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Barry Jacobs: Why Duke-UNC rivalry starts so late this year

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Manatee County looks for ways to fund needed repairs at boat ramps

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From the Gulf to New England, cold grips the US

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DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A powerful winter storm dumped snow from Nashville to Nantucket, and arctic-like temperatures gripped much of the U.S. and hundreds of thousands of people lost power in the South.

While some shivered, others bundled up and tried to make the best of a frustrating situation. Here’s a look at how people were handling the land of ice, snow and subzero temperatures.

COLD CARNIVAL

If there was a theme for this year’s Mardi Gras costumes in New Orleans, it was ‘Brrrrr.’

Despite the chilly temperatures, the crowds were thick. Tutus were worn over jeans and many costumes, such as clowns or animals, were baggy enough to cover sweat shirts.

Erin Buran, of New Orleans, wore a white jacket and feathery angel wings.

“My angel wings have tequila in them,” she said, showing the mouthpiece of a hydration backpack covered by the wings.

ROOF WORRIES

Massachusetts officials stepped up warnings about the potential for roofs to collapse under the weight of snow that has built up in recent weeks.

Numerous partial roof collapses have been reported in the state but no serious injuries to date.

Two New Hampshire school districts remain closed a day after schools were evacuated over concerns of snow buildup on roofs.

ICE BABY

Some things just won’t wait, as Jerry Nuesell can attest.

With his wife 33 weeks pregnant, the couple was headed to the doctor’s office when Lisa’s contractions led them to UNC Hospitals for the arrival of their first born, a boy.

“Turned out the little fellow was ready to make an appearance much sooner than we planned,” Nuesell said Tuesday.

He watched his son be born, then drove 30 miles back to Cary, North Carolina, to take care of their dachshund, Schnitzel. Ice covered most of his windshield and the drive wasn’t easy.

“I had probably a good 6-inch-by-6-inch square that I had to peer through to get the best vision,” he said. “On multiple occasions, I thought this might not be the best idea.”

SURRENDER TO THE SNOW

The tourism office of Ithaca, New York, is waving the white flag, advising visitors on its website to check out the Florida Keys instead.

VisitIthaca.com‘s home page displays sunny photos from Florida and provides links to Florida Keys information.

The top of the page reads: “That’s it. We surrender. Winter, you win. Key West anyone?”

Ithaca and the rest of upstate New York have been in the grips of a snowy and brutally cold winter.

ICY ROADS

Roads were icy and slushy, making driving difficult in many places and causing at least eight traffic deaths. There were three deaths in Tennessee, including a mother and son in Williamson County who stopped to help people in a sport utility vehicle that overturned in front of them when they were struck by a tractor-trailer. Two people were killed in Virginia as nearly a foot of snow fell in some places. In North Carolina, a woman died in a two-car crash in the northeastern part of the state. Two people were also killed in separate crashes in Maryland.

SPORTS CAR IN THE SNOW?

“I’ll just back up and fly out,” is the strategy Brent Seney had for freeing his black convertible Mazda Miata from the snow in the nation’s capital Tuesday.

Despite the thick blanket of snow along his street, Seney, 60, was confident his sporty ride could handle the roads. In fact, he planned to drive to his boat harbored at James Creek Marina in southwest Washington.

“I’ll shovel the snow off, make sure it’s not frozen too much because the harbor is all frozen in,” Seney said.

TRYING TO FLY

Trudging along a snowy sidewalk, Robin Winter and her daughter, Melissa, made their way to a Metro station in Washington so Mom could catch her flight home to St. Louis.

Robin Winter, carrying multiple bags and sporting a sock monkey hat, said she’d gotten into town Thursday, and had been watching the forecasts as the snow made its way across the country.

“If I would have decided to fly out Sunday night instead, you never know for sure if it’s gonna really happen until it really happens,” she said.

The Winters were optimistic the flight would not be canceled, though they were prepared for a delay. It appeared her flight left on time, but others weren’t so lucky. More than 1,800 flights were canceled at many airports, from Nashville, Tennessee, to the nation’s capital.

More than 2,000 travelers spent the night at Charlotte Douglas International Airport as a winter storm roared through North Carolina dropping snow, sleet and freezing rain on the region.

SNOWBALL FIGHT

Even though the snow in D.C. wasn’t ideal for a fight, people showed up anyway, some in costumes and battle gear. One wore a ski helmet and goggles, another had on a giraffe costume, and one wore a Captain America shirt and carried a shield.

“It’s not really snowball material. You can kind of get one, but it’s a lot of squeezing,” said Reco Thomas, of Alexandria, Virginia, as she tried to compact fluffy snow.

Rob Grell, a George Washington University medical student dressed as Batman, carried fellow student Shaunak Mulani on his shoulders as people pelted the two of them.

“This is overall just a fun time,” Mulani said as he shook off snow.

FIRST SHOVELER OUT

The sound of 61-year-old Joe Peldunas shoveling his driveway echoed across the otherwise quiet Marywood neighborhood in north Durham, North Carolina, around 8 a.m. Tuesday. No one else on his cul-de-sac was out, and there were few tracks in the layer of snow and ice more than a half inch thick on the road.

