Blog

Whether you are getting some sun at the beach, watching the Coca Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway grandstand or enjoying a cool mountain breeze – like I will be this weekend – I hope everyone will have a safe and peaceful holiday weekend. 

State government will be doing its part to help those of you who are traveling over the holiday.  DOT will be suspending road construction along major routes to avoid delays and ease congestion.  The State Highway Patrol will be on alert to keep our roads safe.

And of course, let’s remember the reason for the holiday.  Memorial Day honors the sacrifice of those American men and women who have given their lives in military service.  We must thank them for the country they have built and protected, the freedoms we now enjoy and we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.  We should also remember the thousands of soldiers from North Carolina and across America that are still in harm’s way.

I will be calling on all flags in North Carolina to be flown at half-staff until noon in commemoration of Memorial Day.  If you see a flag flying at half-staff on Monday – take a moment to reflect and give thanks.

Earlier this week, we announced grants to eight small towns across North Carolina to help them revitalize their downtowns.  Downtown is the heart and soul of a community. Revitalize downtown and the community comes to life.

I’ve seen it happen in my hometown of New Bern, where in the 70s downtown didn’t have much more than dusty streets and boarded-up storefronts. But a few people with big ideas saw great potential to breathe new life into New Bern’s downtown and these days New Bern is bustling.

Today I visited Burlington, one of the eight grant award winners.  Burlington’s “Main Street Solutions” grant will help open the Company Shops Market on E. Front St.  Initially the project will create 25 full-time and part-time jobs and 59 construction jobs at a time when jobs are precious.  But those jobs are just the beginning.

The Company Shops Market will be a shot in the arm for downtown Burlington, as it draws more foot traffic and more customers to local businesses – sparking a Main Street renaissance.  In the past several months a dozen or more businesses have opened nearby and the market isn’t even open yet.

That’s the type of small town/small business revitalization I want to see throughout North Carolina.  We are making it happen in eight small towns this week, but I want to continue to invest in Main Streets across the state.

Last year, the federal Recovery act saved teacher jobs all over America, and all over North Carolina, with emergency education aid to the states.  But because the poor economy has persisted and state budgets haven’t recovered fully, states are in danger of losing hundreds of thousands of teachers.

Congress is currently debating the “Education Jobs Fund” that would appropriate $23 billion to help keep those teachers on the job.  While our economy is recovering, we cannot let up on our commitment to our students.  It’s their future that will build a lasting recovery for us all.

Governor Perdue was in Washington this week to tell our delegation this fund would bring over $670 million to North Carolina, supporting 12,500 jobs in local education systems all over our state.  If you want to keep those jobs in North Carolina and keep our recovery on track, then contact your Congressional representative right now and urge their support for the Education Jobs Fund!

Children and adolescents need to play.  More specially, they need active play.  They need to play games, play sports and play outdoors.  Play is not the first word that comes to mind when we think physical activity, but active play is physical activity.  And it is recommended that children and adolescents get 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily. 

However, too few young people are meeting these recommendations.  As a result they are not getting all the benefits that being physically active at the recommended levels brings. Physical activity brings many health benefits; it helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases, type 2 diabetes, overweight and obesity.  Physical activity has also been associated with academic benefits including increased concentration, improved classroom behaviors and better memory.

To meet physical activity recommendations, young people need opportunities to move more everywhere they spend their time.  It will take supportive action from adults all across our state to help young people in North Carolina meet these recommendations.  The after-school programs and partners in North Carolina have heeded the call and have come together to create a set of standards for physical activity in after-school programs.  Released in April 2009, the Move More North Carolina: Recommended Standards for After-School Physical Activity outlines how after-school programs can make physical activity an intentional component of their programs. 

The after-school standards were created by the Move More After-School Collaborative (MMAC) composed of after-school providers, funders and community partners working together to promote more intentional physical activity opportunities for children and youth.  Together, MMAC partners advocate for and support best practices for physical activity in after-school programs.

Many after-school providers from across our state are adopting the voluntary standards. As a result, more young people are getting more daily physical activity.  With over 150,000 youth served by after-school programs in our state, this is an important step to helping young people move more.

To find out more about the Move More After-School Standards and the Move More After-School Collaborative visit: www.MoveMoreAfterSchoolNC.com.

The Move More After-School Standards support Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina, a statewide movement that promotes increased opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity wherever people live, learn, earn, play and pray.  To learn more about Eat Smart, Move More NC visit www.EatSmartMoveMoreNC.com.

Dear Citizens,

A hurricane strikes North Carolina, on average, every three years. The rain, winds, flooding or storm surge associated with these storms have impacted every county in the state.

It has been six years since Hurricanes Frances and Ivan caused massive flooding and mudslides in our mountains. Seven years since Hurricane Isabel caused extensive damage along the coast. And the central part of the state has remained largely unscathed since Hurricane Floyd caused record flooding in 1999.

