Author: John Hammer

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has released the COVID-19 vaccine hierarchy.

The vaccination hierarchy plan released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is already getting pushback.

New Year’s Eve is going to be different this year. Bars, restaurants and entertainment venues are under heavy restrictions from Gov. Roy Cooper.  Plus, Cooper has imposed a 10 p.m. curfew on everyone in the state, which might seem to mean that everyone should be at home, or at least wherever they plan to spend the night, long before midnight.

Greensboro has had 61 homicides so far in 2020.

That breaks all previous records.  The previous record for Greensboro was 45 homicides in 2019.  In 2018 there were 40 homicides, which makes it look like an unwelcome pattern.

More changes are in store to the agreement to build a city parking deck and Westin Hotel in downtown Greensboro at the Tuesday, Jan. 4 City Council meeting.

The Greensboro City Council is going to start 2021 with a trip on the Wayback Machine.

The City Council at a work session on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 is scheduled to talk about a nightclub security ordinance.

According to the unofficial 2020 US Census figures, North Carolina will gain a congressional seat for the 2022 election, giving North Carolina 14 representatives in the US House.

At the beginning of September, Fire Chief Bobby Nugent announced that he would be retiring on Jan. 31, 2021, and this week City Manager David Parrish announced that Deputy Fire Chief Jim Robinson has been selected to take over as fire chief.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is selling its circus train.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan announced that the Greensboro City Council would be considering placing a bond referendum on the ballot for the November 2021 election.

The newest section of I-840 is opening on schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

While much of the reaction to the COVID-19 relief passed by the House on Monday, Dec. 21 was celebratory in nature, Sixth District Congressman Mark Walker (R-NC) had a decidedly different reaction.

So far, no one in Greensboro has received a citation, fine or penalty for violating any of the numerous COVID-19 restrictions.

By Executive Order No. 183, NC Gov. Roy Cooper has made it legal for a bar, restaurant or any business that legally sells mixed drinks to sell mixed drinks to go or have them delivered.

Cooper sued the legislature over who had the authority to spend certain federal block grant funds.  The state Supreme Court voted 6-1 in favor of the legislature in deciding the case Cooper v. Berger. (The president pro tem of the state Senate is Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham).)

The 2020 US Census figures are not yet official, but the estimates are out and Greensboro remains the third largest city in North Carolina, but not by much.

Christmas will be here next week whether you’re ready or not, which means not just presents but holiday closures.

District 3 City Councilmember Justin Outling said his first day on the campaign trail was “extraordinarily positive.” Shortly after midnight on Thursday, Dec. 17, Outling made the announcement that he was running for mayor of Greensboro in 2021. The announcement made by video was no surprise. The rumors that Outling was planning to run for mayor had been swirling about for months, but the timing was something of a surprise.

Nothing for the Greensboro Police Department (GPD) was on the agenda for the Tuesday, Dec. 15 Greensboro City Council meeting. This is despite the fact that, at the Dec. 7 work session on violent crime, councilmembers had made the point that they wanted to take immediate action to help the GPD quell the tremendous increase in violent crime and homicides that the city is experiencing in 2020.

NC A&T received $45 million from MacKenzie Scott, who announced donations to 384 organizations across the country totaling $4.15 billion.

The race is on.  District 3 City Councilmember Justin Outling has announced his candidacy for Greensboro mayor in the 2021 election.

The second time turned out to be the charm for the National Heritage Academies’ attempt to have land on Scott Road annexed and zoned in order to build a charter school.

The Greensboro City Council approved $37 million in bond financing for the February 1–Westin Hotel Parking deck at the virtual meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Approval of a $37 million bond for construction of the February One-–Westin Hotel parking deck is on the agenda for the Tuesday, Dec. 15 City Council meeting.

Jim Phillips, vice president for athletics and recreation at Northwestern University will become the ACC commissioner in February 2021.

The last statewide race of the 2020 election has finally been decided. North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby has won election to chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and current Chief Justice Cheri Beasley has conceded.

The City of Greensboro passed a grim milestone on Saturday, Dec. 12. With what has become an all too standard press release, the Greensboro Police Department (GPD) announced the 60th homicide of 2020.

