News Watch

A Quick Look at News Across the Region

Compiled by Sam Calhoun

I-40 in North Carolina Near Tennessee Border Closed for Months After Rockslide
Interstate 40 is closed at mile marker 2.6 in North Carolina, near the Tennessee state line, because of a rockslide that occurred just after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25. The N.C. Department of Transportation immediately made an emergency declaration and, currently, a contractor is on site cleaning up debris. Engineers’ initial estimates are that it could take three months to clean up the entire slide and restore traffic.

A detour has been set up. Motorists traveling west to Tennessee should take I-40 West to I-240 West in Asheville to I-26 West. Follow I-26 West from Asheville to I-81 South in Tennessee, back to I-40. Eastbound motorists will follow the reverse directions.

Due the nature of the slide, a top-down method may be used to remove the debris and stabilize the slide area. NCDOT is coordinating with the U.S. Forestry Service, who owns the land.

NCDOT reminds motorists to stay alert, travel at non-peak times and use alternate routes when possible. Plan ahead before driving by clicking to the NCDOT Traveler Information Management System website at www.ncdot.gov/traffictravel or by calling 511, the state’s free travel information line, for current travel conditions.

For updates on the situation, motorists can call the NCDOT Communications Office after-hours line at 919-218-2353.

Boone Council Allocates $31,000 to Jones House Back Entrance
The Boone Town Council on October 15 voted 4-1 to allocate additional funds from occupancy tax revenues for an estimated $31,000 project to build a new back entrance to the Jones House Community Center. The new entrance to the King Street building, which houses the Watauga Arts Council, will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Arts Council Executive Director Cherry Johnson said the council has received several complaints about accessibility through the back entrance because it is difficult to get wheelchairs in through the back door. The door will be relocated several feet where a window is currently located to allow for easy access via a ramp.

The town had originally allocated $10,000 for the entrance in the 2008-09 budget, which carried over to the 2009-10 budget because the project has not yet begun.

The Jones House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Council Member Janet Pepin noted that municipalities are not required to make historic properties ADA compliant and asked if the town planned to set a precedent to make all historic town buildings ADA compliant. Several other council members said they felt it was important to make the Jones House handicapped-accessible.

Council Member Jamie Leigh said she agrees that accessibility is an important issue, but “we have a lot of accessibility issues in Boone and this is by no means the only one.”

“The big amount took me a little by surprise,” she added.

Mason noted that the town projected an increase in occupancy tax dollars and that some of that money could be allocated to make up for the increased cost of the entrance project. The council voted 4-1, with Leigh dissenting, to allocate $16,180 in occupancy tax dollars to the project.

September Unemployment Rates Decrease in Five High Country Counties
Unemployment rates in five High Country counties dropped month over month from August to September and stayed the same in two counties, according to data released on October 23 by the N.C. Employment Security Commission. The region’s unemployment rate in September was 10.1 percent, the lowest it has been in 2009.

The rate of decline in the unemployment numbers has slowed, however. In the July-August timeframe, the decrease in unemployment rates in the seven High Country counties ranged from 1.5 to 0.3 percent. In the August-September timeframe, the highest decrease was 0.3 percent:

Alleghany—10.9 percent (a 0.3 percent decrease from August)
Ashe—10 percent (no change from August)
Avery—7.9 percent (a 0.1 percent decrease from August)
Mitchell—11 percent (a 0.2 percent decrease from August)
Watauga—6.9 percent (a 0.2 percent decrease from August)
Wilkes—12.9 percent (no change from August)
Yancey—10.9 percent (a 0.3 percent decrease from August)

Part of the reason for September’s decrease is the number of people who have exhausted their Unemployment Insurance benefits. In the last 60 days, 156 UI recipients in the seven High Country counties have come to the end of their benefit period, and another 248 will exhaust their benefits in the next 60 days, based on data provided by the Employment Security Commission:

Alleghany—11 (last 60 days), 10 (next 60 days)
Ashe—21 (last 60 days), 32 (next 60 days)
Avery—8 (last 60 days), 16 (next 60 days)
Mitchell—18 (last 60 days), 46 (next 60 days)
Watauga—15 (last 60 days), 33 (next 60 days)
Wilkes—67 (last 60 days), 85 (next 60 days)
Yancey—16 (last 60 days), 26 (next 60 days)
Totals—156 (last 60 days), 248 (next 60 days)

On September 23, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to provide 13 weeks of additional benefits to workers in high unemployment states, including North Carolina, but the legislation has encountered opposition in the Senate.

“Workforce development professionals across the region are concerned about the families who have already lost their benefits and the families who will lose their benefits around the holidays,” said Workforce Director Carole Coates. “But these numbers tell only part of the story. An estimated 250,000 unemployed people in North Carolina are not even eligible for UI benefits and have no safety net at all. The N.C. Division of Workforce Development, the Rural Center, the ASU Center for Entrepreneurship and our JobLink partners have implemented a number of programs to connect people with help and to get folks back to work.

