FRIDAY
CAPTURED! Authorities arrest suspect in bank robbery. 1B
May 14, 2010 126th year No. 134
HOT MEALS: District reaches out to help feed hungry children. 1B
www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
SICK VICKERS: Thomasville driver hospitalized, will miss race. 1D
50 Cents Daily $1.25 Sundays
Home sales up in April BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – Home sales in High Point continued their upward climb in April as the federal government’s homebuyer tax credit came to an end. Sales were up 59 percent from the same month last year and up almost 6 percent in the first quarter, according to reports from the Triad Multiple Listings Service. There were 138 homes sold in the city last month, and 222 units were pending sale. April sales also increased 11 percent compared to March. The jump may seem modest, but it occurred even after March saw a 106 percent
spike in sales from February, said Ed Terry, executive vice president of the High Point Regional Association of Realtors. Real estate agents Wall have attributed the bulk of recent sales to the homebuyer tax credit, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It offered first-time buyers up to $8,000 in tax credits. In November, it was extended to April 30 and expanded to previous owners who have been in their current home for at least five years, offering them up to a $6,500 credit. The most obvious evidence of
the credit in April may be found in the $128,951 average sale price. In March, the average sale price was $208,904. “The average sale price indicates there were many first-time buyers taking advantage...” Terry said, noting that first-time buyers usually purchase lower-budget homes. “Obviously, the federal tax credit has had its intended effect on home sales.” Another positive sign is that since the credit ended, the phones of real estate agents haven’t stopped ringing, said Ken Wall, president of HPRAR. “We still have new buyers calling, so the momentum is still there,” Wall said. “With the prospect of in-
terest rates going up in the future, buyers should really take advantage of those 5 percent interest rate loans while they can.” Terry said the credit, which required a home to be under contract by April 30, may continue to affect transactions and pending sales through May and June. Sales that qualify for the credit have to be closed by June 30. “Also, there is the factor of national and regional unemployment and the general economic slowdown,” he said about conditions that could impact the housing market. “It will definitely be an interesting summer.” phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
WHO’S NEWS
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Certified Physician Assistant Alveta S. Henderson Nash joined High Point Family Practice. Nash is certified by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants.
INSIDE
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Antique motorcycles HOT MEALS: School system seeks volunteers to help feed kids. 1B
When did paper go daily?
OBITUARIES
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ENTERPRISE STAFF REPORT
Do you have any idea, especially from stories that you have read about J.J. Farriss and his brother, what year they changed distribution from a weekly to other frequencies? Did the Enterprise go to twice a week distribution, daily distribution or both? Find out about that and discover a lot more about your favorite newspaper’s history in the special anniversary edition, which will be distributed May 28.
Maxine Auman, 71 Lula Cade, 87 Faye Carter, 83 Herbert Clodfelter, 81 Marie Davis, 78 Earl Hepler Jr., 92 Ernest Hester, 85 Essie Holmes, 96 Lawrence Leonard, 81 Mary Lindsay, 86 Tura Lowe, 100 Thomas Magee, 55 Tina Spencer, 41 Keith Ulmer Jr., infant Jean Young, 74 Raymond Young, 92 Obituaries 2A,2-3B
SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Lonnie Campbell of Winnsboro, S.C., sits on his ‘72 Harley Davidson Super Glide. The first Antique Motorcycle Club of America Southern National Meet will be today and Saturday at Denton FarmPark, 1072 Cranford Road, Denton. Gates open at 8 a.m. and admission is $10. Children under 12 are free. Tickets are good for both days, and camping is available. For more information, see page 1B.
WEATHER
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4-year-old hospitalized after dog attack BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – A child was hospitalized after being attacked by a dog in south High Point Wednesday night. Officers responded to 827 Nance Ave. at 6:55 p.m. in reference to a 4-year-old girl being bitten by a neighbor’s dog, according to the High Point Police Department. An investigation revealed that the victim, who lives down the street, was playing with a neighbor’s child, went into the dog’s
area in the yard at the scene of the incident and fell down, police said. The dog, described as a 4- to 5-year-old pit-bull mix that was chained to a doghouse, attacked the child for reasons unknown, police said. The child was bitten in the facial area and suffered puncture and laceration injuries. She was quickly rescued by family members, who summoned medical assistance. Guilford County EMS units arrived and determined that due to the seriousness of her injuries,
the child should be taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Police said she was in stable condition there Thursday. Police said the dog’s owner had reported all of the animal’s vaccinations were up to date. The dog had not shown any previous signs of being vicious and was properly restrained, police said. The case was still under investigation Thursday, but police said they did not expect criminal charges to be filed. “It does look like the dog’s owner didn’t do anything wrong at this
point,” said Lt. Steve Myers, a police spokesman. “Until the investigation is complete, I won’t have a final answer for that, but at this point, everything looks OK.” The dog was taken to the Guilford County Animal Shelter for a 10-day observation period, as required by state law. The law requires that all animal bites be reported to police and that the animal must be quarantined within 24 hours of the bite for a period of 10 days at the owner’s expense. pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531
Davidson budget holds the line on taxes BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
DAVIDSON COUNTY – Davidson County’s budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year consists of no increases in property taxes and salaries for county employees, according to a proposal submitted to commissioners Tuesday night. The Davidson County Board of Commissioners this week got its first look at the $120.4 million proposed budget, which is 1.06 percent more than last year. Commissioners scheduled a public hearing on the budget for 7 p.m. May 25. County Manager Robert Hyatt
said staff was recommending the county’s property tax rate of 54 cents per $100 valuation remain the same. With only minor variations, this is the same tax rate the county has had since 1994, according to Hyatt. “We are recommending a tax rate of 54 cents just as we have had before,” the county manager said. “There has been some small growth in our tax base, but ... a lot of that has been offset by revenue losses in other areas.” Hyatt said six additional positions were requested, with four of those being recommended to commissioners for funding in the budget. The positions include three
at the Davidson County Health Department and the fourth for the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office for an animal shelter manager with funding coming from the general fund. “We are not at this time recommending a salary adjustment for our employees,” Hyatt said. “We certainly felt like there was a lot of merit for the work that our employees have done and also based on some increase in the cost of living. But we also factored in what’s going on in our county ... With the unemployment rate here, we felt like that would be hard to justify, some type of cost-of-living adjustment
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEWSPAPER.
in light of these circumstances.” Nearly 30 percent of the recommended budget – the largest portion of the financial plan – is to be spent on instructional costs and the capital needs of the three school systems and Davidson County Community College. The total amount recommended for education is $35,819,883, which is the same overall funding for education as last year. Lexington City Schools and Thomasville City Schools are recommended to receive less money this year because both school systems enrollment dropped. dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657
Scattered rain High 90, Low 66 6D
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