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Guilford County Budget Approved, No Increases In Property Taxes
Guilford County Commissioners have approved a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year. About half of the over $627 million dollar spending plan is earmarked for education.
The Guilford County School system will get more money in this budget than they did last year.
But the board decided not to raise property taxes to support the proposal. Instead, they're discussing the possibility of having a future bond or sales tax referendum that would let voters decide on boosting school funding.
The budget also includes a large chunk of money for Guilford Technical Community College and health care plan costs for county employees.
Dawkins To Step Down As President Of Bennett College
Phyllis Worthy Dawkins is leaving her position as president of Bennett College.
The college's Board of Trustees made the announcement Friday.
During her three years as president, Bennett has struggled with financial pressures and the risk of losing accreditation related to its finances.
Amid those struggles, Dawkins made strides to bring in money from major donors, including the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, which pledged a half-million dollars to Bennett earlier this year.
Gwendolyn O'Neal, an alumna and former associate professor at Bennett, will serve as interim president. A new president is expected to be named at the start of the academic year.
Communities Get Help With Keeping The Power On During Storms
North Carolina and the federal government are paying over $1.4 million for 24 generators and other help so communities can keep the power on at public infrastructure during storms and disasters.
The money will go mostly toward generators, with the town of Plymouth in eastern North Carolina getting five and Whiteville getting two. In two locations, transfer switches will be installed, and one generator will be relocated.
The state Department of Public Safety says in a news release that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is paying more than $1 million and North Carolina is paying nearly $359,000 for the project.
UNC-Asheville Drops Fossil Fuel Investments
The University of North Carolina-Asheville has moved to divest a portion of its $50 million endowment away from fossil fuels.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reports it is the first school in the UNC system to do so.
The school's board of trustees recently voted to shift about $5 million of its endowed funds to a private asset manager that focuses on investments billed as socially responsible.
District 12 Of 'The Hunger Games' Is Now A Historic Place
District 12 is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
North Carolina officials announced last week that the Henry River Mill Village in Hildebran now has that historic designation. The village served as District 12 in "The Hunger Games," the 2012 box office smash.
Calvin Reyes, his mother, and stepfather paid $360,000 in 2017 for the village in western North Carolina that served as the home of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. Since then, Reyes says people from 43 countries have toured it.
Jackpot: More Than 2,000 Winners In North Carolina Lottery
Turns out that zero can be a lucky number.
North Carolina's state lottery Saturday said it set a record payout after the winning numbers in a Pick 4 game came back "0-0-0-0."
The lottery said about 1,000 tickets at $1 were sold and will pay out at $5,000. Another 1,000 tickets were sold for 50 cents, and they will pay out at $2,500. Lottery officials said winners should expect "extended waiting times" when picking up their prizes.
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