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Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

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Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Cosimo Calabrese

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

An injured passenger is being eased to a stretcher as she and some 40 of the survivors of the Norman Atlantic ferry fire, finally stepped ashore, in the port of Taranto, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014. They arrived by one of the cargo ships that took aboard passengers from the flaming, smoke-shrouded ferry in the first hours after the blaze down in the car deck sent people, shaken out of their sleep, to scrambling for their lives and take shelter — in freezing cold, pelted by rain and buffeted by gale-force wind on the top, uncovered deck. (AP Photo/Cosimo Calabrese)

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Cosimo Calabrese

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Some 40 of the survivors of the Norman Atlantic ferry fire, finally stepped ashore, in the port of Taranto, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014. They arrived by one of the cargo ships that took aboard passengers from the flaming, smoke-shrouded ferry in the first hours after the blaze down in the car deck sent people, shaken out of their sleep, to scrambling for their lives and take shelter — in freezing cold, pelted by rain and buffeted by gale-force wind on the top, uncovered deck. (AP Photo/Cosimo Calabrese)

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Thanassis Stavrakis

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Athanasios Tsopanidis wipes his tears as his brother Giorgos Tsopanidis, left, a rescued passenger from the fire-struck ferry Norman Atlantic speaks to the media after arriving at Athens International Airport on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014. About 107 passengers from the Norman Atlantic arrived in Greece with a charter flight. Italian authorities warned that more bodies will likely be found when the blackened hulk of a Greek ferry is towed to Italy, as part of a criminal investigation into the fire that engulfed the ship at sea, killing at least 11 of the more than 400 people on board. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Thanassis Stavrakis

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Rescued passengers from the fire-struck ferry Norman Atlantic hug their relatives as others wait for their family members after arriving at Athens International Airport on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014. About 107 passengers from the Norman Atlantic arrived in Greece with a charter flight. Italian authorities warned that more bodies will likely be found when the blackened hulk of a Greek ferry is towed to Italy, as part of a criminal investigation into the fire that engulfed the ship at sea, killing at least 11 of the more than 400 people on board. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Thanassis Stavrakis

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Rescued passengers from the fire-struck ferry Norman Atlantic greet their relatives after arriving at Athens International Airport on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014. About 107 passengers from the Norman Atlantic arrived in Greece with a charter flight. Italian authorities warned that more bodies will likely be found when the blackened hulk of a Greek ferry is towed to Italy, as part of a criminal investigation into the fire that engulfed the ship at sea, killing at least 11 of the more than 400 people on board. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Riccardo Dalle Luche

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Norman Atlantic ferry captain Argilio Giacomazzi, right, is flanked by his brother Marcello and his daughter Giulia, outside his home in Campiglia, near La Spezia, Italy, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. The Italian captain of the Italian-made ferry, which was operated by a Greek company, was questioned in the southern port of Bari by prosecutors for more than five hours Wednesday. Stormy weather in the Adriatic Sea thwarted efforts Wednesday to tow the fire-ravaged ferry to Italy so authorities can investigate the blaze that killed at least 11 people and search the ship for more possible dead. (AP Photo/Ansa/Riccardo Dalle Luche)

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Riccardo Dalle Luche

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Norman Atlantic ferry captain Argilio Giacomazzi talks with journalists outside his home in Campiglia, near La Spezia, Italy, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. The Italian captain of the Italian-made ferry, which was operated by a Greek company, was questioned in the southern port of Bari by prosecutors for more than five hours Wednesday. Stormy weather in the Adriatic Sea thwarted efforts Wednesday to tow the fire-ravaged ferry to Italy so authorities can investigate the blaze that killed at least 11 people and search the ship for more possible dead. (AP Photo/Ansa/Riccardo Dalle Luche)



Posted: Thursday, January 1, 2015 1:13 pm
|


Updated: 1:45 pm, Thu Jan 1, 2015.

Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

Associated Press |

BRINDISI, Italy (AP) — Greece and Italy have issued widely different figures for how many people are still not accounted for in the ferry fire that killed at least 11 people in the Adriatic Sea.

The numbers ranged from as many as 98, according to Italian prosecutor Giuseppe Volpe, to 18, according to the Greek Merchant Marine Ministry. Greece says Italy’s list is full of duplications and misspellings but the discrepancy could not be immediately explained since the prosecutor’s office was closed for the New Year holiday.

