Author: Scott D. Yost

Earlier this year, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted to enact a resolution in support of a new county program called the “Age-Friendly Guilford Initiative.”

 In September, the American Association of Retired Persons, better known as the AARP, agreed to recognize Guilford County as an Age-Friendly Community….

The people of western North Carolina are working hard to rebuild that part of the state, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene, and, on Monday, Oct. 14, the state announced more help in feeding the people as the rebuilding goes on.

Residents in 25 western counties – as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians hit by Hurricane Helene – can now apply for help buying food through the state’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – also known as D-SNAP – which will kick into gear on Friday, Oct. 18.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ (NC DHHS) October 14 announcement, D-SNAP is open to individuals and households who are not currently receiving Food and Nutrition Services benefits and who were impacted by Hurricane Helene.

“One Guilford: Ready, Set, Go!”

That was the theme of Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston’s 2024 State of the County Address this year, which Alston used to highlight Guilford County’s successes over the past 12 months and also to speak about the upcoming plans meant to enhance local government services for area residents….

The month of October is usually the most famous for its very last day – Halloween, October 31 – and, this year the City of Greensboro is giving area residents a lot of chances to celebrate the holiday in different ways on different days whether you’re young or old.

All of the following are City of Greensboro-sponsored events and the admission price it nice – it’s free unless specifically noted otherwise…

To many, soon after J.D. Vance was elected as Donald Trump’s running mate, he seemed a little surly and unlikable.  However, during his Tuesday, October 1 debate with Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee Tim Walz, Vance talked less about childless cat ladies and Hattians in Springfield devouring cats and dogs, and more about policy – in a more engaging and pleasant conversation – as well as about the reasons why one should vote for the Republican Donald Trump/ JD Vance Ticket than the Kamala Harris/ Tim Walz ticket.

Those who attended the Town Hall in Greensboro got to see Vance in person on Thursday. Oct 10 at the Koury Convention Center.  Several got to ask questions of the vice-presidential hopeful.

In most election years, North Carolina does not see a lot of love and attention from presidential campaigns because it is, in the modern era, considered to be a reliably Republican state when it comes to its electoral votes.  The one exception was in 2008 when Barack Obama won the state by the skin of his teeth – about 14,000 votes.

This year, however, the Republican ticket with Donald Trump and J.D. Vance is in a dead heat with Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.  Which is the reason that the state is getting to see a whole lot of those national candidates this time around…

Diondre Overton was born on April 19, 1998, and he went on to become a star receiver for the Clemson Tiger football team.  

 He became a two-time ACC Honor Roll selection student while majoring in sports communication, and, in his senior year, 2019, he was voted the team captain by his teammates who liked and admired him a great deal…

It’s an often-repeated stereotype that people who live in mountain and rural communities help each other out when they’re able to, much more so than those who live in larger cities; however, sometimes getting help from neighbors isn’t enough.  That has been the case for western North Carolina and areas in other states that were also devastated by Hurricane Helene.

While the damage is almost unimaginable, and videos of the disaster and the aftermath are nearly unwatchable, one very heartening thing that’s happened in the wake of the disaster is that so many groups, fire departments, churches, animal rescues, military units, rescue teams, EMS workers and other first responders, federal, state and local disaster response teams and agencies, individual pilots, volunteer organizations, and many others have come together to help those in need in the western part of the state. 

Citizens of Greensboro, High Point, Guilford County and the small towns and surrounding areas of unincorporated Guilford County have all been concerned about the number of shootings and the amount of violent crimes committed in the area, which is one reason that will be a key point of focus when Greensboro Police Department Assistant Chief Stephanie Mardis is the featured speaker at the Thursday, Nov. 7 meeting of the Greensboro Human Rights Commission….

What’s the current state of Guilford County?

Well, let’s see. The county has taken on $2 billion in school bond debt in recent years that will stay with it for the next two decades; the commissioners have been throwing out raises and benefits to employees like people on floats in a Christmas parade throwing out candy to kids; and, of course, property owners in Guilford County are in many cases paying 25 to 30 percent more in taxes than they were before the 2022 revaluation of all property in the county…

It looks pretty certain that, after the November election, the country will likely collapse into civil war, so it might be a good idea to come out to an October celebration while everyone is getting along and in good spirits before the arrival of the time when Guilford County looks like the movie set of The Purge.

