SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 ISSUE
News Watch
A Quick Look at News Across the Region
Hagan To Visit Newland Thursday
U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) will host “Conversations with Kay” this Thursday, September 9, in Burnsville, Bakersville and Newland. Hagan will meet with constituents about their concerns, and her constituent services staff will be on hand to assist people who need help with federal agencies, such as the VA or the IRS.
In Newland, Hagan will meet with constituents on a first-come, first-served basis from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Avery Senior Center, located at 165 Shultz Circle. Her constituent services staff will be on site from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Hagan will continue to hold "Conversations with Kay" events in communities across the state to help North Carolinians who need assistance or want to discuss topics that concern them.
Watauga County Receives Rate Reduction on High School Loan
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners on September 8 approved an agreement with BB&T for a rate modification on two loans financing the new Watauga High School. The county currently has loans for $40.5 million and $25 million, both with 18-year terms, to pay for the high school, totaling $65.5 million.
BB&T agreed to reduce the rate on both loans by 50 basis points, reducing the rate for both loans from 4.17 percent to 3.67 percent. According to Watauga County Finance Director Margaret Pierce, the reduced rate will save the county approximately $3 million in interest over the life of the loans, with no fee for the rate reduction.
Crime Stoppers, Boone Police Seek Public’s Help in Larceny Case
Watauga County Crime Stoppers and the Boone Police Department request your help in identifying the person(s) responsible for the following crime(s):
On Saturday, July 17, a larceny from a motor vehicle was reported to have occurred in the parking lot next to Galileo’s Restaurant, located at 1089 West King Street. It was reported that a woman’s wallet was taken from the vehicle. The larceny was reported as having occurred between Friday, July 16, at 10:00 a.m. and Saturday, July 17, at 10:00 p.m.
A debit card was taken from the wallet and was fraudulently used at various businesses in Boone. Photos were taken from security footage at Smokes N’ More, located at 178 Southgate Drive. The images show a white female exiting a green four-door passenger car and then making a purchase inside the store. There are also at least two other people in the car to include a white male in the front passenger seat.
Anyone with information on this crime or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 828-268-6959 or the Boone Police Department at 828-268-6900. All information will be kept confidential.
Crime Stoppers pays rewards for information that leads to arrests, recovery of stolen property, seizure of drugs and the location of wanted persons.
Environmental Groups Seek Better Coal Ash Monitoring in NC, Other States
EPA Coal Ash Hearing in Charlotte September 14
More than three dozen coal-ash dump sites in North Carolina and 20 other states that are contaminating drinking water or surface water with arsenic and other heavy metals are not being monitored properly by state governments and require the intervention of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Earthjustice and the Sierra Club.
To date, a press release from the groups said, the EPA has acknowledged the existence of 67 coal combustion waste (CCW) disposal sites that have contaminated water with toxic chemicals. However, a February 2010 EIP/Earthjustice report documented 31 additional sites in 14 states that the EPA should have included on its list. The more than three dozen additional sites in the new report bring the total number of toxic contamination cases to more than 100. Even EPA acknowledges that there are likely many more cases that have not yet been documented, the release stated.
Set to be released just days before the first in a series of major coal ash rulemaking hearings, the EIP/Earthjustice/Sierra Club report shows that, at every one of the CCW sites equipped with groundwater monitoring wells, concentrations of heavy metals like arsenic or lead exceed federal health-based standards for drinking water, with concentrations at one site in Pennsylvania reaching as high as 341 times the federal standard for arsenic.
A public hearing on pending EPA coal ash rule is set for Tuesday, September 14, in Charlotte. The hearing will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Charlotte airport location at 2707 Little Rock Road. For more information about the hearing, call 704-679-9494.
Foxx Launches New Congressional Website
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-5) recently announced the launch of her new congressional website at www.foxx.house.gov. The new site integrates social networking, up-to-date information about constituent services and background on legislation and votes in Congress.
“As more and more constituents interact with me through the web, it became clear that my website needed an update,” Foxx said in a press release. “The Internet is one of the best tools available for communicating with constituents, and my new website uses a variety of technologies to keep constituents informed about the issues before Congress, including Twitter feeds, congressional videos and online legislative search tools.”
The new website also includes tools to assist constituents in applying for federal grants, resolving issues with federal government agencies or securing a nomination to one of the five Service Academies. In addition, the site outlines the application process for students who wish to serve as congressional interns or pages.
Foxx today also reminded constituents to check out her congressional Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/VirginiaFoxx. Her Twitter feed is frequently updated with pictures from her daily activities, videos, links to the latest congressional news and other information.
Blowing Rock ABC Store Reports 2009-10 Figures
The Blowing Rock ABC store recently completed its yearly audit. Manager Edith Nations and the Board of Directors, which includes David Greene, Susie Greene and Bob Miller, chair, thought it would be helpful for the community to learn the following about the store’s profits and usage of funds.
From July 1, 2009, until June 30, 2010, this store achieved a gross income of $1,358,852. Of this amount the following was dispersed:
• $321,696 - state excise tax, mixed beverage tax, rehabilitation tax (county tax) and wine sales
• $238,970 - operating expenses (does not include purchase of wine and liquor products for future sale)
• $170,000 - Town of Blowing Rock (money used for the Blowing Rock pool and general operating expenses)
• $3,733 - law enforcement
• $5,226 - alcohol education
• $690,809 - product purchases
At the July 2010 meeting, grants were awarded for 2010-2011. These grants are as follows:
• $3,000 - Blowing Rock Police Department (DARE program for the Blowing Rock Elementary School)
• $4,250 - Watauga County Schools (Alcohol Education)
• $4,250 - Blowing Rock Hospital (Alcohol Treatment Programs)
For more information about the Blowing Rock ABC store, call 828-295-7513.
