News-Record.com

This today from Action Greensboro:

"There are still a few seats remaining for the Making Connections Around the Table dinner featuring Matt Brown, General Manager of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. And we do mean complex! This man is Mister Entertainment in Greensboro, overseeing events all the way from Steve Harvey and Cirque du Soleil to Super Flea and Monster Trucks. His huge staff markets, sells tickets to, sets up for, sells food to, and cleans up after thousands of people every month. Who knows what he might be able to tell us about leadership — not to mention multi-tasking? Don't miss this opportunity!

"Making Connections with Matt Brown will take place Tuesday, June 12 from 6:00pm to 8:15pm at the O. Henry Hotel. Cost is $40 per person. Deadline to register is Thursday, June 7 before 5:00pm.

"Call Heather Hazelwood at 379-0821 with a credit card number or drop a check by the Action Greensboro office by Thursday."

The regional League of Women Voters operation will present a study of the Guilford County's jail system at tomorrow's commissioners meeting, according to a news release that appeared in my inbox today.

Links to the study are at the upper-left-hand corner of the League's home page.

It seems that the group has been working on this thing for a couple years. Its recommendations include renovating the existing Greensboro jail, building a new one near the downtown courthouse, and expanding jail-alternative programs.

Commissioners are advancing all three of those plans, though funding for the new jail isn't in place yet.

More jail stuff here and here.

Skip Alston and BJ Barnes traveled familiar territory during a budget meeting last week.

Alston, the Democratic Guilford County commissioner, doesn't want a big new jail. Barnes, the Republican sheriff, does. And round and round they went.

But something new happened when Barnes told county commissioners that he didn't want $300,000 for an electronic house-arrest program in his budget. Commissioners have given prelminary approval to the program, in which low-risk offenders could be released from jail and monitored with an ankle bracelet as they await trial.

The idea is to clear space in the crowded jails for the people who really need to be there.

But Barnes said that since the program was in the preliminary stages, didn't have a formal commitment from the courts, and lacked policies as to who would qualify for it, he didn't want the burden of running it. Just the two deputy sheriffs, equipment, and cruisers needed to run the program would cost $250,000, he said.

"Knowing that I'm doomed for failure is not something that I want to have happen," he said.

Manager David McNeill said he put the $300,000 in the budget just to get the program off the ground.

But Alston wondered what harm there was in trying it. He has said Barnes doesn't want jail-alternative programs to work because they would help get people out of jail and, therefore, erase the need for a new one.

"If you don't believe in it," Alston said, "then it's not going to work."

I picked up on a vibe today that the Greensboro City Council is considering making an offer on the old Canada Dry site on High Point Road. My vibe could be wrong, but I'll lay out my logic:

This morning, Councilwoman Sandra Anderson Groat proposed adding into the budget (as a one-time revenue) the $1.1 million it had set aside for property purchases. It's just sitting there, Groat argued, so why not use it and cut down the burden to taxpayers. The majority agreed.

A few council members started asking how the city would pay for the Canada Dry property without that $1.1 million. Mayor Keith Holliday hushed a few people, reminding them about a closed meeting about the land last week.

But he said: "Whatever figure we talked about last week" is how much money the city would need to borrow to buy Canada Dry.

So it sounds as though the city is making an offer to the owners (Yes, yes, I know. I'll get to that later). The asking price is $3.7 million. The appraised value is about $2.5 million.

I figured they would drop the issue after receiving the appraisal, hoping the private sector (possibly a hotel) would step in.

But the appraiser doesn't think a hotel would work there. He says the best use of the property is for it to become part of the Greensboro Coliseum or some sort of business - maybe a restaurant or a auto dealership.

Here's the part where I say ... The property is owned by Susan Robinson, the wife of News & Record Editor John Robinson, and her brothers, W. Hardy Spence and Royall Spence III. The family, which owned Canada Dry of Greensboro, sold its franchise to distribute soft drinks in 1998 and has since focused on developing the land.

The Register explains.

This story today about Coliseum Director Matt Brown's seeming participation on the Kevin Green City Council campaign doesn't have Brown's voice in the story. He wouldn't answer questions from me yesterday. Here is an e-mail explanation from coliseum spokesman Andrew Brown:

"I have relayed your repeated interview requests to him … but he is still upset about the controversy (that he feels your story created) regarding the ACC Hall of Champions. He feels strongly that your coverage of that presentation to Council was very misleading, so he is hesitant to do any interviews with you at this time."

The background is here in the comments section and here.

I told Andrew that if Matt doesn't feel comfortable being interviewed by me, my editor could ask him questions. Or any of the other 20-some news reporters in the newsroom could fill in. We can work around me so we can find a way for Matt to answer these legitimate questions.

It also seems like we should be able to have a conversation over the phone. E-mail doesn't allow for much give and take in dialogue.