JANUARY 14, 2010 ISSUE
Numbers of the Year 2009
January 15, 2009
$4,000
The donation by footwear manufacturer Chaco USA and Mast General Store to the Hospitality House that was used to purchase an energy-efficient, commercial washing machine for the new shelter.
January 22, 2009
1939
The year First Presbyterian Church of Boone was established; the church celebrated its 70th anniversary in January 2009.
January 29, 2009
$90
The discounted cost of a rain barrel that lists for $149 and is available to Watauga County residents through a collaboration among Watauga County Cooperative Extension, Watauga County Soil and Water Conservation and the Town of Boone.
February 19, 2009
$93,890
The cost of a contract with Missouri’s Surdex Corporation for new aerial photographs and maps of Watauga County. Both Watauga County and the Town of Boone provided funds for the project.
February 26, 2009
26,845
The number of speeding citations issued during a two-week period by North Carolina State Troopers through the Operation Slow Down-Interstate Initiative.
March 5, 2009
32
The total amount of snow in inches that had fallen in Boone during winter 2008-09, as of March 5, 2009.
March 12, 2009
$14.4 million
The amount of economic stimulus dollars allocated for the Highway 421/King Street widening project in Boone.
March 19, 2009
$275,000+
The amount of money ASU had saved so far in the year by turning off lights, shutting down computers and setting back thermostats in an effort to cut energy consumption.
April 9, 2009
2,012
The number of people unemployed in Watauga County in February 2009.
1,000
The number of people unemployed in Avery County in February 2009.
April 16, 2009
$8,000
The amount of an IRS tax credit offered to first-time homebuyers in 2009. (P.S. It doesn’t have to be repaid.)
April 23, 2009
28,000+
The number of documented contacts with Watauga County citizens made by Watauga County Cooperative Extension agents in 2008.
April 30, 2009
5,000
The amount of small bluegill fish now in Banner Elk’s Wildcat Lake. The lake opened on May 23, 2009.
May 7, 2009
6,900
The number of people who visited Grandfather Mountain on the last weekend in April 2009.
May 14, 2009
1,800
The number of students that received diplomas from ASU during commencement ceremonies on May 9 and 10.
May 21, 2009
82.9
The percent of the 1,462 full-time employees of Appalachian Regional Healthcare System that are female.
May 28, 2009
87
The number of motorcycles that turned out for the inaugural Kali Church Memorial Ride on May 16, 2009, which raised more than $3,000 for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
June 4, 2009
600
The number of laid-off and underskilled workers in the seven-county High Country region that will be able to receive green training at no cost through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
June 11, 2009
1,025
The number of cyclists who signed up for the 11th annual Blood, Sweat and Gears during the first week of registration.
June 18, 2009
$65,000
The amount raised at the 2008 Women of Vision Luncheon that was dispersed to multiple nonprofits such as OASIS, The Hunger and Health Coalition, Hospitality House, A.S.H.E. and DANA. This year’s luncheon took place June 25 at Blowing Rock Country Club.
June 25, 2009
160
The estimated number of jobs that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create for High Country youth.
July 2, 2009
110
The percentage of increase of motor vehicle breaking and entering claims filed between January and May 2009 compared to the same time period in 2008.
July 9, 2009
432
The number of meals cooked every day by the kitchen staff of Glenbridge Health & Rehabilitation, not counting snacks or food for employees. What’s more, the kitchen staff honors all of the residents’ culinary desires and dietary needs.
July 16, 2009
$12,669
The average annual cost of family health insurance premiums in North Carolina, which is roughly the earnings of a full-time minimum wage job.
July 23, 2009
30
The percent of increase in the High Country’s homeless population since 2007.
July 30, 2009
8
The number of Tailwind Track Club members that qualified for AAU Junior Olympics.
August 6, 2009
8
The number of teaching positions saved in Watauga County Schools for the upcoming school year after the Watauga County Board of Commissioners agreed to a $250,000 transfer of funds from the School Board’s Capital Outlay Fund to its Current Expense Fund.
