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County digs out after snow
blankets area
By John Hunter
The first
snowfall of the year – and the first significant snow accumulation
in the past several winters in Chatham County — left a heavy blanket
of frozen precipitation on the ground, making driving on roadways a
risky venture and canceling public schools on Monday and Tuesday.
Late last
week with forecasters calling for winter weather, Chatham County
Emergency Management officials began urging residents to prepare for
a winter storm.
Roads had
been salted by Department of Transportation crews in anticipation of
the weather.
Chatham
residents were urged to check on friends and family who are elderly
or disabled with limited access to supplies.
The primary
concern from Emergency Management was keeping travelers off the road
during the storm.
By Saturday,
the ground and roads were covered by up to five inches of snow in
some parts of the county.
Even after
the initial storm, road conditions were deemed unsafe because the
temperatures had not raised high enough to melt existing snow an ice
from roadways.
Throughout
the weekend, the NC Highway Patrol reported several weather-related
accidents in Chatham County.
On Friday
night, a vehicle traveling just north of the Lee County line lost
control on a snow covered roadway, hit the left shoulder of the road
and overturned.
more- See Thursday,
Feb, 4, 2010
edition
Two-county chase ends with
crash, two arrests
By John Hunter
What began
as a breaking and entering in Asheboro last Wednesday resulted in a
police chase through Chatham County that ended at the Siler City
town limits.
On
Wednesday, January 27, deputies with the Randolph County Sheriff’s
Office responded to a breaking and entering in progress call at a
residence on Meadow Road in Asheboro.
One of the
residents of the home, an unidentified female, placed a call to 911.
The caller
told the 911 dispatcher that she was hiding in a bedroom closet
after two men kicked in her front door.
"Someone’s
breaking into my house. They’re in my house," the caller said.
The 911
dispatcher asked the caller if she could identify the men breaking
in to her home.
"I don’t
know. One of them is bald. They’re driving a grey car," the caller
said.
"I’m really
scared. Hurry," the caller added.
The 911
dispatcher repeatedly urged the caller "to stay on the phone with
me" for several minutes during the call.
At one point
the caller tells the dispatcher that "he’s in my bedroom," while she
is still in her closet.
more- See Thursday,
Feb. 4, 2010
edition |
Jeff Davis photo
Pushing weather . . .
A motorist gets some help from the
passengers in this vehicle Saturday in Siler City. The car had been
travelling on West Raleigh Street when the back end lost traction,
spinning it around and sliding into a culvert. After the passengers
pushed it back to where the car got better traction they all climbed
back in and headed into town.
County adopts new policy to
offer incentives to businesses
On Monday,
the Chatham County Board of Commissioners adopted a new economic
incentive policy aimed at helping new and expanding businesses in
the county.
The Chatham
County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) developed the new
policy based on recommendations from the UNC Kenan Institute’s
Center for Competitive Economies.
The new
policy will award incentives to companies based on a new points
system. Points will be assigned based on jobs creation, capital
investment, environmental impact, and industry cluster/business
type. The more points a business scores, the higher the value of the
incentives they are eligible to receive.
"The job creation points
will be tied to the number of jobs, quality of jobs, wages and
benefits as well as the company’s plans to hire Chatham County
residents," said Dianne Reid, president of the EDC.
more- See Thursday,
Feb. 4, 2010
edition
Filing begins for elected
offices
By Randall Rigsbee
A number of
elected offices – including sheriff, clerk of court, three county
commissioner seats, and three seats on the school board — are up for
re-election this year.
The filing
period to run for those and several other offices begins Monday,
February 8, at noon and will continue until Friday, February 26 at
noon.
Office to be
elected this year are Chatham County sheriff, clerk of court, county
commissioners for districts 3, 4 and 5, board of education districts
3 and 4 (with two seats in district 4), Soil and Water Conservation
District (two seats), district attorney, US Senate seat (Burr seat),
US congress (District 2), US Congress (District 4), NC State Senate
(District 18), NC House (District 54), Chief District Court Judge
and five seats on the NC Court of Appeals.
Three seats
on the school board – those held by Deb McManus, Kathy Russell and
the seat of Gerald Totten, who died last year – are up for
re-election. While there is a proposal to re-district the board of
education districts, there has been no official action yet to do so
and filing for those offices will proceed as normal.
Two county commissioners –
vice chair George Lucier (district 3) and commissioner Tom
Vanderbeck (district 4) – said Monday that they plan to seek
re-election.
more- See Thursday,
Feb. 4, 2010
edition
School’s namesake Cross dies
By
John Hunter
Virginia
Cross, a longtime educator in Chatham County and namesake of an
elementary school in Siler City, died on Wednesday, January 27.
She was 88.
Raised in
Southmont in Davidson County, Cross graduated from Meredith College
in 1941.
Soon after
graduating, Cross began working at Moncure School in what would
eventually become a 52-year career in education with the Chatham
County School system.
Cross moved
to Paul Braxton Elementary in 1943. After teaching for 34 years at
Braxton, she continued teaching at Siler City Elementary in 1977
until she retired in 1993.
During her retirement years,
Cross spent many years returning to Siler City Elementary School
where she continued to serve as a reading volunteer.
more- See Thursday,
Feb. 4, 2010
edition |