We all share in the responsibility to be ready for hurricanes, or any other disaster. Every family should have enough food, water and supplies to live on their own for three to seven days. Make plans for where to go if you need to evacuate. Be sure you have supplies and plans for your pets, too.

We don’t know when the next big storm will come, but we do know it will come.

Are you ready?

Be safe.

The creatures living in the North Carolina Zoo’s newest attraction came all the way from Africa to Asheboro.

I’m speaking of the eight lemurs that now call the zoo home. On Friday, I joined my colleagues at the North Carolina Zoo as well as legislators, zoo friends and the media for the official dedication of Lemur Island.

The boulder-filled outcropping loaded with climbing trees and surrounded by water is home to six ring-tailed and two red ruffed lemurs.

Lemurs live only in Madagascar, an island country about the size of California that sits east of Africa. They are the oldest primates, evolving even before monkeys, apes or humans. Like many species, they are endangered as their island home is threatened by rampant deforestation. In bringing them here, we hope people will enjoy them and learn a little about the importance of protecting these rare creatures.

Lemur Island promises to be a big draw, judging from the throng of people who migrated Friday to the zoo’s Africa section for a glimpse of the cute creatures. Perhaps people were drawn to their acrobatics. Lemurs love to entertain, swinging from the trees, wrestling or just grooming each other. Or it may be the fact that lemurs love to socialize and be seen, similar to people.

As I saw the lemurs, I was reminded about what makes the North Carolina Zoo one of the state’s best places to visit. Where else can you travel less than a day and still visit animals from half a world away?   

You can learn more at the North Carolina Zoo’s official website, www.nczoo.org.

Last week, 120 policy, business and education leaders gathered at the Friday Institute on N.C. State’s Centennial Campus for the annual meeting of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE).   NCBCE is a public private partnership within the Office of the Governor that gives business leaders across the state opportunities to support and become involved in public education.  

NCBCE Chair Albert Eckel opened the meeting by identifying the day’s theme: Building Collaboration to Produce a Globally Prepared Student, Teacher and Workforce.  Gov. Perdue spoke about the importance of strong collaboration between business and education.  Her education agenda is focused on one goal: Every child, no matter where he or she lives, must graduate high school with what it really takes to succeed in a career, in college or in technical training.  The Governor stressed the value of working together to make this a reality---in order for North Carolina to continue to thrive.

First Gentleman Bob Eaves thanked NCBCE for partnering with him in the Students@Work initiative which gives middle school students a chance to see what the real world of work requires.  Visit www.governor.state.nc.us/studentsatwork for more information about ways middle school students are connecting their academics with the workplace. 

Meeting participants were asked to identify the most important skills needed for success in the global economy.   As that list of skills was developed, Superintendent June Atkinson facilitated a discussion led by NCBCE members Jeanene Martin (WakeMed) and Francisca Yanez (Inspire).   These experts talked about assessing skills and making employment decisions.

The final panel of the day focused on a few of the successes in North Carolina.  Abel Real, a student at East Carolina University, testified about the ways technology transformed his learning and directed his life.  Abel benefitted from teachers who changed learning environments to better engage students when those students were given laptops in rural Greene County. James Blackwell, a junior at North Carolina Central University described his experience at the Early College High School located on that campus---and what raising expectations for his performance meant to him.  Finally, Hiller Spires talked about the changes in preparing teachers to take advantage of all of the new learning tools that are available.

Prior to leaving the meeting, attendees were asked to help develop action steps for NCBCE by leaving behind their notes on what can be done to help students acquire the skills described.

Convening these leaders and giving them ways to share their expertise will help ensure that education progress continues---and that we prepare every student to succeed.

Check www.ncbce.org to find actions that will be emerging over the next few weeks!

Once again, North Carolina’s commitment to our youngest citizens has been recognized nationally.  The recent State of Preschool 2009 report of the National Institute for Early Education Research, the preeminent research institute for early education in the nation, ranks North Carolina as one of the top 10 states for preschool education. 

Our state has long been a leader in quality initiatives in services to young children, and of particular note is the fact that North Carolina was one of only 2 states that met all 10 quality standards benchmarks in this survey.  

The report also shows that North Carolina ranked 11th on funding per child and 17th on percentage of 4-year-olds enrolled.  The Governor’s Career and College: Ready, Set, Go initiative builds on our tradition of excellence and seeks to strengthen our system of services to ensure that all our young children are healthy and ready to learn when they go to school.

I recently attended an awards ceremony at Monarch in Craven County. Monarch’s volunteers totaled 3500 hours of community service. Monarch is a nonprofit organization supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental illness and substance abuse issues. Monarch was started back in 1958 and has experienced tremendous growth in the last decade.

