News Watch

A Quick Look at News Across the Region

Compiled by Sam Calhoun

Watauga High Senior Wins International Writing Competition
Beckett Bathanti of Vilas earned first prize honors in the Young Writers category for his short story “The Return”in the 2nd annual Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest. Writers from 32 states and eight foreign countries participated in the contest, which offered awards in eight categories. First-prize winners will received an etched-glass award and publication in the forthcoming Press 53 Open Awards Anthology, due out in October 2009. Bathanti is a senior at Watauga High School in Boone, where he is a member of the varsity baseball team and the Pioneer Playmakers.

Young Writers judge Tavia Stewart, Young Writers Program director and operations manager for The Office of Letters and Light, said of Bathanti’s winning story, “In under four pages, the author of the short story ‘The Return’ did what other authors strive to do in hundreds. She/he tells a story of love lost and gained again, depicting humanly flawed characters seen as flawless in each other’s eyes. It is an honest—and refreshingly nonjudgmental—look at forgiveness, loyalty and unconditional affection.”

The 3rd annual Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest announced its third call for entries on September 1, with a deadline for all entries of January 31, 2010. Complete guidelines for entry are available by clicking to www.Press53.com.

BigSweep Volunteers Extract 6,000 Pounds of Trash from Watauga River
Volunteers set an all-time record for pounds of collected trash on September 12 during the Watauga River BigSweep, which was organized by Watauga County Cooperative Extension. More than 170 volunteers covered the river from Foscoe to Guy Ford Road in Bethel and more than 6,000 pounds of trash was extracted from the Watauga River and its banks. Everything from lawnmowers, car parts, bedsprings, toys, construction materials and, of course, a large volume of beer bottles and cans were collected during the sweep. Volunteers harvested 15 tires, some with the rims and hubcaps still intact. The Watauga County Cooperative Extension extends a thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the 2009 Watauga River BigSweep a success.

Footsloggers and Mast General Store donated contest prizes for the largest item, most reusable item and the most peculiar item found. Results are still uncertain, but items up for judging include an old baby doll head, lawnmowers, large pieces of scrap metal and steel cables.

River and Earth Adventures, Appalachian Angler, Watauga River Anglers, Foscoe Fishing Company, the Upper Watauga Riverkeeper, Watauga River Conservation Partners, High Country Waste Solutions, GDS, PACT, Footsloggers, Earth Fare, Mast General Store, Watauga County Sanitation, MountainKeepers, Watauga County DOT, Valle Crucis Community Park, ASU Outdoor Programs, ASU Geography Club, ASU First Year Seminar Students, Teaching Fellows, The Outdoor Residential Learning Community and the ASU ACT program sponsored the BigSweep.

Boone Clean-Up Day/Fall Litter Sweep Saturday
N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue issued a proclamation last week designating the time period between Saturday, September 19, and Saturday, October 3, as the statewide Fall Litter Sweep 2009. In conjunction with this campaign, the Town of Boone will hold its annual fall Boone Clean-Up Day this Saturday, September 19. All citizens are encouraged to join the Town of Boone and the Adopt-A-Street/Stream organizations to remove the litter that has accumulated along town streets and streams during the summer. Interested participants can come by the Town of Boone Public Works Center, located at 321 East King Street, between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to pick-up clean-up supplies. Participants can also choose to pick up supplies prior to the event.

The Town of Boone will award monetary prizes to the winners of the Most Unusual Litter Contest. Participants can enter the contest by bringing unusual litter found on the roadsides and in the streams within the town limits to the Boone Public Works Center on the event day. Refreshments will be served at the center from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Boone residents who participate by cleaning around their property can call Boone Public Works for an additional free curbside junk or yard debris pick up during the litter sweep. The rain date for Boone Clean-Up Day is Saturday, September 26. For more information and to register for the event, contact Boone’s Adopt-A-Street/Stream/Flowerbed Coordinator Shannon Isaacs at 828-268-6230.

Goss Appointed Transportation Oversight Co-Chair
Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight announced this week that he appointed Sen. Steve Goss (D-45) as senate co-chair of the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. The committee is comprised of 18 members, nine from the Senate and nine from the House of Representatives. The committee is charged with overseeing the Department of Transportation (DOT) and all state transportation policy on behalf of the General Assembly. The committee receives regular updates on all functions of DOT, including transportation planning, road construction, paving, rail and mass transit. Goss also serves as co-chair of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. The House co-chair is Rep. Nelson Cole of Rockingham County.

Basnight said, “I am pleased to appoint Sen. Goss as co-chair of the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. With the influx of federal recovery funds for transportation, legislative oversight is more important than ever. Steve will add real leadership as we continue to address North Carolina’s transportation needs.”

Goss said, “I am pleased with the opportunity to have an even greater voice in shaping our state’s transportation policy. Solid transportation is key to growing our economy, especially in rural North Carolina.”

NCDOT Accepting Proposals for 2010 Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grants
NCDOT is accepting proposals from communities for the 2010 Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative. The program gives municipalities across the state an opportunity to develop comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plans. The deadline for application submittal is Friday, December 4, at 5:00 p.m. Award recipients will be notified in June 2010. “Developing a good local plan is the first step in establishing comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian programs,” N.C. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti said. “With this grant program, it is our goal to ensure that communities throughout the state have the tools to develop plans that help achieve their long-term transportation goals.”

