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December 29, 2005

Hey, what are they doing here?

So at last week's Jamestown council a whole bunch of council veterans showed up to watch the swearing in of Brock Thomas. It was kind of cool to see and the retired members are hoping to start a new tradition.

I wrote something up about it, but it got lost in the wash last week, so to speak. So I thought I'd put it up on the blog since it's getting a little stale. Still worth hearing about though.

Back to the future

What were all those old-timers doing at Jamestown’s Town Hall the night of Dec. 19? Looking for the buffet line? Swapping retirement stories?

Nah. They were there to welcome Mickey Peeler into the club and maybe start a new tradition. Ten of Jamestown’s 18 living former council members — including Peeler — attended the swearing-in ceremony for the new town board.

The invitation came from former councilman Loren Hill and former councilwoman Keith Lackey. The pair are hoping it will become a tradition for former members to gather at Jamestown’s biannual swearing in ceremony.

Among those present were council members from every decade since the town’s incorporation in 1948 except the 1940s.

For some, like Robert C. Green who served in the 1970s, the visit was their first to Jamestown’s new town hall. He hadn’t been to a meeting since 1978.

“We thought it’d be nice to come and see them get sworn in seeing as how usually it’s just a quite affair,” Green joked. “Usually there’s just family there. And a lot of them aren’t even family.

The former council members couldn’t recall another time when they all got together.

“I’ve never seen it done,” said Dr. Austin Fortney. And he would know. Fortney served on Jamestown’s council in the 1950s, and again in the early 90s.

To honor those present, Councilman Keith Volz formally proposed an idea that had been kicking around for a bout a year: turn the foyer leading into council chambers into a Wall of Honor where pictures of Jamestown’s previous leaders could hang.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2005

The Taxi story comes to an end...

I really should've posted this last week, but ran out of time to get everything done before leaving.

Anway, there will be no taxis in Jamestown. At least not any based there. The outside companies can still serve the city.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)

December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah

Good morning fair readers. I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday, since Christmas and the start of Hanukkah fall on the same day.

I hope you're all having a wonderful time, enjoying the company of family, or at least friends, and relaxing.

Now move along. And what are you doing reading the Internet today anyway? :)

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 6:46 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2005

Be back in 5 ...

Yup, it's time to hang the old "Closed for the Holiday" sign on the North High Point & Jamestown blog. The kind folks at the News & Record have given me a few days off to join my family for Christmas. I'm headed up to Washington, D.C., so there won't be any updates for a few days.

We'll be back on the 26th. And don't misbehave too much while I'm gone.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 7:52 AM | Comments (4)

December 20, 2005

Wow

So I was just as surprised as the next guy when I woke up this morning. Cause, well, y'all outta know by know. But if you don't: The School Choice plan was put on the backburner last night. And not even left to simmer.

Seems to me the decision sparks more questions than it answers, but I'm sure some of the regular posters here would rather have the new problems than the old.

The two biggest things I see are: How are folks gonna feel about redistricting? And what happens to the kids who started at an out-of-neighborhood school?

I'll be pitching in to help Bruce and Jennifer on this one today, so let me know what questions you've got ...

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 9:09 AM | Comments (3)

December 19, 2005

Jamestown Taxicabs, Redux

So the J-town taxi saga picks up Tuesday.

If you're interested there will be a public hearing.
What: Jamestown Council is considering whether to grant a taxi license to a local entrepreneur. And will hold a public hearing ...
When: 6 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Jamestown Town Hall

Note: This post had an incorrect time and day for the meeting listed earlier. I apologize for any misunderstandings that might have caused.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 3:58 PM | Comments (0)

December 16, 2005

Power outages...

... yeah, we don't have any in North High Point. At least not at the moment according to this handy-dandy map.

That thing is pretty cool.

High Point utilities had a grand total of 3 outages. Duke isn't showing any in its High Point coverage area.

So what are people up to do today? Especially with the kids out of school?

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2005

North High Point impressions

A while back I said I'd share my impressions of north High Point as I discover it. Of course I made the mistake of not realizing how quickly that post would devolve, thanks to the name of the establishment, into a discussion of the superintendent-who-shall-not-be-named.

Well, I'm ready to try again.

My significant other and I are guilty of the whole dinner-and-a-movie routine, which means we've checked out quite a few of the restaurants near the Palladium. Unfortunately most of them are chains, and well, I don't want to comment on them since they're generally the same everywhere. But we have checked out a few local places.

The best meal I've had in High Point came courtesy of Aquaria. It's a little more than my budget can handle too often, but made for a nice place to visit on a special occasion. I also really liked the Indian Restuarant at the intersection of Gordon Place and Eastchester, across from Panera. So far, those are my two favorite "local" places.

