Halloween 2013 “Booze It & Lose It” Campaign Gets Underway

This post is sponsored by the Governor's Highway Safety Program.



BOOZE IT AND LOSE IT

RALEIGH – Ghosts, goblins and witches are not the scariest things roaming around this Halloween – drunk drivers are. The Governor’s Highway Safety Program today kicked off its Halloween “Booze It & Lose It” campaign to catch those drivers who create frightening situations on the road by driving drunk.

“Halloween is already full of terror without adding drunk driving to the mix,” said Don Nail, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “We encourage those celebrating to take a cab or designate a sober driver to ensure they make it home safely.”

So far this year, approximately 239 alcohol-related fatalities have occurred in North Carolina. Law enforcement officers across the state are holding checkpoints and stepping up patrols to ensure that number does not rise during Halloween.

To remind motorists about the dangers of driving drunk, the N.C. Department of Transportation and GHSP created this public service announcement. They urge people to share the video with family and friends, so they will know the deadly consequences of getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.

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Macon County Planning Board 10-17-2013

The Macon county Planning Board met last night to discuss ten properties that are being considered for sale as surplus, some of them are listed on the county website. The board made two motions during the meeting, the first was to check with the neighboring landowners of a 3.25 acre landlocked parcel on Middle Creek to see if any of them were interested in purchasing it. The second motion was to donate a 0.68 acre parcel next to the Macon County Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (known locally as the Co-op) since the property is so small and part of it being used by that group.

The general consensus of the board was to shop the other eight properties to the various departments of Macon County government to see if there was need to keep a particular parcel for their use.

The discussion also touched on communicating with the Macon County Economic Development Commission to see if there was a potential for a duplication of efforts on one or more of the properties and to review the Macon County Comprehensive Plan to see if any of the properties would have potential use according to that document.

The list of the ten properties (click on the Parcel ID for more information from the county GIS website) the board discussed are:

6584369478  The old County Garage on West Old Murphy Road. The property has been assessed at $301,380  with the buildings at $101,380 and the land at $200,000.

During the discussion of this property, members noted that it is in an ideal location for a commercial property or even a Farmer's Market and could serve to help revitalize that section of town.

7514015877 This is the old Cullasaja Elementary School property. It is situated on 8 acres and has been assessed at $1,631,140 with the building at $1,231,140 and the land at $400,000.

During the discussion on this parcel, there was some uncertainty if the Macon County Board of Education had deeded the property over to the county or not and one of the possible uses for it included a training area for law enforcement and fire personnel. Board members also noted that it was outside the city limits, so not subject to zoning. There was a question regarding whether or not the Town of Franklin would be willing to extend services to this site for a new owner.

6499611525  This is a 3.25 acre landlocked and undeveloped parcel assessed at $30,030 on Middle Creek. 

Board members decided to see if any of the neighboring property owners were willing to buy it from the county. The assessed value of the parcel is $30,030. There are no buildings on this wooded lot.

6579719828 This is a 0.57 acre undeveloped parcel (Lot #13 in the Copeland Subdivision) off Bradley Creek Road assessed at $15,120.

6579718376 This is a 1.01 acre undeveloped parcel (Lot #7 in the Copeland Subdivision) off Bradley Creek Road assessed at $17,170.

Board members were unsure of any county use of these properties.

6576456654 This is a 3.25 acre undeveloped parcel on Barnard Road assessed at $63,810.

The board members discussed shopping the property to the owners of neighboring parcels, but took no specific action.

7504484670  This is a 3.76 acre undeveloped parcel assessed at $81,210 that the county originally purchased for use as a recycling center, but decided to locate it elsewhere.

Board members talked about shopping this property among the various departments to see if any of them had a use for it, but took no specific action.

6585635293  This is a 0.86 acre that is next to the Co-op Building that has been assessed at $22,580. 

Board members noted that most of it was already being utilized by the Macon County Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and they probably thought they already owned it. The board voted to donate the property to this group.

6594489400  This is a 5.25 acre undeveloped parcel assessed at $85,000 that was part of the old Macon County Airport. The county planner described is a wetland and mostly in the floodplain.

The general consensus of the board was to consider offering it to the Greenway. There was also a discussion about using it for a Farmer's Market. No specific action was taken on this property.

6586466705  This is a 2.56 acre lot that is assessed at $86,020 (the building that is on it was not assessed) on the Iotla Church Road that is next to the North Carolina Forest Service property and has a shed on it that is used by the NC Forest Service.

There was a lengthy discussion about this parcel that included who was maintaining it and the trees that had been cut because they were in the flightpath for aircraft landing and taking off at the Macon County Airport, which led to discussions about possible FAA restrictions on the height of structures that could be built on the property. Board members discussed asking the NC Forest Service if they were interested in the property, as well as asking the Macon County Airport Authority if they wanted it. No specific action was taken by the board on this parcel.

