Business - Randolph Record

29 Sep

Hunting for a career

Bob SuttonBusiness, NewsJordan McDuffie, taxidermy

Asheboro woman turns to taxidermy as an instructor, business owner ASHEBORO — Jordan McDuffie wanted to learn more about taxidermy. Now she’s providing the teaching as well. The Asheboro woman has made a quick rise in the taxidermy field, taking a passion for that and turning it into the foundation for a career. “I’m making a living off it and teaching other people about it,” McDuffie said. She’s the first female instructor in taxidermy at Montgomery Community College in Troy. Meanwhile, she formed her own business – Uwharrie Taxidermy. McDuffie had taken an interest in hunting, so there was a…

29 Sep

Commissioners review infrastructure requests

Bob SuttonBusiness, Government, NewsDarrell Frye, Randy Tedder

Proposed enhancements for water, sewer projects become focus of meeting ASHEBORO — Finding the best way to distribute funds for infrastructure projects was the focus of a special meeting of the Randolph County commissioners this month. Most of the presentations were centered on water and sewer topics. The county will receive $28 million federal funds that will be designated for certain projects. “Now we have more requests than we have monies,” commissioners chairman Darrell Frye said. “Our plan is to take advantage of every dime we can that will build and better secure the future of Randolph County.” Randy Tedder,…

22 Sep

County gives go-ahead to explore projects

Bob SuttonBusiness, Government, NewsCounyt Commissioners, Crystal Gettys, economic development, Kenny Kidd

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County commissioners gave the go-ahead for collaboration to pursue projects in three different votes at the September meeting. Crystal Gettys of the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation made presentations for each of the situations. There’s a feasibility study on water and sewer for a site off I-74 and N.C. 311 near Wall Brothers Road. This is a potential industrial park involving about 260,000 acres. Gettys, the business recruitment director for Randolph County EDC, said it’s a marketable site for an industrial park. The $30,000 cost of the study will be split three ways between the City…

22 Sep

Planting Native Trees and Shrubs

Annie MillsBusiness, Entertainmentagriculture, Annie Mills

Late fall is an excellent time to plant trees and shrubs in the south. Cooler fall days are a pleasant time for us work outdoors, plus a fall planting gives roots time to establish, giving you a better performing plant next summer than one planted in the spring. More frequent gentle rains also mean you will not have to spend as much time and labor watering new plants. Woody plants provide a multitude of functions in your landscape, so take some time to think about what purpose you might want your new tree or shrub to serve before planting. Trees…

22 Sep

Asheboro festival nixed amid pandemic concerns, hospital capacity

Bob SuttonBusiness, Entertainment, Government, NewsFall Festival

Autumn staple taken off slate for second year in a row ASHEBORO — Next weekend’s Asheboro Fall Festival has been called off amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. “We critically and thoughtfully made this decision,” said Carolyn Isley, president of the Randolph Arts Guild. “Above all was the health and safety of the Randolph County community.” So it marks the second year in a row that an event that had been a staple in the community for nearly a half-century won’t be held in downtown Asheboro. It had been scheduled for Oct. 2-3. This is an event that had drawn…

22 Sep

County schools extend superintendent’s contract

Randolph RecordBusiness, GovernmentEducation, schools

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Board of Education met Monday and voted to extend the contract of system superintendent Stephen Gainey. The board members said in a release they appreciated the difficulty of navigating the delivery of education during the Covid-19 pandemic and applauded Gainey’s dedication, long hours, and focus during the constantly changing situation. The board extended Gainey's contract through June 30, 2025, and awarded him a salary increase of 4%.

22 Sep

Zoo collecting cell phones … for gorillas

Randolph RecordBusinessNC Zoo

ASHEBORO — The North Carolina Zoo is asking people to donate old cell phones, tablets or music players such as iPods to help gorillas around the world. The initiative, known as Gorillas on the Line … Answer the Call, is part of a worldwide project to protect gorilla habitats. A key component to cell phone electronics is a metal called coltan. One of the few places it can be mined is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the mining destroys habitats.

20 Sep

Water main break causes damage in downtown Asheboro

Randolph RecordBusiness, NewsAsheboro, breaking news, downtown

ASHEBORO -- A water line broke under the downtown water tower in Asheboro today causing localized flooding, a sink hole and damage to a telecommunications structure. The 10-inch water main failed around midday a resulted in damage to a Verizon communications building which was located beneath the prominent water tower. Red mud covered Church Street and cleanup efforts were underway around 1pm. City crews as well as private contractors were on sight to assess and mitigate damage. The downtown water tower houses many telecommunications antennae. No major outtages have been reported. North State Journal has reached out to city officials…

17 Sep

Asheboro Fall Festival Cancelled

Randolph RecordBusiness, Events, GovernmentAsheboro, Fall Festival, Randolph

ASHEBORO -- The 48th annual Asheboro Fall Festival has been cancelled. The annual event scheduled for the first weekend of October will not be rescheduled. According to the Randolph Arts Guild, the sponsor of the event, the decision was made by their board of directors following a meeting with the Randolph County Health Department.

16 Sep

BUDD: Delivering a Critical Win for NC Chicken Farmers

Ted BuddBusiness, Opinions

Even though hyper-partisan legislation has dominated Congress this year, I’ve remained focused on identifying ways to support the largest industry in North Carolina: agriculture. As you may know, I grew up on my family’s cattle and chicken farm in Davie County, and I still live there with my wife and children. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many farmers saw a significant decline in their business. As a result, Congress swiftly established the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This important relief program within the CARES Act helped farmers across America who suffered a 5% or greater price decline as…