Not counting the political commentary near the high school, I'm not finding much enterainment in north High Point. The Palladium's a good place to see a movie, but beyond that, I've found myself scooting up to Greensboro more and more.

Tell me what I'm missing north High Pointers! What's the best way (aside from setting up Christmas displays on Southwest School Road) to spend a Friday night in High Point? Tell me about those places I'm missing. Ooh, and while I'm asking, if anybody could recommend a good barber that'd be nice too.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 12:01 PM | Comments (2)

December 14, 2005

Day spas at the dentist?

Did you see the story today?

That's right: People apparently want to get a massage, then their teeth cleaned. I think I'd probably need to be the other way around.

It's interesting though. I wonder how well it'll go over.

For whatever reasons, I think of a dentist's office pampering its clients like that to be more likely in Cary than High Point.

Then again, I'm also the type of person who hates, absolutely hates, will invent reasons out the wazoo to not have to, going to the dentist. So the idea that giving patients something to make them relax before a visit makes some sense.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 5:41 PM | Comments (2)

December 12, 2005

Another north High Point annexation

If you missed the story today here's the short end of it. The owners of a 35-acre chunk of land on Gallimore Dairy Road are seeking to get it annexed and zoned for industrial use.

The area is in Zone 1 of the airport noise plan, meaning a residential subdivision couldn't be built there.

The planning commission will be taking a look at it tomorrow.
When: 6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 13
Where: City Council Chambers, 211 S. Hamilton St. High Point

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 3:48 PM | Comments (8)

Over at The Chalkboard...

... you'll find some photos of the new Southwest School Road protest.

I was going to blog about this after seeing the new display this morning, but figured my colleagues on the education beat would be all over it.

If you're not aware, there's been a rather entertaining display set up since the early fall protesting the school choice plan. The folks behind the protest have changed it up with the season, so there was a big turkey before Thanksgiving and a witch 'round Halloween. I have to admit getting a chuckle out of the Christmas display...

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 3:42 PM | Comments (4)

December 8, 2005

Heart of the Triad moving forward

I know it's not in North High Point, at least not yet, but the Heart of the Triad project looks like its starting to get some real legs.

This has been a big week for what has really remained a grand idea. The steering committee met for the first time yesterday. Today the Chambers of Commerce held their second annual "State of the Triad" meeting in Winston-Salem, at which the Heart of the Triad was supposed to be the hot topic, pardon the pun.

The consultant, HDR, has been in town this week getting things rolling.

All in all, the H.O.T. folks are feeling pretty good about themselves.

So why am I putting all this up here?

Whatever land-use plan the HDR folks come up with is going to affect north High Point in one way or another because part of the H.O.T. area is in the zone that has been designated as High Point's for planning. That means it may not yet be annexed by the city, but is likely going to be.

There's also the idea that if this thing works the way folks are dreaming about it working, well north High Point, along with Kernersville are going to be awfully close to a brand spanking new, major job center.

So what is this thing going to be? It's hard to say and we'll know a lot more in six months. It could be nothing if Kernersville, Winston-Salem, High Point, Greensboro, Guilford and Forsyth can't agree. But the folks involved believe it could be the Triad's answer to Research Triangle Park. Now if only I had a dollar for every city I've heard of trying to mimic RTP, why I'd have about $50.

If you're like me and you want to find additional information on the Heart of the Triad, well here's a few other places to look.

Eventually the official updates will be posted on that PART site.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 4:25 PM | Comments (2)

December 5, 2005

You wanted to know

A reader asked. I've got your answer. What happened at Southwest Guilford High School to draw police out on Friday?

There were three incidents at the school, in decreasing order of seriousness: a) Bomb Threat b) Simple Assault c)Vandalism.

The bomb threat was called in by a student from a cell phone and an arrest was made, according to the police report. Lt. Angela Tackett of the High Point Police said the student was charged with making a false report of an explosive device. The call was made to the guidance office just after noon and the number tracked back from there to a student's cell phone.(Note: The News & Record doesn't generally report on bomb threats such as this because it can lead to copycat behavior. That's why you won't see a mention of it in the paper edition and I'm only reporting it here to give an answer to the question that was asked.)

The simple assault involved a student shoving an assistant principal and an arrest was made in that case too, according to the police report. Lt. Tackett said the assistant principal was standing in between two students that were fighting when she was shoved. The student in that case was charged with assaulting a government official.

The vandalism involved a car in the parking lot. About $350 in damage was done. No report on who did it.