PE Activities for Home-Schooled Children Offered at ASU
The physical education program in the College of Health Sciences’ Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science at ASU will begin its physical education program for home-schooled children Tuesday, September 14, in Varsity Gym on campus.
Instruction will be offered from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The cost is $25 per student for the full academic year and includes a T-shirt. The program is for students between age 5 and 12.
Appalachian’s Home School PE Program is a part of the university’s Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Program. It is overseen by Dr. Benjamin Sibley, a licensed K-12 physical education teacher and a professor in program. Sibley has many years of experience working with children in academic and recreational settings.
Classes are taught by junior-level physical education majors in conjunction with a university course in elementary physical education teaching methods. Sibley supervises all lesson planning and instruction. Classes are offered at three developmental levels: Cadets (5-6 years), Juniors (7-8 years) and Seniors (9-12 years). Class placement is based on both age and developmental level.
The program uses the SPARK physical education curriculum, which improves students’ motor skills and fitness. For more information on the SPARK curriculum, click to www.sparkpe.org.
To register a child for the program, click to www.pehomeschool.appstate.edu or contact Ben Sibley at 828-262-6300 or sibleyba@appstate.edu.
AppalCART Reports Ridership Increase
AppalCART, Watauga County’s public transportation authority, reported a ridership increase for August of 22 percent over the same month a year ago. Total ridership reached 77,512 passenger trips compared to 63,592 during August 2009. Service miles increased 16 percent and hours increased 15 percent over August 2009.
According to AppalCART Transportation Director Chris Turner, adding 467 hours of more bus service made the biggest difference, with 12,117 more passenger trips in 6,520 more miles of service,
Of the existing fixed routes, the third POP105 bus had the highest percentage increase in ridership of 314 percent with a 264 percent increase in miles and about the same percentage increase in hours. In raw numbers the POP105 third bus increased ridership by 2,327 passenger trips, and the second Green Route bus added 2,156.
Ridership on AppalCART’s paratransit service increased 26 percent to 1,254 trips for the month. Paratransit service is the life-equipped van service for people whose disabilities prevent them from riding the bus service.
For more information about AppalCART, click to www.appalcart.com or call the dispatch at 828-264-2278.
September Proclaimed Hunger Action Month
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina received a proclamation from the Town of Boone stating that September 2010 is Hunger Action Month. The proclamation was presented on August 26. Second Harvest Food Bank distributed 589,154 pounds of food into Watauga County in 2009-2010, saving partner agencies in that county $682,146, a press release stated.
Second Harvest Food Bank and its national network, Feeding America, are asking all Americans to take action during September to fight domestic hunger. The need in this country and in this state is tremendous—but so is the impact that the community can have, the release said.
According to the organization, 49 million Americans live in food insecure households. Locally, one in eight residents of northwest North Carolina struggle with hunger, and one in five North Carolina children go to bed not knowing where their next meal will come from.
Throughout Hunger Action Month, Feeding America’s nationwide network of more than 200 food banks is calling upon communities to take action through the “30 Ways in 30 Days” campaign. Whether it’s by advocating and raising awareness, making donations or giving of time and energy, everyone is encouraged to find the way that’s right for them to make a difference during Hunger Action Month.
Second Harvest Food Bank’s 30 ways in 30 days calendar can be found at www.hungernwnc.org.
Fall Open House at ASU September 25
ASU’s annual Fall Open House will be held Saturday, September 25, beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the George M. Holmes Convocation Center.
Open House will begin with a Family Assembly from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m., followed by an informational fair from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Both provide activities for prospective students and their families to become familiar with campus and to speak with representatives from admissions, financial aid, academic areas, athletics and other student support areas.
Also during Open House, student ambassadors will provide tours of campus and residence halls. Academic departments will also hold departmental open houses.
Mini presentations from other campus academic and extracurricular offices will be given to provide information on First Year Seminar, the Honors College, Watauga Global Community, scholarships, leadership opportunities and workshops for transfer students.
For more information, contact the Office of Admissions at 828-262-2120 or click to www.admissions.appstate.edu. Reservations are not required.
NCDOT Uses New Online Forum to Reach Out to Citizens
The N.C. Department of Transportation wants to know how you think money generated by the state’s new Mobility Fund should be spent, a recent press release from the department stated.
For the first time, NCDOT is using an online forum called Citizens Connect to reach out to citizens. It enables users to post their comments where others can read them and add their own insight.
“The goal of this new tool is to create conversations among the people of North Carolina,” said Ted Vaden, NCDOT deputy secretary of internal and external affairs, in the press release. “By talking with one another in a very open and transparent way, citizens can generate great ideas that will help guide how their tax dollars are spent.”
NCDOT is asking the public to log on to Citizens Connect and suggest the criteria the department should use when choosing which projects to fund with Mobility Fund dollars.
At this time, NCDOT is not looking for recommendations for specific projects. Instead, the department wants to know how it should weigh one project against another. NCDOT will use the citizen’s suggestions to create an official selection process.
Gov. Bev Perdue proposed the creation of the Mobility Fund and signed it into law as part of the state’s budget in June. The fund will generate $173 million from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2014, and $58 million each fiscal year thereafter. Approximately $120 to $130 million is dedicated to phase two of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project near the Yadkin River in Davidson County.
The funding comes from unused gap funds and reductions in the amount of money transferred from the Highway Trust Fund to the General Fund. The money will be spent on projects of statewide or regional significance.
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