MONDAY
WIN A TREE: Fundraiser at local florist to benefit Hospice. 1C
November 16, 2009 125th year No. 320
TRACING ROOTS: School looks to chronicle history on stage. 2A
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PICK UP THE PACE: Panthers go no huddle to befuddle Falcons. 1D
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Medical industry feels economic pain Inside...
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Number of emergency room visits is higher, doctors say. 1B
BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – There are hundreds of pages of legislation in the latest health care reform bill passed by the Congress last week, mirroring the hundreds of negative ways that doc-
tors say the health care meltdown has affected healthy living habits in North Carolina. Just ask Dr. John McSadden. As a physician at High Point Family Practice, he has seen the number of yearly checkups, mammograms, colonoscopies and other forms of preventative care appointments plummet along with the unemployment rate. “People are postponing a lot of things they would have normally done, especially those who have lost their jobs, but even those who
haven’t,” he said. “People are taking chances by not following up.” He suspects that many of his patients are dodging their appointments to save money in a tough economy. Some have lost their health insurance and can’t afford to visit the doctor’s office. Others are trying to trim costs. “This year, in particular, almost everyone is asking to switch to generic medicines for anything they may be on,” he said. “Every day, I
MELTDOWN, 2A
WHO’S NEWS
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Robin Bergeron-Nolan, the director of school health services for Guilford County Schools, will receive the Distinguished Friend of Health Award from the N.C. Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. She is being recognized for her dedication to the field of health and her hard work.
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
Dr. Lee Nunn, with office assistant Renee Domina, has found patients are postponing regular dental care.
Signs of activity
INSIDE
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FOR DAVE: Cyclists turn out for ride to honor one of their own. 1B OBITUARIES
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SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Kerry Jones, owner of Huffman Paint and Wall Coverings at 762 N. Main St., adds pigment to a gallon of paint.
Home-related industries see effects from tax credit BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – Buyers and real estate agents may not be the only ones benefitting from the First Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit. The tax incentive money goes straight into the hands of homebuyers, but some home-related industries have reported small, ripple effects from the program, which has been extended to April 30, 2010.
“Whenever there is a lot of moving from one home to another, we see an effect,” said Kerry Jones, owner of Huffman Paint and Wall Coverings at 762 N. Main St. Huffman said his business, which has been open for 59 years, hadn’t seen a major impact from the tax credit yet due to the type of homebuyers it targeted before it was extended and modified by the House on Nov. 5. Today’s first-time
buyer most likely will buy a newer home that is already updated, leaving little room for paint or remodeling, he said. Since the program was expanded to include a $6,500 credit for previous buyers who have lived in their home for five out of the past eight years, he expects his business will see more results. “We’ve been hit twice as no one was moving and no one was remodeling,” he said. “I’m hoping every day that (the tax credit) gives us more business in the future.” In addition to putting paint on the walls, buyers also may begin to put new
furniture on the floors, according to furniture industry analyst Jerry Epperson. “It’s hard to judge the effect because business has been so bad lately,” said Epperson, a financial analyst for investment banking and corporate advisory firm Mann, Armistead & Epperson Ltd. “There’s no question that the tax credit has been helpful to the business.” The best part about the tax credit is that it gives people money they put into their homes, such as buying new furniture, he said. A sign of activity in the furniture industry may be
evident in the current Furniture Insights, a monthly report compiled by Smith Leonard PLLC. New orders were up seven percent in August from July, according to the report, which also shows a 15 percent increase in shipments from July to August. “The results for August, while not great, at least began to move in a better direction,” said Ken Smith, who publishes the report. “This has got to help us, and we expect to see an effect in the future,” Jones added about the tax credit. “It’s bound to lead to more business.” phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
Hiring for the holidays reaches low ebb Before you read...
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Last in a two-part series.
BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
TRIAD – What a sobering difference 10 years can make. In 1999, near the end of several years of American economic expansion, U.S. employers provided seasonal holiday retail jobs to 849,400 workers, according to the national employment consulting company Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. The number of seasonal positions in retail trade added from October through December of 1999 was up 8 percent from the previous year.
This holiday season, amid one of the worst economic times since the Great Depression, U.S. retailers will be fortunate to surpass the 384,300 HIRING FOR THE seasonal jobs HOLIDAYS added last year. The number of 2009 seasonal seasonal jobs employment in 2008 was off forecast 47 percent from ■■■ the holiday season of 2007, the Chicago-based consulting company reports. Last year was the worst for holiday season hiring nationally
in 20 years, Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports. Job service officials in Davidson, Guilford and Randolph counties said earlier this month that they had received few listings for local seasonal positions this year. “While there have been some signs that the recession may be over, conditions have remained dismal for retailers. As a result, employers in the sector have announced 89,242 job cuts through August, an 82 percent surge from the 48,971 retail job cuts recorded in the first eight months of 2008,” Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported in its annual holiday hiring outlook issued in September. One possible hopeful sign is that economic conditions have improved gradually as this year
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SERIES BREAKOUTS
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SUNDAY: Tough times impact holiday hiring; tips for holiday job seekers TODAY: Numbers reflect dismal trend has progressed. Last week, FedEx Corp. reported that it may have a better holiday shipping season compared to 2008. “... The hiring surge may come later than normal this year, as many retailers wait to see how holiday sales are going before adding extra workers,” said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
James Banks, 78 Jean Blankenship, 71 Carson Davis, 73 Jane Ervin, 59 Booker Johnson, 72 Cynthia Kennedy, 62 Eula Worthy, 78 Obituaries, 2B
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Warm, sunny High 73, Low 46 6D
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