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Monthly Archives: July 2013

[Clip] Meet the candidates: Town of Granite Falls

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by Meghan Frick in Clips

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This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic; part of a series introducing candidates for city/town council in mayor in the eight municipalities in our county. To put the series together, I interviewed 45 candidates by phone.

In Granite Falls, six candidates are running for three seats on the town council, including two incumbents. Councilman Max McRary is not seeking re-election.

Current mayor Barry Hayes, who has held the office for four terms, is being challenged by current Councilman Jim Mackie. Continue reading →

[Clip] Schools taking steps toward allowing personal technology

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Meghan Frick in Clips

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This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic.

Baton Elementary School principal Jason Teffeteller knew he had to do something.

His students had just returned from the 2012 winter break and they were all bringing their holiday presents to school. Kindles. iPhones. Nooks.

At first, the school had no definitive policy on what technology students could or couldn’t bring.

Years before, when Teffeteller was a middle-school principal, the policy on cellphones – which were just becoming ubiquitous – was “no.” By the end of each day, Teffeteller always had a row of blinking and beeping cellphones on his desk. One by one, they’d light up with texts from other students at the school. He’d walk down the hall to collect those cellphones, too. Continue reading →

[Clip] CCC&TI still expects million-dollar cut

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

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This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic.

Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute officials are still bracing for a cut of more than $1 million but won’t be sure of the amount until the General Assembly passes its final budget, CCC&TI president Ken Boham said Monday.

What is certain, however, is that tuition will go up by $2.50 per credit hour, raising the total cost per credit hour to $71.50 from $69, and community college employees will not receive raises. Continue reading →

[Clip] Proposed budget may lead to local K-12 cuts

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Meghan Frick in Clips

≈ 9 Comments

This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic.

The budget proposal set for a vote in General Assembly this week would reduce state spending on teacher assistants by $120 million, or about 21 percent. It also would provide no raises for teachers and other state employees, eventually eliminate teacher tenure and increase public spending on private schools.

Caldwell County Schools superintendent Steve Stone said he hadn’t had a chance to study the proposed budget at length and that he hoped for a provision that would save teacher assistants’ jobs. If there are no such provisions, a 21 percent reduction in spending at the state level would mean roughly 20 teacher assistant positions in Caldwell would be cut, he said. Continue reading →

[Clip] Meet the candidates: 8 running for 4 seats on Lenoir City Council

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Meghan Frick in Clips

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This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic; part of a series introducing candidates for city/town council in mayor in the eight municipalities in our county. To put the series together, I interviewed 45 candidates by phone.

In Lenoir, eight candidates are running for four seats on the city council. Three of the eight are incumbents; incumbent Lewis Price is not running.

Ike Perkins

Perkins, 67, has not previously served in a local elected office but has served on the Lenoir planning board.

Perkins said he wants to use his experience as a pastor and community activist to benefit the city. He said he’s most concerned with taxes, and with revenue cuts and other state actions that affect local governments.

“I see a lot of activities and a lot of things that are going positive,” he said. “I just want to be a part of a city and a part of an organization that’s really doing positive stuff and try to add what little expertise I can.”

Perkins is a full-time pastor and is the founder of the Learning Investment Network for Kids organization in Lenoir’s West End neighborhood. Continue reading →

[Clip] State tax plan a ‘pleasant surprise’ for cities and towns

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Meghan Frick in Clips

≈ 1 Comment

This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic. It was double-bylined with Derek Lacey; I reported the segments about the six small towns and the information from Paul Meyer and the League of Municipalities.

Projects that Lenoir had put on hold are back under way and the city’s revenue picture is brighter now under the compromise tax package that the General Assembly is poised to pass.

In fact, most cities and towns will see a small increase in revenue because the tax plan maintains three municipal revenue streams that were initially on the chopping block – the privilege tax, the food tax, and sales tax refunds – and extends the sales tax to some previously exempt services, said Paul Meyer, director of governmental affairs for the N.C. League of Municipalities.

“The compromise that the House and Senate developed very much protected municipal revenue streams, and that was very pleasing to elected officials in cities statewide,” he said. Continue reading →

Making it through post-grad, one day at a time

21 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by Meghan Frick in Life

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Staples always smells the same, but it only gives me butterflies in late summer.

I was walking through the store one night this week, searching for new notebooks for work and breathing in the smell of paper and gel ink and plastic notebook dividers — the smell that always means summer is drawing to a close and another chapter of life is starting, with a new slate of classes and a new break for lunch and, of course, a new stack of notebooks.

Continue reading →

Permanent advantages

21 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by Meghan Frick in Life

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When you’re socially awkward, you’re isolated more than usual, and when you’re isolated more than usual, your creativity is less compromised by what has already been said and done. All your hope in life starts to depend on your craft, so you try to perfect it. One reason I stay isolated more than the average person is to keep my creativity as fierce as possible. Being the odd one out may have its temporary disadvantages, but more importantly, it has its permanent advantages.

–Criss Jami

[Clip] Scholar, author to speak about American eugenics

19 Friday Jul 2013

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This article was published in The Appalachian.

Edwin Black wants you to know the truth about American eugenics.

In the early twentieth century, over 60,000 U.S. residents were sterilized in state institutions. The sterilizations were coercive and took place for an array of reasons. Some were sterilized because of their criminal activities, others because of low intelligence, still others because of perceived promiscuity.

In North Carolina, over 7,600 people were sterilized under a system which allowed individuals to be recommended for sterilization to the state eugenics board. Some, the Associated Press reported in June, were as young as 10 years old. Continue reading →

[Clip] Scoops Cafe serves gelato, crepes with a conscience

19 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by Meghan Frick in Clips

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This article was published in The Appalachian.

Eddie and Maritza Greene toyed with the idea of opening an ice-cream shop for years.

“They knew it was going to be ice-cream all along, but it just sort of expanded into the gelato realm,” daughter Rachel Miller said. “I pushed for the gelato because I felt like it was so unique.”

Today, Scoops, which opened in June, serves everything from banana pudding gelato, chocolate ganache cake, blood-orange sorbet, fair-trade tea, and specialty crêpes. Continue reading →

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