Author: Scott D. Yost

It was just about a month ago that county voters approved a $300 million school bond referendum for the repair and construction of Guilford County schools.

Guilford County is holding a major, dead simple, COVID-19 testing event on Friday, Dec. 4 at a location everyone knows – the Greensboro Coliseum.

Brand new District 4 Guilford County Commissioner Mary Beth Murphy has a lot of input that she wants to give to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, and, starting on Monday, Dec. 7, she’ll get that chance.

Lee Tillery, the director of the High Point Parks and Recreation Department, has been elected to serve as president of the NC Recreation and Park Association for 2021.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department got a lot more excitement than it wished for on Monday, Nov. 30, when a 34-year-old, white female from Winston-Salem, identified as Jennifer Nicole Brown, allegedly went on an alarming robbery and shooting spree that left two Citgo stations disturbed and left one man shot.

In fact, this week the High Point Planning and Development Department is asking citizens for input, suggestions and questions regarding the department’s land use assessment of a 1.4-square-mile area along the Greensboro Road and Jamestown Bypass corridors from Montlieu Avenue in High Point to the Jamestown town limits at the Deep River.

December pre-Christmastime get-togethers are supposed to be filled with cheer, but a Thursday, Dec. 3 meeting of the Guilford County Economic Development Alliance will no doubt be bittersweet for the group: a little bitter because the Leadership Group of the Alliance will be losing three key members, but also sweet because those empty slots will be filled with new talent.

People may love a parade, but, based on statewide voter results in the November general election this year, there’s one thing that North Carolina voters don’t like very much right now: a quarter-cent sales tax hike.

On Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 the Board of Commissioners voted to put off a decision for “60 to 90 days” on whether or not to approve a financial package that would help High Point pay for its then unbuilt $30-million plus baseball stadium in downtown High Point.

On Wednesday, Dec. 9, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners plans to hold a special meeting at which the board will put into effect a countywide set of fines for businesses in when those businesses don’t enforce a coming set of mask requirements.

The great Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020 killed a lot of plans for a lot of people and those who support and work for the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in downtown Greensboro know that as well as anyone.

On Wednesday, Nov. 25, while many were doing their last bit of work and packing before traveling, state of North Carolina health officials did their part to dampen any holiday cheer. At 4:12 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) put out its new hospitalization and death numbers for the coronavirus.

It came as a surprise to many people that the Democrats took control of the nine-member Guilford County Board of Commissioners in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election, but this week Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Jeff Phillips offered his view as to why it happened.

Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) Executive Director Kevin Baker has had to guide the airport through its toughest year ever. However, the holiday season is helping the airport look more like the pre-pandemic PTIA.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has already started showing a little Christmas spirit even though Christmas is still a month away and there’s a pandemic going on.

In honor of Thanksgiving, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department was doing a good deed to create some holiday cheer this week. Rather than playing grinches by pulling over drivers and telling them how fast they were going, they were handing out meals.

COVID-19 is a major party crasher and the disease and related pandemic is all but destroying one of the nicest and most solemn events the county holds once every other year.

Not much happens businesswise over the Thanksgiving holidays – and even less happens on the Thanksgiving holidays during a pandemic. That rule apparently applies to elections disputes as well, and, heading into the four-day weekend, it was not clear when, or if, the NC State Board of Elections would hear the challenge to the results of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election brought by District 4 Guilford County Commissioner Alan Branson.

The Republican-led Guilford County Board of Commissioners has been around for so long that it’s sometimes hard to remember what county government looked like before 2012, when the Republicans took over control of the board from the Democrats.

The Tuesday, Nov. 3 election is all but over, but many states, counties and municipalities are facing criticism from President Donald Trump and his legal team for what they say are major problems with Dominion Voting Systems election software.

If you’re someone who likes to go on long walks or bike rides to enjoy nature, the City of High Point wants to talk to you. On Tuesday, Nov. 24, the city announced that High Point will be hosting two interactive virtual public workshops to collect feedback for the proposed greenway network.

Guilford County government is likely to follow the lead of the City of Greensboro and other local governments across the state in implementing fines for bars, restaurants and other businesses for not enforcing mask-wearing rules or for failure to follow other COVID-19 compliance rules.

The holiday season is a time to get together with friends and family and – well, it used to be anyway … Now, it’s a time to stay home alone in quarantine, and, while that aspect of the season has certainly changed, some things about the holiday season remain the same.

Since the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is soon to be dominated by Democrats – seven of the nine seats will be held by Dems – one might think that a tax increase is in the works for Guilford County when the next budget is adopted in June of 2021.

One of the advantages of having your party in control of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is that you and your fellow party members on the board get to pick the chair for the year.