Supporting over 3,500 people in 44 counties across North Carolina, the agency offers services for those with residential and vocational needs as well as offering mental health options. They work with individuals and their families to identify and overcome barriers to reaching their dreams. Whatever it is, the folks at Monarch will stop at nothing to help dreams take flight. Everyone is welcome as part of the Monarch Family – they are here to help people of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds.

Region 6, based in New Bern, supports individuals in Craven, Carteret, Jones, Pamlico, Pitt, Edgecombe, Nash and Beaufort counties. They offer 2 day activity programs, vocational rehabilitation, supported employment and residential living in these areas.

Monarch and its volunteers provide an invaluable service to the citizens of North Carolina. They allow the forgotten citizens of our State a chance at life that the rest of us take for granted every day. The services they provide allow dreams to truly take flight.

When every citizen flourishes in life we all produce a better North Carolina.

To find out more please visit www.MONARCHNC.org.

Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting the new Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Earl Gohl, on a tour of ARC funded projects in western North Carolina.  Mr. Gohl was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March of 2010, to lead the ARC, which is a federal, state and local partnership that was created by Congress in the 1960’s to foster sustainable community and economic development in Appalachia.  During the tour we were able to witness firsthand how federal dollars are being invested in North Carolina to improve the lives of Appalachian families. 

Our first stop was the Blue Ridge Food Ventures Kitchen Incubator located at the A-B Technical Community College.  There we met several entrepreneurs who are growing their food based businesses despite these hard economic times. The facility houses four primary production areas, including a full-scale commercial kitchen, a dry product prep room and bakery, a natural products food processing area, and a refrigerated food preparation room.  ARC invested $157,500 in this project, which has created 60 small businesses since 2005. 

Then, we visited the construction site of the WNC Regional Livestock Market.  This market is important to the farming economy of western North Carolina due to the fact that raising livestock has the potential to replace the loss of tobacco income on family farms. When the market is completed, it will be used by over 3,000 livestock producers from 18 counties as a venue for selling livestock and training farmers in new agriculture technologies and practices.  ARC provided a $200,000 grant to WNC Communities, Inc. to help equip this facility.

Our next stop brought us to FLS Energy’s solar farm in Clyde, NC.  We were able to see how vital access to financial capital is for a growing small business.  ARC has invested $697,000 in the Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF) since 2007.  FLS used NCIF's financing, provided by an ARC grant, to fund a portion of the design work for the solar farm.  Part of FLS’s mission is to support the local workforce and a way to accomplish this is to partner with a local non-profit, Asheville GO.  Asheville GO is a non-profit that trains and places individuals in green collar jobs.  During this site visit we were also able to meet one of the participants from Asheville GO, who now has a fulltime job with FLS and was heavily involved in the installation of the solar panels.

We then visited Smoky Mountain High School and participated in a demonstration of the WNC Education Network (WNC EdNet) fiber ring by joining a geometry class in session in Macon County from a classroom in Jackson County. The ARC invested $747,500 in the WNC EdNET, which is a partnership to use high speed, high capacity broadband infrastructure to aid teaching and learning in education institutions in the six western-most counties of the state.  We talked to several high school students and we learned that the availability to access high speed internet has made a difference in their educational experiences. 

After our visit at the high school, we met with local leaders to learn about how local governments are working together to plan for a better future through the Mountain Landscape Initiative.  The ARC provided a $52,000 grant for this very unique public planning project that produced a “Tool Box” of best practices for planning and development in the mountain region.  It has allowed this portion of western North Carolina to jointly prepare for their future growth and development. 

Next on our tour was a visit to downtown Bakersville and we were fortunate to see a thriving small town.  We met with Becky Anderson, former Executive Director of Handmade in America and current Mitchell County Economic Developer, to learn how small towns in Appalachia stay competitive.  Over $1,000,000 in ARC funding has been used to help support Handmade in America’s work and we were able to see the fruit of that work firsthand.

After our visit to Bakersville, we visited Mountain Heritage High School in Burnsville and talked with a group of high school students about their future plans after high school.  This high school receives assistance from the Western North Carolina Network for Access and Success, which is an ARC funded project that partners with three western NC branches of the university system to boost college going among students in the Appalachian counties.  The ARC has provided over $648,000 in support for this project. We learned how this program has affected the students desire to earn more than a high school diploma.   

We concluded the trip in Madison County touring a “Wind of Schools" project at Madison High School and saw how a demonstration wind turbine was being used in the classroom.  ARC invested $75,000 in this demonstration project where four small wind turbines have been installed at Madison County Public School sites and at the Madison County Cooperative Extension Service. Teachers at the schools are implementing curriculum to provide scientific and economic education about wind power.  We were able to see the curriculum being taught in the freshman earth science class.

From all of the sites we visited we not only saw that jobs are being created in North Carolina but we saw that the future for the youth is very bright in Appalachia.  For more information on the ARC program in North Carolina, please visit, www.nccommerce.com/arc.

ARC Chief of Staff, Guy Land, Entrepreneur Tom Gallo, and ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl