State
Government News
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 Holiday Traffic Alert:
The state Department of
Transportation said Thursday that most work zones
along interstate and U.S. routes will be open
across the state for Memorial Day from May 26 to
May 30. While planning your holiday trip, watch
for lane closings or detours in the following
areas:
Interstate Routes:
*
I-40/85 North in Guilford
County is reduced to two lanes from mile marker
130 (near McConnell Road) to mile marker 132
(near Mt. Hope Church Road) to continue widening
the roadway.
* I-40/85 South in Guilford County
is reduced to two lanes from Exit 135 to Exit 130
to continue widening the roadway.
* I-85 North and South in Guilford
County is reduced to two lanes from mile marker
120 to mile marker 121 (near Holden Road) to
continue widening the roadway.
* I-40 East and West in Burke
County is reduced to one lane from mile marker 90
to mile marker 95, between Morganton and Marion,
to improve five miles of I-40.
* I-77 in Surry County is reduced
to one lane in each direction from mile markers
91 to 93 and 99 to102. Exit 100 (northbound)
accessing N.C. 89 is closed. A signed detour
route will direct motorists to Exit 101 to I-74
to N.C. 89. The department is rehabilitating 10
miles of I-77.
U.S. Routes:
*
U.S. 64 East in Wake County
is reduced to one lane for about three miles near
the Franklin County line (past Zebulon) for
resurfacing.
For information about major
construction projects across the state, visit the
NCDOT Construction Information SafeDrive Guide
web site at http://www.doh.dot.state.nc.us/impact/Safedrive
Open Beer Cans in Cars: The House Judiciary 1 Committee
discussed but took no action on a bill that would
ban open containers of alcohol in cars, even by
passengers. Rep. Jim Crawford (D-Granville)
introduced the measure, H. 1499 Interlock/Open
Container Changes, to bring North Carolina into
compliance with federal requirements. Under
federal guidelines,the state risks losing $7
million a year in federal highway money unless if
bans open containers of alcohol by anyone riding
in a vehicle. The state must enact a ban by
September. Members of the committee criticized
the federal requirement. Rep. Dan Blue (D-Wake)
said he resents Congress issuing mandates such as
this one.
Hearings
on Wetlands Rules: The state Depatment of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has
scheduled public hearings on a proposed rule
defining activities that are exempt from wetland
water quality standards as long as those exempt
activities comply with best management practices
and prior notice is given for construction of new
ditches in wetland areas. One hearing will be
held in Wilmington on Tuesday, May 30, in Cameron
Hall on the UNC-Wilmington campus and at the
Craven County Courthouse in New Bern on Thursday,
June 1. The meetings begin at 6 p.m. A new
component of the rule requires those involved in
otherwise exempted activities to notify the
state's Division of Water Quality at least 14
days before a new ditch in a wetland is
constructed. The notification would include the
landowner's name, a map showing the location of
the project, the area of the wetland impact and
verification by the owner that Best Management
Practices, as outlined in the rule, will be used.
The proposed rule will reinstate wetland
certification exemptions for specific activities
as provided in the federal Clean Water Act.
Examples of exempt activities include: normal
silviculture and on-going farming, maintenance of
serviceable structures such as dams and levees,
and the construction or maintenance of farm roads
and forest roads. Those activities still must
meet other state and federal regulations,
conditions and Best Management Practices as
outlined in the rule. The expected effective date
of the proposed rule is April 1, 2001. A
temporary rule has been in effect since November
1999. To obtain copies of the proposed permanent
rule, or for other information about the
hearings, contact Jeff Manning of the DWQ
Planning Branch at (919) 733-5083 ext. 579 or
e-mail Jeff.Manning@ncmail.net. Copies will also be available
at the public meetings. Comments on the rule will
be accepted through June 8. Comments may be sent
to John Dorney, NC DENR, Division of Water
Quality Lab, 1621 Mail Service Center, Raleigh,
NC 27699-1621; or by e-mail at John.Dorney@ncmail.net.
IT Panel Gains GOP Members: Making good on a promise, House
Speaker Jim Black has appointed nine Republicans
to the new Appropriations Subcommittee on
Information Technology. They are Reps. Gene
Arnold (R-Nash), Arlie Culp (R-Randolph), Sam
Ellis (R-Wake), Lyons Gray (R-Forsyth), Jim
Gulley (R-Mecklenburg), George Holmes (R-Yadkin),
Larry Justus (R-Henderson), Trudi Walend
(R-Transylvania), and Robert Grady (R-Onslow).
Last week Black appointed Democratic leaders of
the House Technology Committee and the chairs of
the House Appropriations subcommittees to the new
IT subcommittee and said he would name some
Republicans to the panel leter.
State Inspecting
Private Bridges: In the wake of the bridge
collapse at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Transportation
Secretary David McCoy on Wednesday directed NCDOT
Bridge Maintenance staff to contact the owners of
privately-owned pedestrian bridges over state
roads and conduct immediate inspections of those
facilities. There are 10 privately-owned
pedestrian bridges over North Carolina roads, two
of which are owned by Lowe's Motor Speedway. In
addition to these bridges, there are 77
pedestrian bridges that cross public highways.
