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Manufacturer closing plant; job loss likely
By Randall Rigsbee
Trusty
Building Components in Siler City, a division of 84 Lumber which
manufactures roof trusses, is closing – at least temporarily – its
local manufacturing operation which employs approximately 100
people.
Chris Hall,
general manager at the Siler City plant, declined to discuss the
matter Tuesday morning.
Hall did say,
however, that the company is "consolidating" its Siler City plant.
"I can’t
answer any of these questions," Hall said, though he added he would
be available to discuss the matter on March 14 "after I get done
with closing this plant."
A company
official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Tuesday the
company is discontinuing manufacturing operations at the Siler City
plant but that the 84 Lumber will continue to own the facility and
may reinstate manufacturing there at a future date.
"We’re not
selling it," the official said. "Operations could start up again."
The official
added, "84 Lumber as a whole is fine."
Telephone
inquiries to 84 Lumber’s corporate office were not returned prior to
the newspaper’s Tuesday afternoon deadline.
Chatham
County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) director Diane Reid,
who received confirmation from a company employee Tuesday morning
that the plant would discontinue operations on Friday, said the
plant employs approximately 100 people.
Reid
speculated a downturn in the housing industry could be to blame.
"I know there
are businesses that have suffered as a result of that," Reid said.
Siler City Mayor Charles
Turner on Tuesday said company officials had not contacted the town,
which is a common practice when an industry is closing.
more-
See Thursday,
March 6, 2008
paper:
Vol 88, No.14
Jordan Lake
recovers from drought impact
By Bill Willcox
While drought
conditions still persist in North Carolina, Jordan Lake – from which
the Chatham County water system draws water — is now one foot over
full level.
Recent rains,
combined with restricted releases from the dam, due to the ongoing
drought, have combined to fill the lake.
Chatham
County draws its water from the lake with a 3 million gallon per day
(mgd) allotment.
Cary and Apex
also draw from the lake, as well as Morrisville and RTP.
Cary is
currently selling 2 mgd to Durham because of the drought.
The lake has
filled rapidly because of its large watershed.
"One of main
factors is that the drainage basin for the Haw River, and by
extension the lake, is over twice as large as Falls Lake," said
David Hughes, public works director for Chatham County.
The drainage
basin extends to Reidsville, north of Greensboro.
Also there is
less withdrawal of water from the lake, compared to Falls Lake, the
source of 40 mgd for Raleigh.
Jordan Lake has never entered
the month of April without being full, Hughes said, since it was
first impounded in 1981.
more-
See Thursday,
February 28, 2008
paper:
Vol 88, No.14
In murder case
. . .
Judge denies
mental evaluation for Clark
By Spencie Love
On Monday,
Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens denied motions made by public
defender James E. Williams, Jr., who is serving as Barbara Clark’s
defense lawyer, and by District Attorney James R. Woodall, asking
that Clark, charged in the murders of two Galloway Ridge residents
last December, receive mental health treatment and evaluations.
Last week,
Williams requested an order from Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour
that would allow Clark to be admitted to John Umstead Hospital for
"necessary evaluation and treatment."
Baddour
subsequently recused himself from the case saying that he had
personal relationships with the murder victims that prevented him
from serving as judge.
Shortly
afterward, Woodall filed his own motion, requesting that Clark be
committed to Dorothea Dix Hospital’s Pretrial Unit for a mental
competency exam.
Williams
spoke on behalf of Clark on Monday, saying that she has suffered
from severe depression since being arrested and jailed December 5.
He said that he and his staff have spent a great deal of time with
Clark since her arrest, staying in constant contact with her.
Williams said
Woodall and his staff have had had no regular contact with Clark
since her incarceration on December 5 of 2007.
Clark herself
appeared in Chatham Superior Court in Pittsboro on Monday, subdued
and quiet, wearing orange prison garb, as well as chains around her
waist and ankles.
Williams
argued that Clark should receive a mental health evaluation and
treatment, which so far has been denied her. Originally, she was
supposed to have received treatment from Caring Family Network, a
local psychiatric organization. The group apparently refused to
admit Clark for treatment and subsequently announced they were
discontinuing services in Chatham County as of March 14.
Williams objected to Clark
being evaluated for what he regarded as "flimsy competency
allegations" by Woodall, requiring her to be committed to Dorothea
Dix.
more-
See Thursday,
March 6 , 2008
paper:
Vol 88, No.13
Davis wins
five state press honors
Chatham News/Record
staff photographer Jeff Davis’s photojournalism skills earned
him five awards, including a first place award in the General News
Photography division, in the N.C. Press Association’s annual
statewide competition.
The awards
were presented Thursday, February 28 during a banquet at the Embassy
Suites in Cary.
Davis, a
photographer with the newspaper for the past 30 years, won a first
place award in the General News Photography category for his entry
entitled "Car Accident"
The judge
described the photograph (which is reprinted along with Davis’ other
winning entries on page 11-A) as a "powerful spot news moment.
"Timing is everything in spot
news photography," the judge observed, "and yours is spot on in this
photo. Wow!"
more-
See Thursday,
March 6 , 2008
paper:
Vol 88, No.13
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Jeff Davis photo
Shapes and shadows . . .