“This snow is probably going to stick around for a few days,” he said, adding that he wanted to clear his driveway as soon as possible.

Indeed, forecasters warned that temperatures over the next few days wouldn’t provide much relief.

TAKING IT IN STRIDE

After two hours of shoveling his steep driveway in the Cabe’s Mill subdivision of north Durham, North Carolina, 68-year-old Clay Shepherd was only halfway done. Still, he didn’t seem anywhere close to running out of energy. He was considering an afternoon hike along the nearby Eno River.

“It happens to be my 68th birthday. I didn’t imagine I’d be doing this,” he said, wearing a green sweater, dark jeans and a knit cap.

___

Somers reporter from Washington. Associated Press writers Amanda Lee Myers in Washington; Jessica Gresko in Arlington, Virginia; Matthew Barakat in McLean, Virginia, Lucas Johnson in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed.

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ATL to ILM: Tourism Officials Focus on Atlanta

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The Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) launched a campaign this month to market Wilmington as a fly-in destination to Atlanta area residents.

The campaign, which officially began Feb. 1, includes digital marketing components, public relations efforts and a partnership with Wilmington International Airport and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, which oversees Visit North Carolina, the state’s unit in charge of tourism promotion.

Atlanta was selected as a city for marketing efforts for several reasons, one of them being that the Visit North Carolina group has plans to market to that area through its “Vacation Big” campaign this spring.

“This gives us a real one-two punch to do our campaign before theirs launches,” said Shawn Braden, vice president of marketing for the CVB.

Traffic research on both CVB and ILM websites also revealed a high percentage of visitors from the Atlanta area, officials said. The city has been targeted in the past along with other major cities in CVB marketing efforts, but this will be the first time the visitor’s bureau is focusing specifically on one city in hopes to increase awareness of Wilmington as a vacation destination.

The fact that nonstop flights are available from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to ILM was another element in the decision to launch the campaign.

The CVB sees merit in aiming marketing efforts toward cities that have nonstop flights to Wilmington to take advantage of an emerging trend in shorter vacation stays.

“We hope that people come here and take a seven-day vacation,” Braden said. “But, in reality, people are so crunched for time that they are coming here and staying for only three or four days … It has been an ongoing goal of ours to partner with the airport.

“We mostly have a lot of drive-in visitors to Wilmington, but this quick, 90-minute flight from Atlanta offers a great opportunity to promote the area as a fly-in destination.”

ILM continues to see demand for nonstop flights, particularly the flights to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport and to Atlanta. Airport officials announced this week that American Airlines has added an additional flight to LaGuardia, and Delta Air Lines will reinstate a daily flight to New York starting June 5. On May 1, Delta will add another daily flight to Atlanta, which will make a total of six daily nonstop flights to the city.

After the Atlanta February direct promotion, the CVB will focus public relations and social media marketing efforts in other nonstop-flight cities such as New York City and Philadelphia with the primary target audiences being women, families with children and multigenerational families.

CVB officials said they see these nonstop-flight cities as perfect targets for their “48 Hours in Wilmington” itineraries, and their plan is to pitch these story ideas to lifestyle and travel publications.

The CVB partnered with ILM for the digital component of the campaign, which includes website ads that will click through to a landing page with links to the airport’s website where potential visitors can book their flights, as well as suggested itineraries and Wilmington tourism images. The bulk of the digital marketing will take place during the month of February when many people are starting to think about planning spring vacations.

“We see a lot of people dreaming about going someplace warmer this time of year,” Braden said.

As part of the CVB’s partnership with Visit North Carolina on the campaign, three to six trips to “Vacation Big” in NC will be given away, which will include a hotel stay, partial meal credits and passes to area attractions coordinated through the CVB.

ILM, for its contribution, will allocate dollars toward the trips’ flight costs. The trip giveaway is set to be promoted on national morning shows to give the area added exposure in new markets. “It’s difficult to advertise outside of your area,” said ILM finance and marketing director Jim Morton. “When this opportunity came up, we were excited to take part in it.”

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The Beer Jobs Bill, TrashBot 3000, a ‘Failing’ Local School and More Student …

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Last month, state senators introduced a bill backed by Georgia’s growing craft brewing industry that would allow breweries to sell beer directly to the public. A committee hearing on the bill is expected this week, but one of the bill’s co-sponsors, Sen. Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville), says the keg of hope may have been over-pumped.

“They’re looking at that, and hopefully we’ll be able to move it forward,” said Ginn, vice chairman of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee, which is handling SB 63. “I will say the bill has an uphill climb, because it’s not fully in synch with the three-tier system we have in state law.”

Under that post-Prohibition system—set up back then in part to make newly legalized alcohol easily taxable—breweries can only sell beer to wholesalers, who in turn sell it to bars, restaurants and retail stores, who sell it to individuals. Among the obstacles facing SB 63 are Department of Revenue questions about how taxes would be collected on breweries’ direct sales, Ginn said. (Although he said he hasn’t spoken to any interest groups about the bill, the alcohol distributors’ lobby is a powerful one.)

