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Grins and Gripes
Delighted or dismayed by something in your community? Share your thoughts in 40 words or less
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Grins & Gripes are published based on available space and editor’s discretion.
The nice lady at the Citgo station in Stokesdale who found and returned my wallet. You saved me a lot of headaches by not having to replace my credit cards and driver’s license. The gentleman who helped me when I fell at Lowes in Oak Ridge on Sunday, July 17. I did not get his name, but wanted to let him know how much I appreciated him coming to my rescue. Tim Jones (Stokesdale Town Council member). I rest at ease knowing that you’re on the council. It’s clear to me that you really understand the importance of limited government. You’re absolutely right to question any form of public spending! Fellow patriots flying our flag inverted in distress. Please continue. I’m the guy flying the black American flag. We get it. We know. We do research. Ignore the brainwashed. In an age of information, ignorance is a choice. The person who wrote the very nice grin about our horses on Coldwater Road in Stokesdale. Thank you! It is nice to know they are enjoyed. BTW, three of them are retired horses, two are trail-riding buddies. Food Lion on N.C. 68 in Stokesdale for providing coolers of free water on these hot summer days. Patti Stokes, NWO editor, for graciously responding to the Grin/ half-Gripe about the Northwest High Horizons newspaper, and even giving it space in your paper! Kudos for taking the high road and not acknowledging the grumpy writer’s petty negativity. Trisha and her team at the Bank of Oak Ridge. When my bank card was compromised and funds taken from my account, they were on it and had the entire matter resolved in 24 hours. Well done! The griper who griped about other gripers griping about other gripers. The irony is “priceless,” and every time I think of it, I smile to myself. Thanks! I hope the irony of the message was the griper’s intention. The construction crew that paved N.C. 150 in Oak Ridge. Excellent job with few delays and done very quickly. The way it was planned out from start to finish was exceptional.
Whoever hit my mailbox. I’m not angry, just disappointed. The CPR was successful, and the mailbox will survive. If you would like to confess, you can email me at mymailboxgothit@gmail.com (yes, this is a real email address). Oak Ridge Town Council, aka “big
government.” 7.9% raises only happen in government. $100,000 to run a town of approximately 7,000 people and 4 square miles. How much will the other four raises be? Lower taxes, don’t increase salaries. Editor’s correction: Before recently voting to extend its town limits to accommodate the voluntary annexation of 21 properties, Oak Ridge was actually 15 square miles, not 4 as the reader indicated (and for those who might be curious, Stokesdale is 21.4 square miles and Summerfield encompasses 26.56 square miles). The reader complaining about the Vermont ski resort gripe. Don’t think that type of woke nonsense can happen here? Look at the Greensboro Hebrew Academy. Expand your mind beyond Oak Ridge. Wokeness is a disease and it is spreading. Local politicians who try to weasel out of responsibility for your property tax increase by saying the rates didn’t go up. They wanted more money and they got it. Remember this at the ballot box. Bojangles in Oak Ridge. The way it takes me 30 minutes to get my biscuit, they must only hire people with feet for hands. The guy who wants my address to send a rescue team. Thanks in advance – I could use the gas money and help making ends meet with almost everything costing 50% more. Must be nice to not be affected by this. Editor’s note: The reader’s thoughts (above), as well as those below, were submitted as grins, but since the Grins section is intended for genuine thoughts of appreciation (without sarcasm), I’ve placed them in the Gripes. Just didn’t want you to think I wasn’t paying attention. The gripers of upside-down flags. Must be nice to not be so affected with this country having open borders and the economy being as it is. It does make me smile, good for you. Stokesdale residents who put their trash and recycling cans on the street and not on the side of the street, causing everyone to play frogger driving around your cans every Friday! Please, put your cans on the side of the street! The barefaced duplicity and audacity of an Oak Ridge Town Councilman who splits hairs by commending himself for not raising the property tax rate, when he fully understands it’s a 19% hike in our tax bill. The homeowners of the two houses on Oak Ridge Road with the overgrown grass and extremely junky carports and yards. Such an eyesore for our beautiful town. Cyclists on Bunch Road, especially between 5 and 5:30 p.m., for creating a dangerous situation for motorists and themselves. You cycle to stay healthy but risk being catapulted into the next county. Really? People who don’t pick up after their dogs in Oak Ridge’s town park. It is hard to walk through the dog park without stepping in poop, and it is not sanitary for dogs or their humans! Property owners responsible for the onslaught of rental houses being built in Stokesdale. There’s “Duplex City” beside Food Lion and “Rental House Village” on Coldwater Road. Please save our schools, crime rates and property values. Republic Waste for poor service the past 3-4 years and making sure they went out in a blaze of glory! Promises made...promises ignored. The Northwest High School athletic trainer being reassigned to Grimsley, leaving Northwest without one.