Roger
Dinger works his way up the ladder at the Arts Incubator’s newest
addition on North Chatham Avenue in Siler City. The sun, which was
climbing in the sky gave off some spectaular shadows on the gazebo
and Roger as he went along with his work.
Candidates file for primary
By Bill Willcox
Two former
Chatham Coalition leaders have filed to run in the May 6 primary for
county commissioner.
Democrats
Sally Kost and Jeffrey Starkweather are running for Chatham County
Commissioner Districts 1 and 2 respectively
Also filing
last week to run for the District 2 Commissioner seat was Republican
Andy Wilkie.
Starkweather
is a former chairman, and Kost is a former vice chair, of the
Chatham Coalition, a grassroots political action organization that
endorsed County Commission incumbents Patrick Barnes and Mike Cross
in 2004.
Earlier this
month the Chatham Coalition announced it would not endorse Barnes or
Cross.
Kost, chair
of the Chatham County Planning Board, has more than 20 years of
experience in public budgeting, including six years as budget
director for Orange County.
She has also
been active in the Democratic Party as a member of the executive
committee, serving as chair and vice chair of East Williams
precinct. A native North Carolinian and political science graduate
of N.C. State University, she has lived in the Triangle for 20
years, including nearly six years in northeast Chatham.
Starkweather,
co-founder and former chair of the Chatham Coalition, has been a
citizen advocate since moving to Pittsboro more than 35 years ago.
He is secretary of the Chatham County Economic Development
Corporation, co-chair of the Chatham Housing Coalition, a longtime
civil rights attorney and a former member of the County Planning
Board. He was editor and co-publisher of the Chatham County Herald
for 11 years.
"Sally and I
believe that the new County Board of Commissioners has made great
advances toward more open government, responsible land-use planning,
green economic development and quality schools under the leadership
of George Lucier, Carl Thompson and Tom Vanderbeck," Starkweather
said
"We want to
bring our additional experience to the Board at this critical
juncture as we face increasingly complex growth and economic
pressures that affect our schools, our natural resources and our
quality of life," he said.
Kost said, "Our experiences
in public financing, economic development, land-use planning and
citizen advocacy make us keenly aware of the costs and impacts of
unmanaged growth and the importance of open, responsible and
informed governance."
more-
See Thursday,
March 6
, 2008
paper:
Vol 88, No.13
County
attorney resigns post
By Randall Rigsbee
Less than a
year after he was hired as Chatham County’s first staff attorney,
Kevin Whiteheart has resigned from the job.
Whiteheart,
who was hired May 31, 2007, cited health reasons for his decision.
The Chatham
County Board of Commissioners accepted the resignation during a work
session Monday
According to
county officials, Whiteheart plans to focus his time and
energies on recovering from undisclosed health issues that developed
recently.
Whiteheart
had been absent from the last several county commissioners’
meetings.
"We
appreciate Kevin’s hard work and contributions as the county’s first
staff attorney," said board chairman George Lucier. "We know that
taking care of his health must be his top priority. All of the
commissioners wish him a speedy and full recovery."
Other
commissioners underscored that sentiment.
"For the
short period of time he was here, he was very conscientious in terms
of trying to do the bidding of the board,’ said commissioner Carl
Thompson. "I wish him well."
Richard J. "Jep"
Rose, an attorney with Poyner and Spruill LLP, is on retainer as
acting county attorney.
Rose
previously served as interim Chatham County attorney from January to
June of 2007, before Whiteheart was hired.
Rose also
stepped in briefly to give legal representation to the county last
year when Whiteheart’s law license was suspended briefly.
Whiteheart’s license was reinstated a short period later and was
determined to be the result of a misunderstanding between Whiteheart
and the N.C. Bar Association over a change of Whiteheart’s address.
"We are just
starting to think about what the next steps might be and will make
some decisions on that soon," Lucier said.
Lucier said
the job is important and demanding, particularly as Chatham County
continues to grow.
"A lot is
happening in Chatham County," Lucier said. "The job itself is very
demanding, very stressful."
Whiteheart was paid an annual
salary of $93,000, said county human resources director Carolyn
Miller.
more-
See Thursday,
March 6
, 2008
paper:
Vol 88, No.13
Recalled beef
pulled in county schools
By Randall Rigsbee
Nearly 70
cases of beef recalled by federal authorities were found in Chatham
County Schools’ warehouses.
The 68 cases
of beef were to be picked up this week by U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) officials, said Loretta Madren, interim director
of food services for Chatham County Schools.
"It will all
be destroyed," Madren said.
She was
notified Wednesday, Feb. 27 that some of the suspect meat recalled
nationwide was being stored in the school system’s warehouse
awaiting use.
The beef
"crumbles" were recalled by the USDA as part of a massive nationwide
effort.
Federal
authorities recalled 143 million pounds of beef nationwide after
video footage surfaced last month showing animals too sick to walk
among those slaughtered for food consumption at the facility.
The USDA shut down
California-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., which produces about
one-fifth of the beef used in federal school lunch programs, and
issued the nation’s largest beef recall after the Humane Society of
the United States released undercover video of workers mistreating
apparently sick animals.
more-
See Thursday,
March 6 , 2008
paper:
Vol 88, No.13
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