The three-tier system has set up a charade by which breweries offer tours and 32 ounces of free samples, in exchange for which consumers purchase a souvenir glass. Advocates say the added revenue from selling beer directly to tour-goers, as well as cases of beer to take home—in spite of being a drop in the pint glass in the grand scheme of beer sales—would spur more craft breweries in a state that ranks near the bottom of the rapidly growing industry. SB 63, known as the “Beer Jobs Bill,” would let breweries sell up to 72 ounces for on-premises consumption, and 144 ounces (a 12-pack) to take home.

“This bill, not only does it help in economic development, but it also has a big impact on tourism,” Ginn said. That especially holds true in Athens, home to two craft breweries already, with a third on the way. But in North Carolina, where blue laws are much more progressive, the comparably sized city of Asheville has 21 craft breweries. Guess which place a beer snob would rather spend a weekend?

The Trashinator: I, for one, welcomed our new robot trash-collection overlords—until a few weeks ago, when one of the ACC Solid Waste Department’s newfangled trucks became aware and decided that my receptacle was the enemy.

As Flagpole reported last year, Solid Waste purchased eight new trucks, at a cost of $1.9 million, equipped with robotic arms that pick up receptacles and dump the contents into the back. They require only a driver, rather than a two- or three-man crew, saving the city $500,000 annually. (As you might imagine, turnover among garbagemen is high, and ACC slashed those jobs through attrition with no layoffs.)

Well, a few weeks ago, the TrashBot 3000 terminated one of my cans. Solid Waste promptly replaced it, and human collaborator Suki Janssen gently chided me that, as is so often the case, I was doing it wrong.

And so I pass this on to you, that you may not walk in my footsteps: Place your rollcarts on the curb, two feet apart from each other, unblocked by parked vehicles, with the handles and wheels facing away from the curb. Good luck, and godspeed.

School Takeover: Through his floor leaders, Gov. Nathan Deal has proposed legislation allowing the state to take over what he’s termed “failing” schools—including one in Athens.

Deal’s plan for a statewide “Opportunity School District,” governed by a superintendent reporting directly to him, could sweep in up to 100 schools over a five-year period that have scored less than 60 out of 100 on the College and Career Ready Performance Index, a state yardstick based on test scores, graduation rates and achievement gap.

“If you are three years an ‘F’ school, and you have not shown any progress in that regard, then I think something is wrong. I don’t think anybody would say that you would sacrifice the future of children at the stake of having local control,” Deal told conservative WSB radio host Erick Erickson.

One hundred forty-seven schools are eligible for takeover. One of them is Gaines Elementary, which had CCRPI scores of 50.4, 52.7 and 50.1 in 2012–2014.

Clarke County School District spokeswoman Anisa Sullivan Jimenez noted that the CCRPI formula keeps changing, that Gaines has never been flagged by the state and that CCSD is already engaged in reform by launching a charter district where individual schools will be handed more autonomy. (There’s a forum on the charter district at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 at the Athens Community Career Academy on the H.T. Edwards campus at Broad Street and Hancock Avenue, if you want to know more.)

“Superintendent [Philip] Lanoue feels strongly that local districts are in the best position to retain control and implement initiatives in their schools,” Jiminez said. “We know our needs more than anyone and have already begun exploring ideas such as early reading initiatives at Gaines.”

She also pointed me to a column State School Superintendent Richard Woods wrote praising teachers and administrators after a recent visit to Gaines and to Cedar Shoals High School. “I can promise you that any individual who had spent some time in these schools would have walked away labeling these schools as model schools with CCRPI scores in the 80s or 90s and would be shocked to learn that they are in the 50s,” Woods wrote.

ICYMI: We reported on this last April, when plans were filed, but people have been asking me what’s going on at the Armstrong Dobbs property, since the old graffiti-covered ruins have been demolished.

After Selig Enterprises withdrew its much-maligned plans due to financing woes, Athens-based student housing developer Landmark Properties stepped in to partner with Selig. The resulting development, dubbed The Mark—890 apartment bedrooms, 60,000 square feet of commercial space and 1,200 parking spaces—is slightly smaller than but very similar to the Selig proposal. One important difference (and a major flaw) is that an access road into the development from Oconee Street will not run all the way through to East Broad, so it will provide little connectivity between downtown/East Athens and campus.

Unlike Selig, Landmark is building the development by right in accordance with the ACC zoning code, with no commission vote required on any aspect. Not that it matters—although the development will loom over a major gateway into the city and will continue the widely unpopular student-ication of downtown, it won’t include a Walmart, so who cares?

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The band they’re supposed to be

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American Aquarium comes to Birmingham on the heels of their eighth studio release, Wolves. Raised on Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown and the sounds emerging from Raleigh, North Carolina, the band’s story of survival includes a period when they had considered hanging it up, but soldiered through to complete their biggest and most revealing record, Burn.Flicker.Die.

BJ Barham is the lead singer, and he spoke with Weld about that period of time and how his band survived it. He also gloated about N.C. State basketball a little.

Weld: Raleigh isn’t really known for rock and roll. Are we just not paying attention?

BJ Barham: [Laughs] For what we’re doing, there hasn’t been a scene for it since the late ’90s, when Whiskeytown and the Backsliders and Six String Drag were the kings of Hillsborough Street. Our biggest production, obviously, is Ryan Adams.

