Author: Scott D. Yost

On Saturday, April 3, Guilford County elected leaders, in partnership with local churches and nonprofit organizations, will be helping feed the less fortunate county residents through a food giveaway in High Point.

Guilford County government has a lot of capital projects on the stove right now and Guilford County Manager Mike Halford told the Rhino Times this week that there’s another one on the way: a massive, multi-million dollar overhaul and repair of the large governmental plaza that sits in downtown Greensboro, between the Old Guilford County Court House, the Melvin Municipal Office Building and the Guilford County Courthouse.

On Thursday, April 1, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department announced that all the inmates confined in the Guilford County jails – in Greensboro and High Point – had been offered a COVID-19 vaccination. Medical professionals were giving out the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to those inmates willing to take it.  According to the press release from the department, just over a third of the inmates accepted the shot.

On Thursday, April 1, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners got together and talked a lot of trash to each other.  Specifically, in the afternoon work session in the Blue Room of the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro, the board heard arguments from two trash collection companies operating in the county that were both asking for rate increases.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has been meeting for a year with virtually no one in the audience and with the commissioners wearing masks.

On Thursday, April 1, the game changed and – one day after the county announced that it was opening up the vaccine process to all adults – the county announced that there was now a slew of spots available for which to schedule a vaccine appointment.

If you’re employed at Chick-fil-A, you have constant and easy access to a lot of very delicious chicken sandwiches and nuggets. However, one high school student now bound for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro got another very big surprise perk from the company – a  $25,000 college scholarship.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a work session for Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 3 p.m. At that meeting in the Blue Room of the Old Guilford County Court House, the seven Democratic commissioners will begin discussing the county’s fiscal 2021-2022 budget.  Of course, the board’s two Republican commissioners – Justin Conrad and Alan Perdue – will be able to weigh in as well.  However, when push comes to shove in June, it will be Democrats who determine how taxpayer money is spent over the following 12 months.

Guilford County just opened its vaccination eligibility to anyone over 16. However, the state is running a little behind the county.  NC Governor Roy Cooper and NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen announced on Thursday, March 25, that the state will open up vaccine eligibility to all adults in North Carolina beginning on Wednesday, April 7.

Every month should be a time to fight child abuse.   However, the State of North Carolina has declared April in particular as Child Abuse Prevention Month in North Carolina, and state officials are using the month to highlight the ways citizens can fight child abuse.

On Wednesday, March 31, Guilford County government had a very big announcement. Everyone aged 17 and up can get vaccinated for coronavirus.

On Thursday, April 1, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is expected to put nearly $100,000 of new taxpayer money into repairs for a building that’s been a notorious money pit for well over a decade. The price keeps going up on Guilford County’s building at 325 E. Russell Ave. in High Point – now known as the Langford Building.  Guilford County purchased the building in 2008 to house its social services operations in High Point as well as other county functions.

Though questioned by some historians, feudal lords in medieval Europe were said to have the “right of the first night’ – a legal right to engage in sexual relations with any woman on the land they ruled, on that woman’s wedding night no less.  While the Guilford County Board of Commissioners doesn’t have any first rights that are that scandalous, the commissioners do have certain first rights, including the right of first refusal when it comes to buying surplus Guilford County School’s property that’s being put up for sale.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners met with the mayors and other top officials of the county’s towns and cities on early this month and, based on comments by participants, there are likely to be a lot more of these “roundtable” discussions in the future. Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston, the driving force behind the get-together, said he believes it’s a very helpful practice for everyone involved, and he added that he’d like to start holding this type of meeting twice a year.

Guilford County has been making an effort in recent years to promote more preservation of farmland and natural areas.  There’s been a lot of consternation about “urban sprawl” in many parts of the county and one program that’s being used to fight it is the Voluntary Agricultural District program.  At a Thursday, April 1 meeting of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, the board is expected to approve not one, not two, not three, but four tracks of land as Voluntary Agricultural Districts.

Through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ (NCDHHS) COVID-19 “Support Services Program,” more than 35,000 households in the state got relief payments, food or other resources and services that helped them quarantine during the pandemic. According to a Monday, March 29 press release from NCDHHS, the program is now winding down and no new services can be requested.

The year of 2020 and the early part of 2021 may have been terrible for Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) when it comes to passenger traffic, but, according to a Monday, March 29 press release, PTIA is doing terrific in job creation.

