Poll: Southerners OK with federal help, even more OK with help for jobs

A new poll shows that people in the section of the country that has historically been more interested in states' sovereignty wishes the federal government would do more about job losses and the economy.

The Winthrop Poll of 866 respondents in 11 Southern states found the economy was the top concern of four in 10 - the same share of people who said they were concerned about losing their job, according to the AP.

Overall, the economy was the biggest worry for 39 percent of the Southerners, followed by health care and unemployment at 12 percent each. Meanwhile, 38 percent said they were somewhat concerned or very concerned about possibly losing their jobs during the next year. ...

The poll found abundant finger-pointing for the economic mess as nearly three-quarters of the respondents said banks and financial institutions took unnecessary risks and shouldered a "good amount" or "great deal" of the blame. The same percentage blamed economic problems on consumers for taking on too much debt and big businesses for poor management decisions.

Getting out of the nation's financial mess is something the government should take the lead on, the poll respondents overwhelmingly said.

Nearly 72 percent said they favored new government programs to create jobs. Meanwhile, 63 percent said the federal government needs to give aid to states in serious financial trouble. Those positions were strongest among Democrats and independents, while Republicans were narrowly opposed.

Nonetheless, nearly 58 percent of the Southerners polled said the current federal stimulus efforts were making things worse or having no effect. ...

The Winthrop Poll also found a sizable number of people who weren't decided on a national health care overhaul, the nation's biggest ongoing political and policy debate. Southerners were asked if they'd call on their federal legislators to vote for or against the legislation. Just under a third said they would encourage a vote for the bill and 42 percent said they'd encourage a vote against it. ...

The Winthrop Poll involved randomly dialed land and cellular telephone interviews with 886 people 18 and older in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The interviews were conducted between Oct. 24 and Nov. 7. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.

The Parkway at 75: Asheville almost didn't get route

The Citizen-Times is doing a series on the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This first article looks at how Asheville -- the unofficial capital of Western N.C. -- almost didn't get a route to the scenic drive.


"It is hard to imagine Asheville without the Blue Ridge Parkway.

"For most visitors and locals, it seems as though the 469-mile road has always wound through the mountains of Western North Carolina, providing stunning views and access to miles of hiking. ...

"It was a very real possibility that the Blue Ridge Parkway could have bypassed much of Western North Carolina, dipping into the state and passing through Blowing Rock and Linville before heading into Tennessee and terminating at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

"It was the hard lobbying of Asheville's tourism boosters, including the chamber of commerce and the newspaper, the Asheville Citizen, state highway officials and well-connected politicians that persuaded federal officials to choose the high-mountain route through Asheville and points west before ending in the Smokies. ...

"As the Blue Ridge Parkway prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2010, it is important to remember that the parkway was not always a done deal, said Dan Brown, former superintendent of the parkway and president of Blue Ridge Parkway 75 Inc., the organization heading up anniversary activities. ..."

WRAL explores the 'Devil's Tramping Ground'

I've noted before my childhood love of North Carolina's wild and varied ghost stories and general spookiness. One of my favorites has always been the "Devil's Tramping Ground" in Chatham County.

A couple of years ago I described it as the place where "Old Beelzebub himself apparently does his nightly planning here by walking in a circle. (A circle that never disappears!!!)"

My friend Chris took some video of the place back then; now WRAL has joined in with its "Tar Heel Traveler" series.

Quick hits: Avetts to close out MerleFest and 'Mockingbird' actress dies in Highlands

Avett Brothers to close out MerleFest
The Avett Brothers announced via email last night that their only North Carolina performance of the first six months of 2010 (they're doing a New Year's Eve show in Asheville, of course) will be as the closing act of MerleFest on May 2nd (at around 3:30 p.m.)


"We have attended MerleFest, as fans and as performers, since 1994," says the Avetts. "There is not a finer or more welcoming music festival in the country. Those who make their way to Wilkes Community College for the event this year will find, as they would any year, a sincere and friendly place where the music is as colorful and beautiful as the North Carolina countryside that leads them there. MerleFest offers four days of absolute quality for the music-loving family. For us, in terms of performance, it is very much like coming home."



'To Kill a Mockinbird' actress dies in Highlands "Actress Collin Wilcox-Paxton, who portrayed the false accuser in the movie classic 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' died of brain cancer just months after the diagnosis. She was 74," according to the AP.

"Her husband, Scott Paxton, confirmed Thursday that she died Oct. 14 in Highlands in the southwest part of the state. No funeral was held. Instead, the family held a service before her death.

" 'It's pretty special being at your own memorial,' said her husband of more than 30 years.

"She was diagnosed Aug. 11 with three brain tumors, he said.