A tug began towing the fire-ravaged ferry across wind-whipped seas to Italy on Thursday afternoon. Giuseppe Barretta, owner of the tug boat company, told The Associated Press the operation started near the coast of Albania, where the Norman Atlantic ferry had been stranded after Sunday’s pre-dawn fire, and estimated it could take 15 hours, depending on weather.

Earlier, the Italian Coast Guard said waves in the region were as high as 5 meters (16 1/2 feet) and winds were blowing at more than 40 knots (46 mph).

Once the ferry arrives in the Italian port of Brindisi, Italian authorities will inspect it, searching for any other possible bodies.

“We’ll only have an exact number (of victims) when the wreckage can be inspected,” said Cmdr. Floriana Segreto of the Italian Coast Guard. A sea-and-air search of the water around the ship continued as the ferry was being secured for towing, she said.

The Italian Coast Guard said 477 people were rescued from the ferry. That figure, plus the 11 dead, would mean at least 488 people had been onboard.

That’s more than the 474 people Greek officials said were on the register — leading to questions about Italy’s rescue tally or suggestions the ferry also carried an unknown number of unregistered migrants.

Italy rescued or discovered some 170,000 migrants and asylum seekers at sea last year as they tried to slip into Europe.

The Norman Atlantic’s captain made his first comments to reporters Thursday outside his home near La Spezia, in northwestern Italy. Capt. Argilio Giacomazzi has been praised for being, in line with navigation rules, the last to be evacuated from the stricken ferry.

“Heroes are useless. We must think about those not with us anymore, those who died,” Giacomazzi said. “We did our best with the help of God. We did our best.”

The ferry captain was questioned about the fire and the evacuation for more than five hours Wednesday by Bari prosecutors but he has given no details on that.

___

D’Emilio reported from Rome. Nicholas Paphitis and Demetris Nellas contributed from Athens.

© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers
  • Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers
  • Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers
  • Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers
  • Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers Greece, Italy vary wildly on ferry missing numbers

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Onslow County looks ahead

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Filling a vacancy

Onslow County Board of Commissioners will start the year with a tough decision: appointing a successor for the seat vacated by the death of former commissioner Lionell Midgett on Nov. 23 after his battle with cancer.

Commissioners set a Dec. 31 deadline for any Onslow County resident and registered Republican to submit letters of intent for the seat, for which at least a dozen names had been submitted to the county in December.

Commissioners will meet 7 p.m. Jan. 5 at Jacksonville City Hall at 815 New Bridge St. possibly to make an appointment. Commissioners have 60 days after the vacancy to fill the position, according to N.C. General Statutes.

The appointment is slated to be made by a vote by ballot at the meeting. 

Commission Chairwoman Barbara Ikner recently told The Daily News that the appointment differs from an employee’s hire, which would allow for thorough review.

Onslow County Tax Office must be open to confirm residence and Onslow County Board of Elections will be used to confirm party registration, Ikner said.

Midgett’s service went beyond his commission seat, to which he was elected to a third term in 2012 with two years remaining. The successor will serve the term’s remainder.

Midgett, a former banker and Onslow County native, served on six local committees and was the county’s voting delegate to the N.C. Association of County Commissioners.

Locally, Midgett was the commissioner appointed to panels for: Jacksonville Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization; Topsail Island Shoreline Commission; Aging Planning Board; Eastern Carolina Council’s Down East Rural Transportation Planning Organization; Onslow County Partnership for Children; and the Tourism Advisory Board.

 

County schools mull realignment

Onslow County Board of Education is considering a realignment of school districts as a last resort to address overpopulation at three campuses.

The decision would go before the board in January and would apply to assignments the next academic year.

Three overcrowded schools — Richlands High School, Trexler Middle School and Carolina Forest Elementary School — would be affected by the realignment, according to a letter dated Dec. 12 by Steve Myers, the Onslow County Schools assistant superintendent for auxiliary systems.

Onslow County schools have redistricted often in years when a new school opened, said Pam Thomas, chairwoman of Onslow County Board of Education. The last redistricting that Thomas recalled was the 2009 opening of Stateside Elementary School — a “feeder school” near the border of the Jacksonville and Richlands school districts, according to information from the Trexler Middle School website.

On Sept. 25, the 20th day of class, Onslow County schools had 323 more students than last year. The system’s 37 elementary, middle and high schools and learning centers had roughly that same amount of growth last year, schools spokeswoman Suzie Ulbrich previously told The Daily News.

An agreement between the Board of Education and Onslow County Board of Commissioners compels school leaders to pursue alternative solutions to enrollment growth before building new schools, Thomas said.

