Author: Scott D. Yost

On Friday morning, April 29, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners will get the chance to ask away in front of state legislators who represent Guilford County in Raleigh. The official purpose of the meeting is “to discuss upcoming legislative goals” – which can be read as: to discuss things the state can do to make life easier for county governments.

Just about everyone in Guilford County knows by now that an elementary school “Satan Club” may be held by Satanists at Joyner Elementary School starting on Friday, April 29.  School officials are apparently in a tight bind, because, while few if any want to see a Satan Club on campus, a 2001 US Supreme Court case prevents the schools from discriminating against a religious group’s use of school facilities if other groups are allowed to – and therefore schools can’t legally deny the use of facilities even for a club run by Satanists.

The Simkins PAC is a group of Greensboro’s black leaders who each election endorse a slate of candidates in an effort to help sway the election. This week, the well-known group did so again. However, when it sent out the list this time, the statement on the candidates included a typo.  There’s nothing unusual about that – typos happen all the time – but in this case the typo was quite amusing.

Early voting for the May 17 primary opens on Thursday April 28, and one group that always weighs in on those who it thinks people should vote for is the Dr. George C Simkins Jr. Memorial Political Action Committee. 

It’s not getting as much publicity as the Beatle’s Magical Mystery Tour did back in the ’60s, but...

The Greensboro/Guilford County Tourism Development Authority put out notice this week of its 2021-2022 proposed budget and also of a forum where local residents can give their input. 

The county and Sedalia are sponsoring “Spring Cleanup 2022,” which is being billed as a “secure, free, easy way to recycle scrap tires, appliances, electronic waste, and shred personal documents.” The collection party will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 8 a.m. to noon. 

One outspoken pickleball enthusiast, John Henry Bohlken, has been complaining as loud as he can about the way Guilford County is handling the pickleball courts operation at Bur-Mil Park – and this week Guilford County Parks Director Dwight Godwin said that a coming new contract with the private providers will be significantly different than the existing one.

On Thursday, April 21, when the commissioners held their first meeting in years in High Point in the High Point City Council’s chambers downtown.  County Commissioner Carlvena Foster, whose base of constituents are High Point residents, had pushed for the Board to hold the meeting in the county’s second largest city. Though Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston was at the board’s meeting on Thursday evening, he gave the gavel to Foster and slid over one chair to his left.

Things got pretty chilly in winter when, in late 2021, Guilford County Commissioner James Upchurch suddenly changed parties from Democrat to Republican and blasted Chairman of the Guilford County Commissioners Skip Alston’s leadership of the board in the process.  That was the last time the two men spoke in person until Friday, April 22, when Upchurch called Alston and the two had their first conversation since last year.

Elementary schools and other schools have all sorts of clubs for students, however, a flyer for a “School Satan Club” now making the rounds has a lot of people doing double-takes.

A Sedalia Town Council member who had served on the council for 17 years has resigned over what she says is endemic racism from the all-black council against white residents.

Sedalia Town Council members are remaining silent about harsh allegations against the council by longtime Sedalia Town Council Member Valerie Jones, who just resigned over her concerns over the way the council handles business and treats white residents.

Ed Piotrowski, a white man who ran for a Sedalia Town Council seat last year, said that, due to his decision to run, Town Council members harassed him, treated him with complete disdain and claimed he was in violation of the law after he recorded a Town Council meeting on his phone and posted it on Facebook.

Ed Piotrowski, an aviation quality control inspector and a resident of Sedalia, recorded a Sedalia Town Council meeting and posted it on Facebook without informing the councilmembers. He said he was shocked to find himself being accused of a Class H felony by the town’s mayor and other town officials.

Everyone appreciates the ability to do more things on their phones these days, and the people who respond to fires, hurricanes, pandemics, chemical spills, terrorist attacks and other major threats appreciate that ability as well.  Now, emergency workers in Guilford County – thanks to federal money that was part of the COVID-19 response – are getting the ability to do more on those phones.

Guilford County’s fiscal 2021-2022 budget included Home and Community Care Block Grant funding for services for seniors and the aging.

on Thursday, April 21, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is set to clear the way for public trail enhancements by accepting an easement for a new public trail at Rich Fork Preserve in the High Point area.

This week, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners plans to add about 100 acres of farmland to the list of property committed by owners for preservation.

On Tuesday, April 19, Guilford County announced that, on Wednesday, April 20, Skip Alston and an entourage of press will be touring Kiser Middle School in Greensboro.

On Tuesday, April 19, the board announced that, in addition to the already planned county commissioners meeting in High Point, the board will also add a dense afternoon work session.

 On Tuesday, April 19, PTIA sent out a press release stating, “The TSA [Transportation Security Administration] will no longer require airport employees or patrons to wear a face covering or face mask inside the airport terminal or on airport operated ground transportation.”

President Joe Biden spent the day in Greensboro on Thursday, April 14, and that gave the president an opportunity to converse with another very powerful Democrat: Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston. 

the question that’s now been presented to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is whether or not there’s something rotten in the way the county has been managing its pickleball courts.  One impassioned pickleball player, John Henry Bohlken, spoke about the situation at a Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting in February, presented numerous documents to the county, and called the matter to the attention of the county’s legal department.

The May election at which county voters will determine the fate of a $1.7 billion school bond referendum is just around the corner, and that’s one reason Guilford County has ramped up its efforts to get those bonds passed and also get a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax passed to bring in an additional $18 million or $20 million in new revenue per year – money the county will need if it’s going to start making the debt payment for the massive school bond.

