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Anson's seesaw jobless ride reaches highest '09 peak of 15.6%
(December 2, 2009) –- Anson County's seesaw unemployment statistics climbed again in October -- reaching an apex for 2009 at 15.6%, up .8% from September.
The county's tailspin began in October 2008 with its first double-digit reading -- at 10.1%; and completed the year with an 11.1% jobless rate in November and a 12.7% rate in December. In the 13-month span, Anson's rate stands 5.5% higher overall.
For 2009, the unemployment rates have been 13.8% in January, 14.7% in February, 14.8% in March; 13.3% in April; 15.0% in May; 15.2% in June; 14.9% in July; 15.0% in August; 14.8% in September; and 15.6% in October.
In October, Anson County’s labor force numbered 10,669 (compared to 10,499 in September); the number of employed people was 9,003 (compared to 8,949 in September); and the number of unemployed people was 1,666 (compared to 1,550 in September). (NOTE: September's figures have been adjusted.)
Anson led the Centralina Workforce Region, followed by Lincoln County (13.9% -- up .7% from September), Rowan (13.3% -- up .5% from September), Iredell (12.7% -- up .6% from September) and Stanly (12.7% -- up .8% from September), Cabarrus (11.7% -- up .4% from September) and Union (10.2% -- up .2% from September). The Centralina region's combined unemployment rate was 12.2% -- up .5% from September -- with 408,180 in the laborforce and 49,922 people unemployed.
According to Centralina Workforce data for October, Anson had 244 initial unemployment insurance claims; 2,674 total weeks claimed; $564,399 unemployment insurance benefits paid out; and 704 individuals receiving checks. Statewide, unemployment insurance benefits paid out totaled $192,361,220 with 196,561 individuals receiving checks.
The October breakdown for Anson’s neighboring counties:
- Montgomery – 10,932 labor force; 1,438 unemployed; a rate of 13.2% (up .1% from September).
- Richmond – 20,193 labor force; 2,870 unemployed; 14.2% rate (up 1.0% from September).
- Stanly – 30,233 labor force; 3,835 unemployed; 12.7% rate (up .8% from September).
- Union – 92,514 labor force; 9,480 unemployed; 10.2% rate (up .2% from September).
According to the Employment Security Commission's website, "Insured Unemployment Statistics provides data on North Carolina’s insured employment and insured unemployment statistics by county. The rate of insured unemployment is the ratio of weekly average weeks claimed for UI benefits to employment covered under North Carolina’s UI system. The data on insured employment is a compilation of information obtained from the employer’s contribution reports. Insured employment and unemployment are provided Statewide and by county. Additionally, the monthly publication reports the insured rates for the current month, the prior month and one year ago." (NOTE: The methodologies and purposes of the insured unemployment rate and the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ total unemployment rate are different and the two statistics should not be confused.)
The state’s unadjusted unemployment rate was 10.7% –- up .3% from September. North Carolina’s labor force numbered 4,544,493 (compared to 4,527,091 in September) and 484,120 (compared o 472,429 in September) people jobless. The state's seasonally adjusted rate was 11.0%.
The unemployment rate increased in 74 of North Carolina's 100 counties -- including 49 counties at or below the state's unadjusted employment rate of 10.7%. Scotland County led the state with the highest unemployment rate -- 17.2%; and Currituck County's 6.0% rate was the state's lowest jobless rate in October.
"The numbers have been pretty steady since February. We've had ups and downs concerning the number of people employed and unemployed, but we haven't experienced any significant changes," said Moses Carey Jr., N.C. Employment Security Commission chairman. "We are working as quickly as possible to implement the new extension of benefits for those individuals who have exhausted or are about to exhaust their benefits."
According to the ESC, seasonally adjusted employment decreased by 5,643 workers in October; unemployment increased by 4,537 workers in October. Seasonally adjusted, total non-farm industry employment increased by 12,100 jobs since October but has decreased by 185,800 jobs since October 2008. The largest over-the-month increase occurred in Educational & Health Services and Government (plus 5,800 jobs) while the largest decrease was in Construction (6,600 jobs lost).
The civilian labor force estimates for all 100 counties are available on the Employment Security Commission's website at www.ncesc.com. For local information, call the ESC office at 704.694.6551 or visit www.ansonjoblink.com.
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MerrieLynn's nuts and sweets featured in Paula Deen magazine
 (December 2, 2009) -- MerrieLynn’s Specialty Nuts & Sweets, a Wadesboro food business, is featured in a special collector’s issue of the Cooking with Paula Deen magazine -- "Paula Deen’s Christmas 2009."
