In conjunction with the state campaign Spring Litter Sweep 2009 and Earth Day, the town of Boone will hold its annual spring Boone Clean-Up Day on on Saturday, April 18.

Citizens are encouraged to join the town of Boone and the Adopt-A-Street/Stream organizations to remove the unsightly litter that has accumulated along streets and streams during the winter.

Interested participants may come by the Town of Boone Public Works Center, located at 321 East King St., between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. to pick up cleanup supplies, or participants may choose to pick up supplies prior to the event.

In recognition of Earth Day, and as a token of the town’s appreciation, the town will issue free Earth Day T-shirts (while supplies last) to those who participate in Boone Clean-Up Day.

The town will also be awarding monetary prizes to the winners of the “Most Unusual Litter Contest.”

Participants may enter the contest by bringing unusual litter found on the roadsides and in the streams within the city limits to the Public Works Center on the event day.

“Come join us from noon to 1:30 p.m. for refreshments and to share the day’s experiences,” a town spokesperson said.

Boone residents who participate by cleaning around their property may call the Public Works Department for an additional free curbside junk or yard debris pick up during the litter sweep (April 18 – May 2).

Rain date for Boone Clean-Up Day is Saturday, April 25.

For more information and to register for the event, contact Boone’s Adopt-A-Street/Stream/flower bed coordinator Shannon Isaacs at (828) 268-6230.

Goss appointed to Legislative Ethics Committee

State Sen. Steve Goss has been appointed to serve as a member of the Legislative Ethics Committee, a joint jommittee of the N.C. General Assembly.

The appointment was made by Senate president pro tempore Marc Basnight.

Goss is a second term member of the Senate representing Alexander, Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes counties in the 45th senatorial district.

The Legislative Ethics Committee, consisting of 12 legislators from the Senate and the House, is responsible for setting ethical standards for members of the General Assembly and its operation. Among its specific responsibilities (N.C. General Statute 120-102) are:

•Preparing “a list of ethical principles and guidelines to be used by legislators and legislative employees to identify potential conflicts of interest and prohibited behavior, prepare advisory memoranda to legislators and legislative employees on specific ethical concerns, and suggest rules of conduct that shall be adhered to by legislators and legislative employees.”

•Advising “each General Assembly committee of specific danger areas where conflicts of interest may exist and to suggest rules of conduct that should be adhered to by committee members in order to avoid conflict.”

•Proposing “rules of legislative ethics and conduct,” which when adopted by the House of Representatives and the Senate, are the standards of operation.

For further information, call Goss at (828) 265-2943, or visit the Web at www.SenatorSteveGoss.com.

Deal named to UNC system trustees board

Watauga County Board of Commissioners chairman Jim Deal has been elected to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.

The board is charged with overseeing operations at the 16 state universities and the School of Science & Math. Deal said he was excited about representing the state’s universities.

Deal was nominated by Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-93) and was one of eight members approved by the N.C. House of Representatives.

The N.C. Senate also elected eight board members.

The entire UNC board has 32 members and is the policy-making body legally charged with “the general determination, control, supervision, management, and governance of all affairs of the constituent institutions.” It also elects the system president.

Deal is a Boone attorney who is also a member of the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees, recently finishing a term as chairman. He was formerly chairman of the Watauga County Board of Education.
He has been a county commissioner since 2004 and also serves on the Appalachian Regional HealthCare System Board of Trustees.

—Scott Nicholson, nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

Tarleton named to stimulus committee

Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-93) was named by House Speaker Joe Hackney to the House Select Committee on Economic Recovery.

Hackney created the committee to review how North Carolina uses its $6.1 billion in federal stimulus money. The Senate has a similar committee and the two groups will work together to find the best ways to use the cash.

“The federal stimulus money will be of great value to North Carolina and allow us to continue many vital programs until our economy improves,” Tarleton said. “I’m pleased to get this chance to really look in depth at what this money is going to do in our state.”

The committee has already begun meeting and reviewing the guidelines for how the stimulus money will be spent.

Tarleton is also chairman of the Water Resources and Infrastructure Committee and Vice Chairman of both the Appropriations Committee on Education and the Environment and Natural Resource Committee.