Thomas said redistricting is slated to be discussed during board of education meetings in January. The board is scheduled to hold a special meeting 9 a.m. Jan. 9 at the Family Education Center at 200 Broadhurst Road in Jacksonville. A public hearing is slated for redistricting 5:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at Blue Creek Elementary School at 1260 N.C. 53, according to information from the system’s website. The board’s regular meeting will follow the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 12, also at Blue Creek Elementary School.

Two community meetings are slated in January before the school board meeting to address concerns about redistricting. The meetings will allow residents to review plans that the board will consider, according to information on the board’s website.

All residents — including those who are not parents of students — are invited to attend, Ulbrich said.

A redistricting notice was posted on the Richlands High School website indicating a letter would be sent to parents that week. The notice also indicates the locations and times of the community meetings, which also are listed on the county schools system’s website.

The first meeting will be 6:30 p.m. Jan. 6 at Carolina Forest Elementary at 141 Carolina Forest Blvd.

The second meeting will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at Nine Mile Community Center at 1047 Ben Williams Road in Richlands.

To submit written suggestions about the redistricting study, email Redistricting2014@Onslow.K12.NC.US.

 

New roads slated

State funding — proposed in a draft in December — would generate road construction for Jacksonville over most of the next decade.

New laws passed last year changed the funding formula for state roads to projects based on need rather than geographic area, said Anthony Prinz, administrator of Jacksonville Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The new rule, the Strategic Transportation Investments Law, is the guide for a draft for statewide roadwork funding over the next decade. That guide spurred the 10-year State Transportation Improvement Plan on Dec. 4, according to the document by N.C. Department of Transportation.

The document revealed that Jacksonville and Wilmington are slated — pending public comment and further review through June — for more roadwork funding than other cities and rural areas in Eastern North Carolina and elsewhere in the state, including New Bern, Goldsboro, Greenville and Rocky Mount. 

The draft, if approved, would add the following projects to the state-funded road projects: Jacksonville Parkway extension from Western Boulevard to U.S. 17 would receive $70.9 million with construction slated for 2024; N.C. 111 extension from U.S. 258 to Gum Branch Road across New River would create another bypass around the city and a new bridge over the New River at a cost of $30.2 million with construction slated for 2023; a new interchange at Air Station New River at U.S. 17 would cost $25.8 million with construction slated for 2020; Ridge Road realignment would cost $1.86 million with construction slated for 2021; N.C. 172 widening between N.C. 210 and base gate would cost $3.2 million with construction slated for 2017.

 

Airport redevelopment

Albert J. Ellis Airport Director Chris White said the hub’s $43.9 million redevelopment would be complete by this year’s end.

A new general aviation executive terminal will be built at the airport as part of the overall redevelopment plan, which includes construction of: two terminals, paved surfaces to each; taxiways; aircraft hangars; a runway extension; and new aircraft-control tower. Aircraft aprons — paved surfaces on which jets “park, load and taxi” — will be added for both new terminals, White said.

The entire redevelopment is slated for completion in “late 2015,” he added. Early fall is the passenger terminal’s anticipated completion date while the general aviation executive terminal likely will be built by late July.

 

Town Dock

The New Year is expected to bring the permanent opening of a town dock along the Swansboro waterfront.

The dock is currently open on a temporary basis under a 90-day certificate of occupancy as the town and property owner continue efforts to ensure the dock located at the foot of Church Street stays open permanently.

Discussions have taken a positive turn in recent weeks, but for much of 2014 the dock project was a source of contention as the town raised issues with the lease agreement with the owners of Port O’ Swannsborough shops, partners on the project.

Questions remain regarding funding and whether the town will be using its largest funding source, a $100,000 Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to cover the cost of the project.

The BIG grant requires that the 10-slip docking facility be used for transient boaters but also allows for day dockage as an incidental use.

 

Walmart coming?

The question of the New Year for Swansboro residents may be the same as it was for 2014: Will a Walmart store be coming to town?

The answer remains tied up in a legal battle between the town and Swansboro Investors LLC, the developers for the project.

Swansboro Investors is seeking to build a Walmart Supercenter store on a 20-acre tract of land on N.C. 24 at Norris Road in the town’s extraterritorial planning jurisdiction.

A central issue of the legal complaint filed by Swansboro Investors LLC has been a 90-day building moratorium enacted by the town on the permitting of new construction in excess of 40,000 square feet. The intent was to give town officials time to evaluate the impact of large-scale building project.

The moratorium ended July 15 after town commissioners voted to adopt the 40,000-square-foot building size limit.