Right now, Guilford County election staff, District 4 Guilford County Commissioner Alan Branson and District 4 Commissioner-in-Waiting Mary Beth Murphy are all waiting anxiously to see what action will be taken by the NC State Board of Elections in regard to an election protest filed by Branson late last week.

Guilford County government has reached the end of an era. That happened quietly in a large and mostly empty room after a closed session at the end of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, Nov. 19. The commissioners came out, announced some raises for select county staff and then voted to adjourn. That brought about the end of eight years of Republican rule of the board, which followed 14 years of Democratic rule.

On Friday, Nov. 20, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) released an ambitious far-reaching “NC Comprehensive Cancer Control Action Plan 2020-2025” that’s meant to address a host of cancer challenges affecting North Carolinians in specific communities.

They say that information is power and that’s no doubt the hope of state health officials who announced on Friday, Nov. 20 that the state was expanding the demographic data it reports on North Carolina COVID-19 cases.

A lot of people are being cut some slack when it comes to paying bills during the pandemic, but they aren’t being shown any sympathy when it comes to Guilford County foreclosing on their property.

District 4 Republican Guilford County Commissioner Alan Branson has filed a protest over the vote count in his race – in which the Guilford County Board of Elections has Branson’s Democratic challenger, political newcomer and teacher Mary Beth Murphy, winning by 70 votes.

Things get stolen every day in Guilford County, but right now the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department is trying to track down two very interesting – and very large – stolen items that should be easy to spot, an antique Mack truck and a Boston Whaler boat on a trailer.

Just about everyone has flown somewhere for the end of the year holidays – but they’ve never done so during a raging pandemic. Since flying home this year to enjoy some turducken and cranberry sauce is going to be a lot different than in previous years, Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) has put out a press release with a set of guidelines that all flyers should follow this holiday season.

In one of the least surprising moves in the history of Guilford County, High Point Interim City Manager Randy McCaslin announced on Wednesday, Nov. 18 that Sandy Dunbeck was being appointed as the city’s interim economic development director.

Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) is seeking comments on its Airport Noise Study Update and it’s holding a public workshop and hearing on the matter next month.

While they won’t get to carry a firearm or drive patrol cars in high-speed chases, your kids can soon take part in the Sheriff’s Department’s activities and build their character at the same time.

On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement on the triple shooting that claimed one life in downtown Greensboro a day earlier.

Greensboro is unfortunately getting used to shootings, but the city isn’t used to downtown triple shootings in broad daylight right next to multiple law enforcement and justice centers.

Guilford County planning department officials have been talking about it for years and, this week, on Thursday, Nov. 19, the final version is set for approval by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.

Guilford County Commissioner Alan Branson was hoping that a dramatic final leg of the District 4 commissioners race would allow him to make up the 18 votes he fell short in the general election this year – and would allow him, a Republican, to edge out a last-minute victory over his Democratic challenger Mary Beth Murphy.

They say that everyone loves a parade – however, in the age of COVID-19, any large public event is frowned upon and that includes parades, even boat parades. While the City of High Point was slated to put on its first-ever Holiday Parade…

Guilford County staff and commissioners have a lot of responsibility as it is, but that isn’t preventing them from taking on a new one. The county is working to become the administrative body for the Guilford County…

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) had some bad news for residents on Wednesday, Nov.11. That day, the state saw the highest single-day number – 3,119 – of COVID-19 cases reported.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department announced on Friday, Nov. 6, that it will offer the public a new class in December called “Safety for Today’s Citizen…

On Thursday, Nov. 12, the Guilford County Board of Elections is going to be counting a lot of votes, and one race that will be of particular interest that day is the race between…

If you think that the promising news on a COVID-19 vaccine means the State of North Carolina is slacking off on rules pertaining to the pandemic, you would not be correct…

On Monday, Nov. 9, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) put out guidance for Thanksgiving celebrations and Black Friday sales in an attempt to make sure the holiday and shopping sprees don’t make the pandemic worse in North Carolina.

The great 2020 coronavirus pandemic tanked much of Guilford County’s economy, but that isn’t showing up in the property tax collection rate, which Guilford County Tax Director Ben Chavis said this week is higher than last year’s and may come in at a record level.

According to the NC Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), roughly one-fifth of all county commissioners in the state’s100 counties will be new commissioners when the new batch is sworn in later this year.

District 4 Guilford County Commissioner Alan Branson is questioning whether his opponent in the recent election – Democrat Mary Beth Murphy – has a conflict of interest because she is a teacher for Guilford County Schools and the Guilford County Board of Commissioners makes decisions regarding school funding.