If Whiskeytown didn’t exist, I’d be in a [expletive] punk rock band right now. Whiskeytown was the first band I ever heard that played with the tenacity of a rock and roll band, but was still twangy as [expletive]. I dug it. It was the first — I was 17 years old the first time I heard Stranger’s Almanac and absolutely lost my mind. This kind of music was out there and nobody was listening to it. By nobody, I mean, this is coming from a kid that was raised on mainstream country music. I could not fathom how a band like this slipped through the radar.

And once I got into them, I got into Chip Robinson and the Backsliders, Kenny Roby and Six String Drag — I started really becoming what some people would call “stalkerish,” but I’d call it more of a historian of Raleigh music. I was just trying to take it all in. The scene today is absolutely vibrant. The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill scene today is — some really great stuff is happening. Not just in the rock and roll world, but in the indie rock world, the country world, the hip-hop world. It’s a hotbed for really creative people, which is nice.

Weld: Do you feel like you helped pave some of that path for the younger acts emerging now?

BB: No. If I have, awesome. I personally just don’t feel that way, because I feel like we are still very much in the neophyte stage of musicdom. We’ve just tried to make a very, very clear definition of what we’re doing, and that’s hard work, hard touring. And you’ll be able to — maybe not find huge success, but you’ll be able to play music for the rest of your life. Cultivating a fan base. And hopefully, if we pass anything down to any future generation of Raleigh band, it’s that nothing is free. Nothing is going to come to you. AR people don’t just show up at coffee houses anymore and discover you. You have to go out and work your ass off. And if you want it bad enough, you have to be willing to give up everything you love for a minimum of 10 years. If you’re willing to do that, then you might actually be able to make it.

Weld: I think we’re up to seven records now, so I don’t know if you guys are the new kids on the block anymore.

BB: Man, don’t make me feel old. I turned 30 this year, and we’ve put out eight releases in nine years. I don’t like to think that we’re old, I like to just think that we’re busy. February of next year will be the 10-year anniversary of the first record coming out, and that’s slowly starting to take its toll on me, that I’ve spent a third of my life doing this.

Weld: You recorded Burn.Flicker.Die in Muscle Shoals. Was the historical context important to you, or was it simply the best facility to meet your needs?

BB: Our buddy Jason Isbell produced that. Basically, that was his condition. “Yeah, I’ll produce the record, but you guys have to come to Muscle Shoals.” Nobody really argues with going to Muscle Shoals and making a record. Muscle Shoals is a really struggling town, economically speaking. It’s a really small town. A lot of shops are sitting empty these days. But you can’t walk into that city without feeling a little bit of that mojo. That’s the only way I can describe it. There’s something in the air there that just makes people want to play music. It was a special, special thing to record down there and it didn’t hurt that Jason was producing the record. So he’d just call up — he’d just call him Spooner, but he was really talking about Spooner Oldham. And Spooner would come in and play keys on the record and you’d just be like, “Oh, you’re on tour with Neil Young. Glad you’re not on the road now!”

So many talented musicians are just hanging around at the restaurants or the bars — guys that played on some of the most legendary, historic recordings of all time might serve you a beer. It’s one of those towns, and it’s a really cool place to make a record and luckily, Jason gave us the opportunity to do that.

Muscle Shoals has met the fate that so many small towns have met, my hometown included. I grew up in a place called Reidsville, North Carolina and it used to be a really booming center for tobacco. We had American Tobacco Company, so if you’ve ever smoked a Pall Mall cigarette or a Lucky Strike cigarette, it came out of Reidsville, North Carolina. The plant closed in 2000 and moved to Greensboro. Financially, it’s a struggling town, much like Muscle Shoals. You drive through historic downtown Muscle Shoals, Reidsville, any small town U.S.A. and there’s nothing there. Just paper over the windows. “For Lease” signs over the windows. There’s still that one or two mom-and-pop restaurants and a couple of bars, and that’s about it. It’s really weird to see that kind of stuff on a national scale. In Muscle Shoals, luckily they have the music scene, because there’s such a rich history there, and I think they’ll always be able to market that for tourism.

Weld: How much did those bands — Drive-By Truckers and company — influence what you were doing?

BB: Oh the Truckers were a huge example. When I first started putting a band together, there was another band out of Memphis called Lucero that I modeled our band after. “These bands played 250-plus shows a year and nobody has ever heard of them. They put out really good music and they put on a hell of a show. I want to do that. I want to tell stories and I want to write songs like that and I want to tour like that.”

Very early on, the Truckers, right when they put out Southern Rock Opera, Dirty South, Decoration Day, those early records, they were definitely an influence on what we were doing. They kind of set the bar of “go out and bust your ass for it. Go out every night and put on a show and get fans. Make every show count.”

Weld: You had hinted at retirement after that record. What changed?

BB: We were tired, man. Seven years of sleeping on floors and not paying your rent, it’ll humble you. It’ll take any kind of cocksure attitude you have and it’ll wipe it away. For us, we spent the better part of a decade playing 300 shows a year in front of nobody that gave a [expletive] and one day the bell tolled. We looked at each other and said, “Maybe we’re not good enough. Maybe this isn’t what we’re supposed to do.”