Swansboro Investors LLC had filed a Planned Building Group application with the town on May 16, just after public notice was made of a public hearing on the proposed moratorium. The developers filed the legal complaint June 30 saying the project is exempt from the moratorium and sought a court order enjoining enforcement of the moratorium.

While the judge denied the request to overturn the moratorium it did not prohibit the developers from submitting a building application.

Swansboro Investors LLC has filed an amended complaint and made a number of requests for information from the town regarding the matter, which remains in court.

 

Public Safety building

The year 2015 will bring the police and fire departments in the Town of Swansboro under one roof.

As 2014 neared an end, the Swansboro Board of Commissioners gave the OK to plans to a renovation project that will expand the existing fire station.

With the renovation, the facility will transition to a Public Safety building housing both the police and fire departments.

The award of a $369,768 to L.A. Downey Son allows for construction to begin. The project will include the addition of about 1,800 square feet of space at the northeast corner of the building.

Construction is expected to begin early this year and work will take 6 to 8 months to complete.

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Our forests are in danger – Asheville Citizen

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The land Management Plan for Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests is up for renewal now by the U.S. Forest Service .

Under the proposed plan, 70 percent of forests areas, designated as “suitable for timber” will be open to logging.

The implications of the proposed plan for adversely affecting the beauty of our mountains, and the economic benefits of tourism are far reaching. In addition, the potential environmental impact related to logging roads, run-off, erosion, fragmentation of core forests, and damage to mountain streams, cannot be ignored.

Furthermore, anticipated budget cuts would significantly hinder the ability of the USFS to adequately monitor and supervise logging efforts which could lead to clear-cutting undesignated areas.

One need only drive down Reems Creek Road (at Ballcrank Corporation) and look to the mountains slightly to the right to see the potential aesthetic consequences of deforestation. Supporters of the proposed plan advocate that a minimum or 4,500 acres be available for logging each year, which, over time, would be devastating to our mountains.

Areas designated “suitable for timber” include the Art Loeb trail (south of BRP), Cat Gap, Farlow Gap in the Fish Hatchery area, Black Mountains, and the Black Mountain areas of Lost Cove Ridge (Black Mountain Campground to Green Knob) and Colbert Ridge (Carolina Hemlocks campground, Celo) Couthouse creek falls, Overmountain Victory Trail (west of Linville Gorge), Big Ivy (Coleman Boundary), Unaka Mountain, John Rock, Devil’s Courthouse Creek and Bluff Mountain near Max Patch. Other areas that should be recommended for consideration as “wilderness” include Black Mountain, Craggy Mountains (Big Ivy), Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Extensions, Linville Gorge Extensions, Mackey Mountain, Middle Prong Extension, Overflow Creek (Blue Valley), Shining Rock Extensions, Snowbird WSA, Southern Nantahala Extensions, Tusquitee Bald, and the Unicoi Mountains.

To preserve the beauty of our mountains and the economic benefits of tourism, it is important to provide USFS with comments by the deadline of Jan. 5.

Comments should specifically highlight those issues and areas that are of particular importance to the commenter.

Information on the forest plan revision is available online at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevison or www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc with links on right of Nantahala-Pisgah National Plan Revision. Email comments or submit to: NCPlanRevision@fs.fed.us or mail comments to: U.S. Forest Service, 160 Zillicoa St., Suite A, Asheville, NC 28801.

Also, http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/home/?cid=stelprd3822407 provides an interactive map to make comments on proposals for wilderness areas.

Mr. Goodman Received his PhD from NCSU and has worked in Public Health and Safety for 38 years including 25 years in Highway Safety for various Agencies including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration where he specialized in driver behavior and performance. He lives in Weaverville.

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Plane diverts as traveler appears to go into labor

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Posted: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 4:39 pm
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Updated: 1:46 pm, Thu Jan 1, 2015.

Plane diverts as traveler appears to go into labor

Associated Press |

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Officials say a pregnant passenger believed to have gone into labor aboard a plane has given birth at a Salt Lake City hospital after her flight was diverted to Utah.

Salt Lake City International Airport spokeswoman Barbara Gann said it appeared the woman went into labor Wednesday on the airplane heading from San Francisco to Minneapolis.

Gann says a pediatrician on board assisted the woman before the Delta Air Lines flight landed in Salt Lake City around 10 a.m. MST and the woman was hospitalized.

University of Utah hospital spokeswoman Kathy Wilets says the mother gave birth Wednesday afternoon. Wilets had no other details.

