were 2,381 work zone crashes resulting in nearly 1,500 injuries in 2008. Of these injuries, 21 were fatal. More than four out of five work zone crash fatalities are motorists. Speeding and driver distraction account for more than half of all work zone crashes. During Operation Drive Smart 2008, troopers issued more than 500 citations for speeding violations in work zones across the state. Motorists may report dangerous driving to the Highway Patrol by dialing *HP on their cellular phones.

Driving Costs for North Carolina Motorists Expected To Decrease 7 Cents Per Mile in 2009
North Carolina motorists can expect to pay seven cents less per mile to drive in 2009, resulting in an annual savings of approximately $1,050 for a driver traveling 15,000 miles per year, according to an analysis by AAA Carolinas.

The average sedan will cost 56 cents a mile to drive in 2009, compared to 63 cents in 2008. The decrease can largely be attributed to a drop in the price of regular unleaded gasoline from $3.59 in April 2008 to $2.02 in April 2009.

AAA’s 2009 analysis uses the Environmental Protection Agency’s revised fuel-economy estimates intended to better reflect ‘real world’ conditions as opposed to laboratory tests.

A national pamphlet, Your Driving Costs, is available through AAA Carolinas by calling 704-569-7883. The pamphlet provides detailed information on the costs associated with owning and operating a vehicle nationally.

For more information, click to www.aaacarolinas.com.