Beginning Monday, Dec. 14, before entering two city facilities visitors will have their temperature checked.

Just in time for Christmas, a cookie shortage may be on the way according to Top Data. Unlike the toilet paper shortage that was caused by everyone in America deciding on the same day that they needed to rush out and buy 24 rolls or more of toilet paper, the possible cookie shortage is a little more mundane.

There was an underlying message in the report by Police Chief Brian James to the City Council on violent crime at the work session on Monday, Dec. 7.

Former Sixth District Congressman Howard Coble, who died in 2015, is receiving an honor from current Sixth District Congressman Mark Walker. The US Post Office at 1585 Yanceyville St. in Greensboro will be renamed the J. Howard Coble Post Office Building following a bill sponsored by Walker that passed the House this week.

The Greensboro City Council has released a strange agenda for its virtual meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 5:30 p.m. This is the final scheduled meeting of 2020 for the City Council, although special or emergency meetings could be held. Whether the City Council will continue to meet virtually in 2020 is unknown, but it had been previously announced that the council would meet virtually through 2020.

The USA Diving 2021 World Cup Trials have been postponed indefinitely according to an announcement made on Wednesday, Dec. 9 by USA Diving. The Greensboro Aquatic Center (GAC) at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex was to host the USA Diving 2021 World Cup Trials from Tuesday, Dec. 15 through Sunday, Dec. 20. It was to be another major national event for the GAC.

Hardcore recyclers have had a problem with Styrofoam in Greensboro because Styrofoam is not part of the Greensboro recycling program and reportedly the closest Styrofoam recycling facility was in Randleman. Now there is a solution. It’s not as easy as stuffing the Styrofoam into the big brown city recycling bin, but it is better than piling it up in the garage instead of sending it to the landfill.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has instituted a curfew of sorts for all North Carolinians between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. to stop the spread of COVID-19. If you’re having trouble understanding this latest edict number 181 from Cooper you’re not alone.

In the numbers presented by Greensboro Police Chief Brian James at the City Council work session on Monday, Dec. 7 is an ongoing issue with fully staffing the Greensboro Police Department (GPD).

The lockdown is back. This time Gov. Roy Cooper is calling his order for everyone to stay home a curfew, but being ordered by the state government to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. is close to a lockdown.

The City of Greensboro has announced that those shopping or dining downtown can park free for two hours in all four of the city parking decks during the holiday season.

At the work session on Monday, Dec. 7, the Greensboro City Council appeared to ignore one often-repeated request to help recruit and retain police officers.

The funeral for Troy Lawson was held Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. at Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church.

There was no good news to report at the Greensboro City Council Monday, Dec. 7 work session on violent crime.

A total of 18 speakers signed up for the public comment period at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

at the Balloon Regatta on Saturday, Dec. 12 and Sunday, Dec. 13, from noon to 4 p.m. each day, you can see the biggest crowd pleasers of the parade – the Macy’s Parade style balloons. In fact, people will have the opportunity to see the balloons better than in the parade and as many times as they like because for the Balloon Regatta the balloons are stationary and the “crowd” is driving down the street – a reverse of the normal parade. And just like in a normal parade, there is more than just the 17 Macy’s Parade-style balloons.

With 57 murders so far this year in Greensboro and businesses closing their doors because of COVID-19 restrictions, the City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 1 spent an hour discussing the boards and commissions it appoints.

The Virginia Dare Room at the Alumni House at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) is still named the Virginia Dare Room following action of the UNCG Board of Trustees on Thursday, Dec. 3.

“Downtown in December” is what Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI) is calling its reimagined holiday festivities this year.

Members of the Greensboro City Council said they would like to settle the lawsuit over the death of Marcus Deon Smith under certain conditions.

The City Council heard a lot of trash talk from Field Operations Director Dale Wyrick at the Tuesday, Dec. 1 work session.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan’s emergency declaration on Nov. 20 that Greensboro would start active enforcement of Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders didn’t mean much.

Sixth District Congressman Mark Walker announced he’s running for the US Senate in 2022 on Tuesday, Dec. 1.