PAGE TURNER: Randolph students gear for book battle. 1B
FRIDAY
MOVING ON: Guilford school official takes Durham post. 1B
No. 120 www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
FAST START: Van Pelt sets pace at Quail Hollow. 1D
50 Cents Daily $1.25 Sundays
Census caution
AT A GLANCE
BY DAVID NIVENS ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
TRIAD – Census workers will be knocking on doors next week to collect information from households that did not return a 2010 census form. Census workers will visit Triad neighborhoods between May 1 and mid-July. Nearly 19,000 census takers
SPECIAL | HPE
Bag worn by census worker. will fan out across North Carolina to collect information
from households that have not returned the census. Workers may have less work than in previous campaigns, however, because a higher percentage of people returned their forms on time. “I congratulate North Carolina because happily, 74 percent of households have mailed back the cen-
WHO’S NEWS
Participation: In the Triad, Guilford and Forsyth counties were 2 percentage points ahead of their participation 2000 rate as of April 23. Guilford improved from 72 percent to 74 percent, and Forsyth from 73 percent to 75 percent. The 2010 rate for Davidson County and Randolph County was 76 percent, up 5 percent for Davidson and 7 percent for Randolph from 2000. The county with the biggest increase overall was Dare County, up 41 percentage points to 76 percent from 35 percent in 2000. The county with the lowest participation rate so far is Avery County at 63 percent, but that’s still a 19 percentage-point improvement from 2000. Information: www.census2010.gov
CENSUS, 2A
Carvers display artist’s touch
INSIDE
SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Chips fly as Gordon Cook from Whiney Point, N.Y, uses an 8-inch saw to do some fine detail to the black bear. as a fundraiser for Thomasville Tourism, many of the participants are taking The Thomasville Touradvantage of the competiism, ECHO Chainsaw tion to enjoy the company Sculpting Invitational of their fellow carvers. will be held today and “I enjoy the carvers,” Saturday in downtown said Gordon Cook, a carvThomasville’s clock er from Whitney Point, tower parking lot. N.Y. “We are kind of like a family. We get together as Artists will be carving often as we can.” 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today Thomas Bland, a carvand 8 a.m. to 12:30 er from Reidsville, Ga., p.m. Saturday. A “quick agreed with Cook. carve” will take place “I’ll probably like talkat 11 a.m. Saturday. A ing to all the carvers better public auction will be than I do actually standing held at 2 p.m. Saturday. there carving because I can go home and do that,” For more information, Bland said. “These guys call Thomasville Tourare scattered all over the ism at 472-4422 or visit United States and I don’t www.thomasvilletourget to see them but a couism.com ple times a year.” Union Grove carver Eddie Hoots said attending for Thomasville Tourism. the chain-saw competition “The whole event is re- is a must for him. “With it being this close, ally about raising money I had to come,” he said. “I for them,” Everett said. While the event serves wouldn’t miss it.”
SHOW OF THANKS: Luncheon honors local police officers. 1B
AT A GLANCE
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OBITUARIES
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Debra Ahmed, 52 Linda Allen, 55 Eddie Bernabe, 68 Gerald Embler, 63 Larry Harvey, 68 Gladys McDaniel, 95 James Moore, 64 Barry Murphy, 50 Ruth Richardson, 89 Irvin Smith, 57 Joyce Terry, 58 Eddie Wall, 81 Obituaries, 2-3B
SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Black bear cubs are part of a display by Eddie Hoots of Union Grove. Mark Scott, director of Thomasville Tourism, said the event has 10 carvers who are the “top guys” in the nation competing in the three-day event. “I think people have
seen from (Thursday) morning’s quick carve what they can do in an hour is incredible,” Scott said. dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657
BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
Brandon
Jones
“I know I have a 30-year entrenched veteran I’m going up against,” Brandon said, referring to Jones’ years in the N.C. General Assembly and on the Greensboro council. Brandon, who has a background as a political consultant, has been going door to door in the district, visiting at least 3,000 residences in a year, he said. Brandon, who grew up in Greensboro, has set up a campaign headquarters on Thissell Street in High Point. He argues that Jones hasn’t provided productive representation for constituents, meaning the district hasn’t gained resources it deserves to combat problems such as infant mortality, AIDS and unemployment. Jones disputes Brandon’s
accusations, saying he has spent decades in the trenches taking on issues of importance to his constituents. Jones, the chairman of the Guilford County legislative delegation, was one of the early backers of the sit-in memorial that opened Feb. 1 as the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro. Jones’ other initiatives as a legislator have included backing legislation to promote stem-cell research in North Carolina and health care for underserved populations and co-sponsoring bills for local concerns such as the High Point Market and the proposed John Coltrane music hall. Jones said he isn’t worried about an anti-incumbent backlash, since he sees that as more of a development in Republican races than Democratic ones. “The tea party attitude is pretty much nonexistent in a district like mine. It’s more a pro-Obama constituent makeup. My constituents have hope for
60TH DISTRICT
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The 60th State House District covers parts of High Point, Greensboro and sections of southern Guilford County. The district has 61 percent registered Democratic voters, 24 percent registered Republican voters and 15 percent unaffiliated voters. Incumbent Democrat Earl Jones, who has served since winning the seat in 2002, and Democratic challenger Marcus Brandon are vying in the primary Tuesday. The winner will take on Republican challenger Lonnie Wilson in the Nov. 2 general election. the future because of the leadership they have in the state House and with the election of Obama,” Jones said. pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEWSPAPER.
WEATHER
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Sunny, hot High 83, Low 61 8D
INDEX
Brandon tests Jones in state House GUILFORD COUNTY – Democratic challenger Marcus Brandon is hoping to tap into the sentiment against incumbents to pull off an upset in the 60th State House District primary, while veteran Rep. Earl Jones is relying on his long years of service to propel him to the general election this fall. Brandon, making his first bid for public office, and Jones, a four-term representative and former Greensboro City Councilman, will square off in the Democratic primary Tuesday. The race has been apparent to motorists traveling parts of High Point in the contrast between the brown-andyellow campaign signs for Brandon and the blue-andwhite signs for Jones. Brandon launched his campaign a year ago because he realizes that he needs a street-level, retail politics approach to take on an incumbent with name recognition.
Frances Efird was re-elected to the board of directors for the Local Government Federal Credit Union. Efird, who’s retired from the city of High Point, will serve for the 2010-13 term.
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BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
THOMASVILLE – Colfax’s Randy Everett recruited several of his chain-saw carving friends from throughout the country to participate in a competition that debuted Thursday in Thomasville. “I paid them,” Everett joked of how he enticed his fellow competitors to join him at the event. “I gave them all moonshine.” All joking aside, Everett, who assisted Thomasville Tourism with promoting the event, and nine other carvers were busy Thursday morning as a steady stream of people made their way through downtown Thomasville’s clock tower parking lot to see their work. The Thomasville Tourism ECHO Power Equipment Company Chainsaw Sculpting Invitational will be held through Saturday. “We are going to carve anywhere from around five to seven pieces,” Everett said, adding that “everybody has already done one.” Once finished, the works will go up for auction on Saturday to raise money
126th year
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Workers to go door-to-door to collect information from non-compliers
April 30, 2010
Milestones get focus in special ENTERPRISE STAFF REPORT
In 1932, William Penn High School was accredited by the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools of the Southern States. That same year, a woman began writing for the “Colored News” section of The High Point Enterprise. Find out who she was and lots of other information about the Enterprise in the anniversary edition that will be published in late May.
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