So we all decided we were going to put out one record. We were going to leave it on the table. And if anybody ever questions, “What ever happened to that band American Aquarium?” you’d be able to listen to that record start to finish and say, “Oh, that’s why they broke up.” And it’s kind of ironic that the record about us completely imploding is the record that gained us a lot of success.

Weld: I’ve read that you were living out of a storage unit. What was the moment of clarity? When did you see that music was still in the future and that you didn’t have to give it up?

BB: Burn.Flicker.Die. But before Burn.Flicker.Die., I had been in a storage unit for almost three years. Showering at people’s houses, friend’s houses. It was sacrificing. I knew this is what I wanted to do. I didn’t know if I was good enough to do it yet, but I thought I was writing pretty good songs. I knew that I wasn’t going to have an excuse at the end of the day. If I turned 30 and I was bartending, still, and I wasn’t playing music — I didn’t want to have an excuse. I wanted to be able to say, “I did everything. I sold every possession I had and I lived in absolute squalor just to try to make it. And I still didn’t make it. So it was no fault of mine. I did everything I could.”

Luckily, when Burn.Flicker.Die. came out, we started paying our bills on time. The last two-and-a-half years of touring on Burn.Flicker.Die. really solidified this band as, “Hey, we’re pretty [expletive] good. I think we can continue to do this for the rest of our lives.”

Weld: Is Wolves as heartbreaking as the rest of your records?

BB: Wolves is actually an upnote. It’s positive. In the last year, I’ve gotten sober. I’ve gotten married. Things are definitely on an upswing. So this record is about me falling in love with my wife and it’s kind of an open letter to her saying, “I’m not the best human being in the world, but I’m going to try my best to be for you.”

I tackle a lot of things that I haven’t had the balls to tackle on other records. Like alcoholism, like, “Hey, I have a problem.” So there’s a couple of songs on there talking about my family’s bout with alcoholism. I’ve had some uncles pass away from the drugs and the drinks. It’s a growing up record for me. We left everything on the table with Burn.Flicker.Die. as far as being the party band, the bar band, the ones that were there at 3 a.m. trying to take your girlfriend home. This is us making a record that we wanted to make. This is us making a statement. We’re way more than a song about Friday nights and we’re super proud of it. It’s a huge step forward for us, it’s a huge step forward forward in our sound, sonically, lyrically, musically. It’s us growing up. It’s us taking a big step forward into that realm of, “Hey, we can do this for the rest of our lives.”

Weld: How do you feel about the job that Mark Gottfried is doing at N.C. State?

BB: I love it, man! I absolutely love it. I appreciate you Alabama boys letting go of him. Not to rub any salt in the wound, but I also love what Trevor Lacey is doing for the team right now [Laughs].

All my boys from Alabama give me a hard time, “How’s it feel to have our leftovers?”

Well, we’ve been to the dance every single year since he came, so I’m okay with it. Every year we have a top 10 recruiting class. If we were in the SEC, we’d kill it. We have to go up against Carolina and Duke every year, so there’s always that little brother complex of, “No matter how good we are, we still have to play Carolina and Duke.”

In the SEC, you have the Kentucky powerhouse, which has come back since Calipari, but imagine the Carolina/Duke powerhouse that’s been around since the [expletive] ’70s. It’s every year, no matter how good we are, we’re just not quite good enough. And Gottfried is putting us up there. I’m loving everything out of the state of Alabama that comes up here. Ralston Turner, our starting guard, he’s from Huntsville. Trevor Lacey, we’ve got him for another year. Gottfried, he may not be the best coach in the world, but he’s the best recruiter this school has ever seen. As long as he keeps bringing talent to Raleigh, that’s all I care about.

Weld: Who are the top five American rock bands of all time?

BB: 1. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. There’s no arguing that, so you can go ahead and put it in cement.

The second band is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They’re very close to Springsteen, as far as I’m concerned.

Number three — by the way, this isn’t just my list, this is the permanent list, because it’s the right list. Number three is a band out of Minneapolis called The Replacements. The Replacements epitomize what The Rolling Stones are, but they’re the American version of it. They’re one of my favorite bands of all time.

Number four is Wilco, out of Chicago. They are absolutely brilliant. Really, really, really great band.

And I’ll give number five to your hometown boys, I’ll give it to Drive-By Truckers.

That’s not a bad list. If someone can find something to argue with on that list, I’ll listen to them, but those bands should all be in everyone’s top 10. But that’s my top five.

American Aquarium comes to BottleTree Cafe on Thursday, February 19. Andrew Duhon Trio will open. The show begins at 9 p.m. and tickets are $10.

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Bitter cold temperatures following the latest winter storm

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DURHAM, N.C. For the South, the storm that dumped a foot of snow in some places was only the beginning. Low temperatures gripped the region Wednesday, freezing and refreezing the snow and ice and making the roads as hazardous as they were during the height of the storm. In many areas, the cold was expected to stay for days.

The refreeze has already played out over and over in New England, where mountains of snow are piled high. Here’s a look at how people are handling the winter weather:

—

DON’T JUMP

Boston residents overwhelmed by massive snowfalls the last month have been recording videos of themselves jumping out of windows and into snowbanks, and Mayor Marty Walsh wants them to cut it out.

