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Commissioners select site for water tower

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013, 1:51pm
Commissioners select site for water tower

The Union County Board of Commissioners has selected the Morris property on Hemby Road in Weddington for the site of an elevated water tower, and directed Union County Public Works to seek zoning approval from Weddington to build the tower at the location.

On May 6, commissioners asked the Town of Weddington Council to provide feedback by May 20, on whether sites on Hemby Road and Weddington-Matthews Road were acceptable locations for a water tower. The board authorized the county to cease consideration of a site located on Highway 84.

At its May 13 meeting, the Weddington Town Council passed a resolution by a 4 to 0 vote for preliminary endorsement of the Hemby Road site.

Currently, the county has a 60-day option agreement for both the Morris property and the Weddington-Matthews Road property.

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NC House bill draws fire over contraception rules

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013, 1:50pm
NC House bill draws fire over contraception rules

A bill broadening so-called conscience protections and the number of employers who can refuse to provide contraception services in health insurance coverage has been approved by a North Carolina House committee.

The bill approved Wednesday allows any medical professional to refuse to participate in an abortion and allows any business to refuse to provide contraception coverage on religious or moral grounds.

The bill expands so-called conscience protections beyond doctors and nurses to include people such as pharmacists and technicians.

The contraception provision expands existing law that exempts religious organizations to any private or nonprofit company.

The bill also outlaws health care plans that include abortion services from future online marketplaces of private plans offered under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Opponents say the bill tramples women's rights.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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Secretary of State launches mobile website

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff
Tuesday, May 7th, 2013, 1:56pm
Secretary of State launches mobile website

The North Carolina Secretary of State’s Office has launched a mobile version of the Department’s website.

The mobile site, m.sosnc.com, allows anyone to search the SOS Corporations, Lobbying Compliance, UCC Debtor, Federal Tax Lien, and Charitable Solicitation Licensing databases from web-enabled smartphones or tablets.

After searching in one of the databases, users can simply pull up PDFs of filings. 

“This puts a wealth of searchable data literally in the hands of SOS customers who need to access the site on their smartphones and tablets in order to save time and money,” Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall said Tuesday. “Making these databases accessible on mobile platforms is an important step in keeping pace with how our customers are accessing information.”

To try out the mobile site on your web-enabled smartphone or tablet, just go to m.sosnc.com.

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Statewide Taskforce Releases North Carolina’s First Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness Plans

Submitted by Nick Needham on Monday, February 25th, 3:54 pm
Statewide Taskforce Releases North Carolina’s First Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness Plans

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -- The North Carolina Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) Taskforce, in collaboration with several statewide partners, released the state’s first PEV Readiness Plan along with four regional plans. The NC PEV Readiness Plans were created through the NC PEV Readiness Initiative: Plugging-in from Mountains to Sea – one of only 16 projects awarded across the United States through the U.S. Department of Energy. The project covered the entire state of North Carolina with a focus on four metropolitan areas in the Greater Asheville, Charlotte, Piedmont Triad and Triangle areas. 

 

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Rules for informal comments amended in Union Co.

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff
Tuesday, February 5th, 2013, 1:20pm
Rules for informal comments amended in Union Co.

The Union County Board of Commissioners amended Rule 10 of Union County’s Board of Commissioners’ Rules of Procedure Monday to limit repetitive comments by the same speaker during the informal comments portion of board meetings.

The board’s Rules of Procedure are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain current and relevant. Rule 10 addresses procedures concerning informal comments during regular meetings of the board.

“The reason we are taking these steps is to streamline our processes and allow the sharing of pertinent information with the public without being redundant or repetitive,” said Commissioner Frank Aikmus.

The following statement will be inserted into Rule 10: “Restatements or repetitive comments by the same speaker, whether at the same or separate meetings, may be ruled out of order and terminated by the chair.”

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McCrory prepares to be sworn in as NC governor

Submitted by Chris Dyches
Friday, January 4th, 2013, 3:35pm
McCrory prepares to be sworn in as NC governor

Republican Pat McCrory is taking the oath for North Carolina governor early rather than waiting another week for the pomp of inauguration weekend.

McCrory and his Cabinet will be sworn in during midday ceremonies Saturday inside the old Capitol building in Raleigh.

The incoming governor and other Council of State members still will be publicly installed and feted during the outdoor inauguration and parade Jan. 12.

The former Charlotte mayor decided to get sworn in Saturday so his administration would be in place when the newly-elected General Assembly convenes next week and chooses leaders.

McCrory will hold open houses from Asheville to New Bern next week before the festivities revert to Raleigh with the ball and public ceremonies.

Outgoing Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue is expected to participate in Saturday's ceremony.

 

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Residents' input sought in region growth plan

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff
Wednesday, November 7th, 2012, 4:25pm
Residents' input sought in region growth plan

Union County residents will have an opportunity to attend an open house and provide their input in a process to build a planning framework to address the unprecedented growth in the region and ensure the vitality of local communities.

The "CONNECT Our Future" open house will be held on Thursday, November 8 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Union County Agricultural and Conference Center, located at at 3230-D Presson Road in Monroe.

Residents will be asked provide input on what they value about their community and region, and what they think are the biggest challenges faced by the region. They will be able to drop in anytime during the open house time period, view exhibits, talk to staff and provide their input.

Union County is one of the more than 100 local governments, businesses, and non-profits participating in the three-year "CONNECT Our Future" initiative to develop a regional framework for the growth of the 14-county region.

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