Government – Moore County Edition

Aug

17

2022

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By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Southern Pines sets Public Hearing for potential abandonment of roads

Government, Newscouncil meeting, government, Southern Pines, town council

SOUTHERN PINES — The Town of Southern Pines Council met Tuesday, August 9, where they approved multiple architectural compliance permits as well as set a public hearing for the potential abandonment of two portions of roads within the Town limits. VG Pines Residential LLC submitted a request for abandonment for a portion of Mechanic Street from West Rhode Island Avenue to the right-of-way for US Highway 1 and the portion of Rhode Island Avenue that extends through the parcel currently owned by VG Pines Residential LLC. However, according to Town Engineer James Michel, the staff could not find evidence that…

Aug

11

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Moore County Schools ends contract with Panorama; get refund

Government, NewsEducation, Moore County Public Schools, Panorama, public schools

RALEIGH — Moore County Public Schools has dropped its survey platform contract with Panorama Education, a company that produces “Social and Emotional Learning” data analysis, surveys, and related materials. Moore County School Board member David Hensley posted a graphic on his official Facebook page describing efforts he and board members Robert Levy and Philip Holmes had taken, resulting in an apparent refund of $122,280. In Spring 2021, the Moore County School Board voted 4-3 to sign and fund a three-year contract with Panorama. Hensley, Levy, and Holmes voted against it. Sometime in the months after that vote, the district’s superintendent…

Aug

11

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Moore County Public Schools built up meal fund balance over pandemic

Government, NewsEducation, meal fund, Moore County Public Schools, public schools

RALEIGH — During a recent Moore County Schools Board of Education work session, the topic of the disposition of the district’s school meals balance was raised. Apparently, the district’s meals fund balance has built up excess funds of $2.8 million as a result of the free meals paid for by the federal government over the last two years of the pandemic. The U.S. government pays $3.49 for qualified free and reduced lunch recipients. Moore County Schools charges around $2.50 for those who don’t qualify for those meals. That means close to $1 for each meal paid for by the federal…

Aug

10

2022

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By Matt Mercer

Hudson, Clark face off for new 9th District seat

Government, News9th District, Clark, Hudson

RALEIGH — Following a court-ordered redistricting process that will be in effect for 2022 only, the new 9th Congressional District runs from Randolph County down to the Sandhills, taking in all of Chatham, Lee, Hoke, Moore, and Scotland counties as well as parts of Cumberland, Harnett, and Richmond counties. The two candidates advancing from the May 17 primary are Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson and Democratic state Sen. Ben Clark. Hudson, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, found his home in Cabarrus County drawn into a district where fellow Republican Dan Bishop was currently representing much of the…

Aug

03

2022

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By North State Journal Staff

Gov Cooper appoints Mills to Financial Literacy Council

Government, NewsFinancial LIterary Council, Roy Cooper, Stuart Mills

On July 28, Partners for Children and Families announced that Gov. Roy Cooper had appointed Stuart Mills, its Executive Director, to the statewide Financial Literacy Council. The Financial Literacy Council was first established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2009 and is responsible for helping deliver financial literacy education and increase financial literacy among North Carolinians. In addition to serving as the Executive Director of Partners for Children and Families, Mills is the President of The Given Tufts Foundation, Inc., a director of Pinehurst’s Village Heritage Foundation, and a Trustee of The O’Neal School in Southern Pines. Previously, he…

Jul

20

2022

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By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Morganton Park South apartments preliminary design approved with conditions

Government, Newsapartments, council, housing, Southern Pines

SOUTHERN PINES — The Southern Pines Town Council met Tuesday, where they held a public hearing for the Morganton Park South Preliminary Development Plan. The hearing was a continuation of the June 14 meeting where the PDP was first presented to the council. “This item has two recognized deviation requests, one being a reduction in parking and the other being an increase in the number of dwelling units or the density related to those dwelling units,” said Principal Planner Pam Graham. “There was also some discussion about the orientation of the buildings and whether they needed to address the public…

Jul

20

2022

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By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Pinehurst council approves updates to various policies

Government, Newscouncil meeting, local government, Pinehurst

PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, where the process of updating potentially outdated Village policies continued to take place. In an effort to refresh outdated policy, the council reviewed and approved an update for the Rights-of-Way Use policy. The first change was to clarify that damage to personal property in the ROW is not the responsibility of the Village even if it was due to maintenance being performed by the Village, and the second was to update the municipal code reference in regards to obstructing the ROW. The council also rescinded some outdated policies that were either…

Jun

15

2022

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By North State Journal Staff

Vandercook runs unaffiliated for county commissioner

GovernmentPhil Vandercook, unaffiliated, Whispering Pines

Phil Vandercook of Whispering Pines has filed as a candidate for Moore County Commissioner for District 1 in the November 8, 2022, general election. Although he is currently registered as a Republican, Vandercook has chosen to run as unaffiliated. He has collected almost 3400 signatures to reach the required 2924 approved signatures, representing 4% of Moore County registered voters, in order to be included on the November ballot. “The conservative voters in Moore County are increasingly unaffiliated. This shows their awareness, independence, and distancing from divisive partisanship. Moore County residents want strong, conservative leaders who set sustainable policy and who…

Jun

01

2022

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By Associated Press

Democrats voting in GOP primaries might have tilted results in some races

Government, Newsdemocrats, GOP primaries, results, voting

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An Associated Press analysis of early voting records found more than 37,000 people who voted in Georgia’s Democratic primary two years ago cast ballots in last week’s Republican primary, an unusually high number of so-called crossover voters. The data reveal crossover voters were consequential in defeating Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates for secretary of state and, to a lesser extent, governor in the Peach State. Gov. Brian Kemp did not ultimately need Democrats in his blowout victory against his Trump-backed opponent, but Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger probably did. The Republican secretary of state cleared the 50% threshold…

May

31

2022

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By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Local bill draft struck down by council majority

Government, Newscouncil, Pinehurst, short-term rentals

PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday with the major item on the agenda being attempted legislation to regulate short-term rentals. The debate over whether or not to regulate short-term rentals has been ongoing in Pinehurst for months now, but it seems it will continue after an attempted local bill was struck down by a majority vote of the council. The Village had drafted a local bill that would have been passed on to the state representatives and presented to the N.C. General Assembly to have legislation that clarified the Village’s municipal authority to regulate short term rentals.…