WEDNESDAY
TRAFFIC SAFETY: Local authorities embark on campaign. 1B
September 1, 2010 127th year No. 244
ALL EYES ON EARL: Evacuation planned for Ocracoke Island. 2A
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FAMILIAR ROLE: New QB accustomed to limelight. 1D
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Stormwater project nears completion BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
AP
New chapter in Iraq President Barack Obama is declaring an end to the U.S. combat role in Iraq after more than seven years of war, saying the country’s future now is up to its own people. The president, who opposed the war as a senator, says: “It is time to turn the page.” See address to the nation 2A.
HIGH POINT – Help is on the way for one flood-prone area of the city. Construction on a stormwater improvement project in the Southside neighborhood is about 85 percent complete, city officials estimated. Torrential rains can overwhelm parts of Taylor and Grimes avenues and surrounding areas near Southside Recreation Center. The project’s goal is to enhance the stormwater
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City officials prepare for next phase. 1B drainage system to be able to better handle the runoff. Construction crews have installed two major culverts under Grimes and Taylor avenues and have widened the channel of the creek behind the recreation center, among other upgrades. “We’ve replaced those
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(culverts) with pretty large structures now. We have done a lot of storm drainage work going up Taylor to the west to alleviate some flooding, and we’ve laid some of the banks back to give the water a little more room to spread out and slow down,” said Richard McMillan, High Point’s assistant public services director. “We’ve done a lot of work along the creek between Vail (Avenue) and Grimes all the way through
STORMWATER, 2A
GAINING GROUND
Lari Perkinson, administrative secretary at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market in Colfax, retired with the state of North Carolina with 34 years of service. Perkinson formerly worked in Raleigh for the N.C. Department of Agriculture until she moved back to High Point in 1994, where she was greatly involved in the startup of the farmers market.
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Davidson County annual report reflects gains after two decades of losses BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
LEXINGTON – If you want to know how the erosion of a traditional industry due to offshoring can burden a community, Davidson County may serve as a poster child for the topic. Cities such as Thomasville and Lexington have been devastated during the past decade as American-based furniture manufacturers shut down longtime furniture factories and moved production to low-cost foreign locations, such as China, and the impact of that economic shift was reflected in figures released Tuesday at the Davidson County Economic Development Commission annual meeting. County economic developers actually recorded a solid year amid tough times in 2009 expanding the county’s business base, reported EDC Executive Director Steve Googe during the meeting at the Sapona Country Club. Davidson County had $207.9 million in new and expanding industry announcements last year, the best in the Piedmont and sixth-best in the state. New and expanding industries in the county led to announcements of 1,360 new jobs, fourth-best in the state, the EDC reports. “We’ve all been struggling with the economy, but investment in 2009 was the best since we’ve been keeping records,” Googe told county
WOMEN IN BUSINESS: Chamber presents annual awards. 1B OBITUARIES
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Vitacost plans a new building that will more than double the number of employees. leaders gathered for the presentation. But those gains in 2009 are set against the backdrop of manufacturer and job losses during the past 20 years as furniture companies that supplied paychecks for generations moved offshore. County furniture manufacturing employment declined 82 percent from 8,806 in 1990 to 1,603 last year, EDC figures show. Another target of offshoring – the textile industry – recorded a 91 percent drop in county manufacturing employment during the past two decades, from 4,781 in 1990 to 425 last year. The annual average number of unemployed people in the county increased nearly four times from 2,601 in the year 2000 to 9,953 last year, the
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For more information about the 2009 Davidson County annual economic report, call the Davidson County Economic Development Commission at 2431900. EDC reports. The county’s annual average jobless rate increased from 3.3 percent in 2000 to 12.6 percent last year. The county’s most recent unemployment rate is 11.7 percent for July, an improvement from last year but still among the highest in the Piedmont, according to figures from the N.C. Employment Security Commission. One way for Davidson
Sunny, hot High 91, Low 67 6D
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Thomasville Furniture Industries Plant B is now closed. County to promote growth is to tap into development from the FedEx Corp. cargo hub and Piedmont Triad International Airport as the region becomes a logistics and distribution center for the East Coast, said business-
man David Congdon. Groups such as the Piedmont Triad Partnership also are marketing the region, said Congdon, president of Old Dominion Freight Lines. pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
Pre-Market continues to show growth BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – What was once a behind-the-scenes event in the furniture industry continues to attract more buyers and exhibitors each year, according to organizers of Pre-Market. The High Point Market Authority announced that a record number of buyers and exhibitors are signed up to participate in the fall Pre-Market, an invitation-only event that offers a sneak peek at products to top players in the furniture industry about a month before the High Point Market.
Last month, the market authority announced that three more home furnishings companies pledged commitments to the upcoming Pre-Market. That raises the number of sponsors from 22 in March to 25 for the fall show, set for Sept. 13-14. On Tuesday, it was announced that a record number of buyers – 201 from 80 companies – have signed up for the event so far. Registration is still open. “Buyers are continuing to register for the fall Pre-Market, with requests coming in almost daily,” said Brian Casey, president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. “The
David Dickens, 38 Mary Hayworth, 76 Jesse Huffman, 37 James Kerr, 82 Robert Mays, 54 Glenn Terry, 58 Janquilla Warren, 39 Obituaries, 2B
response has been fantastic, and we look forward to a very strong event.” Pre-Market existed in the industry for many years and allowed major buyers to make commitments on products before they were unveiled at the High Point Market. The event experienced a rebirth four years ago when the market authority began promoting it, tracking the number of attendees and recruting participants for it. Kevin O’Connor, chairman of the market authority’s board of directors and president and CEO of Samson Marketing, has been credited
with the revitalization of the event, but he said he also wants to keep the event small and intimate to benefit participants. “We’ve been through a challenging period in this industry, but it has also been a time of closer collaboration between manufacturers and retailers,” O’Connor said. “Pre-Market offers our 25 sponsor exhibitors the unique opportunity to work closely with buyers to fine-tune their offerings and to create success on retail floors with those product line-ups.”
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