MARCH 18, 2010 ISSUE
News Watch
A Quick Look at News Across the Region
Daylight Saving Time Begins Sunday
Remember to spring your clocks forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. this Sunday, March 14, for the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. In the spring, clocks spring forward from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March; in the fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November.
Spring Begins Saturday
The long-awaited words “spring is here” will ring true at 1:32 p.m. this Saturday, March 20, for the hordes of locals who have had enough of this winter’s copious amounts of snow. This Saturday’s vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of fall in the southern hemisphere, from an astronomical viewpoint.
For reference, the word “equinox” derives from the Latin words meaning “equal night” and refers to the time when the sun crosses the equator. At such times, day and night achieve nearly equal length everywhere in the world.
Don’t Forget To Mail in Your Census Forms by April 1
The 2010 Census questionnaires began arriving at households throughout North Carolina this week and are due back by Thursday, April 1, Census Day.
Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the census has taken place every 10 years since 1790, and this year’s 10-question form is the shortest ever used. Census Bureau officials ask that you watch for the form, fill it out and mail it back immediately in the provided, postage-paid envelope. For help in completing the Census form, call the toll-free Telephone Questionnaire Help Line at 1-866-872-6868. Spanish speakers can call 1-866-928-2010. For more info, click to www.census.gov or call the Local Census Office at 828-832-5920.
Contractors Needed for Abandoned Manufactured Home Grant Program
Watauga County is pursuing an application to participate in North Carolina’s Abandoned Manufactured Homes Grant Program and is soliciting contractors who are interested in removing or deconstructing abandoned manufactured homes from properties in Watauga County. All contractors shall purchase and maintain workman’s compensation coverage, general liability insurance and automobile liability insurance and other insurance as is appropriate. Interested contractors can contact the Watauga County Department of Planning and Inspections at 828-265-8043.
Operation Medicine Drop at Watauga Village Shopping Center Saturday
After the success of Boone’s first drug take-back event—Operation Medicine Cabinet, which took place in October 2009 and captured approximately 40,000 pills, 12 gallons of liquid medication, 2,000 sharps and a glucose meter—local safety and law enforcement agencies are coming together again to host Operation Medicine Drop this Saturday, March 20, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Watauga Village Shopping Center, where Wal-Mart is located, in Boone.
During the event, residents are encouraged to dispose of unused or expired medications and/or over-the-counter medications so they won’t end up in the wrong hands or in area waterways. Bringing unused drugs to dispose at the event is safe, as no questions will be asked. Biohazard materials will not be accepted during the event.
Safe Kids-Watauga County Coalition, Watauga Medics, Boone Police Department, Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, Blowing Rock Fire Department, Boone Fire Department, Blowing Rock Rescue, Blowing Rock Police Department, The Children’s Council, Watauga Rescue Squad and many other agencies sponsor the event.
For more info, call Tammy Nelson or Craig Sullivan at Watauga Medics at 828-264-9486 or Matthew Crawford at 828-268-6189.
Online Payment Now Available for Watauga School Meals
Parents of students in Watauga County Schools now have an online option to pay for their children’s school meals and to see how their children are using lunch money. The new service is being offered through a privately operated, advertisement-free website, which can be accessed by clicking to www.lunchprepay.com.
A basic and a premium option are available for the service. The basic option allows online payment on student accounts, while the premium option allows online payment as well as access to current account balances, a 45-day history of what students have bought in their account and an automated email notice when a child’s account balance is running low.
For the basic option, the cost of the service is a 5 percent addition to the payment. Under the premium option, users pay the additional 5 percent and a $10 annual fee per family. Under either option, parents can make a single payment to cover multiple children, including children at different schools within the Watauga County Schools system.
The service is completely optional. Parents who prefer to make payments on student accounts at school can continue to do so.
An introduction to the service, including a link to the Lunch PrePay website, has been added to the parent link page of the Watauga County Schools website, which can be accessed by clicking to www.watauga.k12.nc.us. Parents will need their child’s cafeteria account number, which is the same as the N.C. Wise number on student report cards, and a valid email address to activate an account. To begin setting up an account, parents should click to the Lunch Prepay homepage at www.lunchprepay.com and click on the “new user” link in the column on the left hand side of the page.
Introductory information and a list of frequently asked questions about this service are posted on the Child Nutrition page of the Watauga County Schools website. Additional questions can be referred to Child Nutrition Director Nicole Mayernik at 828-264-7190 or mayernikn@watauga.k12.nc.us.
Grandfather Mountain Announces June 1 Closure of Bear Hut
On June 1, Grandfather Mountain will close its Bear Hut, the outpost from which visitors have purchased treats to feed the habitat's bears for decades. While the Bear Hut will be open during April and May, the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation (GMSF) believes the June 1 change will bring exciting benefits to the bears and visitors alike.
“For years, by allowing the public to throw food to bears we have unintentionally been doing two things,” said GMSF Executive Director Penn Dameron. “We may have been giving people the impression that it is okay to give food to wild bears, and we have been training our own bears to beg for food.”
In the past, Grandfather Mountain visitors who have walked down to the main overlook at the bear habitat have had the opportunity to purchase a few pieces of food from the Bear Hut to toss to the bears. Early on, the public was allowed to give the bears dried apples and peanuts, but after the animals became overweight, a food made specifically for bears called omnivore diet was substituted.
