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THOMASVILLE
Hospice of Davidson County welcomes new staff members. See HEALTH, Page 3.
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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Local GM Superstore to close doors Hardin to focus on used car sales and service BY ELIOT DUKE Staff Writer
Thomasville and General Motors have had a relationship that dates back to the 1940s, and Stamey Hardin is part of that rich tradition. But when the Thomas-
ville GM Superstore on National Highway turned up on a list of 1,800 retailers facing the chopping block thanks to General Motors filing for bankruptcy, Hardin had a feeling the relationship was nearing its end. “General Motors has had its share of problems,” Hardin, owner of Thomasville GM Superstore, said. “They intended to reduce the number of franchise dealers they had in the United States. We were one they targeted. Smaller dealers
suffered like anyone else with this recession.” Once the reality set in, Hardin faced a difficult scenario — move his dealership somewhere else or stay in Thomasville and ride out the economic storm in a community he believes in. He chose the latter. “Chevrolet and General Motors have always been part of the Thomasville community,” said Hardin. “We could’ve folded our tent and moved on, but Thomasville has always supported us and
we want to give back to the community.” For the first time in decades, the Chair City no longer will have a GM dealership in town as Hardin is going in a different direction in an effort to both save local jobs and keep his business right where it is — in Thomasville. In order to do so, Hardin announced on Monday that he is partnering with NAPA to open a NAPA Auto Service Cen-
TIMES PHOTO/ELIOT DUKE
Stamey Hardin will redirect his focus from GM to affordSee DOORS, Page 4 able car care and used car sales in his new business.
Chair City to host unique art competition
City seeks input on annexation agreement
BY ERIN WILTGEN
BY ERIN WILTGEN
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Thomasville City Council gathered Monday to approve the Feb. 15 meeting’s agenda, including a public hearing for the annexation agreement between Thomasville and High Point. Discussion on the annexation will be the only public hearing for the meeting, which will be Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. at council chambers. The agreement — a renewal of the one made in 1999, which expires March 1, 2010 — defines the area in Randolph County that can be annexed by either High Point or Thomasville during the agreement’s 20-year term. The purpose of the agreement is mainly to encourage the orderly development of the unincorporated areas near the two municipalities. “It’s important that communities understand where each other stand,” said City Manager Kelly Craver. “It helps create orderly growth. It makes for a lot smoother relations between the counties.” Besides a special presentation by Mayor Joe Bennett, the regular session of the Feb. 15 meeting will also include: • Consideration for Condemnation – Dilapidated structure at 19 Jordan St. • Consideration of Capital Project Ordinance – Baptist Children’s Home Collector Line Improvement Project and 2009-10 Capital Reserve Fund Budget Amendment.
TIMES PHOTO/ELIOT DUKE
A fundraiser for 8-year-old Joseph Turner, who is living with autism, will be held Thursday at the Pizza Inn on Fairfield Road in High Point.
Fundraiser to help young boy with autism BY ELIOT DUKE Staff Writer A High Point restaurant is helping a local family pay medical expenses for a 8-year-old boy living with autism. This Thursday night, Pizza Inn at 110 W. Fairfield Road in High Point is holding a fundraiser where 10 percent of all sales from 5 to 9 p.m. will go towards helping the Turner family pay for therapy sessions for their youngest son Joseph, who is diagnosed with autism. As part of Joseph’s treatment he sees Lexington educational specialist Dr. Jane Leonard. The program provides outcome driven services for children with developmental disabilities including autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Family and friends of the Turner’s will serve as the waiting staff, and all tips and donations also will benefit Joseph’s treatments. “He is doing very well,” Tara Turner said of her son. “He can
Community Sponsor
say about 20-25 words a day and can name most of the foods he wants to eat. He still stays sick a lot and that’s kind of hard. It’s like you have to start all over again. Pizza Inn has been really good about allowing us to do this. Sometimes you have to lose your pride, but when you can’t do it, you can’t do it. “As a mother, I just want to give him the best care I can. He’s getting better and is trying so hard that we would hate to have to stop his treatments over money.” While under Leonard’s care, Joseph has started saying more words and is progressing all the time, Tara said. Leonard is able to serve as many as six children a day in the program, and does so on a one-to-one basis aimed at returning a child to a natural setting. Children are encouraged to develop loving, caring relationships with adults, apply understandings and skills of every day life and increase their
range of functional skills across all developmental domains. Joseph usually spends around 15 hours a week in the program. “We’re very proud of him,” said Leonard. “He has just started talking within the past three weeks. A year ago, he could make sounds where now he is using more words. We just hope we continue that progress.” In addition to any money generated from the fundraiser, the Turner’s also will be selling note cards and shirts with Joseph’s handprints. Tara said her son loves to paint so the idea to put some of his work on display for the community to share seemed like a natural fit. Tara said she would like to keep Joseph in the program for one more year before she starts home schooling him full-time. For more information on the fundraiser, call Pizza Inn at 4342138 or e-mail the Turner family at jturner@northstate.net.
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Chainsaw doesn’t exactly scream work of art, but professional carvers will show onlookers just how they transform the crude instrument into a master’s scalpel at a Thomasville contest in late April. With no event like it within 400 miles, the annual Thomasville Tourism Chainsaw Sculpting Competition — to be held on April 29, 30 and May 1 in the Thomasville clock tower parking lot on Main Street — will bring some of the best sculptors nationwide to the city to carve figures from 6 to 8foot-long white pine logs. “It will provide great entertainment for citizens but also help the economy by bringing in outside people to spend money,” said Mark Scott, Thomasville Tourism director. “These guys are really pretty dog-gone good from everything I’ve seen.” During the competition, people can wander around to watch the carvers at work. Quick carves — which will occur daily given enough business sponsors, Scott said — are 45-minute competitions in which the sculptor has a short window of time to create a smaller piece from a 6-foot log. “It’ll give spectators a chance to see it go from log to art in 45 minutes,” Scott said. For each quick carve, a judge will award the best sculptor a small prize. The competition will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 8 a.m. until noon
See ART, Page 4
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