SEALED EVIDENCE: Hearing set on videotape of police shooting. 1B
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NOT FORGOTTEN: Dinner raises awareness on homelessness issues. 2A
No. 352 www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
CLOSE CALL: N.C. State dodges Elon’s upset bid. 1C
50 Cents Daily $1 Sundays
December 18, 2009 125th year
Thomas Built names new president BY PAM HAYNES AND PAUL JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITERS
HIGH POINT – Thomas Built Buses is announcing that a new president will lead the company starting next year. Kelley Platt will become president of the High Point-based bus manufacturer, effective Jan. 1, with the responsibility for the entire school bus business. Platt will succeed John O’Leary, who served as the company’s
first president outside of the local Thomas family, which founded the company as a streetcar manufacturer in the early 20th century. O’Leary became president of Thomas Built Buses in 2002 after serving as an executive for Freightliner Corp. Thomas Built Buses and Freightliner are part of the conglomerate Daimler AG. O’Leary took over the company after it committed to a $39.7 million local expansion that would add 178 jobs to its work force. Officials in High Point, Archdale, and Guilford
and Randolph counties came together earlier this decade to prevent the Thomas Built Buses expansion from taking place in Gaffney, S.C. O’Leary will move into a new role with Daimler Trucks North America, a spokeswoman for the company said Thursday. Platt has served as the general manager of business excellence since 2006. She joined Daimler Trucks North America, Thomas’ parent company, in 1989 as manager of treasury services. In 1997, she was promoted to treasurer.
She also played a role in the 1998 activities that led to the purchase of Thomas Built Buses by Daimler from the Thomas family and Berkshire Investors. Prior to joining Daimler, Platt was in commercial banking in Portland, Ore., where Daimler Truck North America’s corporate headquarters are located, and New York. Platt will relocate with her family to High Point. phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617 pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
Be prepared
Winter storm warning
WHO’S NEWS
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Daniel K. Davis, president of Davis Furniture Industries Inc., was elected to High Point Bank’s board of directors. A High Point native, Davis has been in the furniture industry since 1975.
INSIDE
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Low pressure system could bring snow to region
LET IT SNOW: What are the chances of a white Christmas? 1B
Inside...
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Forecast for area, nation. 6C BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
TRIAD – Monday may mark the official start of winter, but a storm expected to bring snow, sleet and freezing temperatures to the region should usher in the season starting today. The amount of snow from the storm in the greater High Point area remained a point of uncertainty with forecasters Thursday. Forecasters indicated the storm could produce from 2 inches to 10 inches of snow in parts of the Piedmont, depending on the track of the system, its duration and the mix in the atmosphere between precipitation and cold temperatures. Snow could start falling during the late morning to early afternoon today and continue through Saturday night, said Brandon Locklear, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. Crews for the city of High Point Public Services Department and the N.C. Department of Transportation were out Thursday spreading salt brine on roadways to prepare for the elements.
OBITUARIES
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Ricky Barrett, 49 George Casella, 84 Richard Conley, 57 Marlyn Jones, 87 Connie Simerson, 63 Lissie Williams, 82 Obituaries, 2B
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
Street Department’s Seth Couzens works filling brine truck at the Hoskins Street facility. An area of low pressure developing in the Gulf Coast will move through the Southeastern United States, Locklear said. “The track will determine how much lift and how much moisture we get. The closer it is to the coast, the more lift and moisture we get. If it’s too far off the coast, then you’ll see a drastic reduction of lift and precipitation,” he said. The line between the areas that receive significant snow and those that don’t can be narrow, Locklear said. Four years ago, for example, a similar storm brought 2 inches of snow to the Triad, while 25 miles to 30 miles to the southeast, areas received 10 inches to 1 foot of snow.
“This event has the potential to do that,” he said Thursday. The storm isn’t expected to involve significant accumulations of ice, Locklear said. City of High Point Electric Utilities Department crews are prepared to respond to outages, though snow won’t represent as much of a threat compared to ice. “It’s absolutely much better that it’s a snow event than an ice event. Snow usually isn’t an issue for us. Once we get up toward a half an inch of ice, it’s catastrophic for us,” said Larry Hopkins, electric operations engineer for the city. pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
AT A GLANCE
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The snow from a storm in the Southeast should reach the High Point area around lunchtime today, forecasters predicted on Thursday. The heaviest snowfall should occur during this afternoon and evening. The snow should continue through Saturday night. The National Weather Service on Thursday afternoon was projecting the most significant snow to the north and west of the Triad, though a winter storm warning was in effect for the Piedmont.
High Point home sales rise in November Jeannene Poarch, presibottom,” said Janet ParrisGray, president of the High dent of HPRAR, said the Point Multiple Listings inclusion of previous hoHIGH POINT – The First Service. “We still have a meowners in the tax credit Time Home Buyer’s Tax should keep the momenCredit may have worked tum building in the housits magic again as High ing market. Point home sales rose in “Because the tax credit November, originally the has been open to more homelast month to take advanbuyers, we’re hoping this is tage of the incentive. going to be the stimulus we Home sales increased 14 were looking for,” Poarch percent from the previous long way to go, but we’re said. “I think it will make the month with 115 units sold, coming out of the situation first quarter really move.” compared to 101 sold in Oc- we were in last fall.” Home sales across the Tritober, according to figures The tax credit has been ad dropped 5 percent from from the High Point Re- extended until April and October with 1,043 units gional Association of Real- expanded to more buyers, sold, but were up 50 percent tors. From the same time including previous hom- from November 2008 when last year, when the housing eowners. Parris-Gray said 696 units were sold. market began its downward many of the sales in NoPoarch said when the spiral, sales were up 51 per- vember, typically a slow tax credit ends in April, it cent after 76 homes were month for the real estate will have given the houssold in November 2008. sector, came from buyers ing market a “good start” “We’re starting to see who were rushing to take to recovery. that as far as sales are con- advantage of the tax credit cerned, we’ve reached the before it was extended. phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617 BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
Sales increased 14 percent from the previous month.
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
House for sale at Johnson Street and Parkway.
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEWSPAPER.
WEATHER
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Snow likely High 35 Low 30 6C
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