Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

|| High Country Press Newswire

DECEMBER 18, 2008 Issue

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Controversy Brews Over the State’s School Calendar Law

A group called the NC School Start Coalition has gotten a jump on the 2008 legislative session by sending out a statewide mailer and launching a website—www.ncschoolstart.org—calling for the General Assembly to leave the school calendar law alone.

In 2004, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the school calendar law to provide uniform school start and end dates statewide. The law requires most schools to begin no earlier than August 25 and end no later than June 10. Before the law was passed, school districts across the state were able to set their start and end dates. Some started in late August; others began as early as July. Read More »

Evaluation Urges State To Modernize Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) System

North Carolina’s Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) System is outdated and in need of modernization, according to a report published by the state’s Program Evaluation Division last week.

The division report suggests that the General Assembly improve the current system by defining the mission of local boards and providing the state ABC Commission with management tools for better oversight of local boards. It also recommends modifying outdated statutes for ABC store elections, eliminating required purchase-transportation permits and considering whether other ABC systems—including privatization—are appropriate for North Carolina.
Read More »

The View Stories

Christmas at the Beech—Celebrate the Holiday Season at Beech Mountain

Christmas is a week away, but already, several local holiday events have come and gone. Several communities held their Christmas parades and town lightings weeks ago. Beech Mountain, on the other hand, reserves several holiday events for late December.

“Some people start at Thanksgiving, but we start a little bit later—when we feel there are more people around to enjoy it all,” said Peggy Coscia, office manager for the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce. Read More »

Shelter Stories

High Country Vacation Rentals On Par For NYE, Down for Christmas—Vacationers Traveling in Bigger Groups, Booking Last Minute

A survey of seven High Country vacation rental agencies is showing that holiday bookings are roughly the same for the week after Christmas compared to 2007, but bookings for Christmas are down compared to the year before. All seven agencies reported that holiday vacationers are booking larger homes, attempting to fit entire families in one rental home as opposed to multiple smaller homes, and booking reservations much later than in 2007. Read More »