February 2010 Archives

Ed Pilkington, an acting legend in the Southeast, is appearing now in Appalachian State University's Department of Theatre and Dance production "Prelude to a Kiss" at Valborg Theatre. Pilkington taught in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian for 31 years. He has performed on stages from New York City to Vancouver. He received the North Carolina Theatre Conferences' Distinguished Career Award as well. In "Prelude to a Kiss," he plays the role of the Old Man. Performances begin at 7 p.m. Tonight, Friday, and Saturday, and at 2 pm on Sunday. The Box Office is open weekdays from 2-5 pm and one hour prior to show time.

Purchase tickets in person, or by phone at 262-3063.

Candidate filing for 2010 elections ends Friday.

Scott Courtney has officially announced his candidacy for the Watauga County School Board. Courtney has three children in the school system and believes he has an insider's perspective on the daily operations of Watauga County Schools.Courtney is a local minister and a Hospice chaplain. He says he sees no greater investment in our community than the future of our young people.

William Byrd has thrown his hat into the ring to run for Watauga County Sheriff. Byrd has 18 years of law enforcement experience under his belt including 13 years as a certified state instructor teaching basic law enforcement courses, specialized courses, and various other law enforcement courses. He has been a member of the local S.W.A.T. team for 12 years. If elected, Byrd's goals include serving and protecting the residents of Watauga County with a strong experience and background in law enforcement. He will put more emphasis on eliminating drug related problems in the County and improve the protection of residents and schools in Watauga County by providing ongoing training for officers. Byrd will be running unaffiliated in the 2010 general election.

The primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 4, and the general election will take place Tuesday, November 2.

We have an update from Samaritans Purse in Haiti. They currently has 95 team members on the ground in Haiti as the ministry works to respond to help earthquake victims. SP spokesperson Melissa Strickland said those working in Haiti work around 20 hours for two to three weeks straight before they are relieved and replaced with other team members. She explained they average around 90 team members on the ground in Haiti at all times. While around 90 are working on the ground in Haiti, many more are working extremely hard here in the states to make the physical work in Haiti productive. SP has an Incident Management Team at its international headquarters right here in Boone. The Incident Management Team is a group of around a dozen people who work exclusively on responding in disaster situations.

Besides the workers on the ground in Haiti and the Incident Management Team members in Boone, Strickland said every employee at SP is working a lot harder because of the disaster response efforts. All of the hundreds of employees here have taken on an extra load to assist the team on the ground and assist the Haitian people. Samaritan's Purse is still asking for prayers for earthquake victims and those responding to the disaster. You can visit SamartiansPurse.org to find out how to donate.

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise across the country, state and in Watauga County. In order to address this issue locally, the Watauga County Sheriff's Office invited medical professionals to a training seminar last week covering the most abused narcotics, current prescription forgery trends and regulations. More than 20 physicians, dentists, pharmacists, surgeons, and emergency room personnel attended. Sheriff Len Hagaman said they organized this training to create a partnership between their office and those working in the medical field and that communication is vital to addressing this issue. Sheriff Hagaman said another prescription drug drop-off initiative similar to Operation Medicine Cabinet would be held this spring.

The Hospitality House of Boone is seeking grant money to help fight hunger, but how much grant money it is able to receive depends on how much money the organization is able to raise on its own. They would receive the grant money from the Alan Feinstein Foundation of Rhode Island. Feinstein's mission is fight hunger in the US and the way he does that is by offering $1 million to participating agencies across the country. That doesn't mean that each agency gets $1million, but it means he has $1 million he's giving away. In order to participate, agencies simply have to report their fundraising income for March and April then let the Feinstein Foundation know how much money was raised during that time period and based on [those numbers], they'll add to that donation by sending a grant. the best way to get involved with donating to the Hospitality House is by visiting their website, HospitalityHouseOfBoone.org.

You can also call the office at 262-3461 for more information.

As of today, Watauga County Schools have been closed for 23 days this school year because of inclement weather. Earlier this week, Schools Superintendent Dr. Marty Hemric took time to clarify system policies on closing and explain the reasoning behind new guidelines on Saturday school and limited bus routes. All school systems in the state are required to have 180 days of instruction and make up any days that are missed. However, because of the quantity of days missed so far this winter, Watauga County Schools have prepared the paperwork to request a waiver from the state for some of the missed days. For more information about limited bus routes, school closings and makeup days, call 828-264-7190.

The Polar Plunge that had been rescheduled for yesterday was canceled once again due to safety concerns. Wind chills expected below zero and wind gusts approaching 40 mph is definitely a safety concern as plungers come out of the water. Ice on the dock was also a factor in the decision to postpone the Plunge. Officials will keep us posted when the new date is scheduled. The 12^th annual Polar Plunge at the Duck Pond will benefit the Watauga County Special Olympics. Anyone interested in taking part or to sponsor a plunger call Karon Poteat, Watauga County Special Olympics Coordinator at 264-9511.

The regional U.S. Census Bureau in Boone is still seeking people to count their neighbors. They have a lot of jobs left and they'll start training in late March, and go through April and May.
The positions pay $11.50 an hour and a 50-cent-per-mile travel reimbursement but most people would be able to work right in their own communities. For more information or to schedule an application and skills test, call 832-5920.

Wind gusts of around 70 miles per hour coupled with new and drifted snow have made most roadways in the area slick and snow covered. A representative with the Ashe County Sheriff's Office described road conditions in Ashe as "terrible" because high winds and blowing snow have reduced the visibility on already treacherous roadways. Representatives with the Ashe, Avery, and Watauga County Sheriff's Offices haven't had a large influx of calls about wrecks, but residents should drive with extreme caution today. The National Weather Service's Blizzard Warning is in effect for the region until 5:00 Saturday and the Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 6:00 a.m. Sunday.

Blue Ridge Electric was honored with a national award for its Bright Ideas grant program. The Bright Ideas grant program awards schoolteachers around BREMCO's service area with grant money to help them teach students in new an innovative ways. Since the Bright Ideas grants program began in 1994, electric cooperatives in North Carolina have awarded more than $7 million to teachers and schools across the state to sponsor almost 6,400 classroom projects.