Walsh chastised thrill-seekers who’ve been filming themselves performing the frosty feat and then posting the videos on social media websites.

Walsh says, “It’s a foolish thing to do, and you could kill yourself.”

He says Boston “isn’t Loon Mountain,” a New Hampshire ski resort. He said Monday the stunts are dangerous as city workers struggle to clear snow-clogged streets and deal with snowbanks 10 feet high.

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COMMUTING NIGHTMARE

There appears to be no end in sight to the commuting woes in greater Boston, which has seen unprecedented snowfalls totaling nearly 8 feet this winter.

Transit officials warn the system won’t run normally for at least a month — and much longer if the region is hit with more significant snowfall. Areas of southern New England could see light snows Wednesday and Thursday; forecasters are also eying another storm this weekend.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he’s working more closely with the MTBA, an independent transit agency. He’s also requested meetings with Keolis, the private company that provides commuter rail service for the MBTA, amid complaints of widespread delays in that system.

The MBTA has been severely hampered by persistent snow and ice, leading to long delays and outright cancellations for commuter, subway and even Amtrak trains for much of the past three weeks. Highways are also jammed with more cars than usual in the notoriously traffic-clogged region as riders try and avoid the transit problems.

—

DOGGONE IT

Here’s an upside to all this snow: It was so deep in Troy, New Hampshire, that residents were finally able to capture a black Labrador retriever that had been on the lam for three years.

The wily female pup, who’s 3 or 4 years old, had been spotted regularly, but nobody could get close enough for a grab. That changed on Sunday night when Courtney Davis and his girlfriend, Tiffany Bennett, spotted her running from an abandoned trailer. Hampered by deep, fluffy snow after a series of heavy storms, the dog couldn’t get away again.

Carl Patten Jr., who’s been keeping the pooch in his heated garage since then, said Tuesday that he’s using two collars on her: one a harness and the other around her neck, just to be safe.

“It’s like Houdini, this dog,” Patten said.

—

ROOF RAGE

Massachusetts officials are stepping up warnings about the potential for roofs to collapse under the weight of snow that has built up in recent weeks.

Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Gatzunis said owners of residential and commercial buildings should be aware of signs of stress on roofs, including ceilings that are sagging or developing cracks.

Other signs could include popping or cracking sounds from the roof or attic area, and doors or windows that either won’t open or suddenly open on their own.

Numerous partial roof collapses have been reported in the state — including at a Kmart store and a high school — but no serious injuries as of Wednesday.

—

PIPING COLD

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works says crews are struggling to keep up with water outages caused by frozen pipes as bitter cold continues to grip central Maryland.

Maintenance crews from the Bureau of Water and Wastewater are working 12-hour shifts to deal with outages caused by leaks and breaks in water mains. The department has also hired private contractors to help with the workload.

The department has gotten more than 1,000 calls since Sunday reporting outages.

—

COLD CARNIVAL

If there was a theme for this year’s Mardi Gras costumes in New Orleans, it was ‘Brrrrr.’

Despite the chilly temperatures, the crowds were thick Tuesday. Tutus were worn over jeans and many costumes, such as clowns or animals, were baggy enough to cover sweat shirts.

Erin Buran, of New Orleans, wore a white jacket and feathery angel wings.

“My angel wings have tequila in them,” she said, showing the mouthpiece of a hydration backpack covered by the wings.

—

EXECUTIVE ORDERS

The winter storm that buried Kentucky in snow has prompted Gov. Steve Beshear to issue two executive orders aimed at protecting consumers from price gouging and making sure families have access to needed prescription medicines.

Beshear said Tuesday the orders are meant to ensure Kentuckians pay fair prices for products like gasoline and won’t have to worry about skipping doses of medicine.

More than a foot of snow fell in some areas Monday, and up to 2 more inches were forecast for Wednesday.

Temperatures were expected to fall throughout Wednesday into single digits, with wind chills of up to 15 below. Temperatures on Thursday were forecast to be even lower.

—

MORE COLD, NO HEAT

While most of the snow, sleet and freezing rain have stopped falling in North Carolina, temperatures will continue to plummet, creating a new challenge for thousands of residents who have lost power.

Gov. Pat McCrory urged more counties to consider setting up shelters for displaced residents and the homeless — but he discouraged residents from using unsafe sources of heating within their homes, such as charcoal.

—

BICYCLIST DEATH

A bicyclist died Wednesday morning after being hit by a state snow plow in suburban Richmond. Police were still looking into the circumstances.

—

WARMTH IN THE WEST

While much of the rest of the country shivered, the Pacific Northwest experienced a different kind of February, with record-breaking high temperatures. Flowers blossomed, bees buzzed, and the sky was blue. Temperatures have crept north of 60 degrees. Forecasters said the high pressure ridge responsible for the summerlike weather might weaken enough by Wednesday for some clouds and a chance of drizzle

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Man charged with I-85 shooting subject of App State complaint

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The Greenville man accused of leaving two people for dead along Interstate 85 on Christmas Eve was the subject of a harassment complaint in August by an Appalachian State University student who viewed his online postings as veiled threats, according to police in Boone, North Carolina.

