Watauga's Blog

Green Park Inn closed indefinitely

2009-05-22T14:57:00.001-04:00

BLOWING ROCK-The hand-printed sign on the front door of the Green Park Inn tells visitors that the hotel will be closed for repairs until June 1. The truth is that the historic western North Carolina inn may be closed for a lot longer.�

'Goodbye Solo' comes to the High Country

2009-05-22T14:38:00.005-04:00

A critically acclaimed film partially shot in Blowing Rock is coming to the High Country in June.

“Goodbye Solo” will premiere at the DragonFly Theater on June 12 and open for a single showing at the Hayes Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, June 16 at 7 p.m.

Goodbye Solo, written and directed by Ramin Bahrani, tells the tale of Solo, a Senegalese taxi driver in Winston-Salem.

Gas Price Hike

2008-09-12T13:01:00.003-04:00

Share your news about the latest gas-price hike that has blown in on the winds of Hurricane Ike. What's the price of gas in your community?

Please, only post information that you have personally observed — please avoid rumor-mongering.

Part one: Assembly hopefuls debate for Kiwanis

2008-08-21T16:02:00.001-04:00

Candidates for the N.C. District 93 House of Representatives seat squared off at the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center in Boone at a Tuesday debate hosted by the Boone Kiwanis Club.

County, Boone meet in joint session

2008-08-21T15:52:00.001-04:00

The Boone Town Council and Watauga County Board of Commissioners held a joint meeting to discuss water, sewer and recreation issues Wednesday afternoon.

Senior Center keeps rolling

2008-08-21T15:50:00.001-04:00

The Lois E. Harrill Senior Center will commemorate 30 years of serving the community with a party open to the public Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Boone explores changing water-conservation ordinance

2008-08-21T15:44:00.001-04:00

The town of Boone has been racking its collective brain, trying to decide what to do about the problem of water shortage since Boone is considered to be in an extreme drought.

Boone Police reports

2008-08-21T15:40:00.000-04:00

August 12 — Larceny was reported at 8:43 a.m. on the 100 block of Hardin Street. A cedar wood sign was reported stolen.

Family Resource Center celebrates new home

2008-08-21T15:37:00.001-04:00

The big day finally arrived for three of the High Country’s well-known non-profit agencies with the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Family Resource Center on Wednesday.

Lawsuit against Blowing Rock under way

2008-08-21T15:34:00.001-04:00

A civil trial is under way in a lawsuit against the town of Blowing Rock. The lawsuit was filed by Robert Cobb, father of the 12-year-old girl who fell at Glen Burney Falls in August 2004.

Last call for mixed-drink Prohibition

2008-08-20T10:21:00.001-04:00

Boone voters overwhelmingly tipped up the electoral glass Tuesday, approving mixed-drink sales within the town limits by a tally of 1,106-408.

Early voting poured in 704 votes with 520 of those in favor of the measure which had already passed to the referendum stage by way of a town council vote.

The Class of 2012

2008-08-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Beloit, Wis. — This month, almost 2 million first-year students will head off to college campuses around the country. Most of them will be about 18 years old, born in 1990 when headlines sounded oddly familiar to those of today: Rising fuel costs were causing airlines to cut staff and flight schedules; Big Three car companies were facing declining sales and profits; and a president named Bush was increasing the number of troops in the Middle East in the hopes of securing peace. However, the mindset of this new generation of college students is quite different from that of the faculty about to prepare them to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Each August for the past 11 years, Beloit College in Beloit, Wis., has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college.
It is the creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief. The List is shared with faculty and with thousands who request it each year as the school year begins, as a reminder of the rapidly changing frame of reference for
this new generation.

The class of 2012 has grown up in an era where computers and rapid communication are the norm, and colleges no longer trumpet the fact that residence halls are “wired” and equipped with the latest hardware.
These students will hardly recognize the availability of telephones in their rooms since they have seldom utilized landlines during their
adolescence. They will continue to live on their cell phones and communicate via texting. Roommates, few of whom have ever shared a
bedroom, have already checked out each other on Facebook where they have shared their most personal thoughts with the whole world.
It is a multicultural, politically correct and “green” generation that has hardly noticed the threats to their privacy and has never feared the Russians and the Warsaw Pact.

Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally
born in 1990.

For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray
Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.

1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch
team.
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying
people at parties.
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
6. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same
bottle.
7. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
8. Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard
George Bush announce “tax revenue increases.”
9. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
10. Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school
fashion scene.
11. All have had a relative--or known about a friend's relative--who
died comfortably at home with Hospice.
12. As a precursor to “whatever,” they have recognized that some
people “just don’t get it.”
13. Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in
Orlando.
14. Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
15. Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
16. Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole
family.
18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
19. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
20. The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was
for their parents.
21. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote.”
22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
23. Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
24. We have always known that “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I
Learned in Kindergarten.”
25. There have always been gay rabbis.
26. Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
27. College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
28. IBM has never made typewriters.
29. Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem
again.
30. McDonald’s and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for
cooking french fries.
31. They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber
Crayola.
32. There has always been Pearl Jam.
33. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started
at 11:35 EST.
34. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
35. They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium.
36. They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the
crib.
37. Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican
border.
38. Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.
39. Employers have always been able to do credit checks on
employees.
40. Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
41. Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.
42. Their parents may have watched The American Gladiators on TV the
day they were born.
43. Personal privacy has always been threatened.
44. Caller ID has always been available on phones.
45. Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
46. The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting
quarterback.
47. They never heard an attendant ask “Want me to check under the
hood?”
48. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
49. Soft drink refills have always been free.
50. They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a
show about “nothing.”
51. Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year
they were born.
52. Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
53. The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily
ration of rum.
54. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the
heavens.
55. 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
56. Michael Millken has always been a philanthropist promoting
prostate cancer research.
57. Off-shore oil drilling in the United States has always been
prohibited.
58. Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of
public issues.
59. There have always been charter schools.
60. Students always had Goosebumps.