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Plan Act (ARPA) funds for establishing and expanding municipal water systems and developing parks. Municipalities are competing against a broad range of initiatives, such as a proposal to extend telemedicine to Guilford County Schools and an effort to recruit and train new personnel for Guilford County Emergency Services.
The county’s staff has recommended that five municipalities – Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Stokesdale, Pleasant Garden and Gibsonville – be given as much as $3 million each for water infrastructure projects.
If approved by the Board of Commissioners, that amount would cover Stokesdale’s request for $2.93 million for improvements to its municipal water system and Oak Ridge’s request for $2.77 million for establishing its municipal water system or installing water lines and other infrastructure for fire protection.
For Summerfield, funding of $3 million would fall far short of its request for $22 million for infrastructure to bring in water for firefighting and residential and commercial use.
Separately, Summerfield, Oak Ridge and Stokesdale have already received a state appropriation of $1.1 million each for water projects.
In total, Summerfield is asking the county commissioners for $24.8 million – nearly a quarter of the ARPA funds available countywide, according to the county’s tally of requests.
Aside from the $22 million for water infrastructure, Summerfield wants $2.3 million for developing Bandera Farms Park and $525,000 for extending high-speed internet access to residents who don’t have access to the service.
Oak Ridge is seeking nearly $4.1 million in total ARPA funds. Aside from $2.77 million for its water needs, the town is also seeking $1 million for the development of Bandera Farms Park and $305,000 for the renovation and expansion of the Farmhouse Community Center, the new name for the historic Redmon house in Town Park.
Stokesdale wants to expand its water system in anticipation of its current number of customers doubling to about 1,500 over the next seven to 10 years. Specifically, the town envisions running about five miles of new lines to secure a second source of water, while possibly adding another elevated tank or booster stations.
want to participate?
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a work session at 3 p.m. this Thursday, Aug. 4, to hear requests from Summerfield, Oak Ridge and Stokesdale, as well as other municipalities and organizations, for American Rescue Plan Act funds. Open to the public, the meeting will be held in the John H. McAdoo Room on the third floor of the Truist Bank Building, at 201 W. Market St. in Greensboro.
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GRINS & GRIPES
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Outside the …
The following reader-submitted GRIPES express opinions about state and/or national topics, and have been separated from the other Grins and Gripes as a courtesy to those who do not want to read others’ opinions on state and/ or national political and other non-local topics in a local newspaper. GRIPES to...
Mainstream media. Temperatures have been tracked since 1880 and only have risen 0.8 degrees, so don’t believe what you hear/read in the news. The Air Force claims they can control the weather by 2025 – they are causing the crazy weather! Anti-vaxxers, and I don’t mean COVID-19 vaccine. It’s understandable to be leery of a new vaccine. But not getting your kids vaccinated against polio? Measles? Mumps? Come on, people. The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 God gave us brains to use, so use them!
Peach Quiz Answer key
From the Kids’ Korner on pg. 26
1. Which U.S. state produces the most peaches?
D. California California produces over 50% of the United States’ peaches; a er California, top-producing states are South Carolina and then Georgia.
2. A typical peach tree will start bearing fruit in which year of its life?
C. 3 From the time you plant a peach seed, it takes about three years before you’ll see peaches. Peaches are typically harvested from late June to August.
3. Which country produces the most peaches each year?
D. China Over the last 10 years, China has produced more than 50% of the world’s peaches, followed by Spain, Italy and Turkey.
4. What is the best way to store ripe peaches to help them last?
B. In the refrigerator Although most ripe peaches will last for a day or two on the counter, storing them in a bag in a refrigerator drawer with humidity control slows down ripening.
5. Peaches are a great source of which nutrient(s)?
D. All of the above A single large peach is loaded with nutrients, including 11% of your daily value for vitamin A, 10% of your daily value for potassium, and 19% of your daily value for vitamin C.