The Delta website shows the diverted flight continued on to Minneapolis, landing just before 2 p.m. CST.

© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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ECONOMIC IMPACT – Annual high school basketball tournament positively …

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By Mike McClure

Aside from providing entertainment to local basketball fans, the Governor’s Challenge Basketball Tournament helps fuel the economy in a downtime for local hotels and restaurants. This year’s tournament drew 53 teams with around 1,000 players, infusing an estimated $775,999 into the local economy.

While 24 of the teams are local and did not need to stay overnight during the tournament, which ran from Dec. 26-30, the other 29 teams did stay overnight at hotels in Salisbury. According to Wicomico County Assistant Tourism Manager James Simmons, the estimated impaction the economy is determined following the state’s economic calculator, taking into account the projected amount of money the visitors and their families will spend on hotels, restaurants, gas, and souvenirs.

“You’ll see a larger impact economic as we continue to bring in more of town teams,” said Simmons, who in his third year of working with the tournament. “We wouldn’t have the event without our local teams and our local fans.”

The tournament is one of the county’s 36 sports marketing events. Those events account for $35 million of the projected $43 million driven by the county’s events in FY ’15. The basketball tournament brings in visitors during a time that the area sees a downtime in tourism.

“It’s a tough time of year for hotels. They struggle for business this time of year,” Simmons said. “They may come here for this basketball tournament and they enjoy the area and decide to come back. A lot of teams don’t realize that there’s something between the bridge and Ocean City and this gives us an opportunity to expose them to this area and what we have to offer.”

It’s also an opportunity for local players to gain from exposure, playing against teams from a larger area in front of college coaches and scouts. “I think we have the talent here, they just doesn’t get the exposure that they need,” said Simmons.

Over 175 of the tournament’s alumni have gone on to play in college over the last five years. “Even if the kids don’t go on to play in college, it’s a memory they’ll hold on to forever,” said Wicomico County Director of Marketing and Public Relations Kristin Goller.

Another draw of the tournament is playing in the Wicomico Civic Center. “I think that’s part of the magic of the environment because they can play in a large scale arena. It prepares them for their state tournament,” Simmons added.

The basketball tournament, which has taken place for the past 33 years, was started as a four-team tournament by Wicomico boys’ basketball coach Butch Waller in 1981. It increased from 35 boys teams to 49 this season, with teams from five state and Washington, D.C. including Staten Island, N.Y. and Charlotte, N.C. The Governor’s Challenge is the largest holiday high school basketball tournament in Maryland and is the second largest tournament in the region behind a Wildwood, N.J. tournament (70 teams).

This year marked the start of the girls’ tournament with four teams including a team from Mardela. “I think that’s where we have a huge opportunity for growth,” said Simmons.

Also new this year, the county partnered with DMVelite, a showcase events group from Bowie, which helped connect the tournament with high school teams looking for a place to play over the holidays

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Rubio moving close to decision on presidential run

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Rubio moving close to decision on presidential run

J. Scott Applewhite

Rubio moving close to decision on presidential run

FILE – In this Dec. 17, 2014 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the son of Cuban immigrants, expresses his disappointment in President Barack Obama’s initiative to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington. Long criticized as the party of old white men, Republicans are seeing a diverse group of people step up for possible contention in the 2016 presidential race. This class of contenders could include Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who are both Hispanic, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the first Indian-American governor in the U.S., Carly Fiorina, a female business leader and Ben Carson, an African-American neurosurgeon. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)



Posted: Thursday, January 1, 2015 8:15 am
|


Updated: 1:45 pm, Thu Jan 1, 2015.

Rubio moving close to decision on presidential run

Associated Press |

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Marco Rubio says he’s moving closer to a decision on whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination, but he’s not there yet.

Rubio tells National Public Radio “this is not a gut decision.”

He also says in an interview broadcast Thursday that he doesn’t have a “date in mind or a time frame in mind” for making his decision, “but certainly soon.”

Rubio, a Florida conservative, says he has “tremendous respect” for former Gov. Jeb Bush, who already has announced formation of an exploratory committee. He says that if Bush gets into the race, “he’ll be a very credible candidate.”

He says the two know a lot of the same people, but adds that “it’s not unprecedented” for two people from the same state to run for president.

© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Brochure touts Oriental as tourist destination

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Posted: Thursday, January 1, 2015 12:05 am
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Updated: 3:00 am, Thu Jan 1, 2015.