The woman, a junior at the Boone university, asked local police to investigate John Asher Farrell Villarreal, 22, after she said she ended a brief relationship and had concerns about cyber stalking.

Boone authorities ultimately chose not to pursue charges against Farrell Villarreal, but were concerned enough by anti-law enforcement online postings they said he wrote that they contacted Travelers Rest Police and warned them to use caution should they encounter him.

Farrell Villarreal’s home is within Travelers Rest jurisdiction.

Boone Detective Sergeant Matt Stevens, who investigated the App State allegations, said he found several online profiles he linked to Farrell Villarreal, including one Facebook account that still contains a late-August post that mentions the student by name.

THE GREENVILLE NEWS

Hitchhiker arrested in deadly I-85 shooting

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One I-85 shooting victim dead, second critical

Several posts had anti-police sentiments, he said, with references to weapons and standing his ground should law officers come after him.

“I am not afraid of corrupt law enforcers who may be working with you,” reads one post dated in August directed at the student. “If you want me, this is an open challenge to come for me. But if you do, I will defend myself. And anyone who tries to harm me will die. Consider yourselves warned. I’m sure the local sheriff will understand me shooting an assailant.”

The woman spoke with The Greenville News but asked that her name not be used for fear of online retaliation.

“He put my information online. My full name, my email. He managed to get my current address and my home address,” said the college junior, referring to her parents’ home. “He said he was not responsible for what happened to me with that information out there.”

Farrell Villarreal was arrested last week on charges of murder, attempted murder, carjacking and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Anderson County sheriff’s investigators said Farrell Villarreal was hitchhiking when he was picked up by James Jerry Dobson II and Mary Marie Fowler.

They agreed to take him to Georgia, but officers allege Farrell Villarreal shot the pair, left them critically wounded near mile marker 16.5 and stole Dobson’s car, a 2013 Hyndai Elantra.

Fowler, of Greenville, died that evening. Dobson, of Easley, remains in critical condition at AnMed Health in Anderson.

His mother, Barbara Dobson, told The Greenville News that doctors removed his left eye and he is back on a respirator after having problems without it earlier this week. He was able to communicate with hand gestures, but is again sedated after health complications, she said.

In Boone, Stevens investigated the August allegations and said he explored misdemeanor charges, possibly related to cyber stalking.

Stevens said he concluded that no law had been broken.

Stevens said he talked with the Appalachian State student about appearing before a North Carolina magistrate judge to bring charges and seek a protective order.

The woman said she considered a protective order, but his messages soon stopped. She said she did not want to antagonize him.

They had met early last year on an online dating forum and would chat via video or instant messages. In May, they met in person for the first time at a political rally in Washington, D.C.

His behavior struck her as odd almost immediately, she said.

“When we were walking around the city, he would point out people and say, ‘Does that look like a federal agent?'”

Where she believed him to be considerate online, she felt uncomfortable being alone with him and limited their interactions to the National Mall. On the second day, she said she asked to break off contact with him. Months later, she learned from a friend that he was posting information about her online.

“He tried to continue to send me messages. I had to hide my identity, change my profile,” she said. “He used different Facebook accounts to watch me and he was telling people to send me nasty messages.”

Staff writer Anna Lee contributed to this report.

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Coming with the wind: Leases for turbines off Carolinas could come in 2016

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Posted Feb. 17, 2015 at 9:56 a.m.

Coming with the wind: Leases for turbines off Carolinas could come in 2016

Published: 2015-02-17 09:56:00
Updated: 2015-02-17 09:56:00

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By BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press

CAROLINA SHORES, N.C. – The first leases allowing wind turbines offshore of the Carolinas are expected to be let next year although some still worry the massive turbines could harm tourism upon which coastal communities depend.

Concerns the turbines will spoil views from beaches surfaced again as about 200 people attended three hearings in recent days held by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The agency has issued a report that there appears to be no significant environmental impact to offshore wind development. It took public comment at hearings in Kitty Hawk, Wilmington and in Carolina Shores on the South Carolina state line.

  • Advocacy group report: Wind projects could drive job growth

The agency has identified three areas for potential leases. One is about 120,000 acres off the Outer Banks while the other two are tracts of 130,000 acres and 52,000 acres south of Wilmington and east of Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The bureau’s William Waskes told the gathering in Carolina Shores that while leases could be awarded as early as next year, it will probably be well into the next decade before any turbines are built. He said once leases are awarded, there would be additional environmental studies of the specific areas as well as additional reviews of specific turbine construction plans.

Although common off Europe, there are currently no offshore wind turbines in the United States. Waskes said construction of the first is expected off New England in the next year or two.

Those attending the hearing Thursday in Carolinas Shores were still worried about the impacts of turbines on tourism and some wondered what’s the point of developing the wind energy at all.

“Where is the benefit to us?” asked Ron Watts, the mayor of Sunset Beach, North Carolina. “We see the negative to tourism. We’re not getting anything financially. I don’t see where we get economic development if this energy is cabled into South Carolina or from Kitty Hawk up into Virginia.”