MerrieLynn’s Chocolate Pecan Butter Crunch in a holiday gift box, new for the 2009 holiday season, has been included as a suggested gift item. The black and white striped gift box is filled with Butter Crunch and decorated with a handmade raffia tassel. Chocolate Pecan Butter Crunch is a buttery pecan brittle, topped with Ghiradelli dark chocolate and more pecans.
All of MerrieLynn’s pecan products are handmade in small batches, without preservatives, and shipped fresh to order.
“Our goal at MerrieLynn’s is to offer delicious pecan goodies that are as fresh and natural as possible using the best ingredients," said owner Merrie Datin. "We start with the finest mammoth pecan halves. We don’t use preservatives. Since each order is made when the order is received, MerrieLynn’s pecan treats don’t sit on a shelf or in a warehouse for weeks."
MerrieLynn’s current flavors include the Chocolate Pecan Butter Crunch, Praline Pecans, Sugar and Spice Pecans, Butter Roasted Pecans, Double Praline Pecans, Bourbon Pecans, Hot and Spicy Pecans, Seriously Chocolate Brownies, and Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies. Other gift boxes and custom gift boxes are available.
Datin and her husband, Dave Smith, also operate The Forever Inn, a bed and breakfast located at 214 S. Greene St., in historic uptown Wadesboro.
Local phone orders and pick-ups are available by calling 704.690.0715 or e-mailing help@merrielynns.com.
MerrieLynn’s products are available for viewing and purchase on-line at www.merrielynns.com. Samples and photos are available upon request.
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McNair appointed to SPCC Board of Trustees
 (December 12, 2009) -- Gov. Beverly Perdue has appointed Donna Ingram McNair of
Wadesboro to a four-year term on the South Piedmont Community College
Board of Trustees. McNair will be sworn in at the board’s February
meeting.
McNair replaces Anne Covington of Wadesboro on the board. Covington, a
past board chair, has served as a college trustee since 1991.
McNair is active in Anson County on a number of fronts. She is former
president of the Anson County unit of North Carolina Retired School
Personnel and of Alpha Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., and serves on the advisory
boards for the Anson County Security Threat Group, the Anson County
Partnership for Children, the Women’s Center and New Ventures Business
Development Inc.
A native of Anson County, McNair is a retired educator. She was a Title
I reading teacher in Anson County from 1972 to 1977, then held a variety
of administrative positions in the Union County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg
and Durham school systems and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction
before she retired in 2002.
After retiring , McNair became a licensed minister and was ordained as
an elder with the United Churches of God Inc. in 2005. She serves as
volunteer chaplain for the Lanesboro Correctional Institution, assistant
chaplain for the Anson County Jail, associated minister at the New Piney
Grove Ministries and is a member of the board of directors for the
United Churches of God Inc., Southern District. She is married to Curtis
McNair.
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On hand to officially open Cozy Kutz beauty salon on Dec. 9 were Lynn Edwards, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce; Ed Emory, mayor pro tem of the Town of Wadesboro; Sue Williams, owner; and Williams' family: daughter Ashley James, grandfather Robert Haggerty, daughter Pamela Waller, grandmother Glenda Haggerty, daughter Britany Williams, and husband Neil Williams. |
New salon offers more than haircuts
(December 10, 2009) -- Sue Williams of Lilesville realized a long-deferred dream when she opened her beauty salon, Cozy Kutz, in December.
Williams said she had dropped out of beauty school 28 years ago to raise her three daughters. Now, she has completed her course requirements and is ready to share her knowledge -- not just lessons gained from school, but from almost three decades of hands-on experience with friends and family.
The same friends and family, including her husband, Neil, helped her completely remodel the mobile home on Coppedge-Eddins Road in the Brown Creek area from their former living place to a fully-furnished styling salon.
In addition to hair-cutting, styling and coloring, Cozy Kutz offers massage therapy, therapeutic facials, manicures and pedicures, ear piercing, makeovers, eyebrow waxing and facials.
Williams said she named the new business Cozy Kutz because when she lived there it was cosy and quiet. "I wanted people to feel at home -- to sit on the swing and listen to the birds," she said.
Williams celebrated her new venture with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting on Dec. 9. On hand were her three daughters, Ashley James, Pamela Waller and Britany Williams, all Cosy Kutz employees.