Brochure touts Oriental as tourist destination

Associated Press |

ORIENTAL, N.C. (AP) — The Oriental Tourism Board hopes that a new promotional brochure that was developed during 2014 brings new visitors to the sailing village in 2015.

The tourist group got help from college students in production of the brochure, which double-sided with eight color panels and overlap. It can unfold with information, photos and a map. It is also capable of having inserts included.

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Top #9beer stories: The year in beer for 2014

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It’s been a big year for Cincinnati beer fans, with a meteoric rise of local breweries and major expansions among the veterans who came before.

Some of the stories #9beer covered this year affect not only the city and the Tri-State, but also the entire nation.

Without further ado, here are the Top 9 beer stories of 2014.

9. Bottle shops boom across Cincinnati

Craft beer connoisseurs can’t always get to their favorite taprooms to get their precious suds, and that’s where bottle shops come in.

A good bottle shop is a boon to have for craft beer newbies and collectors alike. The best shops not only have a wide selection, but a knowledgeable staff that can point you in the right direction toward a better selection.

The greater Cincinnati area is lucky to have a great selection of bottle shops to match the ever-growing list of breweries.

Often times the shops will also highlight other crafty industries such as wine and cigars — not to mention fine liquors. These shops also often feature equipment or starter kits for homebrewers or vintners, too.

In 2014, the #9beer bloggers banned together to list some of the best shops in town.

Click here to check out the list.

8. Reds hit home run with new craft beer bar

While the Cincinnati Reds didn’t do so hot on the field this year, they did hit a grand slam inside Great American Ball Park.

The team launched a major addition to the stadium at the start of the season with its new “Reds Brewery District” craft beer bar.

The team also expanded its existing craft beer offerings to the delight of both baseball and beer fans.

The team said it regularly seeks out new local beers to put on tap and the brewers said it keeps them hard at work to keep up with demand.

For the full details on the Reds Brewery District bar, click here.

7. Big changes at veteran breweries

If 2013 was the year of new breweries opening, 2014 was the year of veterans expanding and evolving.

Nowhere was that more apparent than at Rivertown Brewing. Owner Jason Roeper bought out co-founder Randy Schiltz and capped off a major shift in focus and branding.

The Lockland-based brewery will now focus on wild, sour and Belgian-inspired beers in addition to a changed core lineup. #9beer partner Queen City Fresh has more details on that here.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Find out What’s Brewing in Cincinnati

Meanwhile, Mt. Carmel Brewing got a new head brewer, and former Christian Moerlein head brewer Richard Dube left to help start the new Braxton Brewing.

Over on the east side, Blank Slate Brewing finally opened their new taproom amid a much larger expansion.

Not to be outdone, Rhinegeist and MadTree are both rapidly expanding as well.

MadTree launched a partnership with Catch-a-Fire Pizza to open a small pizzeria inside the brewery. The brewery also purchased the building next door and is ramping up production for more markets.

Rhinegeist is now home to coffee roaster Tazza Mia with plans to expand that business. The owners also opened the new Riverghost distributorship across the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky and bought the rest of the building the brewery is situated in.

6. Craft beer tourism hits the roads

As more and more breweries opened in the city, it was only a matter of time before tour services hit it big too.

As any craft beer fan who was traveled to Asheville, N.C., Denver, or Portland can tell you; having a good beer tour bus industry is vital to making a city a craft beer tourism destination. And on that point Cincinnati is finally making the grade.

Two new providers opened up their buses in 2014. While the city already had three others, Craft Connection and Cincy Brew Bus are solely focused on getting fans to the wealth of local breweries.

Cincy Brew Bus has since expanded with a new bus and Craft Connection already has plans to expand as well.

Both companies said those expansions are made possible by leagues of thirsty customers.

For a complete list of local tours, click here.

5. West Side, far East Side get new breweries

With all the new breweries rising up in the core of the city, it was high time the West Side got in on the trend.

Just barely making it across the wire before the end of the year, the new Tap Screw Brewery opened in Westwood community in early December.

The former Tom Jerry’s sports bar was rebranded and remodeled by father and son team Tom and Adam Lorenz.

The team said their focus isn’t just to bring craft beer to the West Side; it’s also to bring a new focus on fresh food and a sense of pride to the community.

Over on the East Side, a bit outside the I-275 loop is the new Old Firehouse Brewery.

Former firefighter Adam Cowan and his head brewer Ben Ramsay opened the doors to their Williamsburg brewery in early September.

Since then it’s been a wild ride for the pair as they signed a distributorship deal and learned the service side quick as thirsty fans inundated their brewery.