Today, in addition to the apples, oranges, carrots and sweet potatoes that the bears receive each morning, the omnivore is actually part of their daily menu. However when the public is allowed to feed the bears, it becomes difficult to track how much food each animal actually consumes. The bears that have “cuter” begging techniques often get more to eat, while others sometimes do not get their full portion for the day.
“Over the years, the practice of public feeding has slowly been phased out in most zoos to improve the physical health and psychological wellbeing of the animals,” said Habitat Manager Christie Tipton. “Starting June 1, Grandfather’s bears will receive measured portions of omnivore diet and fresh produce, ensuring that each bear gets exactly the right amount of food each day.”
This lifestyle change will open up new and exciting opportunities for the mountain’s guests to observe natural bear behaviors. Visitors will be able to see the bears playing with each other, climbing on rocks, wallowing in the pond or just walking around being themselves. An extensive enrichment program will also be in place to keep the bears active and intellectually stimulated. “Enrichment” is any diversion that makes an animal's life more interesting. It might involve giving them a ball to play with, releasing live fish into their pond or hiding food for them to forage.
Enrichment times will be posted at the main bear overlook and Grandfather's habitat staff will be on hand to answer any questions.
“By no longer allowing the public to feed the bears, the bears will not only exhibit more natural behaviors, they will also get along better with each other,” said Tipton, explaining that the bears argue more when they compete for their food than when they are fed separately.
“Our new practices will give the public a better chance to see bears behaving more as they would in the wild,” added Dameron. “It will be a more natural experience for both the bears and the visitors.”
Grandfather Mountain began keeping bears in 1968 as part of a wildlife propagation program. A pair of young bears was acquired from the Atlanta Zoo, but the female refused to revert to the wild because she had been imprinted on humans and did not know how to survive on her own. She was given the name Mildred, and Grandfather Mountain became her permanent home. In 1973, a spacious environmental habitat was built for Mildred and her cubs so she could live in a more natural situation.
Over the last four decades, Grandfather Mountain has been the permanent home for 17 bears. In all, 59 cubs have been born inside the habitat, with 10 of those cubs born to Mildred the Bear.
Eight bears live in Grandfather’s habitats today. Of the seven females and one male, none are genetically related to Mildred.
For more info, call 828-733-2013 or click to www.grandfather.com.
Mabel After School Director Honored by Board of Education
The Watauga County Board of Education recently recognized Patricia Sperry, site director of the after school program at Mabel School, for the program’s achievement of a four-star license from the North Carolina Division of Child Development. Sperry accepted the award at the Board of Education meeting last week.
In presenting the award, Watauga County Schools After School Program Director Pam Shirley praised Sperry for taking it on herself to put in the extra time and effort of achieving the four-star license. Sperry in turn thanked Mabel Principal Mark Hagaman for his support of Mabel’s after school program and acknowledged the assistance of Lee Marshall of the Children’s Council and Paula Cline of the Iredell County Partnership for Children in completing the licensing process.
All of the after school programs in Watauga County Schools are licensed, but Mabel is the first to pursue the higher rated license that requires onsite documentation of staff qualifications and program quality in a wide range of areas. Mabel’s after school program serves about 16 students daily, providing them with opportunities for recreation, educational support and enrichment activities from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on school days.
Last fall, Sperry helped secure a grant that provided scholarships to help hard-pressed families at Mabel pay after school fees.
Sperry was previously honored by being named the Watauga County Schools Site Director of the Year for 2009-2010. She is a certified teacher and works as a tutor at Mabel in addition to her duties as after school site director.
Seats Available for 2009 SoCon Championship Banquet
Seats are on sale now for ASU football’s 2009 Southern Conference (SoCon) championship banquet, which will be held on Saturday, April 10, at the Holmes Center. Tickets for the event, which includes a social hour, silent auction, dinner and recognition of the five-time-defending SoCon champions, cost $75 per person ($50 of which is tax deductible).
The event begins at 4:00 p.m. with the social hour and silent auction. The auction will feature signed memorabilia from the 2009 championship campaign and an opportunity to travel with the Mountaineers to the 2010 regular-season finale at Florida, among other items. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m., followed by the program which will feature head coach Jerry Moore being presented with his Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award, a re-presentation of the 2009 Walter Payton Award to quarterback Armanti Edwards and the distribution of the Mountaineers’ SoCon championship rings.
To register, click to www.GoASU.com or www.alumni.appstate.edu/events/fbbanquet.html. For more information, call 828-262-2501.
Purpur Appointed to Boone Area Planning Commission
On March 16, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners approved the appointment of Thomas Purpur as the ETJ representative on the Boone Area Planning Commission.
Lt. Gov. Dalton to Host Fundraiser for Tarleton May 7
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton will host a fundraiser for Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-93) on Friday, May 7, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock. Also appearing will be House Speaker Joe Hackney and House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman. Tarleton, currently serving his second term in the House, has filed for reelection to a third term.
The event is open to the public with sponsorships available at the $2,500, $1,000, $500 and $250 level. The suggested minimum donation will be $100 per individual or $200 per couple. For more info, call 828-295-3353.
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