Forty-seven are owned and inspected by NCDOT and
27 are inspected by cities. There are three
bridges owned by other state agencies and
inspected by NCDOT. Following the inspections,
DOT will require the bridge owners to have them
inspected every two years at their own expense
based on national bridge inspection standards.
Privately-Owned Pedestrian Bridges in
North Carolina
County, Location, Year Built
Caldwell ,U.S. 321, 1950
Catawba, SR 1007 (Old U.S. 70), 1992
Forsyth, SR 1508 (Fifth Street), 1960
Forsyth, SR 1508 (Fifth Street), 1981
Gaston, SR 2466 (East Seventh Street), 1970
Gaston, N.C. 7, 1985
Gaston ,SR 2230 (Fourth Street), 1985
Guilford, SR 3842 (Friendly Avenue), 1996
Bonds for Tobacco
Farmers: House
Majority Leader Phil Baddour (D-Wayne) on
Wednesday proposed issuing special obligation
bonds to help tobacco farmers and repaying the
bonds with money from the state's share of the
national tobacco settlement. Baddour suggested
issuing $75 million in bonds to help farmers
replace gas-fired burners in tobacco curing
barns. The General Assembly agreed last year to
earmark half the state's share of the tobacco
settlement into a foundation to help
tobacco-dependent communities and 25 percent into
two trusts, one for health programs and the other
to benefit tobacco farmers.
Hurricane Warning:
The House Judiciary 3
Committee favorably reported a bill Wednesday
that establishes procedures for closing
courthouses and postponing legal activities in
the event of bad weather or emergencies. The
measure, H. 1502 Adverse Weather Court Closing
(Sutton), was recommended by the N.C. Courts
Commission in the wake of Hurricane Floyd and a
winter storm that hit the state in January.
Conflicts of
Interest: North
Carolina legislators rank second in the nation
for having potential conflicts when voting on
legislation that might benefit them personally,
according to a study by the Washington-based
Center for Public Integrity. The study found 59
percent of General Assembly members sit on
committees that regulate a business interest,
second to Virginia, with 61 percent. The study
also found 34 percent of N.C. lawmakers receive
income from a state agency other than the
legislature, such as being a teacher or
university professor. Authors of the study
conceded the results are skewed by two factors:
The N.C. legislature has a large number of
committees, increasing the chance for conflicts;
andthe state has a relatively strong law
requiring legislators to disclose financial
interests. The full report is available at
http://www.publicintegrity.org
Safest
Schools Recognized: Thirteen North Carolina public
schools have proven they’re exemplary when
it comes to providing a safe school and will be
recognized for their efforts in a ceremony
scheduled for 1 p.m., May 30, in the Education
Building, Room 150, 301 N. Wilmington Street,
Raleigh. The Triple "S" School Award
was established by the Department of Public
Instruction’s School Improvement Division to
recognize public schools that go above and beyond
in their efforts to ensure the safety of students
and staff. The program is voluntary. "This
program provides an excellent way to recognize
those schools that are really striving hard to
provide the optimum atmosphere for students and
staff to learn and work," State
Superintendent Mike Ward said. State Board of
Education Chairman Phil Kirk said the Super Safe
School Program ties in nicely with the
Board’s Strategic Priority to provide Safe,
Orderly and Caring Schools. "High student
performance is difficult to achieve if our
schools do not provide a learning environment
that is inviting and supportive." Schools
receiving recognition as a Super Safe School are:
* Shallotte Middle (Brunswick County Schools);
* Pineville Elementary (Charlotte/Mecklenburg
Schools);
* Weaverville Primary (Buncombe County Schools);
* Mulberry Elementary (Wilkes County Schools);
* Bethel Elementary (Pitt County Schools);
* Davenport Elementary (Caldwell County Schools);
* Richmond Senior High (Richmond County Schools);
* Western Guilford High (Guilford County
Schools);
* Eastern Guilford High (Guilford County
Schools);
* C.B. Martin Middle (Edgecombe County Schools);
* Vandora Springs Elementary (Wake County
Schools);
* South Granville High (Granville County
Schools); and
* E.O. Young Jr., Elementary (Vance County
Schools).
Several other schools will receive a Certificate
of Participation for submitting applications for
the recognition. These schools are:
* East Mecklenburg High (Charlotte/Mecklenburg
Schools);
* Winstead Avenue Elementary (Nash-Rocky Mount
Schools);
* Sandy Grove Elementary (Hoke County Schools);
* Forbush High (Yadkin County Schools);
* First Flight Elementary (Dare County Schools);
* Shelby High ( Shelby City Schools);
* Shelby Middle (Shelby City Schools);
* Saint Pauls Elementary (Robeson County
Schools); and
* Norwood Elementary (Stanly County Schools).
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