Historical Society will meet April 12

The Watauga County Historical Society kicks off its first quarterly meeting on Monday, April 13, at the Watauga County Library with a presentation by award-winning author and Civil War historian, Michael C. Hardy.

Hardy is devoted to preserving history, and has spent many years researching mid-19th century accounts.

Rather than write about well-known historical facts or events, he enjoys seeking out little-known information for his work.

Hardy has taken part in Civil War reenactments from Florida to Pennsylvania, volunteered as an interpreter at local museums and state and national parks, and presented hundreds of programs for schools, libraries and other organizations.

The author is currently working on his 12th book, a regimental history of the 58th North Carolina Troops.

The April 13 meeting will begin at 5:15 p.m. with light refreshments.

Hardy’s topic will be “Graven Images, or Cemetery Iconography.”

His presentation will cover mostly North Carolina, with some information from other U.S. locations.

The Historical Society was organized in 1977 in an effort to educate the public about Watauga County history and to preserve the culture of the area.

The society has recently completed work on a book titled, “The Architectural History of Watauga County.”

Information on ordering is available at wataugachs@hotmail.com.

Members come from all parts of the county and the public is encouraged to join and/or to attend all programs.
The deadline for membership dues for 2009 is June 22.

Several levels of dues/giving are offered, including individual memberships for $15 and family for $25.

The patron level is $50 and sponsor is $100.

For more information about membership or programs, come to the meeting on April 13 or inquire at the e-mail address listed above.

High Country Newcomers to gather

The first gathering of 2009 of the High Country Newcomers will be a coffee at the home of Gail Lund in the River Ridge development on April 14 at 10:30 a.m.

If interested in attending and getting directions, call Gail at (828) 264-1943.

Dinner On The Town will be at the Thai Restaurant on Howard Street in Boone on April 23 at 6:30 p.m.

If interested, make a reservation by calling Barb Gerock at 704-231-1464.

The High Country Newcomers is a social group and welcomes seasonal or year-around residents from the areas of Watauga, Ashe, Mitchell and Avery counties. It meets monthly, offering a variety of interest groups.

For more information, call 295-9521 for a newsletter and membership form.

Youth events offered at library

The Watauga County Public Library’s Youth Services Department announces the following events:

• April is National Poetry Month. Got writing on the brain? Enter the second annual Young Writer’s writing Contest. Entries are due April 22.

• April 12-18 – National Library Week – “Come celebrate with us,” a spokesperson said.

• April 14 – Tuesday, 8 to 10 a.m. – Coffee and donuts in the meeting room; 11 a.m. – Meet Pippin the therapy dog at story time.

• April 15 – Wednesday, at 3:30 p.m. – Meet local children’s author Jimmy Jordan as he reads “Hard Knock the Baseball Bat.”

• April 16, Thursday at 3:30 p.m. – Jason’s Dream Puppet Show with the Elkland Art Center. Elkland Art Center is an educational organization dedicated to experiential growth through the arts. Their goal is to educate and enlighten communities about the environment.

• April 17, Friday at 11 am – Animal Story Time. Make your own dog biscuits.

Four Watauga High School students selected for Governor’s School

Four Watauga High School students have been selected to attend the 2009 Governor’s School, a six-week summer program for academically gifted students from across the state.

The students and the subject areas in which they were chosen are William Kennedy for mathematics, Ashton Lawrence for natural science, Karl Wheeler in visual art and Bryan Williams for drama.

Students attending Governor’s School are nominated and selected in one of 11 subject areas: art, choral music, dance, drama, English, French, instrumental music, mathematics, natural science, social science, and Spanish.

All expenses of attending the six-week program are paid by the state. The goals of Governor’s School courses and activities are to stimulate student creativity, encourage students to question basic assumptions, and develop an acceptance of the process of change.

The curriculum emphasizes contemporary theories and new developments in each subject area.

Students concentrate their studies in the subject in which they were selected, but they also participate in courses and activities that are shared among students from all subject areas.

The program at Governor’s School is intellectually rigorous, but it is not a conventional academic experience. No grades or tests are given and no official course credit is received for studies at Governor’s School.

The Governor’s School of North Carolina is the nation’s oldest statewide summer residential program for academically gifted high school students. The program serves approximately 800 students each year and is located on two campuses, one at Salem College in Winston-Salem and the other at Meredith College in Raleigh.