County commissioners, agriculture officials, transportation managers and representatives of community groups across North Carolina are getting together to figure out ways that counties can use their existing assets  to keep the public well-fed during the pandemic and beyond.

state health officials haven’t forgotten that the ability to easily test for the virus is also part of the strategy.  On Friday, March 26, the state announced a new weapon in that battle. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), in partnership with Labcorp, will provide 35,000 no-cost home tests to North Carolinians who are currently using Food and Nutrition Services – formerly called the Food Stamp Program – or who are disabled and are “experiencing barriers to getting tested.”

On Thursday, April 1, the Board of Commissioners is expected to enter into a contract with Cherry Bekaert LLP – the same firm the county has selected to audit its books for years and years.

On Thursday, April 1, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on accepting $1,258,678 in federal and state funds for the Public Health Division of the Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services.

The Rockers will kick off their second season of baseball on Friday, May 28 when they visit the York Revolution.  The home opener – at Truist Point in downtown High Point – is slated for Tuesday, June 1, and will be against the Lexington Legends – one of two new teams to join the Atlantic League in 2021. 

The State of North Carolina has expanded its COVID-19 vaccine data dashboard to include information about those who’ve been vaccinated through the federal long-term care and retail pharmacy programs. Users will now be able to view the information regarding people who have been vaccinated through these federal pharmacy programs – with a demographic breakdown by county, race, ethnicity, gender and age group of those getting the vaccinations through stores like Walgreen’s, CVS and other pharmacies.

The service is called “Caregiver Navigator” and the helpline will be a universal “first port of call” for caregivers with unmet needs. Caregivers, professionals and the general public can call Caregiver Navigator at 844-728-0191 toll-free from anywhere in the state to get answers to their questions.  There’s no charge for the services provided through the program.  In a press release from the NCDHHS, health officials listed the types of questions that can be answered.

Register of Deeds Jeff Thigpen is creating a series of podcasts that deal with death and end-of-life issues.  The series is meant to provide people with the tools and knowledge they need to address both the emotional and business sides of dealing with death. The stated mission of the “Good Grief” podcast series is to “tackle this discomfort head-on by speaking unapologetically about issues of death and dying.”

The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority – the board that calls the shots as to how the airport is run – is turning 80 in April. On Tuesday, March 23, airport officials called attention to that milestone and used it to thank all those who have contributed to the airport’s success over the years.

The state of North Carolina, like many places across the country, is slowly but surely getting COVID-19 vaccinations into the arms of people.  In some cases, in fact, the state – with help from the counties, the federal government, local hospitals and drug store chains – is even getting the vaccines out quickly and surely.  As of Monday, March 22, there were 2,649,588 people in the state who had received at least one shot of the vaccine.

Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers has just put out an interesting press release.  Usually, when the Sheriff’s Department puts out a release, the sheriff is looking for the public’s help in finding a wanted person.  However, on Monday, March 22, a release seemed to be a public message to prospective officers that pay and benefits were improving at the department.

On Saturday, March 20, Jeff Phillips posted a strongly worded message on his Facebook page stating that North Carolina and Guilford County should drop mask mandates and fully open up, given the current COVID-19 numbers.

A commission formed by Guilford County government and the court system in the county has begun assembling a three-person commission that will create a list of names of county residents.  And, if your name is on that list provided by the commission – a commission most people have never heard of – you could be forced to leave your job for weeks or longer – and be put to work for the county for $3 to $4 per hour.

The beloved “I Voted,” stickers that were so proudly worn in past elections – but absent from the 2020 general election – will be returning in future elections.

If you’ve got a medicine cabinet full of prescription drugs and other pills and medicine bottles that you don’t need anymore – well, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) want you to turn them over so they don’t fall in the wrong hands, and so the drugs can be disposed of properly. 

This year the State of North Carolina is using basketball to get out the word that all adults should be vaccinated against the disease. State health officials have called on the state’s coaches to encourage all eligible North Carolinians to get the shot. The campaign is called “You Have A Spot. Take Your Shot.”

It turns out, to no one at all’s surprise, that it’s a lot more expensive to put on an election during a pandemic than during normal times. At the Thursday, March 18 Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting, the commissioners are slated to accept $419,640 in reimbursement funds from the state to cover added personnel and operating expenses that the Guilford County elections department incurred due to COVID-19. 

