The City of High Point’s Human Relations Commission has selected Héctor Ancizar Gómez Argote as the recipient of the 2024 Humanitarian Award.

The award honors “an individual who has made a significant contribution to human relations in High Point through their promotion of equity and by encouraging understanding, respect, and goodwill among all High Point residents.”

 Gómez Argote was recognized by the Commission for his work with High Point’s Latino communities. For one thing, he’s a co-founder of the group Fuerza Latina Unida para Triunfar (Latins United To Succeed).  For another, he established the first Spanish-language Board Development Academy in the Triad area, and he’s noted for his work encouraging and preparing Latino leaders to join boards and commissions in local government, schools, and nonprofits….

Well, actually, there will be a lot of closings and the shutting down of many City of Greensboro services on Monday, Jan. 20, and former new President Donald Trump will be sworn in that day (assuming no mob storms the Capitol) – however, that’s not really the reason the city will drastically scale back its operations. 

The actual reason for the closings is that January 20 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and there will be a host of events across the Triad and the nation honoring the life and legacy of MLK.

Though the reason for the closures is Dr. King’s legacy, the fact that the day is a holiday will give Trump fans an entire day to relax and watch the swearing-in ceremony – this one with a Who’s Who of the tech world sharing the platform in DC….

On Tuesday, Jan. 14, there was a jarring Summerfield Town Council meeting at which an auditor hired by the town – former NC Auditor Beth Wood – gave her preliminary findings regarding a vast number of allegations of financial wrongdoing that may mean some town employees were given more pay than was legally justified; and, among many other allegations, there was evidence that suggested someone had manipulated the town’s computer system and destroyed records in perhaps an attempted cover-up of the activities of the town manager and his staff.

Wood said she had spoken with State of North Carolina financial oversight officials and an SBI agent in the course of her investigation, and, after she gave her report at the January 14 meeting, the Summerfield Town Council voted unanimously to undertake a full investigation of the matters….