BONUS: A quick note — while their “official” opening isn’t until January, West Chester’s new DogBerry Brewing nanobrewery is reportedly taking customers as they prepare for their big unveiling. Plus Paradise Brewing in Anderson is officially brewing its own batches. Expect to hear more on them in 2015 from #9beer.

4. Stone Brewing passes on Ohio

To the disappointment of beer fans across the Buckeye State and the Tri-State area, Stone Brewing Co. opted not to pick Ohio for its eastern expansion.

Both Cincinnati and Columbus were in the running for the multi-million-dollar project.

When it came down to decision day, Richmond, Va., was chosen as the site of the new brewery, bistro and tourist destination.

While the decision was a bitter pill for many local fans, industry insiders say the decision was based on economics.

Virginia simply offered Stone a better deal.

Click here to learn more about the move and what it could have meant for Ohio.

3. Cincy brewers take home medals at 2 festivals

A trio of Queen City brewers took home some hardware from a storied national competition, and for one brewery lightning struck twice.

Every year brewers across the city and the nation take part in the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. It’s one of the biggest competitions in the world and THE biggest in the United States.

This year Listermann Brewing, Ei8ht Ball Brewing and Boston Beer Co.’s Cincinnati brewery took home medals.

Listermann won for its Nutcase Peanut Butter Porter. Ei8ht Ball notched a victory with its Reintarnation Ale and Boston Beer Co. (Sam Adams) won for its Double Bock.

A month thereafter, Ei8ht Ball won again at the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer for its Reintarnation Ale.

For more on the competitions and a list of Tri-State winners, click here.

2. Hops, malt shortage looms large in 2015

It’s the talk of brewers and beer fans alike. A shortage of hops and a bad malt harvest could driver beer prices higher in the coming year.

As hundreds of breweries keep opening every year, hops farmers are having a hard time keeping up with demand.

Adding to that issue, many of the favorite styles of beer fans today — IPA, Imperial IPA, Pale Ale, Session IPA — are hops-intensive and brewers are pulling out the stops to see who can make the biggest, baddest hop bomb around.

While many new hop farms are starting up, the process to get to production is long and won’t make an immediate dent in terms of supply.

BONUS: Check out these local Imperial IPAs

Meanwhile, floods and bad weather wreaked havoc on the malt supply.

Farmers in the Northwest and Mountain states produce a large portion of the country’s malt needed for brewing and Mother Nature was not kind to them this year.

The three states that make up the bulk of the nation’s supply were hit hard with bad weather and brewers said it could mean the price of grain will shoot way up.

And without grain or hops, there is no beer.

1. Ohio fails to pass bigger beer bill

The biggest story of the year is also one of the most bitter.

A group of Ohio legislators tried to pass a bill allowing Buckeye brewers to make stronger beer.

Unfortunately, the bill — HB 391 — failed to make it out of committee and never got a shot at vote.

The bill would have increased the allowable ABV cap on beer to rise from 12 percent to 21 percent ABV.

Ohio brewers would be able to brew and sell the stronger beer in the first year after passage, but out of state brewers would have wait to sell their beers for a year.

All is not lost for fans that would like to see the cap lifted.

Tri-State legislators have vowed to reintroduce the bipartisan bill in hopes that a renewed push will finally get the bill to the governor’s desk.

For more on HB 391, click here for the complete story.

For the latest Cincinnati beer news and entertainment, go to wcpo.com/beer or follow Jesse on Twitter at @wcpojesse .

You can take part in the conversation at our #9beer Facebook page too!

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North Carolina Cuts Film Incentives To $10M Per Year

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Photo: Filming of Iron Man 3

North Carolina will offer up to $10 million a year until 2020 to encourage video production companies to film in the state, as part of the new incentives package going into effect today.

The state’s new grant program will give preference to filmmakers who use “economically distressed” locations or show attractions that could promote tourism to the state, according to guidelines drafted by the N.C. Film Office.

Film industry promoters asked state lawmakers this year to extend the state’s 25 percent credit for production companies, an incentive that gave out $61.2 million in credits in 2013, and now say interest in filming in the state has dropped as a result of the new plan, the Raleigh News Observer reported.

Production companies said incentives encouraged them to film movies such as the Hunger Games and Ironman 3, and TV shows such as Homeland and Eastbound Down in the state.

Under the new program and under guidelines drafted by the state film office, productions determined “obscene” or “harmful to minors” will be ineligible for grants, grant applications must show how many cast and crew members are permanent North Carolina residents, and applications will be judged by whether they leave permanent infrastructure improvements.

