Author: Scott D. Yost

The coronavirus continues to steal a lot of headlines in the county, but make no mistake about it, there are clear and obvious signs that people and companies are getting back to business in a big way after a year and a half of laying low in the pandemic.  One of several recent crystal clear indicators came on Monday, Aug. 9 when Guilford County made a very rare simultaneous announcement of two new multi-million-dollar manufacturing plants ready to come to Guilford County – one being built by Proctor & Gamble and another by Banknote Corp. of America.

Thomas Wolfe wrote that you can’t go home again, but it may very well be the case that you can be required to wear masks again.  Just when people were getting used to seeing each other’s faces, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners may vote to require masks indoors at public places again. 

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners met in closed session on Thursday, August 5, and – though they didn’t take any action right after that meeting – it’s now clear that there were very happy discussions about two exciting new projects that are coming to Guilford County. 

The new Guilford County Animal Shelter has been desired by many animal lovers across the county for nearly two decades.

It’s extremely rare for Guilford County to send out any type of official letter or notice on a Sunday. However, on Sunday, Aug. 8, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston sent an email to the mayors in the county – and to top county officials – announcing a Monday, Aug. 9 meeting to address the coronavirus pandemic.

Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) is always seeking to add flights from low-cost carriers, so airport officials certainly don’t like to see those flights go away.

An Oak Ridge man is now in custody after allegedly firing off a gun all day long and early into the evening on Monday.

Guilford County staff in recent weeks has billed proposed changes to the county’s gun ordinances as very small tweaks meant only to enhance gun safety.

The Guilford County Family Justice Center is hosting “Camp HOPE America- North Carolina, Guilford County” for a fifth year.

on Thursday, Aug. 5, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department announced that, after taking a host of actions to address the issues, the gun-permitting process is back on a relatively timely track.

Guilford County government is about to join a host of other governments across the country discussing redistricting right now.  The Board of Commissioners has called a special work session for Thursday, August 5, which will be the first time the board discusses the impending redistricting for county commissioner districts. 

If you didn’t know that there was a pickleball craze sweeping the country, well, it should become highly evident to you soon enough.  In a move toward promoting the game in Guilford County, Pickleball is making its grand debut in Bur-Mil Park.

The State of North Carolina upped its game when it comes to the direct payments it’s making to those who now choose to get vaccinated for COVID-19. 

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners knew that there would be a lot of response from the public when they decided to propose a few changes in the county’s gun laws – and they were certainly right about that.  

For years, whenever the Rhino Times contacted anyone about a wildlife conservation issue, the person on the phone usually said something along these lines: “You know who you need to talk to?  Eddie Bridges.  He’s the expert on all of this.”

For months, Guilford County government has been moving away from COVID-19 restrictions – loosening mask requirements, providing more face-to-face services and letting members of the public attend county meetings.  However, the county is now reversing course. 

There was an interesting development on Monday night, August 2, for a proposed large residential development – Summerfield Village Farms – that has been put forth by farmer and developer David Couch. 

The Guilford County Planning Board will hold a meeting on Wednesday, August 11 at 6. p.m. to conduct two public hearings and consider a road name change.

They say, “Better late than never,” and that’s no doubt the case this week when, after a few delays, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is finally honoring the Grimsley Senior High School Whirlies football team that pulled off the impressive feat of winning the state’s 4-A football championship.  The Guilford County Board of Commissioners is set to honor the group of winners on Thursday, Aug. 5 in the Old Guilford County Court House.

On Friday, July 30, state health officials announced that North Carolina was getting more than $4.9 million in federal funds for small rural hospitals across the state.  The money will be used for COVID-19 testing and response.

The county’s Sheriff’s Department is taking applications from ordinary people for the 2021 Sheriff’s Citizen Academy.  If you’re a Guilford County resident interested in learning about law enforcement operations – and even playing deputy for about two months – applications are now being taken for the new Academy that starts in August. 

Now that the pandemic has started to ease up and business is getting somewhat back to normal, the deep divisions in Summerfield politics are showing themselves full force again.  Proposed changes to development ordinances, a large, proposed project by developer David Couch and a new debate over the fitness for the job of Summerfield Town Planner Chris York are all elevating tensions in the town once again. 

The list of shootings in Guilford County – and the list of people dying from gunshot wounds – increased by one on Wednesday, July 28, when a McLeansville man was found shot and a suspect was arrested and incarcerated.

Guilford County employees and visitors to county buildings were glad to hear earlier this summer that they would no longer be required to wear masks inside Guilford County government buildings, but, as of Wednesday July 28, the mandatory masks are back.  Guilford County announced that the county has reinstated its mandatory mask policy “for all persons inside of any county facility, regardless of their vaccination status.”

There are state laws that prevent young children from being held in adult jails. However, there are no laws against what Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers is doing right now – inviting kids to the jail in order to read stories to them.

You may have no idea what the “Selfie Spot” selfie museum is, but, if you’re a big fan of social media you’ll certainly want to find out.  The new downtown Greensboro business held its soft opening on Wednesday, July 28, at 320 South Elm St.

