Tag Archives: north carolina

In NC Hotels You Have to Make Like Lucy and Desi

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Those of you who have never seen I Love Lucy re-runs won't know what the title of this post is referencing, so just keep in mind that during the early days of TV married couples were always depicted as sleeping in separate twin beds. Apparently here in North Carolina they want to keep that tradition alive, because according to this list of stupid laws in each American state:

In North Carolina "All couples staying overnight in a hotel must have a room with double beds that are at least two feet apart." 

Governor’s Volunteer Service Award

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Remember a couple of months back how I wrote, incessantly some would say, about the Labor of Love project the Triad Apartment Association (my day job) was doing at The Children's Home?  Well, the folks at The Children's Home were kind enough to nominate us for a Governor's Volunteer Service Award and a bunch of us will be attending a breakfast for the Forsyth County nominees on April 29.  The project was highly rewarding in its own right, but the award process is very exciting too.  We're very grateful to the folks at The Children's Home for nominating us and hopefully we'll do them proud!

Census Response Rate Map – Forsyth County’s Response Better Than Guilford’s

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If you're interested in how many people are actually sending in their completed 2010 Census forms there's a handy-dandy map to use right here. FYI, 16% of US citizens have sent the forms in so far, but in NC only 10% have done so.  In 2000 72% of US citizens completed the Census when all was said and done, and 66% of North Carolinians did so it looks like we're keeping to our underachieving ways.

FYI, according to the map Forsyth County's response rate is currently 15% while Guilford County's is 13%, Mecklenburg County's is 12% and Wake County's is a paltry 4%.

The $9 Million (Other) Woman

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Did you know that in North Carolina you can sue the other woman (or man) if your spouse is cheating on you?  Believe it or not you can, and it can even work.  A woman just won a $9 million verdict against the younger woman with whom her husband was fooling around.  From the story:

On Tuesday , a jury awarded Cynthia Shackelford  money for alienation of affections, criminal conversation (legal speak for adultery) and intentionally or recklessly causing severe emotional distress.

North Carolina remains one of a few states that allow someone to sue the person who interferes in a marriage — called alienation of affection. More than 200  such cases are filed statewide in an average year, according to the Rosen  law firm in Raleigh.

Shackelford, 60 , now of Raleigh , sued Lundquist in 2007 , charging that the younger woman’s affair with her husband ruined their marriage.

Planning Board Meetings Could Get a Lot More Interesting

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This post at the NC Legal Landscapes blog has me thinking that when development starts to pick up again we could be in for some far more interesting planning board meetings. (Granted I might be dead and buried by the time development starts to kick into gear, but that's another story).  An excerpt:

When the economy returns, when developers begin to develop and builders begin to build, local governments will wake up to fair housing legislation passed last August.  The bill created legislative handcuffs that will affect affordable housing zoning and land use decisions in interesting ways, and you won’t need to see Paul Revere’s lanterns hanging in the church belfry to tell you that the lawsuits are coming…

Under G.S. 41A-5(a)(3), a local government will be found to have intended discrimination against affordable housing if “the government was motivated in full, or in any part at all, by the fact that the development contains affordable housing units . . .”

If I were a city or county attorney advising my board, that language would make me nervous.

The way the author, Tom Terrell, goes on to explain the situation it seems to me that planning boards and other land use governmental bodies will need to be very concerned about how they discuss a project.  In essence if the governmental body denies a zoning for a project for any legitimate reason like, say, density yet any one board member even appears to dislike the project simply because the project contains an affordable housing component, even if it's a small part of the project, then the developer can sue the board for discrimination.  Simply put the implied bias of one member on a nine member board, even a board that voted unanimously, that votes down a project that is even 10% affordable housing could be sued, probably successfully, for discrimination even if the discrimination had no real impact on the decision.

Yep, it's a safe bet that members of the boards and commissions will be much more circumspect during their debates.  If they're not I imagine there are going to be quite a few attorneys either hitting the bottle or looking for another line of practice.  Divorces probably look mundane by comparison.

Radio Talk Show Host to Run Against Foxx

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From a press release received this afternoon:

Billy Kennedy, a Watauga County talk radio host and community leader, will formally announce his candidacy on February 8 for the U.S. House of Representatives, 5th District of North Carolina. The “Billy Kennedy Caravan” will stretch from Boone to Raleigh that day, with stops in Wilkesboro and Winston-Salem…

Billy Kennedy is a well known Friday morning personality on WATA-AM 1450 “High Country Radio,” where he has co-hosted “Watauga Talks” for several years. Kennedy has turned the “Watauga Talks” spotlight onto the work of non-profits, charitable organizations and community-building efforts. He regularly interviews both elected officials and candidates running for office. Kennedy is known for his willingness to confront tough issues and ask hard questions… 

Kennedy believes Washington is out of touch with working peoples’ lives and values. “My father always taught me to stand up for what was right and fair,” says Kennedy. “I see very little of what is right and fair on either side of the aisle in Washington.”

Here's his website: http://www.billykennedyforcongress.com/

Burning Bibles

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The news really is the greatest source of entertainment.  Exhibit A is a pastor in North Carolina who's going to lead a Bible burning on Halloween:

Pastor Marc Grizzard told Asheville TV station WLOS that the King James version of the Bible is the only one his small western North Carolina church follows.

He said all other versions, such as the Living Bible, are "satanic" and "perversions" of God's word.

On Halloween night, Grizzard and the 14 members of the Amazing Grace Baptist Church also will burn music and books by Christian authors, such as Billy Graham and Rick Warren.

Redefines "fire and brimstone" doesn't it?

About Those Incentives

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News that cannot possibly be a surprise to anyone who's been conscious for the last 18 months:

Dell Inc. announced today that it will close its plant in Forsyth County by the end of January, cutting 905 jobs overall, including 600 in November.

Just in time for the holidays.  Nice.