The film office is taking feedback on the preliminary guidelines until Jan. 23. The program will start Jan. 26.

This and a total of 21 laws or provisions of laws go into effect today. They include:

Firefighters Are Subject To Criminal Background Checks

Current paid or volunteer firefighters are now subject to criminal background checks. Until today, only applicants to fire departments were subject to background checks. The same law calls on the Department of Public Safety to create an urban search and rescue program of teams located across the state to be prepared to help removing trapped victims from collapsed structures, trench excavations or other technical rescue situations.

Mandatory Retirement For Magistrates

Magistrate judges, which have many of the same duties as judges in civil and criminal courts, are now required to retire at the same age as judges: 72.

Pension Spiking Prevention

State agencies are barred from using the state retirement system to boost the pensions of top officials when they finish their careers.

State Reps. Jeff Collin (R-Rocky Mount) and Stephen Ross (R-Burlington) introduced House Bill 1195 this year after a News Observer investigation found four community college presidents whose boards allowed for as much as $92,000 in perks to be converted into salaries, boosting their presidents’ pension payout. The colleges were Cape Fear, Central Piedmont, Sandhills and Wilkes.

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Brochure touts Oriental as tourist destination

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ORIENTAL, N.C. The Oriental Tourism Board hopes that a new promotional brochure that was developed during 2014 brings new visitors to the sailing village in 2015.

The tourist group got help from college students in production of the brochure, which double-sided with eight color panels and overlap. It can unfold with information, photos and a map. It is also capable of having inserts included.

The board had 20,000 copies printed, and distribution began earlier this year throughout Eastern North Carolina, including visitor centers along I-95, ferry sites and on the Outer Banks.

Marsha Paplham, the chairman of the tourist board, has viewed the Oriental landscape for more than a decade after opening Marsha’s Cottage as one of the town’s most popular niche shops.

She credits Carol Mabe, who has worked pro bono on branding and other promotional ideas for the town in the past, as being the key figure in getting the new brochure done.

Mabe, a member of the ECU Board of Trustees, contacted the school of design, and students took it on as an extra credit project.

“They came down, and Carol and Grace Evans and I walked them around,” said Paplham. “We took them places and gave them the essence of what the village is all about. Carol worked with them a tremendous amount.”

She said it was a win-win situation.

“They took from the very beginning, laying it out and coming up with a logo, so it was cool for them in that they were able to take it from beginning to end,” she said. “Most kids in college don’t have a chance to do something like that. It worked out fabulously for us, too.”

Mabe said the logo design holds some key elements about the town in a modern design — dragon, sun and a sail.

“It is young, contemporary and fresh,” Mabe said. “It is a fun logo.”

Mabe, who has extensive professional experience in design and marketing promotions, said the wording on the front was a consensus that came from previous town public meetings on branding.

Although the town is still known as the Sailing Capital of North Carolina, the new brochure sports the phrase, “Where simple pleasures fill your days.”

The phrase and the log are printed atop a photo of fishing vessels in the town harbor.

Paplham said the tourism board wanted a brochure that would stand a test of time for years to come.

“In so many cases people put together brochures and list all the business and other things,” she said. “Well, within two months that is obsolete, because invariably a business is going to close and a new one is going to open.”

So, the objective set forth to the students was a non-time-sensitive guide.

“This brochure is just introducing you to the village of Oriental — what we are, who we are and what we offer,” Paplham said.

She said for special distributions and during events, insert cards will bring visitors up to date on businesses.

“Our concept with the tourism board is once we get you in the village, it is our job as business owners to make sure you are aware of what we have to offer and to give a more personalized directive as how to enjoy our village,” she said.

She said a key message is that coming to Oriental is relaxing. The brochure has no heavy pitch toward a to-do list once you are here.

“It is a fun little place, a beautiful spot on the water and we offer peace and serenity,” she said. “But, we’ve also got sailing, kayaking, camps, beautiful bike routes. We can keep you busy.”

Other tourism board members include Bill Wheeler, Suzanne Gwaltney and Bret Doman. Barb Venturi is the liaison with the town commissioners. The Tourism Board meets the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in town hall.

The ECU design students included Abby Rarig, Sydney Tomer, Daniel Hilsin, Nick Rowlett, Leland Privott, Megan Burns and Anna Selby.

Local photographers included Joel C. Arrington, Kathy Cobb, Charles Garrett and Robert Mabe.

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