A national settlement reached last week in the lawsuit filed by governments across the country against opioid makers and distributors such as Johnson & Johnson will mean a payout to Guilford County. 

If you watch Anderson Cooper or other TV shows in prime time, you’ve probably noticed new commercials – very dark ones – that address the dangers of opioid addiction and the fact that it can happen to people from all walks of life.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has set a public hearing for Thursday, August 5 to listen to input on potential changes to the county’s gun ordinances.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is extending an interesting program it began earlier this year to battle COVID-19.  On Thursday, July 22, the department announced that it is nearly doubling the number of sites in its coronavirus wastewater surveillance program.

Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said that, when the commissioners’ districts in Guilford County are redrawn in the coming months, he’s going to do all he can to see to it that those lines are fairly drawn. 

Downtown High Point will have those events and more this summer and fall because Forward High Point – the nonprofit that’s headed up a successful downtown revitalization effort in that city – is now focusing on packing the next several months with exciting downtown events for residents in the region.

Oak Ridge Town Councilmember George McClellan recently announced that he is “98 percent” sure he’ll be running for the District 3 Guilford County commissioners seat next year – which may be a good indication that current Republican District 3 Commissioner Justin Conrad won’t run. 

the city’s third annual “Summer Jubilee Back-to-school Celebration and Backpack Giveaway” on Saturday, July 31, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at and around the High Point Public Library.

 Guilford County Parks staff and Pleasant Garden firefighters will distribute the helmets at no charge during the bike rodeo at Hagan-Stone Park at 5920 Hagan-Stone Park Road in Pleasant Garden, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, July 23.

For 84 days this summer, six motorcycle riders traveling 22,300 miles across America are visiting cities and law enforcement departments to honor the men and women who’ve given their lives in the line of duty. 

On Friday, July 23, the riders will arrive in Greensboro.

A lot of Greensboro businesses are struggling due to the pandemic. However, thanks to a new program from the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, hard times won’t mean having to give up membership in that organization.

Brand new High Point City Manager Tasha Logan Ford plans to hold a press conference on Thursday, July 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the High Point Municipal Building at 211 S. Hamilton St.  This will be a good chance for local media and residents to get to know the city’s new manager. 

Starting on Thursday, July 22, the High Point Human Relations Commission will host a series of housing security workshops that are meant to “evaluate the feasibility of the City of High Point becoming a Fair Housing Assistance Program.”

at the Board of Commissioners’ Thursday, July 15 meeting was a different one: When is a call center not a call center? The agenda called for the board to approve $1.8 million to hire two companies to run a call center for handling calls regarding COVID-19 vaccinations.  Many people in the meeting room had the same question that night.  The county used to get a great number of calls for vaccination appointments, but now those calls have died down – so, why spend $1.8 million for a call center?

Any time government alters gun laws, it gets a reaction. There’s no doubt that many gun advocates and gun opponents in Guilford County will want to provide input on the Board of Commissioners’ next move in that regard. 

The State of North Carolina is working hard to see that COVID-19 is eradicated from the health facilities and congregate living facilities that it runs.  This week, state health officials reported that, as of July 1, 77 percent of staff at state-operated health care facilities have been fully vaccinated.

You may not be able to make it to Dollywood this summer, but, if you’re a Dolly Parton fan with kids, you won’t want to miss what the High Point Public Library has in store this weekend. On Saturday, July 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the library will host a sign-up event for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library at the High Point Library’s North Main Street location with the group Karen K. and the Jitterbugs performing songs by Dolly and other singers.

Former High Point Economic Development Corp. President Loren Hill knows a lot about economic development, but he knows absolutely nothing about retirement. 

Everything related to education has been a major challenge over the last year and a half, but now, in the summer recess, one education-oriented group is holding a virtual annual conference meant to boost spirits and provide some problem-solving going into the 2021-2022 school year.

Over the last two decades, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners has had some very lively discussions about disparity in county policies and hiring practices – and now the board is set to tackle those issues once again in the July heat.   The afternoon work session will also be used to help the board figure out how to spend millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief money that’s been coming to the county and will continue to come in the future. The Board of Commissioners has scheduled the work session for Thursday, July 15 at 2:30 p.m. in the Blue Room – a much-used meeting room on the first floor of the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro.

If you want to see what’s happened to the former Guilford County Prison Farm – which dropped “Prison” from the name about seven years ago – well, Saturday, July 17 is a good chance to do so.

On Thursday, July 15,  Magnolia Manor Senior Care Solutions, with the help of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, will celebrate the grand opening of Magnolia Manor @ Sedgefield, a new “micro-assisted” senior-living community in Sedgefield.

Even though the masks are off and the COVID-19 numbers are getting much better, Guilford County government is about to approve $1.8 million for private sector companies to operate a vaccine call center on the county’s behalf. 

A few years ago, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners and the Greensboro City Council fought like cats and dogs over animal services – which the city pays the county to provide.