The Sunday, April 10 Guilford County Animal Services dog party at Bur-Mil Park was a raging success for human’s and their best friends alike. The department hosted “Must Love Dogs Spring Festival.”  The major event, which was jam packed with things to do, was held largely to help promote the awareness of the need for canines to get heartworm prevention procedures.

This week Guilford County government announced that Rosanne Wiley-Hayes has been chosen to serve as the new Guilford County Child Support and Court Services Director where she’ll often find herself dealing with children in very unfortunate and difficult situations.    

At the Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, April 7, the three Republicans voted no to a resolution promising that the Board of Commissioners would lower the county’s property tax rate in the coming budget if county voters pass a quarter-cent increase in the county’s sales tax in the election next month.

At the Thursday, April 7 meeting of the Guilford County commissioners, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston may have been anticipating the disagreements to come when he took a rare moment to explicitly address county staff. He began by noting that the fiscal 2022-2023 budget will be adopted in about two months and he thanked staff for their hard work on the budget so far.

The “100 Counties Prepared Task Force,” which was formed by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), held a meeting on Wednesday, April 6, that included county leaders from across the state. 

If you got a notice in the mail in February that your property has a much higher value in 2022 – and you know that’s going to lead to a higher property tax bill – well, you’d better speak soon or forever hold your peace.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners have decided to mix it up when it comes to meeting locations, and, instead of holding their next meeting in the same boring old commissioners meeting room in the Old Guilford County Court House in Greensboro, the board will hold their next meeting in High Point. The roadshow meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 21, at 5:30 p.m.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department had the community looking for two elderly people whose whereabouts were unknown, but now the mystery has been solved and the two are doing just fine.

Since virtually every home business and other piece of property in Guilford County is worth more after the 2022 revaluation by the Guilford County Tax Department, new estimates are that the county will pull in an extra $75 million to $80 million in property tax money if the current tax rate is not lowered. 

The employees of Guilford County are on the verge of being able to add another vacation day – this one in June – to the list of holidays they currently get off. At a Thursday, April 7 commissioners work session with county staff, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston told staff that he wanted them to start the process of establishing Juneteenth – June 19 – as a new annual holiday for county employees, beginning this year.

The closed session item was added at the very last-minute to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners agenda for the board’s Thursday, April 7 meeting.  The agenda  only called for the board to meet “for the purpose of consulting with the county attorney.” However, when it came time at the end of the open meeting to hold the closed session, Guilford County Chief Deputy Attorney Matt Turcola added the item.

The death in January of Guilford County Commissioner Carolyn Coleman, who served as the District 7 commissioner for two decades, left that seat open for the 2022 election. Coleman’s granddaughter, Genesis, attempted to file to run for the seat but was unable to do so because of a state law that requires a candidate to be a member of the party they run in for at least 90 days prior to the day they file to run.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department 2022 Annual Awards Day Ceremony will be held on Monday, April 11. The event will be held at 10 a.m. in the auditorium at the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department District 2 office at 5440 Millstream Road in McLeansville.

Guilford County Commissioner James Upchurch said this week that a plan by Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston and other commissioners on the board to reduce the property tax rate if voters pass a sales tax is just a “smoke and mirrors” move.  He said it just makes taxpayers think they’re getting a break on their taxes when in reality the county will be taking a lot more from taxpayers than last year. 

Earlier this week the High Point Public Library announced that it was providing free library cards to anyone who wants them whether they live in High Point or not. On Thursday, April 7, the library had another big announcement: that the library is a finalist for the 2022 “National Medal for Museum and Library Service” that’s given out each year by the Institute of Museum and Library Service.

On Wednesday, April 6, Ontex Operations USA, LLC in Stokesdale announced that the company is once again holding a job fair to find qualified employees. This will be the company’s fourth job fair.  It will take place at the company’s Stokesdale plant on Friday, April 22 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The plant is at 9300 NC 65 in Stokesdale.

For those people who are concerned about increasing property tax rates in the years ahead, there is likely be nothing to worry about. This week, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston pledged that he will not vote for a property tax hike in Guilford County in the next four years.

However, on Wednesday, April 6, the High Point Public Library Board of Trustees announced that, effective immediately, the library is eliminating all non-resident fees for library cards.

Two and a half years ago, former Guilford County Commissioner Hank Henning chose not to run for reelection to the seat on the Board of Commissioners that he’d held for eight years. However, Henning is now back in the public eye after taking a high-profile job as the new Duke Energy district manager for the Greensboro District. 

On Wednesday, April 6, at 3 p.m., Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston and other commissioners will tour Shadybrook Elementary School at 503 Shadybrook Road in High Point.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has announced a work session for Thursday, April 7, at 3 p.m. The purpose is to take care of a whole lot of business now facing the county as the commissioners begin crafting the 2022-2023 Guilford County budget – which will total well north of a half a billion dollars.

The City of High Point is making some changes to the way it purifies the water supply, and, on Monday, April 4, the city sent out a press release to let people know that a change in the taste of tap water is nothing to be alarmed about. 

the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is going to bestow that honor on the late Commissioner Carolyn Coleman, who died suddenly earlier this year after serving for two decades on the board as the District 7 commissioner.

The Blue Room, on the first floor of the Old Guilford County Court House, will be renamed in Coleman’s honor. 

Outspoken Summerfield resident Don Wendelken said he was just trying to have some fun – like a lot...

If Guilford County voters go to the polls in May and approve the quarter-cent sales tax increase on the ballot, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners plans to reduce the county’s property tax rate