Nearly $2.3 million has been awarded through the program to 92 municipalities across the state since it began in 2004. Proposals are divided and judged in geographical groups to help establish equitable distribution of funding across the state. Also, the selection incorporates a diverse mix of municipalities from large cities to small towns. Plans funded are not for one specific project, but represent a comprehensive strategy for expanding bicycle and pedestrian opportunities within a given municipality. These plans address facilities, programs, services and regulations that encourage safe walking and bicycling. For more information on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative, contact Bob Mosher at 919-807-0773 or rmosher@ncdot.gov; John Vine-Hodge at 919-807-0772 or javinehodge@ncdot.gov; or Helen Chaney at 919-807-0780 or hmchaney@ncdot.gov.

Dedication of N.C. Cancer Hospital Highlights Boone Resident
Dayton Cole of Boone is one of the subjects featured in a specially commissioned photography exhibit, “The New Face of Cancer Care.” The exhibit, with photographs by North Carolina photographers Neil Boyd, Rachel Garrison and Tamara Lackey, will be displayed in the lobby of the N.C. Cancer Hospital in Chapel Hill between its dedication on September 15 and Friday, November 13.

In 2008, Dayton Cole took a break from his duties as ASU general counsel to get a routine check-up. Two weeks later he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood cells. He chose UNC Lineberger for treatment, and from the get-go, he remained his usual positive and optimistic self. “A 17-day stay in an isolation room was not my idea of fun,” Dayton said. “But everyone—and I mean everyone—I interacted with during that time made my experience much more positive than I imagined cancer treatment could be. I felt more like a wealthy guest in a four-star hotel than a hospital patient. The nursing staff was incredible; they’re the ones who do much of the healing work, and they were great.”

His wife Cathy, who stayed with him in the hospital, set up a website at ww.caringbridge.org as a way to keep Dayton connected with friends and family.

The photo exhibit is meant to highlight the human side of the N.C. Cancer Hospital. In addition to survivor profiles, doctors, nurses, cancer researchers and staff are also featured in the exhibit. Cole’s story and photograph are also displayed online in an interactive exhibit that allows patients, survivors, families and the general public to submit their own photos and stories. For more information, click to unclineberger.org and click on the New Faces icon. The exhibit can also be viewed at a public open house on Saturday, September 26, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the N.C. Cancer Hospital.

Intergovernmental Retreat at Broyhill Inn September 28
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners and the Boone Town Council will attend an intergovernmental retreat at the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center in Boone on Monday, September 28, at 5:00 p.m. Discussions at the retreat will focus on healthcare and recreation.

Free Total Cholesterol and Diabetes Screening at Kmart September 30
Kmart Pharmacy, located at 1620 Blowing Rock in Boone, will host a free total cholesterol and diabetes screening on Wednesday, September 30, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary. For more info, call 1-800-713-3301 or 1-800-422-1201.

Watauga Humane Society Introduces Black and Gold Promotion
The Watauga Humane Society is celebrating ASU spirit this month. During all of September, residents can adopt any of the society’s animals with black fur, gold fur or mixed black and gold fur and save $20 off the usual adoption fee. With the discount, adoption costs $75 for a dog and $55 for a cat. All the animals available for adoption have been spayed or neutered and have microchip IDs. To see the animals, click to www.wataugahumanesociety.org or stop by the shelter at 200 Casey Lane, at the end of Boone’s Greenway Trail. For more info, call 828-264-7865.

Must Know Info for Friday’s WHS Football Game vs. AC Reynolds
Several events are planned for the Friday, September 18, Watauga High School football game vs. AC Reynolds. First, fans attending the game are encouraged to wear light blue and/or dress retro for the Turn It Blue Retro Night. The football team will wear throwback light blue jerseys. Friday is also Youth Football Night, where all youth football players and cheerleaders from Watauga County Parks and Recreation will be admitted to the football game for free as long as they have on their team's jersey. The teams will participate in games at halftime, and there will be a special performance by the WHS Pacers dance team. With an anticipated large crowd, WHS will offer shuttle service from the Boone Mall to the stadium. Service will start at 6:30 p.m. and continue until 7:45 p.m. Shuttles will then start making return trips beginning at the end of the third quarter until approximately 30 minutes after the completion of the game. The shuttle will not run if there is bad weather.

Mountaineers Remain in Top 10
ASU football remains ranked in the top 10 in both of the major NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision national polls this week. Despite opening the season with five-point losses to defending Conference USA champion East Carolina University and No. 16 McNeese State for its first 0-2 start in six years, ASU is ranked No. 10 in The Sports Network media poll and No. 9 in the American Football Coaches Association poll.

The Mountaineers have been ranked in the top 10 every week since October 31, 2005, and have played 53-consecutive games as a top-10 team. They remain the highest ranked of the three Southern Conference representatives in the national polls (Elon is No. 11 in both polls and Wofford is No. 14 in The Sports Network rankings and No. 15 in the AFCA poll).

While ASU is 0-2 for the first time since dropping decisions to Hawaii and Eastern Kentucky to open the 2003 campaign, slow starts are not unprecedented during the Mountaineers’ run of recent success. ASU was 3-2 before it won nine of its last 10 games en route to its first national championship in 2005. After defeating No. 5 (FBS) Michigan to open the 2007 season, ASU dropped two of its first three conference games but bounced back to finish 13-2 and win its third-straight national title. Finally, ASU was 1-2 last year but rebounded to win its final nine regular-season games and claim its fourth-consecutive SoCon championship.

The Mountaineers are idle this week and open SoCon play on Saturday, September 26, when they host Samford. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium.