MONDAY
YELLOW BANDANA EVENT: Agency to host 2nd annual fundraiser. 1C
August 23, 2010 127th year No. 235
TRASH TALK BACK: Trinity considers mandatory service. 1B
www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
TOP BISON: High Point Central leads first High Five poll. 1D
50 Cents Daily $1.25 Sundays
Transit stop nearly ready
WHO’S NEWS
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BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – Travelers who want to take mass transit to and from High Point will have another location to hop on and off the bus in the coming weeks. Crews are putting the finishing touches on the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation terminal in northwest
Firefighter Clyde Jarrell with the Silver Valley Volunteer Fire Department recently was recognized by the Silver Valley Civitan Club in Davidson County. Jarrell received a plaque noting nearly 50 years of service to the fire department. Jarrell has been a Civitan for 35 years.
The project was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. High Point at N. Main Street and Old Plank Road. The terminal for PART buses could open by the end of this month or early September, said Scott Rhine, the mass transit agency’s programs manager. “It’s part of our expanded High Point service,” Rhine said. The new terminal will assist High Point travelers who want a convenient place to board a bus for trips to Winston-Salem, Rhine said. The contract amount for the new terminal
INSIDE
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SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
SERVING A NICHE: Father-son duo opens gun store in city. 1B
The new PART lot appears to be almost finished and ready for use. The terminal, located in northwest High Point at N. Main Street and Old Plank Road, could be open by the end of August or early September. is $327,500. The project was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known commonly as the federal stimulus. The lot, ringed by a white fence, is along Old Plank Road across from the Aldi grocery store.
The entrance and exit to the lot are less than a block from the ramp for U.S. 311. The PART Express regional bus system connects major cities and rural areas in the Piedmont. There are 14 PART Express routes offered
during weekdays, with two routes running on weekends. The PART bus system connects 23 park-and-ride lots in the region. The new lot and bus terminal in northwest High Point offers city residents more options to reduce
their personal transportation costs, said City Transportation Director Mark McDonald. “It just opens up opportunities to use public transportation,” McDonald said. pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
OBITUARIES
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Alma Stilwell, 89 Charles Carter, 48 Rue Holder, 103 Leamon Johnson, 70 Johnny Nifong, 63 Jimmy Stone, 61 Obituaries, 2B
Town of Midway continues growing BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
MIDWAY – The town of Midway continues to add to its population as it brings in residents who want to be voluntary annexed. Ryan Ross, Midway’s town administrator, said the Midway Town Council recently annexed the Kensington development, bringing in 28 parcels of land and 50 people. The Town Council will consider bringing in 10 parcels of land off of N. Payne Road in the next month, according to Ross. Ross said there may be more property on N. Payne Road to be voluntary annexed, but one property owner hasn’t agreed to terms.
When he does sign an agreement, the town will get seven or eight more parcels, the town administrator said. Last year, the Winston-Salem City Council agreed to allow the Town Council to voluntary annex several areas outside of the town limits. Residents who live off N. Payne Road, S. Union Grove Road, as well as in the Kensington development and the Williams Meadow and Merrifield subdivisions, had expressed interest in being annexed into the town. “It would double the size of the town, basically, if we got everything, but obviously, we are not going to get 100 percent,” Ross
said of the annexation agreement with Winston-Salem. “Just look at it land-mass-wise. It would almost double the town, and population wise, it would double the town.” Midway currently has 4,678 residents, according to town officials. “When we get to 5,000, it’s kind of a magic number,” Mayor George Byrum said. “Our town administrator will be a town manager.” Town officials have said Midway will bring in neighborhoods as they get 100 percent participation from them. In 2008, Midway started to hear from residents who were afraid of being annexed by Winston-Salem. Midway was incorporated as a town in 2006 be-
cause of the fear of being annexed by Winston-Salem. Byrum said residents want to become part of Midway because of the town’s property tax rate, which is 5 cents per $100 valuation. Winston-Salem has a property tax rate of 49 cents per $100 valuation. “It helps our tax base,” Ross said of the annexation. “You’ve got more tax dollars that way.” Residents who are annexed into the town will receive garbage, street lights, zoning and planning and law enforcement service from the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657
Single mom’s struggles worsen with economy Before you read...
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Second in a seven-part series.
BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – In the last two years, there have been many times when Shawnikwa Thompson has asked, “Why?” Why can’t she find permanent, full-time work? Why did she have to become a victim of domestic violence? Why can’t things get better? Those are questions the 27-year-old single mother can’t completely answer. But the general conclusion she has come to might surprise you.
“These things h a v e helped me learn to appreHARD TIMES ciate the things Living in the that I do recession have,” she ■■■ said. “It changed me a lot.. No, I’ve never blamed anyone for what happened.” Thompson’s struggles began in May 2008, just months before the U.S. stock market and housing market crashed. The New York native moved to High Point with her daughter, Alexis, who was 1 year old at the time, and her daughter’s father. Thompson said it was his idea to move because he
Inside...
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Finances add to family tension. 1B
had relatives who lived in the area. She agreed to move because she wanted a “slower-paced” lifestyle. “It was supposed to be a good place to raise my daughter,” she said. The couple had planned to stay with the relatives when they arrived, but several issues kept that from happening, Thompson said. One of the issues was that the relatives didn’t have enough room for the family. A mere three days af-
STRUGGLING, 2A
WEATHER
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Sunshine High 88, Low 69 6D
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SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Shawnikwa Thompson, 27, found herself living in a local Salvation Army shelter when things got tough in 2008.
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