July 12 - 18, 2018
Community forum on July 15 will address opioid crisis by CHRIS BURRITT
Baptist Church in Stokesdale.
Jim Albright, director of Guilford County Emergency Services, is at the forefront of local efforts to reduce overdoses and deaths from addictive painkillers known as opioids. In an interview last week in his agency’s headquarters in Greensboro, Albright discussed the opioid crisis and what is being done in our area to address it. Albright will speak about the opioid crisis at a community forum on Sunday, July 15, 6 p.m. at Oak Level
Increasing painkiller dependency
by PATTI STOKES SUMMERFIELD – Since April 26, the Town of Summerfield has received 10 public records requests for copies of either specific, or all of Mayor Gail Dunham’s emails relating to town business since she was sworn into office last December. As for those requests being fulfilled, “As far as I know, nothing has happened,” Town Clerk Lance Heater told
Water, water.........................2 Your Questions ....................4 Business Notes .....................6 Crime/Incident Report .......8 On a Mission: Caroline’s
“The amount of opioids that were prescribed in the United States soared,” Albright recently told the Northwest Observer. “We have five percent of the world’s population and
Promise .................................9 Thanks, Margaret Wilson!.. 10 Community Calendar ...... 14
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Youth Sync ......................... 16
Photo by Chris Burritt/NWO
Grins & Gripes.................... 18 Classifieds .......................... 19
Jim Albright, director of Guilford County Emergency Services, said community forums can help people know they’re not alone in dealing with drug abuse.
Index of Advertisers ..........23
Mayor’s public records requests mounting Summerfield Mayor Gail Dunham has received 10 public records requests for copies of her town businessrelated emails; as of July 11, none have been fulfilled
IN THIS ISSUE
Statute 132-6.2(a), which pertains to public records, that person will advise the According to the town’s Public town manager, who will consult the town Records Request (PRR) policy, all requests must be in writing, be dated and attorney or forward the request to the specify the information being requested attorney for review and clarification. The town states that potential and the format the requestor would like the information when the request is responses to a public records request include producing the entire record fulfilled (i.e., electronic or hard copy). When he receives a PRR, Heater said as requested, denying the he acknowledges receipt of it and opens request with an explanation, or providing or a file for the request the same day. denying the request Effective with the July 10 town council in part with an explameeting, when the council voted to revise the town’s PRR policy, Heater for- nation of why it is only wards the request directly to the “custo- partially fulfilled. the Northwest Observer on July 11.
dian” of the record (i.e., the town council or staff member who must provide the information requested). If the custodian has concerns as to whether the request complies with North Carolina General
On June 19 the Northwest Observer submitted a PRR for copies of
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