ors eighb n r u yo — Meet 2023 f o s s cla ar y — the ement l E l l pewe at Ho
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Inside • Household grease causes Archdale sewer spill — page 3 • Two arrested after Archdale home invasion — page 10
Wheatmore art students earn national attention
Church news......5 Obituaries.............8 Classifieds........13 Police report.......10 Fire report..........10 Sheriff’s report.....11
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Thursday, April 22, 2010
Archdale-Trinity News w w w. a r c h d a l e t r i n i t y n e w s . n e t
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Archdale proposed ordinance says ‘fix up houses’ T
he City of Archdale will consider a minimum housing code Tuesday, April 27. ‘This proposed ordinance would serve as protection for our citizens from unsanitary or unsafe living conditions,’ said Zeb Holden, code enforcement officer. BY ELIZABETH SAUNDERS
The code would apply to all dwellings. However, Holden added, “These circumstances are most likely to occur
as a result of the inaction of an absentee or unwilling landlord in a rental situation.” The proposed code is the culmination of two years of work, said Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Larry Thomas. City Council had asked the Planning Department to look into minimum housing standards at their retreat in March 2008. Archdale, with the help of Randolph County inspectors, already has the power to condemn and demolish a building, but city leaders wanted a way to get houses fixed before they get that bad.
Later in 2008, city employees completed a survey of Archdale houses — about 4,000 of them. They found that 323 of those homes needed repairs, with 87 in dilapidated shape. Most of them were rentals. Planning Department personnel then researched state statutes and other city codes. Along with Planning Board members, they wrote the standards in 2009 and presented Council with a draft at their February 2010 retreat. The proposed code has two lists: a set of conditions that makes a home immediately unfit for habitation and
SEE HOUSING ON PAGE 3
General Assembly to consider sweepstakes ban I
nternet sweepstakes cafés and centers like the ones in Archdale may soon be illegal. A ban is expected to be proposed to the N.C. General Assembly during the short session in May, said Kelli Kukura, director of governmental affairs for the N.C. League of Municipalities.
BY ROBYN HANKINS Kukura spoke to a group of elected municipal officials and their staffs at a legislative update held April 15, at Trinity City Hall. Approximately 75 people attended the session. She told those assembled that the League supports the ban or, if the ban fails, favors increased regulatory zoning. “We have no idea if it will grandfather existing cafés,” Kukura added. Archdale City Manager Jerry Yarborough told the NEWS he was pleased to receive the news. “I was glad to hear about the sweepstakes bill,” Yarborough said. “City Council has been considering regulations.” He said Council had not come to any firm conclusions on regulating the sweepstakes centers, and did not know if they would take action in light of this bill. Sweepstakes centers, often called business centers or Internet cafés, have spread rapidly throughout the state despite the fact that video machine gambling is illegal. The sweepstakes fall into a legal loophole because players “buy time” on a computer and play the games online. Any winning credits are then transferred to cash, or into more “time” depending on the center and the amount won. In sweepstakes, prizes are not awarded by chance but by a predetermined sweepstakes system.
The launch of the partnership drew applause Friday. Pictured from left are COAT Executive Director Rita Walker, United Way of Greater High Point President Bobby Smith, High Point Community Foundation President Paul Lessard, Vice President of Development for Boys and Girls Clubs Holly Ferree, Second Harvest Food Bank Executive Director Clyde Fitzgerald, BackPack Program recipients Titania Nix with her boys Noah and Javon Thompson, Carl Chavis YMCA Executive Director and Guilford County Board of Education member Carlvena Foster and The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club Photo by Elizabeth Saunders Executive Director Tonia Stephenson.
BackPack Program draws praise and support S amantha Lee, social worker at Allen Jay Elementary School, says she can tell by the looks on children’s faces how much the BackPack Program means to them. The program, which provides weekend food for children who need it, will benefit from a new partnership between Community Outreach of Archdale-Trinity and Second Harvest Food Bank.
BY ELIZABETH SAUNDERS
Stewart is finalist for Nurse of Distinction title
P
enny Stewart has been selected as one of the 10 top finalists for the 2010 Triad Nurse of Distinction, an award sponsored by Triad Careers and the N.C. Nurses Association.
Stewart cares for 2,386 students at four schools — Archdale-Trinity Middle, Braxton Craven, Hopewell and New Market. She has been a school nurse for more than 13 years. The winner will be announced at a celebration luncheon Tuesday, May 4, at the O’Henry Hotel in Greensboro during National Nurses Week. Stewart won the Extra Mile Award in January 2009, bestowed by the Archdale-Trinity Chamber of Commerce. The Award recognizes an inPenny Stewart dividual who gives more than expected or required to improve the quality of life in the Archdale-Trinity community in the course of their regular job.
United Way of Greater High Point coordinated the partnership, with support from High Point Community Foundation. While COAT has coordinated a BackPack Program for about two years in the Archdale-Trinity and Allen Jay areas, this is the launch of the Second Harvest’s program in High
Point, which will supply 20 backpacks of food per week to Allen Jay. COAT currently supplies 50 backpacks to Allen Jay and 210 to Archdale-Trinity elementary schools. The BackPack Program, a program of Feeding America, Second Harvest Food Bank’s national network, addresses childhood hunger by providing elementary school children at risk of hunger with backpacks full of nutritious, kid-friendly foods to take home over the weekends during the school year. Bobby Smith, president of United Way of Greater High Point, pointed out that many low-income parents work nights and weekends. “We have a lot of kids left to scramble for themselves, to find food over the weekends.” “We really see the need growing even stronger,” said Lee. Of Allen Jay’s students, 87 percent now qualify for free or reduced lunches. “We have a lot of people who have lost jobs.” Lee explained that having the
Want to help? “Our need for backpack support is ever present as we feed 265 children a week at a cost of $832,” said COAT Executive Director Rita Walker. “This program must continue. Feeding hungry children ranks at the top of our needs list.” Donations may be mailed to COAT, P.O. Box 4574, Archdale NC 27263. The program needs donations of money and kid-friendly, easy-to-open food. BackPack food items Cereal bars Microwave meals Pudding cups Pop Tarts Fruit cups Cup of soup Juice boxes Cup of noodles Vienna sausages 8-pack snack crackers
weekend food for children helps people who have just lost their jobs and haven’t yet qualified for food stamps or found other assistance. People use that little bit of money to pay a light bill or to keep their home, she said. Titania Nix, a single mom with two boys who works full-time, appreciates the backpack food. If she can’t get to the store by the weekend, she’s relieved that Javon and Noah can get healthy juice and snacks that are easy for them to open and eat. “We at COAT feel very blessed that we were allowed to participate in the United Way of Greater High Point’s BackPack Program through Second Harvest Food Bank,” said COAT Executive Director Rita Walker. COAT still seeks donations for the BackPack Program. The Second Harvest affiliation also will supply backpacks to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater High Point, The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs and the Carl Chavis YMCA. This is the 16th BackPack Program that Second Harvest Food Bank has opened in its service area across the northwest part of the state. Other programs in operation are in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Davidson, Guilford, Iredell, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes and Surry counties. Communities In Schools of Randolph County implements the BackPack Program in other areas of the county. To support the BackPack Program in Randolph, send a contribution to 1011 Sunset Ave., Asheboro NC 27203 or call 625-0008.
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