"I did it for them," Williams said, indicating the new facility. "This will be theirs."
Also present to add their congratulations were her husband and parents, Robert and Glenda Haggerty.
The ceremonies were co-sponsored by the Anson County Chamber of Commerce. Executive director Lynn Edwards welcomed guests and Chairman Todd Moore added, "It is a great honor to be able to do things like this. After 28 years, she is opening her own business. We welcome you to Anson County."
Edwards added best wishes and congratulations on behalf of the county commissioners.
Ed Emory, mayor pro tem, wished Williams good luck on behalf of the city council and the town of Wadesboro. "We wish her all the luck and all the business she can handle," Emory said. "This is a business that is needed in this county -- we are thrilled that you are going into business for yourself. It is a challenge."
"I thank you all for coming and for supporting me," Williams replied. "I just praise God for the day and I appreciate all your support."
Cozy Kutz will give customers a 15% discount until Christmas, Williams said. And, in honor of her grandmother, Roxie Taylor, seniors will receive a 10% discount every Wednesday.
Another amenity offered to women customers is "Naughty but Nice" photographs for the special man in their lives, similar to glamour shots but with a personalized touch.
"We offer Charlotte services at affordable prices," Williams said.
Cozy Kutz is located just off N.C. Hwy. 742-N at 78 Coppedge-Eddins Road. For more information, call 704.994.9036.
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Brook Crider, Buff Monkey Fitness Co.'s owner/operator, officially cuts the red ribbon during a grand opening ceremony on Dec. 10. Pictured, front row left to right, are Alyssa Harris, employee; Crider; Tom Appenzeller; Kathy and Jimmy Crider, her parents; and Mike Flake. Back row from left to right are Rachel Best; Chris Childers; Jamie Crider, her brother; and J.F. Harward, employee. |
Come and work out at the 'Monkey'! Buff Monkey Fitness Co. now open
 (December 11, 2009) -- A few months back, Brook Crider seized the moment and the end result is Buff Monkey Fitness Co., a fully-furnished fitness center.
Surrounded by family and friends on Dec. 10, Crider cut the red ribbon to officially signal the grand opening of Buff Monkey Fitness Co.
Lynn Edwards, executive director of the Anson County Chamber of Commerce, greeted approximately 40 people to the grand opening ceremony and quipped, "If one of your new year's resolutions is to lose weight, then Buff Monkey Fitness Co. is the place to be."
Todd Moore, Chamber board chairman, welcomed Crider to the business community, exclaiming, "This place is incredible! I applaud you on the hard work you've put into this." Moore said the business is a "hidden gem" and wished Crider the "best of luck" on behalf of the Chamber's directors.
Ed Emory, Wadesboro mayor pro tem, offered congratulations on behalf of the town council. "This is a wonderful facility and you have beautiful machinery here," Emory said. "Our town needs a fitness center ... it will be good for the people and the physical fitness for people in Wadesboro and Anson County."
Anna Baucom, Anson County Commissioners chairwoman, said, "It is a privilege to be here in this facility... and I would expect nothing less from the Crider Family. You have invested in our community by rehabilitating homes and commercial spaces. Thank you for your investment."
Crider welcomed everyone -- especially her friends and family members. She said her life had "come to the point where I had time and space for this. I want to thank my family, the bank, the insurance company and the Chamber for their support."
Crider said the name for her company "came out of thin air," and explained that she had four legal pad pages filled with possible names. While meeting with her friend (and landlord), Mike Flake, and mulling over name possibilities, Flake came up with Buff Monkey.
"Buff Monkey Fitness Co. has a variety of commercial grade equipment available for both men and women," Crider said. "There are Magnum, Life Fitness and Maxicam weight machines. Most of them have a range of weight from 10 pounds to over 200 pounds.
 "Those machines can be used to work your arms, legs, back and abs. The machines can be used circuit-style and because of the weight range, is great for both men or women," she said. "There is also a whole free weights section of Nautilus equipment including straight, incline and decline benches, squat rack, preacher curl, military chair, Smith machine, calf machine, leg press and hack squat machine, leg extensions, and ab benches. There are dumbells ranging from 5 pounds to 120 pounds and over 1,400 pounds in Cap and Hampton barbell Oylmpic plate weights. In the area of cardio, I have ellipticals, Precor Treadmills and a recumbent cycle.
Crider is a 2000 graduate of Anson High School and earned her bachelor of science degree in parks and recreation administration from Wingate University in December 2004. Her Wingate professor, Dr. Tom Appenzeller, and her best friend while in college, Rachel Best, were on hand for the ribbon-cutting.
