County Comissioners' Meeting & Public Hearing Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the next scheduled meeting of the Wilkes County Commissioners.  Items on the agenda for Tuesday include a Public Hearing at 10am concerning the Economic Development Public Facilities Agreement with Gardner Glass Products.  The Commissioners meeting will immediately follow the Public Hearing Tuesday morning.  Items on the Agenda include an update on the Wilkes County Detention Center, a resolution approving the ASJ Mathis Farms Lease for the Landfill, and appointments to the WTA and High Country Council.            

Congrats to Local Main Street Champions

Individuals from North Wilkesboro and other local towns were award winners recently. The NC Dept of Commerce announced last week that 21 awards will be given to participants in the N.C. Main Street and Small Town Main Street program. In addition to the town awards, there are individual awards. Main Street Champions are designated by their local N.C. Main Street programs for the remarkable contributions they have made to the downtown revitalization process in their communities. Thirty-three individuals including one from Wilkes were honored for their contributions in 2013.  One of those Main Street Champions was Bebe Hennessy of Historic Downtown North Wilkesboro.  Other nearby Champion winners included:  Cicely McCulloch, Elkin Main Street Program; Hal Row, Hickory Downtown Development Association; and City of Statesville Electric Utilities Department Employees, Downtown Statesville. For more information about the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Main Street program, visit www.nccommerce.com.

Hagan and Newborn Screening Bill

U.S. Senator Kay Hagan’s Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act passed the Senate today. The bipartisan bill, which Hagan introduced with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), makes critical improvements to the country’s newborn screening system and ensures potentially life-threatening conditions are detected, diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. “I am so pleased that today the Senate made important progress toward helping to save the lives of thousands of infants,” said Hagan.  According to the March of Dimes, newborn screening reaches virtually all of the more than four million babies born in the U.S. every year. About one in every 300 newborns has a condition that can be detected through screening, and each year, more than 12,000 babies are diagnosed with a condition detectable by newborn screening. In 2012, North Carolina screened about 120,000 babies, and about 400 babies in the State screened positively for a heritable condition.  The bill now moves to the House of Representatives.

Gov Thanks North Carolinians

Last week, Governor McCrory thanked "North Carolinians for doing their part by staying of the roads as much as possible" during the winter storm that affected all counties in the state.  From Tuesday to Friday, the State Highway Patrol responded to more than 5,000 service calls statewide which included nearly 3,200 collisions, stranded motorists and abandoned vehicles. That number of service calls was slightly higher than normal. Two people were killed in separate weather-related vehicle crashes Tuesday in Surry County. National Guard deployed 39 personnel and 18 humvees to help first responders reach their calls and EMS transport patients. “Our State Emergency Response Team partners working with local emergency managers, first responders and law enforcement have done a tremendous job responding to this winter storm,” Public Safety Secretary Frank L. Perry said.  Also, the NCDOT had 2,816 maintenance employees worked on winter storm response statewide. They used 1,488 trucks and 237 graders to clear roads. In 4 days, they spread 43,075 tons of salt and 11,543 tons of a salt-sand mix. When weather affects  road conditions, motorists can check the ReadyNC mobile app, call 511 or visit www.ncdot.gov/traffictravel.

Bedroom Window Rocked

There's an old Jeff & Sheri Easter song called:  I've Got No Rocks to Throw.  Well, apparently, someone in Wilkes disagrees with the sentiment in that old song.  A Wilkesboro resident called the Wilkes Sheriff's Office this week concerning some damage to property.  According to the victim, an unknown person threw a large rock through her bedroom window.  The incident happened just before 2am.  Damages are listed at 100 dollars.  The woman inside the house was not injured by the rock.  Sheriff's Officials were unable to locate any witnesses or suspects.  The investigation is continuing.

New Red Cross Executive Director for Wilkes Area

There is a new Red Cross Director for Wilkes and surrounding counties. The Red Cross Heart of Carolina Region is pleased to announce Cindy Jones as the new American Red Cross Executive Director for the Blue Ridge Chapter. She will serve Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Watauga and Wilkes Counties in North Carolina. Jones has a B.A. from NC State University and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Appalachian State University. She also has an extensive background in non-profit management. John Hughes, Regional Chief Executive Officer says, “We are delighted to have Cindy join the Red Cross. Her experience in management, fundraising and community relations will make her a wonderful addition to our team.”  Jones will work out of the Boone office but will serve all five counties including Wilkes. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

Upcoming County Commissioners' Meeting & Public Hearing

Tuesday is the next scheduled meeting of the Wilkes County Commissioners.  Items on the agenda for Tuesday include a Public Hearing at 10am concerning the Economic Development Public Facilities Agreement with Gardner Glass Products.  The Commissioners meeting will immediately follow the Public Hearing Tuesday morning.  Items on the Agenda include an update on the Wilkes County Detention Center, a resolution approving the ASJ Mathis Farms Lease for the Landfill, and appointments to the WTA and High Country Council.

Lost/Recovered Cell Phone at Courthouse

Did you lose a cell phone at the Courthouse?  Wilkesboro Police now have possession of a cell phone found at the Wilkes Courthouse.  A Wilkesboro man brought the phone by the Police Station this week.  He said found it laying in Courtroom 4, and he picked it up thinking it belonged to his friend.  When he found out it was not his friend's phone, he brought it to the Wilkesboro Police Station.  They have tried to retrieve information from the phone to determine the owner.  If you lost your cell phone at the Courthouse in Wilkes, you may call Wilkesboro Police to determine if this is your phone.  Their number is 667-7277.

NC Unemployment Rate Drops

This week  Governor Pat McCrory and Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker released the following statement after North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped by 0.5 of a percentage point to 6.9 percent – the lowest rate in more than five years. “The trend of more people getting back to work in North Carolina is great news for our state,” said Governor McCrory. “While this is welcome news, we will remain focused on policies that will encourage job growth – not just for the short-term, but for the long-term to sustain the progress we have made.”  Secretary Decker added, "We're encouraged to see these early signs of economic recovery, but we won't rest until every North Carolinian who wants a job has one."  Also this week, Governor McCrory met with business leaders from throughout the state for the inaugural meeting and swearing-in of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Small and Historically Underutilized Businesses. The governor signed Executive Order No. 24 in September 2013 that ensured businessmen and women would comprise the council.  "My administration is dedicated to making North Carolina a more business-friendly state, especially for businesses that have been historically underutilized," said Governor McCrory. These 13 members represent small, minority-owned, women-owned, and physically disabled businesses, among others.

NC Senator's Reaction to State of the Union Address

U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) issued the following statement on President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night:  "President Obama touched on many issues, most notably on income inequality. But it's as if the President, five years into his term in office, still doesn't understand our country and what makes it work. The greatest achievement of our modern, free society is not the promise of equal outcomes -- history is littered with the wrecks of nations that tried -- but rather equality of opportunity."  Burr said, "Unfortunately, the President's policies are destroying opportunities for families and businesses across the country in the misguided belief that tearing down some will benefit all."  Burr ended with:  "It is my wish that the President would stop looking for someone to blame, and instead spend time thinking about how we can reach bipartisan solutions to the issues he laid out this evening. I look forward to the President reaching out for suggestions as how to change the unsustainable path our nation is currently on."