"The actress played Mayella Ewell in the movie based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer-winning novel. Her role as the young white woman who accuses a black man of beating and raping her in her home was brief but memorable. ...

"Her roles in the 1990s included television series and movies that were filmed near her hometown in the North Carolina mountains. They included 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,' which director Clint Eastwood filmed in Savannah, Ga., and the inspirational TV series 'Christy,' about a teacher in the early 1900s in remote Appalachia. ..."

UK mayor to dig for Lost Colony roots

From the North Devon (UK) Gazette ...

THE search for links between Bideford and the earliest American settlers will take the town's Mayor, Cllr Andy Powell, to North Carolina next month.

Mr Powell is planning to join high profile archaeologist Professor Mark Horton, one of the team from the television series Coast, and a small group of Americans on a series of exploratory digs on the outer banks region of North Carolina. ...

Aim of the North Carolina project is to establish whether Bidefordians were among the founding fathers of America.

It is believed some could have been among the Lost Colonists who landed on Roanoke Island in the 1580s- more than 30 years before the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from Plymouth.

The 117 men, women and children disappeared, but it is hoped to establish that they did not perish, but moved on to live with the local native American tribes to become the first permanent settlers of the continent.

In collaboration with an American research group, next month's test digs will examine areas where artefacts have been discovered, including what appear to be Elizabethan bricks - known to have been used as ballast in the ships of colonists - pieces of pottery and even parts of what could be an Elizabethan ship. ...

Through genealogy and modern DNA testing it is also hoped to establish links between people from Bideford and families in America that can be traced back to this era.

After publication of a list of the Lost Colonists' names earlier this year, Barnstaple businessman Philip Milton became the first local person to have his DNA tested.

Although several matches were found with Americans, genealogical research has not yet been able to take these as far back in time as the Lost Colony.

Five other families whose names might fit with the list had now also come forward, said Mr Powell. DNA test kits had been sent for from a laboratory in Texas, which would also test them.

ECU to open dental clinics in Ahoskie, EC and Sylva

East Carolina's somewhat controversial dental school is slated to open in 2011. Until then, the university will place dental clinics in three locations in the state in order to increase access to dental care in North Carolina.

The three locations will be in Elizabeth City, Ahoskie and Sylva, according to reports.

North Carolina's ratio of dentists to the population is below the national average. Four counties don't have dentists at all, and dentists in five more counties are close to retirement.

Appropriate: NASCAR Hall's first class has N.C. feel

It only makes sense that NASCAR's intitial Hall of Fame class would have a decidedly North Carolina feel to it.

After 60 years of racing, months of speculation and a final, spirited discussion among voters, the five men named Wednesday as the first inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame – Bill France Sr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Jr. and Junior Johnson – came as no surprise [said the Charlotte Observer].

The sport's founding father and his son (the Frances), the sport's all-time winningest driver and seven-time champion (Petty), another seven-time champion (Earnhardt) and one of the most successful driver/owners ever (Johnson) will be inducted into the new uptown Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010.

Petty is the pride of Randleman and Randolph County; a statue of Earnhardt stands sentinel over Kannapolis; and Johnson ran 'shine in the N.C. hills before running to greatness in the sport.

The building that will house the hall is owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

The $195 million hall will feature a theater, NASCAR memorabilia and interactive exhibits. The city is paying for most of the building construction through a hotel/motel tax. The rest of the funding comes from bank loans backed by sponsorships and sales of commemorative bricks.

It is scheduled to open in May.

Fore more, check out these Observer profiles:

-Petty

-Earnhardt

-Johnson

(For some enjoyable reading -- and fantastic reporting -- check out Tom Wolfe's profile on Johnson from the 1965 issue of Esquire.)

N.C.-originated Carlyle to close

The signs are up at Carlyle & Co., the jewelry store chain that started in Greensboro in the 1920s: its days are numbered.

The restructuring firm that owns Carlyle & Co. Jewelers will close all 34 of the high-end stores in 10 states, including three in the Triad [says the News & Record].

The move will end an enterprise that had its beginning with a single store in Greensboro in 1922 .

Employees of what was once a family-operated chain with more than $100 million in annual sales said they had seen the end coming after the onset of the recession.

This is a sad thing to see. My sister once worked at a Carlyle in Greenville and still has fond memories of it. I bought my wife's engagement ring there; we'll have to find somewhere else to get it cleaned from now on, I reckon. We've even become friends with folks who work there.

And while I always hated the fact that this company sponsored an all-sports trophy between UNC and Duke (choosing to leave out N.C. State, Wake Forest and other N.C. schools and/or believing that people actually care about such a thing), I am still sad to see this most North Carolina of companies close.

Quick hits: Map of waterfalls & Charleston market to get face lift

New map is out on Western N.C. waterfalls
"Larry Odoski had become adept at answering outdoors questions.