August 13, 2009
35
The number of votes the Watauga County Farmers’ Market had received as of press time for the “Best Loved Market in the Country” contest, which was sponsored by Care2 and LocalHarvest.org.
August 20, 2009
$28,000,000
The asking price for the current Watauga High School property.
August 27, 2009
1,100
The number of jobs expected to be created at the U.S. Census Bureau’s Boone office. Though the office is located in Boone, employees will cover the counties of Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Mitchell, Watauga and Yancey taking Census information.
September 3, 2009
1,069
The average number of homeless individuals on any given night in the seven-county High Country region of Ashe, Avery, Alleghany, Mitchell, Wilkes, Watauga and Yancey.
September 10, 2009
$600,000
The campaign goal for High Country United Way for 2009-10. The goal was announced on September 10 during the High Country United Way Campaign Kick-Off at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone.
September 17, 2009
17
The approximate number of nonprofits, associations, programs, boards and foundations that local residents Joan and Dick Hearn volunteer for on an annual basis.
September 24, 2009
70
The decrease in sales at Melanie’s Food Fantasy in downtown Boone on September 12 compared to a normal Saturday.
October 1, 2009
$5.34 million
The amount the ASU Board of Trustees set aside on September 25 to implement a variety of cost-saving measures across the ASU campus. The measures are expected to save at least $600,000 a year in energy costs.
October 8, 2009
7
The number of local, female high school dropouts that graduated with a GED this year through an off-campus program created by Caldwell Community College and the Watauga Children’s Council, with assistance from the Watauga Literacy Association. The program was created specifically to assist a growing number of teen mothers who want to continue their education and get their GED.
October 15, 2009
$1.5 million
The amount of money invested into Ski Beech at Beech Mountain Resort over the last two years.
October 22, 2009
110
The percent of the long-term average snowfall that Dr. Ray Russell predicted will fall in the High Country during winter 2009-10. The percentage translates into an expected 50 inches of snow in Banner Elk, 45 inches of snow in Boone, 80 inches of snow on Sugar Mountain and 90 inches of snow on Beech Mountain. Over winter 2008-09, Boone received 36 inches of snow and Beech Mountain received 77 inches of snow, according to Russell.
October 29, 2009
50
The percentage of the American workforce that is female, according to The Shriver Report.
November 5, 2009
23 million
The number of U.S. veterans of war and peacetime still alive in the country. November 11, 2009, was Veterans Day, a day to stop and thank those veterans for honoring their country.
November 12, 2009
$63,000
The downstream “ripple” effect to the economy generated by each new home sale in America, according to the National Association of Realtors. On November 6, 2009, President Barack Obama signed The Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009, which extends to April 2010 an $8,000 tax credit for qualified first-time homebuyers and a $6,500 tax credit for qualified existing homeowners.
November 19, 2009
42nd
The rank of North Carolina out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in regard to unemployment rates (as of October 21, 2009), according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Only nine states had unemployment rates higher than North Carolina’s 10.8 percent.
November 26, 2009
400
The number of episodes of Sqrambled Scuares—the area’s local television game show—that will have been taped in the High Country as of December 1, 2009. The show is one of the one of the longest running local game shows in American history.
December 3, 2009
99
The number of weeks in which a North Carolinian could potentially receive unemployment benefits now that the federal extensions of unemployment benefits are in place. “[That is] by far the maximum number of weeks I’ve heard of if they’re not [in a special program],” said Andy James, director of public information for the N.C. Employment Security Commission.
December 10, 2009
15-0
The all-time record of the ASU football team for games broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
December 17, 2009
2,547,000
The Nielsen Company and NCAA’s estimated amount of viewers for the ASU vs. Montana FCS national semifinal game, which was broadcast live on December 12 on ESPN. The game is the highest rated (1.9 cable rating) NCAA FCS playoff game ever, including national championships, on CBS, ESPN or ESPN2.
December 22, 2009
64 and 14
The number of ASU records and the number of Southern Conference records, respectively, that ASU quarterback Armanti Edwards now holds. Edwards graduated from ASU on December 13, 2009, capping a storybook college football career.
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