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Franklin TDA 10-14-2013

The Franklin Tourism Development Authority Board met late yesterday afternoon for their regularly scheduled October meeting, and the video of the full meeting is below, as well as a downloadable copy of the press kit that was sent to members of the media.





MEDIA ROLL CALL

Macon Media (me)
Macon County News and Shopping Guide
The Franklin Press


PRESS KIT

Franklin TDA 10-14-2013 by Thunder Pig

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Morning Sun

Good morning.

I spent far too long standing in the parking lot taking photos of the sun in the fog.

In the end, I had to take a little creative license...

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League of Women Voters Host Mayoral Forum Today

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m248/Thunder-Pig/Macon%20County/2013/TITLECARDCORRect_zps1dde607c.jpg
The Macon County League of Women Voters hosted a forum for the candidates who are running for Mayor of the Town of Franklin today at noon.

Here is the video of the complete forum.



I will be cutting the video up into segments overnight and will post them by question and by candidate tomorrow and Saturday.

About fifty people attended the forum, and barely more than ten of them were registered voters inside the city limits.

Learn more about the candidates at the following links:

Sissy Patillo [Facebook]
Bob Scott  [Facebook] [Website]

Early voting begins next Thursday.

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Macon County Law Enforcement on the Lookout for Multiple Stolen Vehicles

I recorded the BOLO (Be On the Look Out for) a few minutes ago:

Post by Macon County Public Safety, Road Conditions and Weather Updates.

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Franklin Aldermen 10-07-2013 Updated with Video

The Franklin Town Board of Aldermen will be meeting tonight at 7pm. I have posted the public agenda, the press kit (no other local media organization shares this info with the public), and the maps for the re-zoning of Pauline Avenue for your convenience.

Town of Franklin Board of Aldermen 

Meeting Agenda

Monday October 7, 2013 -7:00 p.m. 

1. Call to order -Mayor Collins
2. Approval of the September 3, 2013 Town Board minutes.
3. Public hearing 7:05 p.m. on Pauline Avenue I Re-Zoning Request.
4. Public hearing 7:10 p.m. on Pauline Avenue II Re-Zoning Request.
5. Public session.
6. New business
   • Proclamation for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
   • Street Closing Request for Second Night of Winter Wonderland- Main Street Executive Linda Schlott
   • Board action on Pauline Avenue I Re-Zoning Request
   • Board action on Pauline Avenue II Re-Zoning Request
   • 911 Road Names- Land-Use Administrator Derek Roland
   • Equitable Sharing of Federally Forfeited Property Fund Request- Police Chief David Adams
   • Governors Highway Safety Grant Program-Police Chief David Adams
   • Update on Street Ranking System- Town Manager Warren Cabe
   • Non-Profit Funding Revision- Town Manager Warren Cabe
   • Inter-local agreement for the Hazardous Material Trailer- Town Manager Warren Cabe
   • Water Tap Fee Waiver Request- Sheriff Robbie Holland
   • Designation of Voting Delegate for 2013 North Carolina League of Municipalities Conference
   • Tax Release- Town Manager Warren Cabe
7. Legal
   • Schedule Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to Chapter 154 of the Town of Franklin Wireless Communications Ordinance- Town Attorney John Henning, Jr.
   • Revisions to Chapter 110 of the Town of Franklin Privilege Licenses- Town Attorney John Henning, Jr.
8. Adjourn

I will be at the meeting and will be posting a nearly live play by play text commentary of the meeting on Google Plus [LINK]. I will post the full video of the meeting tomorrow in this article so you can see and hear for yourself what transpires during the meeting. Meanwhile, you can see video of the previous meeting by clicking here.




PRESS KIT 
(Update: I've made the document searchable, as the original was in a format hat was not) 

Board of Aldermen Press Kit for Monday October 7 2013 Searchable

MAPS FOR PAULINE STREET ZONING

Maps for Pauline Street Zoning

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Videos of the Macon County NCAE town hall State of Public Education in North Carolina

Monday night, at 6pm on the campus of Franklin High School, the Macon County chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) hosted the kickoff of a statewide political campaign by a coalition of progressive groups that are speaking out against the education budget that has been passed into law by the Republican-dominated North Carolina General Assembly and signed by the Republican Governor Pat McCrory.

The groups involved are the North Carolina Association of Educators [WEBSITE], Public Schools First in North Carolina [WEBSITE] and Progress NC [WEBSITE].

I have the full video of the town hall  plus I have broken it up by speaker for those who want to watch a particular speaker.





By segment:

PART 1: PATSY KEEVER



PART 2: DR. CHRIS BALDWIN



PART 3: DR. MICHAEL MURRAY



PART 4: JIM BREEDLOVE


PART 5: MELISSA FAETZ


PART 6: RENA SUTTON


PART 7: Q&A SESSION


PART 8: RODNEY ELLIS

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