The day before the meeting – on Wednesday, March 17 – Alston sent out a letter addressing how funds from the new $1.9 trillion federal stimulus/relief bill could be used to bring the local governments in Guilford County closer together. He went on to say that Guilford County government – along with the county’s towns, cities and schools – are slated to get a total of roughly $200 million from the federal government to help cover costs from the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Well, if there was any doubt on whether or not you should get the COVID-19 vaccine, everyone in the state of North Carolina got their answer on Tuesday, March 16. On Tuesday, the state of North Carolina sent out a press release announcing that NASCAR great Richard Petty has a message for everyone, “You Have A Spot. Take Your Shot.”

Guilford County and the surrounding area have moved up in the world – specifically, moved from sixth place to fourth place. 

One of the main concerns that government leaders at all levels have had about the year-long coronavirus pandemic is the fear that some families won’t have access to the food they need.  That’s why the Guilford County Board of Commissioners has an ongoing effort to address that need by allowing people to pick up boxes of free food over the next two months.

State health officials are on a renewed push to encourage mothers across the state to breastfeed their babies and they’re also encouraging workplaces to accommodate those mothers. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), along with a number of community partners, has released a new version of the “NC Making It Work Toolkit” – which offers advice to moms and to employers on ways they can support breastfeeding.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners have had a heck of a fiscal year when it comes to budgeting and planning.  On the one hand, there’s been a pandemic that’s cost the county greatly.  On the other, the county received over $93 million in federal funds in 2020 to address that crisis, and Guilford County now has over $100 million more on the way. 

The very large check from the federal government hasn’t arrived yet, but Guilford County officials are already thinking hard about the best way to use the coming $104 million from the nearly $2 trillion federal stimulus package that was just approved in Washington.  Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said on Friday, March 12, that he wants to see Guilford County, the school system and the cities and towns in the county coordinate their stimulus money spending efforts for the most efficient use of money to achieve the greatest success.

The beneficiaries of the state’s Food and Nutrition Services – the program that was once known as the “food stamp” program – will now be able to use their food benefits’ charge card for online purchases at BJ’s Wholesale Club, the membership-only warehouse chain that operates mainly along the East Coast. 

Recently, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NDDHHS) announced looser visitation rules at nursing homes since the pandemic is getting under control. This week, the department went further and announced that it’s rescinding “Secretarial Order 6,” a comprehensive order that placed all sorts of restrictions on visitation at long-term care facilities across the state.

The 2021 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Greensboro didn’t draw the usual number of out of town fans due to the pandemic, but the tournament did manage to bring a lot of very good publicity to Greensboro and the Greensboro Coliseum. 

Guilford County health officials, as well as state health officials, are concerned about vaccination hesitancy in the African-American community. One strategy being used to combat that resistance to the current COVID-19 vaccines is by making it well known when prominent black leaders get their shot. This week, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston let it be known that he’d gotten his.

First, it was Gov. Roy Cooper and now it’s the woman heading up the state’s effort against the coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen. Cooper stopped in on Guilford County a couple of weeks ago to observe a vaccination clinic at a Greensboro church, and, on Monday, March 15, Cohen will also come to town for a similar purpose.

Major changes coming for the delivery of mental health services in Guilford County. One group that does have an idea of the monumental task ahead is the Guilford County Behavioral Health Crisis Center Oversight Board, and, on Thursday, March 11, the county announced the meeting schedule for that new board that will oversee the center’s operations. The board will hold a meeting on Monday, March 15, which will be followed by meetings – all on Mondays – on April 5, April 19, May 3, May 17, June 7, June 21 and July 19.   The meetings are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. and, at least for now, they’ll be held in the county’s large conference room on the third floor of the BB&T building at 201 W. Market St. in downtown Greensboro.

The COVID-19 numbers in the state of North Carolina are getting better and better, and a new milestone was reached on Tuesday, March 9 when the state announced that the number of newly reported cases was 997.  The fact that the number was under 1,000 created a lot of excitement – although, of course, state and national health officials are still warning everyone not to let their guard down now that the tide has turned.

NCDHHS reported the number of new cases, number of deaths and number of hospitalizations. However, on Tuesday, March 9, the department announced that it will be giving out a lot more details on the good news – that is, on the state of vaccinations in North Carolina.

On Monday, March 8, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department put out a news bulletin with a few details of a weekend shooting in northern Guilford County.  Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers reported in the release that, on Sunday, March 7, at roughly 9:25 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting at the 7600 block of Cedar Chase Dr. in the northern part of the county just east of the intersection of NC-150 and Lake Brandt Road.