TUESDAY
UNCORKED: Wine festival comes to farmers market. 1B
October 12, 2010 127th year No. 285
MISSING GIRL: Police dogs smell human remains on vehicles. 2A
www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
WELCOME BYE: Struggling Panthers limp into off week. 1D
Justices decline case review BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – The N.C. Supreme Court last week ended a legal saga by declining to hear a High Point case in which a judge overturned a jury’s first-degree murder verdict in the death of a 3-year-old child. Mary Elizabeth Roach has maintained her innocence since being charged with killing Hailey Rae Resch nearly five years ago. An extensive review of the case in the state court system affirmed the ruling of Superior Court Judge John
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The case centered on medical evidence, with prosecutors claiming that Hailey had fresh, acute bruises on her forehead at the time of her death, as well as bruises on her torso and extremities, retinal hemorrhages in both eyes and deep tissue bruising in the back of her scalp.
O. “Joe” Craig III of High Point, who dismissed the case after he found there was insufficient evidence against Roach. “Justice prevailed. It was a long time coming,” Hailey said Richard Tate, one of Roach’s attorneys. “Thank the Lord for judges like Joe Craig.” Roach, 27, was babysitting Hailey when she found the child unresponsive
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The state claimed the bruises had not been on her body when her parents dropped her off with Roach the day she died. Roach’s attorneys argued that Hailey’s death could have stemmed from old injuries on the surface of her brain that didn’t heal properly.
Scott Richardson, chief financial officer, was promoted to treasurer and assistant secretary for Pine Hall Brick Co. Richardson joined Pine Hall Brick in July.
The N.C. Appeals Court ruled that the state couldn’t establish that the injuries were intentionally inflicted by Roach just because Hailey was under her exclusive care when she died. The court also found that no time frame was established on when or how injuries to Hailey were inflicted, and medical experts for both sides agreed that she suffered a subdural hematoma sometime in the weeks preceding her death. The judges also found the child’s fatal injuries may not have been intentionally inflicted.
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Planning groups consider merger BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – A merger of two regional planning organizations would allow the Triad to compete more effectively with other metro areas for resources. That’s the message representatives of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments have for High Point leaders as it plans for a merger with the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments. The new COG would take in 12 counties from Alamance and Caswell in the east to Surry and Yadkin in the west and would enhance regionalism by providing a larger and more unified voice for local governments, according to Ginger Booker, PTCOG’s interim director. The High Point City Council is expected to endorse a general statement of support for the merger, which must be approved by the state to take effect. “I think the time is right, particularly with the critical issue of federal funding and the stream that comes down to the region,” said Mayor Becky Smothers. “We ain’t going to get it if there’s two COGs.” Booker said the fragmentation often associated with Triad organizations and local governments has translated into things like missed opportunities
to land federal grants because of the lack of a single regional planning agency. The two COGs’ boards would have to approve a merger, as would the local governments in all 12 counties. Both organizations provide planning, financial and senior-citizen health program services to local governments. The Northwest Piedmont COG also provides work force development and federally funded housing program services to its members in Forsyth, Davie, Yadkin, Stokes and Surry counties. High Point’s proposed annual dues to the merged COG would be $22,142, about $1,000 more than its current fee, though Booker said long-range projections call for members’ costs to go down. In addition to stronger prospects for landing funding at the state and national levels, proponents said a larger organization would be better able to advise local governments on matters like air and water quality issues. “We need to get serious about regionalism,” said City Councilman Bill Bencini, High Point’s representative to PTCOG. “Getting cooperation out of the federal government is difficult because the COGs are fractured into these separate (organizations).” pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531
FOR A GOOD CAUSE BIG BOOST: Donor gives $1 million to HPU. 1B
OBITUARIES
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Randy Craver, 60 Jesse Edmonds, 74 Claude Fowler, 90 James Hanks, 70 Ramonia Harris, 66 Catherine Hunt, 83 Thelma Leonard, 82 Rosezenia Long, 49 Gloria Mitchell, 63 Brenda Pelletier, 49 Howard Reid Alice Swicegood, 98 Larry Varner, 68 Obituaries, 2-3B
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Warm, sunny High 87, Low 57 6D SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
In conjunction with its annual meeting on Monday, Bank of North Carolina employees assembled bicycles for the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of High Point. The company bought 40 bikes and helmets to donate to the local agency. Anjani Webb (left) and Kennette Burgess, who work with the High Point Salvation Army, show off some of the finished bikes.
Corey: City should have support role in arts community Before you read...
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Third in a five-part series.
BY VICKI KNOPFLER ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – James Corey, a candidate for High Point City Council, says he’s a nine on a scale of 10 when it comes to supporting the arts. The retired political science professor at High Point University is running for the Ward 6 seat. He would like more arts events, especially in the center city area, but he and several other candidates don’t think the city can increase arts funding in these tough difficult times. “I think some people would note that arts and culture in High Point is probably at the low end,”
Corey said. “It basically is not as active as some other communities, for instance, Greensboro.” WHERE High Point, he DO THEY pointed out, does own and operate STAND? the High Point Theatre, which sponLocal political sors a yearly series candidates of varied shows, 12 and the arts this year. ■■■ “If the city could just hold steady, considering the times we’re in, with the idea that if the economy improves and tax collections improve and the city isn’t hit by further state actions to reduce funding. All of these thing are in play, and the city has done a fairly good job without too much gains in taxes,” he said. “In the future I would like to see, and certainly this would go along
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More survey answers. 2A
with the revitalization of the downtown area, an increasing emphasis on arts and culture.” The poor economy, however, might provide a good opportunity to get started on an arts center, he said. “It’s probably a good time to look at (an arts center) simply because there are a large number of available buildings unoccupied,” Corey said. “If the city could pick up a building that’s condemned or in distress and get support from arts groups, certainly the city could look around for a piece of property. “I would favor the city playing a peripheral role, in the sense of locating a building and being
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SUNDAY: Survey gauges candidates’ opinions on the arts MONDAY: Mayoral candidates offer views TODAY: Council candidate is a big supporter of the arts WEDNESDAY: Perspective from a moderate arts supporter THURSDAY: Arts should be selffunded, council candidate says
creative in the acquisition, but once acquired, I think it should be turned over to the arts community to provide infrastructure and running of the building.” vknopfler@hpe.com | 888-3601
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