"As the proprietor of Outdoor Paths, a map and guidebook shop in Black Mountain for several years before closing last year, Odoski answered constant questions, such as 'What's the name of that mountain?' 'How do I get to the Blue Ridge Parkway?' and 'Where can I go hiking?'

" But by far the most popular question was: 'Where are the waterfalls?'" says the Asheville Citizen-Times.

“ 'People were always asking where they could find waterfalls and which was the closest waterfall,' Odoski said. 'That's why a lot of people come to Western North Carolina — to see the waterfalls. I just listened to what people wanted and decided to make a map for them.'

" The result — about a year in the making — is the 'Waterfalls of North Carolina' map, produced by Odoski's Outdoors Paths Publishing company. The 26-by-28-inch topographic map shows the location of 301 waterfalls on one side of the map, which is printed on waterproof, tear-proof paper. ..."



Historic Charleston market to get upgrades, repairs
"Charleston's open air City Market, one of the most popular visitor attractions in South Carolina, is getting a $5 million face-lift, city officials said Tuesday," according to the AP.

"Millions of visitors come to the market each year to buy everything from sweetgrass baskets and local art to jewelry and regional foods.

" 'Few visitors to Charleston would consider a visit to Charleston complete if they don't come to the City Market,' said Mayor Joseph Riley. 'We want to make sure our local citizens see this as a personal treasure for them as well.'

"Work begins in January on repairing roofs, painting, repointing brick, adding signs and other upgrades to the existing market buildings which date to the early 1800s and were last improved more than 35 years ago. ..."

Report: N.C. top place in America to build data center

Rick Smith over at The Skinny reports that the state of North Carolina is the place in the United States for a company to locate a new data center, says a new report from consulting firm Tishman Technologies.

The New York company notes that the U.S. is the second best country in the global market for data centers due to a variety of factors. Iceland is ranked first.

North Carolina is ranked first ahead of Tennessee.

“There is an overwhelming shift in the business world today to build data centers in the most economically efficient locations in the world because the means and technology to do so exist now more than ever before, and the economic pressures to keep operating costs contained are formidable,” said Ronald Bowman, Jr., author of “The Green Guide to Power: Thinking Outside the Grid” and “Business Continuity Planning: A Strategic Implementation Guide,” the guy who wrote the report.

Iceland ranked first due to low energy costs and free cooling, while America ranked second because of low energy costs, favorable labor and fiber optics.

The rest of the top 10:

3. China
4. Latvia
5. India
6. Russia
7. Canada
8. Japan
9. New Zealand
10. United Arab Emirates

More worry that BofA may leave the Queen City

It was alluded to before that with the loss of Ken Lewis as CEO, Charlotte-based Bank of America may just pick up and leave in the not-so-distant future. The Charlotte Observer today has a more in-depth look at how this concern is being viewed in Charlotte.

"Some bank insiders worry that the new commander might be less committed to keeping the base here. They fear that the corporate offices could be uprooted to New York or Boston or another city, perhaps because the new CEO wants to make a dramatic statement of change - or because the person simply doesn't want to live here," says the paper.

"Charlotte and state leaders say they're determined to keep the hometown bank in its hometown, especially after losing Wachovia's headquarters last year. Gov. Bev Perdue has been talking with bank officials, shareholders and community leaders about the bank's future since Lewis announced two weeks ago that he plans to retire by year's end, Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said."

According to the Observer, BofA employs some 15,000 people in Charlotte, not counting a number of smaller businesses. The bank is, in short, "the sole reason that Charlotte can still claim to be the country's No. 2 banking center, a title that has defined it for years."

U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, a Charlotte Democrat and member of the House Financial Services Committee, said he hasn't heard anything about Bank of America leaving beyond the concerns of local city leaders - worries he attributed to insecurities from the Queen City.

He said the concerns might say more about Charlotte than about Bank of America.

"It's a reflection of how we sometimes view ourselves as a city - the poor little Southern victim," he said. "We forget the advantages Charlotte has. ... We just have to get over the victim mentality."

For most of this decade, Charlotte has worried that the bank would move to New York, the home to most of its big-bank peers. In 1998, the concern was over a switch to the West Coast, when the bank - then called NationsBank - bought BankAmerica in San Francisco.

...

Some experts said that a new Bank of America CEO might want to move the headquarters to make a statement - perhaps to signal that the bank is shutting the door on a troubled year and a half. Or the new leader might want to signal that the bank is not just a consumer bank, but a bona fide Wall Street firm, especially after its Jan. 1 purchase of Merrill Lynch.

...

On Tuesday night, The Wall Street Journal reported that the bank had hired search firm Russell Reynolds Associates Inc. to assist in the CEO search - which could be a signal that the new leader is more likely to come from outside the bank.