Undercover sting led to arrest of former BPD officer

2008-08-05T15:41:00.000-04:00

Warning: The following article contains material some readers may find sexually explicit. More information has become available in a state child-pornography investigation involving a former Boone police officer.

It's That Time

2008-08-05T14:43:00.000-04:00

Photo by Dawn Shumate

Fire on the Mountain

2008-07-30T09:11:00.003-04:00

Dave Combs took these photos on Howard's Knob Saturday during the concluding celebration of An Appalachian Summer Festival .

BFD battles back-to-back blazes

2008-07-29T17:27:00.002-04:00

View Larger Map

The Boone Fire Department was busy Monday night and Tuesday morning as firefighters battled two back-to-back blazes. Photo by Melanie Davis

WHS grad takes top poster prize

2008-07-29T17:24:00.001-04:00

A local student has won a national graphic design contest. Nick Callahan, a 2008 graduate of Watauta High School, took a top prize in the 2008 Adobe School Innovation Awards.

Community garden continues to bloom

2008-07-29T17:23:00.001-04:00

If members grew from seeds, then the Leola Street Community Garden could boast a year to beat all others.

Watauga court reports

2008-07-29T17:21:00.001-04:00

July 16 —Jared William Pardue, 28, of 376 Marbel School Road, Zionville, pleaded guilty to reckless driving to endanger. A charge of improper passing on the right was dismissed.

Watauga sheriff’s reports

2008-07-29T17:20:00.001-04:00

Breaking and entering and larceny were reported on the 100 block of One Lone Lane in Boone. The residence was forcibly entering and a laptop computer and an acoustic guitar were reported stolen.

WMC’s Boone cancer unit showcases new technology

2008-07-29T17:19:00.001-04:00

The Watauga Medical Center showcased a new linear accelerator for the Seby B. Jones Cancer Center in an open house Saturday.

Two Charlotte men arrested on cocaine charges

2008-07-29T17:17:00.000-04:00

A joint investigation between the Boone Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation led to the seizure of nearly three quarters of a pound of cocaine and the arrests of two Charlotte men.

Watauga sheriff’s reports

2008-07-28T16:03:00.000-04:00

July 14 — Curtis Edwin Leyshon, 51, of 915 N. Pine Run Road, Boone, was arrested on view on charges of disorderly conduct in a public building, littering and resisting a public officer.

Town council tapes into bond process for water intake

2008-07-28T15:00:00.005-04:00

The Boone Town Council has opened the flood gates on financing for a new raw water intake, seeking approval for a $25 million bond referendum from the Local Government Commission (LGC).

ARDI annual summitt focuses on creativity in local business

2008-07-28T15:00:00.004-04:00

The eighth annual Appalachian Regional Development Institute Leadership Summit will challenge people’s creative sides.

Watauga County court reports

2008-07-28T15:00:00.003-04:00

July 14 — Donald Thomas Ball, 47, of 1024 Monmouth Ave., Durham, was found guilty of speeding and driving while impaired. He was sentenced with 30 days in jail, suspended, 12 months unsupervised probation, 24 hours of community service to be completed within 60 days and assessed a $100 fine and court costs.

Wildlife Federation hatches Boone branch

2008-07-28T15:00:00.002-04:00

The non-profit North Carolina Wildlife Federation is organizing a new Boone-area wildlife chapter to take action for wildlife and its habitat.

Ex-presidential candidate stops in Boone

2008-07-28T15:00:00.001-04:00

Former Republican presidential candidate and Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul spoke Friday at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center to a crowd of dedicated fans and supporters about what he called his continued campaign for liberty.

Sale tax holiday comes early

2008-07-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

North Carolina’s back-to-school, tax-free weekend comes early this year, basically giving a seven-percent discount for those bracing for the Aug. 7 opening date for Watauga County schools.

Boone director’s work makes DVD list

2008-07-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

Boone filmmaker Gary Wheeler's “The List” is available on DVD and the writer-director is turning his attention to new projects.

Paws for Bargains

2008-07-27T17:44:00.001-04:00

Hundreds of bargain hunters "stormed" the Boone National Guard Armory Friday and Saturday to help the Watauga Humane Society's rummage sale.

We're Back (at least as a temp home)

2008-07-27T16:05:00.000-04:00

WataugaBuzz is now the online community for the Watauga Democrat. Although we will be revamping our blogging and forum capabilities, this BlogSpot space will serve nicely as our temporary blog home so keep those comments coming and play nice.