“In early November, the Division of Workforce Development will roll out a statewide initiative to connect North Carolina families with a variety of resources, including foreclosure help, discounted food, free prescription medication and assistance with preparing resumes and completing applications for financial aid. That help will be provided via a toll-free number through a central call center that has access to every resource that is available locally,” Coates explained.

“In terms of training, all of our community colleges have rolled out their JobsNOW 12-in-Six programs that provide intensive training in high-growth career fields and work readiness skills that students can complete in six months or less,” Coates continued. “Many of these programs focus on green jobs and healthcare, two fields that have excellent long-term job potential. In fact, just this week Vice President Joe Biden released the Recovery Through Retrofit report that calls for eliminating the barriers that have until now kept the home energy efficiency retrofit market small. And with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding we have received, Workforce Investment Act money is available to pay for training.

“The Employment Security Commission is offering weekly employability classes at the JobLink Career Centers. These one-on-one classes are designed to help people polish their resumes, expand their job search and practice answering interview questions before they go for an interview,” added Coates.

For more info, click to www.RecoveryInTheHighCountry.com.

Blowing Rock Accepts Green Challenge
The Blowing Rock Town Council voted earlier this month to accept the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM) Green Challenge—a pledge to work toward saving energy and other natural resources over the next three years.

The Green Challenge program was developed as a way to recognize municipal activities and accomplishments in saving energy, natural resources and money. Blowing Rock has made or plans to make the following improvements as part of the Green Challenge: a water conservation education program; conservation easements on public lands, including Mayview Lake and the China Creek property; tree preservation measures, including a $5,000 yearly allocation for tree planting and a Commercial Tree Protection Ordinance; a water system audit; rain barrel sales; automated restroom fixtures in Memorial Park; a town recycling drop-off site for plastic, cardboard, glass and newspaper; commercial recycling collection; and replacement of Town Hall windows with thermal windows.

Blowing Rock town staff also plans to develop a town green strategy for the council’s future consideration.

Perdue Issues Statement Regarding Prisoner Release
Two weeks ago, Gov. Bev Perdue asked her attorneys and the N.C. Department of Justice to review all options available to the state to reverse and delay the N.C. Supreme Court ruling in the State v. Bowden case. The court’s decision in that case will force the early release of convicted murderers and rapists serving life sentences, including seven who were originally sentenced to death. Last week, Perdue received a list of 20 violent offenders who will be released this Thursday, October 29, and dozens more who will be released in the next few years because of the court’s ruling. This week, Perdue released this statement:

“When I learned that the Supreme Court had issued a ruling that meant offenders serving life in prison would be released after a mere 35 years, I was appalled. Like most of my fellow North Carolinians, I believe life should mean life, and even if a life sentence is defined as 80 years, getting out after only 35 is simply unacceptable.

“Since that ruling, my staff and I have been doing everything we can to stop the release of these rapists and murderers. These are people who have been denied parole repeatedly, and many who have numerous infractions during their prison stay. I do not believe they are ready for release onto the streets of our communities.

“While I understand the decision of the Supreme Court, I believe there remain unresolved legal issues that were not addressed. Before Mr. Bowden or any other offender affected by the court’s decision is turned loose, these issues must be heard.

“At issue is the application of good behavior credits to these violent offenders serving life sentences since the 1970s. Since last week, we have been scrutinizing the good behavior credits applied to the 20 inmates eligible for immediate release. [Last Friday] legal counsel and Department of Correction staff met with officials who oversaw the application of those behavior credits during the 1980s. At the time, the DOC gave inmates day-for-day credits under the authority of the then-secretary. There is a real question whether the General Assembly intended for the DOC to have that kind of authority. I do not believe they did, and my legal counsel agrees. This raises the very real question that these inmates should not be eligible for early release.

“Mr. Bowden’s case is in the process of being sent back to the trial court to recalculate his sentence. These issues can be resolved by the courts. Until these new legal issues have been resolved by the courts, Mr. Bowden and the other violent offenders will not be released.”

Burr Travels to Afghanistan
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), along with U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL), arrived in Afghanistan on Monday, October 26, to survey military conditions on the ground, review intelligence procedures and meet with high-ranking American and Afghan officials. The senators will return to Washington, D.C., on Monday, November 2.

Triathlete with Ties to Boone Finishes 11th in Age Group at Triathlon World Championships
Last week, High Country Press introduced readers to Marion “Moose” Herring, an internationally ranked triathlete who grew up in Boone. Last Sunday, October 25, Herring competed in the 2009 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships—a half Ironman event involving a 3K swim, 80K bike ride and 20K run—in Perth, Australia, and finished 11th in his age group. Coming in 132nd out of 1,000 competitors, Herring was the second fastest competitor representing the United States. In honor of his performance, Herring was chosen to carry the American flag across the finish line.