Along with Crider, Alyssa Harris and J.F. Harward will man the fitness center.
Buff Monkey Fitness Co. is located in Suite 600 at 123 E. Martin St., in historic uptown Wadesboro. Hours of operation are: 6-9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. and 3-9 p.m. Monday-Friday; and from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday. For more information, call 704.694.0199 or e-mail buffmonkeyfitness@yahoo.com.
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| SPCC employees watch as the awning automatically extends from the new
Job Ready bus that was delivered Dec. 8. The bus, purchased with a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, will help out-of-work Anson County residents to get ready to enter or re-enter the work force. |
SPCC graphic designer and print shop manager David Whitesides admires
his design that was created for SPCC’s new Job Ready bus. |
Job Ready bus arrives
(December 8, 2009) -- Out-of-work residents of rural Anson County will soon have
more help to get them ready to enter or re-enter the work force.
South Piedmont Community College, with a $556,380 grant from The Golden
LEAF Foundation, on Tuesday took delivery of its mobile career
opportunity lab Tuesday at the L.L Polk Campus. Dubbed the Job Ready
bus, a schedule is being developed that will send the bus to outlying
communities on a regular basis.
 Linda Kappauf, director of Human Resources Development for SPCC, said
the plan is for the bus to make regular stops in Morven, Lilesville,
Peachland, Polkton and Burnsville, and maybe Wadesboro as well.
Kappauf said the Job Ready bus works on the same principle as a library
bookmobile. With 13 computer work stations, the 38-foot bus will
include:
- Assessment instruments such as the Test of Adult Basic Education
and the Career Readiness Certification pre-test.
- Development of individual career plans.
- Adult Basic Education and GED classes.
- Computer skills training.
- Training in job-search skills, including resume writing,
interviewing, presentations and workplace ethics.
- Preparation classes and testing for Career Readiness
Certification (CRC).
The National Career Readiness Certificate verifies to an employer that
an individual has essential core employability skills in reading, math
and locating information. There are gold, silver and bronze levels of
certification.
 SPCC President John McKay said the idea behind the bus was to reach out
to the rural areas of the county and to help create a Job Ready work
force. SPCC’s Guaranteed Job Ready Workforce program assures employers
that SPCC will retrain workers who come through the program if the
employer says a worker does not have the skills necessary for the job.
Created in 1999 to administer half of North Carolina’s funds from the
settlement with tobacco manufacturers, Golden LEAF’s purpose is to
improve the economy in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or
rural communities. As part of that, McKay said, it works with counties
to provide up to $2 million in each county to do what leaders there want
to do to increase economic development. The Job Ready bus is part of
Anson County’s share.
In addition to the bus, which cost $257,000, the grant will pay for two
full-time employees for two years. Jonathan Phillips has already been
hired as the recruitment specialist. “He’s working on the front end
to establish locations in the community (for the bus to go to),”
Kappauf said.
He will go out to churches and schools “to spread the word” to
potential participants, Kappauf said.
 A second person will be hired to be the career coach/instructor.
Equipment onboard the bus includes a Smartboard and 13 computer work
stations. A satellite provides Internet access, television reception and
telephone service. A lift makes the climate-controlled vehicle
handicapped accessible.
Once someone has gone through the program, he or she will be handed
back over to Phillips “to kind of link them back to (job)
opportunities,” Kappauf said.
Some might also want to enroll at SPCC to further their education,
Kappauf said, instead of immediately entering the work force.
McKay said the goal is to enroll 300 students and to have 100 of them
Job Ready within two years.
The need for the bus is especially great in Anson County, which had a
14.8 percent unemployment rate in September, the last month for which
figures are available. That does not include many potential workers
whose unemployment benefits have expired and are no longer being
counted. Many of those people live in the outlying communities, and some
lack transportation. Taking the bus to them increases their chances of
attaining the skills they need to seek and keep a job.
In 2005-2006, Anson was ranked last among North Carol
ina’s 100
counties in economic progress, according to a September 2007 report from
East Carolina University’s Bureau of Business Research. Increasing the
pool of employable adults has been identified as a key need for economic
development in Anson County. The hope is that a more Job Ready work
force will make employers more confident about investing or expanding in
the county.
The bus is also available for SPCC Industry Services to provide
customized training for Anson County industries’ employees on-site.
For more information, call 704-272-5300.
