SATURDAY
CRITICAL YEAR: Voters’ choices could set new trend. SUNDAY
December 26, 2009 125th year No. 360
‘RACE TO THE TOP’: School board agrees to enter grant competition. 1B
www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
POST-HOLIDAY BOWLING: Tar Heels set to battle Pittsburgh. 1C
50 Cents Daily $1 Sundays
Officials consider new incentives deals named by the county’s Economic Development Commission. Steve Googe, executive director DAVIDSON COUNTY – The David- of the Davidson County Economic son County Board of Commission- Development Commission, said ers next month will consider offer- last week that two separate dates ing economic incentive packages have been set for public hearings to four projects that are being code on the projects. BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
At the Mendenhall Building on the campus of Davidson County Community College on Jan. 5, two projects will be considered by the Davidson County Board of Commissioners and the city of Lexington after public hearings, Googe said.
WHO’S NEWS
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According to Googe, Project V would create 300 jobs at or above the county average and invest $12 million over six years. He said the company would receive an incentive grant calculated at 0.0027 times Certified Physician Assistant Shelby L. Stabile joined High Point Family Practice. Stabile served as a physician assistant and captain with the Army Medical Specialty Corps in the Community Based Health Care Organization at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach, Va.
INCENTIVES, 2A
Home away from home
INSIDE
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A ‘GREEN’ HOLIDAY: Recycling tips for the tree, other trash. 1B
SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Margaret King (right) of the High Point Citizens Police Acadamy, pours a drink for David Albertson of the High Point Police Department.
Police, fire departments bring family feeling to holiday shifts BY VICKI KNOPFLER ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – One group’s Friday began much as Christmas Day did at many homes, with gift-bearing relatives arriving to the smell of breakfast. The group members, however, are a different sort of family. They’re fire and police personnel, who always work holidays, nights and weekends. At High Point Fire Department Station 13 on Ambassador Court, off Eastchester Drive, Capt. Phillip Shields fried country ham as Capt. Mark Holmes cranked out a large pile of waffles. Holmes’ wife, Meredith, heated sausage and egg casseroles and French toast roll-ups. Platters of gift-wrapped desserts prepared by firefighter Nathan Thomas’ mother Kathy were ready for later in the day. Shields’ children arrived with gifts to open after breakfast. Engineer Burt Blakely woke his 2year-old son Lukas at 5 a.m. to open gifts.
Some firefighters on the standard 24-hour shift that began at 8 a.m. came early so those ending their shift could be home when their children woke. “I don’t consider it a burden,” Shields said. “We’ve lost firefighters this year, and I’m thinking more how their families would like to be able to get them up this morning.” “We’re as close as family anywhere,” Holmes said. “We spend a third of the year together. We’ve got it easy. I think about the troops overseas. We can go home in the morning.” Across town later in the day, members of the High Point Police Department’s Baker Team took time out of their 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. shift for lunch at the Leonard Avenue headquarters. For the sixth year, lunch was courtesy of the High Point Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. Citizens Academy members provided meals for officers on Christmas Eve and at lunch and dinner Friday partially because most restaurants were closed.
OBITUARIES
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SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Capt. Phillip Shields (left) and Capt. Mark Holmes with the High Point Fire Department get ready to serve breakfast. They served as the cooks, while some of the other food was brought in by wives of the firemen. “Also, it’s a way to give back to these guys,” said Margaret King of the Citizens Academy. Some police officers were able to come in late or leave briefly Friday morning to spend time with their families. Officer David Albertson came in late so he could start Christmas with his four children, age 6-17. This was Albertson’s first Christmas as a police officer, and while juggling home and work is a tough balance, he said, the overall schedule of four days off and four
working allows for family time. Both Heather Bartley and her husband, Tim, are police officers, and they have two children, Eli, age 2, and Madi, 11 months. The Bartleys work opposite days so one is always home, and Heather went home briefly Friday morning for gift opening. Each of the police department’s three 10½-hour shifts allows officers to be home some part of Christmas Day, Bartley said. vknopfler@hpe.com | 888-3601
Agencies receive grants to help homeless BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – A grant of federal money that Open Door Ministries receives each year helps the organization provide a lifeline to people trying to move from the streets to living on their own. If it wasn’t for the funding through the Continuum of Care programs, Open Door Ministries would struggle to provide a service that offers transitional housing to homeless men, said nonprofit Executive Director Steve Key. The administration of President Barack Obama, through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on Wednesday announced nearly $1.4
billion for 6,445 programs nationwide to help provide services to homeless individuals and families during next year. The Continuum of Care funding includes $1.4 million in one-year grants for 10 agencies in the Greensboro and High Point area, including Open Door Ministries. The agency will receive a grant of $48,919 for its Arthur Cassell Memorial Transition Housing Program. Other agencies in Guilford County benefiting include Family Service of the Piedmont, the Salvation Army, the Servant Center and Youth Focus, according to the White House. The annual Continuum of Care grant funding provides approximately 29 percent of the yearly bud-
get of $170,000 for the transitional housing program, Key said. The Cassell transitional home, which opened 10 years ago, offers a place to live for homeless men who’ve gone through the Open Door Ministries shelter and treatment program and are moving toward independent living. The house that serves 14 men helps them learn independent living skills. “They do a lot of work with relationships, working with family members on dealing with the frustrations of life. It’s learning how not to resort back to negative behaviors,” Key said. Three-quarters of the men who have enrolled in the Cassell transitional home
AT A GLANCE
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The White House announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is renewing grant funding to assist thousands of local homeless assistance programs. Nearly $1.4 billion will help 6,445 programs offering services to homeless individuals and families. More than $738 million is being awarded to 2,997 projects that provide permanent housing for the homeless. More than 3,200 local projects that serve families with children will receive more than $733 million. Earlier this year, HUD allocated a separate $1.5 billion through its new Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known commonly as the federal stimulus.
complete the program, he portant to us to have those said. “We couldn’t do this funds,” Key said. program without Continuum of Care. It’s real impjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
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Ruth Brooks, 87 Doreen Caudle, 63 Bennett Davenport, 88 Laird Freeman, 62 N. Morato-Lozano, 6 mos. Mary Morgan, 85 Lettie Owens, 83 Obituaries, 2B
WEATHER
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Mostly sunny High 53, Low 29 6C
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