Author: John Hammer

Monday, June 1 should be a red letter day for people who haven’t managed to return their books or other materials to the library.

Gov. Roy Cooper and Alamance County are having a failure to communicate.

Having Charlotte host the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) in August has been controversial since the beginning.

The Greensboro Coliseum Complex has announced that the Greensboro Aquatic Center (GAC) will reopen on a limited basis on June 1.

In what has been touted as an “unprecedented” budget year, the Greensboro City Council showed no more interest in the budget than usual, in fact less than in 2019 when the economy was booming.

Rockingham County today announced that the Ontex Group will be locating a $96 million plant in the southern part of the county about 10 minutes from Piedmont Triad International Airport.

In March, all the announcements after the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament was canceled on March 12 were about cancelations. In May it looks like the announcements will be about reopening.

What would Memorial Day be without patriotic speeches and American flags?

The Carroll Companies (which owns this publication) announced that Evan Stone has been hired as the new Vice President of Industrial Business Development.

Since April 14, ReOpen NC has been holding rallies on Tuesdays in Raleigh.

The mantra of the stay-at-home era is that decisions are being made based on science, data and facts.

City Councilmember Michelle Kennedy wants to require all city employees to wear masks.

Thursday, May 21, the Greensboro City Council in an extremely unusual continuation of its Tuesday, May 19 virtual meeting voted to waive the fees for special-event permits for restaurants.

Gov. Roy Cooper is lifting the stay-at-home order on Friday, May 22 at 5 p.m. and implementing Phase 2 of the reopening process.

With everything in the country already shut down because of COVID-19, it hardly seems necessary to mention that the City of Greensboro is observing the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 25.

Most of the day Wednesday, May 20, the Greensboro City Council is holding seven virtual public hearings on rezoning issues, but don’t rush to comment because the City Council voted on those rezoning issues at the Tuesday, May 19 meeting.

City Manager David Parrish presented his recommended fiscal year 2020-2021 budget at the virtual City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 19, which had more detail but no major differences from the budget update the City Council received at its Tuesday, May 5 meeting from Assistant City Manager Larry Davis.

The Greensboro City Council will decide whether or not to give restaurants temporary flexibility on outdoor dining at the continuation of its Tuesday, May 19 meeting to be held virtually Thursday, May 21 at 11 a.m.

The Greensboro City Council met virtually Tuesday, May 19 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and the meeting isn’t over yet.

Saturday, May 16, a US District Court judge ruled Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order regarding religious services unconstitutional, and it appears there are other legal issues with the executive orders coming from Cooper that may be raised.

Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park has become a summer Sunday tradition for many Greensboro families, and Creative Greensboro plans to hold the 41st season of MUSEP in 2020, albeit with some adjustments.

The Greensboro City Council has eight public hearings on zoning matters on the agenda for the Tuesday, May 19 virtual meeting and it may not vote on any of them.

Churches and other houses of worship can start holding services again in North Carolina following a ruling by federal District Court Judge James C. Dever III on Saturday, May 16.

This week two churches and a church affiliated nonprofit filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Roy Cooper, claiming that their constitutional rights are being violated by the stay-at-home order.

North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell has a lot of concerns about the effects of the lengthy COVID-19 stay-at-home order, and not all of them are fiscal.

The City Council will hold its fourth virtual meeting on Tuesday, May 19 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Republican state senators have said that Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order regarding church services is unconstitutional, and some folks are taking that statement to heart.

The good news is that North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) construction projects that are underway are scheduled be completed.

It seems the coronavirus has affected every aspect of life including the sewers.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said, “pandemics cannot be partisan.” The coronavirus may not be partisan, but deciding the best way to deal with it certainly is.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said, “pandemics cannot be partisan.” The coronavirus may not be partisan, but deciding the best way to deal with it certainly is.

Two Greensboro city councilmembers have announced upcoming virtual town hall meetings.

The American Hebrew Academy, which closed suddenly in June 2019, has announced that it will reopen as AHA International School in the fall of 2021.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s plans to slowly reopen the state during the COVID-19 crisis have resulted in protestors on the streets of Raleigh, charges of unconstitutionality from Republican state senators and now, even closer to home, a letter from the majority of the Council of State asking for answers.

Eighteen Republican state senators sent a letter to Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday, May 8 asking for clarification of the Phase 1 executive order, particularly the portion governing religious services.

Although the city of Greensboro closed recreation centers and libraries in March and currently has only one part of one building open to the public to pay bills, the city has not laid off a single full-time employee due to the COVID-19 shutdown.

Monday, May 11, Greensboro, along with Archdale, Burlington, High Point, Jamestown, Randleman, Reidsville and the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, began the process of switching back to using chloramines to disinfect drinking water.

Eighteen Republican North Carolina state senators have formally asked Gov. Roy Cooper exactly what his latest executive order means when it comes to worship services.

With Phase 1 of the stay-at-home order now in place, hopefully a lot of businesses will be reopening.

Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m., some of the more confusing aspects of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order ended with the implementation of Phase 1 of the reopening process.

The harshest restrictions of the statewide stay-at-home order will be lifted at 5 p.m. Friday, May 8 and Greensboro Downtown Parks is providing people with a way to celebrate.

They say every black cloud has a silver lining, and City Councilmember Justin Outling has found one in the $8 million revenue shortfall city staff has projected for the city’s 2020-2021 fiscal year budget.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) overspent its own budget by $742 million in state fiscal year (SFY) 2019 according to an audit released this week by the North Carolina state auditor’s office.

Members of the Greensboro City Council immediately questioned some of the budget cuts proposed by staff at its Tuesday, May 5 virtual meeting, but, facing an $8 million deficit in the general fund alone, cuts will have to be made.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest asks Gov. Roy Cooper to give North Carolinians their freedoms back.

If you have complaints about your postal service, soon you’ll have someone to call, Greensboro businessman Louis DeJoy has been named the new postmaster general by the Postal Service Board of Governors.

At the press conference to announce the signing of the COVID-19 bills held by Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative leaders on Monday, May 4, it appeared the folks in Raleigh were getting along.

The Greensboro City Council is facing a projected $7 million deficit in the preliminary budget figures for the general fund for fiscal year 2020-2021, which beings July 1.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who drove or walked around the area where garbage is picked up on Mondays, but there was more yard waste out there than the city anticipated.

The statewide stay-at-home restrictions will be eased on Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m. according to an executive order signed by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday, May 5.