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SPCC gets grant for students with disabilities
(December 12, 2009) -- SPCC Compensatory Education program receives $5,000 grant
MONROE - South Piedmont Community College’s Compensatory Education
program has received a $5,000 grant from the Union County Community
Foundation.
The program is for students 18 or older with developmental disabilities
or traumatic brain injury. Classes focus on teaching life skills, basic
academic skills and daily life skills.
Robin Pittman, SPCC’s basic skills coordinator, said the money will
be used to purchase software focusing on reading, math and writing for
everyday living; an adaptive computer with a touch screen and “lots of
bells and whistles”; and a keyboard with larger keys that can be
connected to computers the program already has.
The award was part of $72,773 distributed in 2009 by the Union County
Foundation, a permanent endowment established in 1989 by local leaders
to benefit a broad range of charitable purposes. It is part of a family
of funds that make up Foundation for the Carolinas.
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Efird sets tournament buck record; Bishop wins second doe title
(December 22, 2009) -- Lee Efird of Kannapolis set a tournament record in the buck category and John Bishop of Kannapolis took top honors in the doe category in the 12th annual Big-Game Hunt Tournament that was held Thanksgiving weekend.
Efird's three-point, 171.1-pound buck eclipsed an eight-year old record of 168.6 pounds held by George Wilson of Wadesboro. Henry Ferguson III of Matthews came close to topping the previous record with an eight-point, 168.0-pound buck.
Laney Davis, Peachland, placed third in the buck category with an eight-point, 154.1-pounder, followed by Joe Sikes Sr., Wadesboro, with a nine-point, 151-pounder; Aaron Hill, Wadesboro, with an 11-point, 147.9-pounder and Jody Brown, Polkton, with an eight-point, 144.5-pounder.
In all, 36 adult category bucks were weighed in for the two-day tournament.
Bishop, who took the top prize for doe in 2007, harvested a 102.9-pounder, followed by Mark Linker, Matthews, 102.9; Ben Bishop, Davidson, 102.1; Brian Bishop of Atlanta, Ga., 102.1; Scott Graden, Norwood, 99.2; and Brett Sikes, Polkton, 97.0. Tracy Holmes, Marshville, holds the largest doe record of 119.1 pounds set in 2006.
Overall, 59 adult category does were weighed in.
In the tournament's youth division, Michael Pressler of Polkton and Lucas Stegall of Polkton won first-place in buck (seven-point, 110.4-pounder) and doe (93.5), respectively.
Other youth buck winners included: Will Edwards, Peachland, second place (four-point, 98.6-pounder); Dallas Starnes, Monroe, third (eight-point, 94.8); Kelsey Brown, Wadesboro, fourth (five-point, 85.7); and Jake Mecimore, Matthews, fifth (spike, 69.7).
Other youth doe winners were: Chance Broadaway, Polkton, second (88.5-pounder); Justin McCall, Wadesboro, third (86.7); Jake Black, Wadesboro, fourth (77.3); and Mason Krol, Mount Gilead (76.5).
The 2009 tournament tied the 2006 record for the most deer weighed-in (113) and missed tying the record for the number of hunters registered (286) by three entries.
Winners from drawings at the Nov. 28 banquet, held at the Ansonville Volunteer Fire Department, included: Garrett Martin, Peachland, youth gun winner; Will Edwards, Peachland, youth deer mount; Mike Alexander, limited edition Remington 700; Donnie Lowery Jr., Morven, Strongbuilt tripod deer stand; Brandon Miles, Polkton, $100; Robbie Hill, Wadesboro, gun safe; David Burr, Wadesboro, deer mount; and Avery Harrington, Morven, Sawzall.
The 2009 Big-Game Hunt Tournament's title sponsor was Lynn Thomas Grading; gold sponsors included Progress Energy, Cobb-Vantress, North Carolina Electric Cooperatives, Windstream, Pee Dee Electric; silver sponsors included Anson Bank & Trust, The Sportsman's Closet, R.A. Jeffreys Distributing Co.; bronze sponsors were Locust Lumber Co., Monroe General Rental, McCollum Trucking & Grading, God's Country Outfitters, The Old Hargett Store, RBC Bank, Kiker Resource Management; and youth tournament daily sponsors were Dennis' Concrete Finishing and Four-A Loader Work (Robbie Hill). Special thanks go to the hunt's banquet sponsors -- Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Refreshment Services.
The 13th annual Big-Game Hunt Tournament will be held Nov.26-27, 2010.
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