And in getting these answers for you kind folks I've learned several things about police reporting in High Point (something I thankfully don't do very often.) One of the tools I'm more than happy to share with you is this: High Point police has a searchable database online where you can look up incident reports by date, street, people involved. Take a look here. It's even got a mapping function.

Unfortunately the reports for those three incidents are not online. I don't know if they will be eventually. There is a mention of them but no details. It wouldn't surprise me if it didn't since both of the folks arrested were juveniles. That's also why I don't have names for you. Police don't usually release the identities of arrested juveniles.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 3:29 PM | Comments (2)

Get to know your new city council...

at least a little bit. High Point city reporter Kory Dodd and I did a pair of profiles that ran over the weekend about High Point's two newest city council members. They'll both be sworn in today for their full terms.

You can read about Lisa Stahlmann here

The Michael Pugh profile doesn't appear to be on the Web site, so I cut and pasted it below the jump.

Pugh ends up following father’s path
By Kory Dodd
Staff Writer
HIGH POINT — Since his father’s death, Michael “Mike” Pugh has been trying to follow his father’s path in his own way.
Pugh grew up watching the Rev. Worth Pugh minister to the congregants at Cloverdale Church of the Living God in High Point.
“As a pastor he would visit people and talk to people,” Pugh said. “I learned from him that you have to communicate with people, and if you care for people you’ve got to listen to their concerns.”
Pugh helped his father by playing organ at the countless funerals where the elder Pugh preached. Many of those funerals were for people who were members of another church but requested Worth Pugh, said James Cumby of Cumby Family Funeral Service. The Pughs would attend no matter how inconvenient.
“He and his dad never said no to anybody,” Cumby said.
Worth Pugh served at the church for about 50 years. When he died in July, his son decided to honor his father by putting his upbringing to use and serving the public as his father had.
“He always wanted me to kind of follow in his footsteps as a minister, and I just felt that I’m not a minister, but I could serve the public ... in this capacity in city government,” said Pugh, a real estate broker who will be sworn in Monday to High Point City Council. “And show the compassion and the caring and all those attributes he taught me.”
Pugh said his door-to-door style of campaigning was born from his father’s practice of meeting with congregants and listening to their concerns.
From the day Pugh registered for the election in August until the night before the election, he went door to door speaking with as many people as he could in south High Point’s Ward 3. Only in the week before the election, when there appeared to be areas he might not reach, did he enlist the help of his wife, Donna.
Pugh’s campaigning style worked — he beat out incumbent John Linton. Although it is his father’s death that finally pushed him into public service, Pugh said his wife’s plight also inspired him to give back.
Mike and Donna Pugh married in 1984, the same year a degenerative corneal disease took her eyesight. Pugh said his wife suffered through a series of failed cornea transplants and left her job as a flight attendant for US Airways.
Donna Pugh said the eight and a half years she was blind were the hardest of her life.
“I had a terrible attitude. I didn’t want to learn anything,” she said. She wouldn’t speak for days and often refused to leave the house.
“He was always there for me,” she said. “No matter how impossible I made the situation, he stuck with me and I respect him for that. And I don’t know many people who would have done that.”
About two years ago, they found a doctor in Boston who had pioneered a special lens that would be placed over her cornea. The lens allowed Donna Pugh to see again.
Her plight was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show, and she has served as a spokeswoman for the procedure, Mike Pugh said.
“That has been a very inspirational thing to me,” he said. “That good things can happen and when good things happen you want to reciprocate ... And that’s one thing that I wanted to do — reciprocate some of the blessings that God has given me back to the public.”
Pugh’s pastor, the Rev. David Perry of Cloverdale Church of the Living God, said the man began giving back to the community before running for public office. Pugh has often sponsored sports teams for church members and helped out in other ways, Perry said.
Donna Pugh said her husband cannot turn down a request for help. A man recently called her husband because his water heater had broken and he couldn’t afford a new one, she said. Mike Pugh bought him a new one and installed it for free despite his own tight budget, she said.
Donna Pugh said her husband tries to help strangers all the time. His concernsabout south High Point finally led her to suggest running for a council seat, she said.
“He just wants things to be nicer and better for the people who live in this ward,” Donna Pugh said.

Contact Kory Dodd at 83-4422, Ext. 241, or kdodd@news-record.com

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

December 1, 2005

Bypass revisited

It looks like the Jamestown Bypass might be coming back up for discussion soon.

Keith Volz plans to press the issue in January. I'm curious what Jamestown folks think.

The plan is starting to get far enough along that major changes will be difficult. But the NCDOT says they can definitely look at Volz' concerns. The sooner the town brings them, the better.

Posted by Jonathan Jones at 1:57 PM | Comments (9)