“We’re probably affected more by the wind farm than any other location in eastern North Carolina,” added Carol Scott of Sunset Beach. The turbines would be about 12 miles offshore and she worries bigger turbines will be developed in the future.

“Once you authorize the wind farms then it’s too late for a community to say that new turbine is intolerable,” she warned.

Andy Sayer of Bald Head Island, North Carolina, wondered how the turbines will be lit at night so they will be seen from boats and airplanes. He asked if the power would be used locally but was told developers can cable it wherever they want.

David Rogers, the field director for Environment North Carolina said later that developing wind energy makes more sense for coastal communities than continued development of fossil fuels which contribute to sea level rise. He said wind energy will result in a new industry and jobs.

There is already a wind energy industry on the Carolinas coast. Fifteen months ago, Clemson University opened a new $110 million energy research center in North Charleston, South Carolina, that includes the world’s largest wind turbine test rig.

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HVAC Investigators Releases 2015 Annual Claims Report

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — HVAC Investigators (HVACi), the leading provider of objective assessments of HVAC and refrigeration damage, recently published its annual report regarding Property and Casualty insurance claims for HVAC systems across the United States. The 2015 Annual Claims Report, based on data from thousands of actual claims, is distributed to insurance carriers across the country and is used to understand trends related to HVAC insurance claims. The report is free to insurance professionals, upon request, by emailing info@hvacinvestigators.com

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Several compelling new research topics have been added to this year’s report, including:

  • Individual Residential and Commercial claims data segregation
  • Large Loss claim data
  • Desktop review data
  • Frequency of LKQ proposals from insured’s contractors
  • Contractor quotes versus market pricing comparison
  • Frequency of claims by HVAC system type
  • Smoke / Fire claim data (including frequency by month and recommended actions)

“We’re excited about the new data that this year’s report includes,” said Matthew Livingston, HVAC Investigators’ Manager of Customer Education. “We’re confident that adding the latest research topics will provide additional insight to insurance carriers searching for better ways to settle HVAC claims.”

The 2015 Annual Claims Report includes data for both onsite inspections and desktop reviews of residential, commercial and large loss claims. The claims data comes from all 50 U.S. states, for all major peril types, and all major equipment types and manufacturers. This data provides Property and Casualty insurance carriers with an opportunity to analyze HVAC statistics and promote conversations around indemnity and reserves.

Consistent with previous studies, the 2015 Annual Claims Report clearly affirms that insurance carriers should seek, whenever possible, the help of qualified, objective subject matter experts to investigate claims against HVAC equipment.  Insurance carriers must stay current on trends, new legislation, and HVAC supply chain changes that are major contributors to settlement outcomes…a near impossibility for even the most progressive and well-educated adjuster workforces.

ABOUT HVAC INVESTIGATORS
HVAC Investigators is the nation’s leading provider of HVAC and refrigeration damage assessments.  Our prompt inspections and actionable reports help insurance carriers settle HVAC claims more efficiently and with a higher degree of accuracy.  If you’d like more information about our services or to submit an assignment, please visit hvacinvestigators.com, email info@hvacinvestigators.com or contact us by phone at (888) 407-5224.

Contact: Katie Rosenberg
888-407-5224 Ext. 114
Email

SOURCE HVAC Investigators

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Jail diversion program honors Moore man

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RALEIGH — George Reynolds Jr. of Moore County has been named the National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina’s Crisis Intervention Team Champion of the Year.

The award is given to a recipient who excels in the CIT’s fundamental mission, which is to divert those with mental illnesses from jail when this can be done with little risk to public safety. Reynolds received the honor during a Feb. 10 luncheon at NAMI’s statewide CIT conference at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh.

“George Reynolds has been essential to the success of the program in Moore County,” Moore Sheriff Neil Godfrey said in a release. “He has always been willing to put forth the extra effort that is sometimes needed to complete the CIT program’s work. He continues to work with officers on an individual and group basis to help officers build their intervention skills. He has been and continues to be essential for the success of our CIT program in Moore County.”

CIT is a pre-booking jail diversion program designed to improve the outcomes of police interactions with people with mental illnesses. CIT training is usually a 40-hour training program for law enforcement and first responders, aimed at identifying — and effectively and compassionately responding to — police situations involving people in a mental health crisis.

Reynolds is a founding member of the Sandhills Crisis Intervention Team, founded in 2008, and is part of the North Carolina’s statewide CIT Committee and CIT International. He was instrumental in the modification of the CIT program for telecommunicators, detention center staff and EMT staff. He continues to arrange important CIT meetings and works to spread the mission of NAMI — providing support, education, advocacy, and public awareness so that all affected by mental illness can build better lives.

Reynolds serves as the Sandhills Crisis Intervention Team resident photographer, taking literally thousands of pictures at events, such as CIT trainings. He has used technical knowledge to convert an audio file of the Hearing Voices curriculum from a CD to mp3 format, enabling the program to be more accessible to others. He also designed, ordered, and arranged for distribution CIT information cards for officers, first responders and other personnel who may respond to crises.

For more than 30 years, NAMI North Carolina has provided free support groups, education programs, and advocacy efforts throughout North Carolina. For more information on programsand the 34 affiliate organizations in North Carolina, visit www.naminc.org.

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