Well, you’re in luck if you want to do that because Guilford County is giving you the perfect opportunity this weekend to get outside, enjoy the beauty of fall and celebrate that beauty with others in the community….

Anytime, there’s a huge natural disaster – like Hurricane Helene’s hit on Western North Carolina and nearby areas in other states – there’s always a lot of confusion and rumors, especially when, as in this case, much of the communications infrastructure has been destroyed and a lot of information is therefore incomplete, inaccurate or being spread by word from one hurricane victim to another…

The Carroll Family Foundation, along with The Carroll Companies – a Greensboro-based company that formerly owned the Rhino Times – have donated a very generous gift to help the massive relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Helene: a combined $1 million to help those affected by the storm, some of whom lost everything.
The Companies are doing more on top of that as well…

During A Friday, Oct. 4 meeting, the Greensboro City Council voted to appoint Nathaniel “Trey’ Davis as the new city manager.

His term began immediately.

“I am honored by the level of confidence the City Council has shown in my leadership ability,” Davis stated publicly after his selection. “Greensboro offers an exceptional quality of life. As we prepare for continued growth, I look forward to working with our leadership and employees to focus on supporting our infrastructure, economic development and public safety as a whole….

It’s hard to conceive of the amount of damage Hurricane Helene did to the western part of North Carolina as well as parts of nearby states, but a lot of people have been racing to help those who have lost everything.  For instance, on Thursday, Oct. 3 the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office took a truckload of relief supplies to the disaster area, and, many other groups, including High Point University and the university’s “family” have been doing all that it can as well….

If there’s a job you want related to aviation or airports – well, there’s a whole lot of opportunity for you currently going on at Piedmont Triad International Airport.   The Airport Authority, which runs PTI, is hosting an upcoming career fair that should be of interest to everyone who wants a job that has to do with airplanes or air transportation…

In recent years, Guilford County government has greatly expanded its efforts to offer more service contracts to, and purchase more goods from, minority and women owned businesses – especially those that are minority-owned…

If you’ve been feeling like you could use a little more companionship lately – and you want to help the Animal Shelter staff who constantly have their hands full, then the upcoming Guilford County Animal Services event is for you.  Animal Services is partnering with the BISSELL Pet Foundation to hold an “Empty the Shelters” adoption event this month….

The City of Greensboro has implemented so many changes and so many variations of yard waste collection in recent years that you could be forgiven for just giving up and leaving what you want at the curb the way you want to do it and seeing what the city crews do or don’t pick up.
The policies on leaves, for instance, have gone from things like leave them at the curb by November 1 and maybe we’ll pick them up by the end of the year, to the policy of “Just leave your leaves where they fall – it’s good for the yard.”
Well, city officials at least recognize that it’s hard to follow the policies – especially this year, when dark gray yard waste containers started showing up at everyone’s houses.
So, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, the City of Greensboro issued a summary and reminder of where the policy on yard waste stands as of 11:49 a.m. on the first day of October 2024.
Here are some of the reminders and guidelines that city officials put out regarding your legal options…

•Put your fall yard waste, including leaves, in your 95-gallon gray yard waste cart. Bag additional leaves using paper yard waste bags and/or bundle sticks with natural twine. Up to 10 bags or bundles will be collected from the curb weekly year-round. If you need a second 95-gallon gray yard waste cart, you can call 336-373-2489 and buy one for $65.
• From November to February, crews will collect up to 15 paper bags/bundles of yard waste from the curb.
•Compost or mulch your leaves.
The City still encourages you to “Leave your leaves where they fall,” because “Leaves provide important habitats for many different species.”
Also, “Remember that leaves should not be raked or blown into the curb, right-of-way, or street. Improperly prepared leaves that create a nuisance may be reported to the City’s Code Compliance Division at 336-373-2111.”
Violators may be fined by the city for breaking the rules and additional fines may be tacked on if the situation isn’t resolved in a timely manner.
Burning any type of yard waste – including leaves – is forbidden in the city of Greensboro.
“The city ordinances in this regard are “designed to protect public health and safety,” city officials state.
You can still use fire pits for recreational purposes – but not to burn yard debris.
Also, the Greensboro Fire Department encourages residents to use their new yard waste carts or paper yard waste bags for leaf disposal, and to take advantage of the city’s yard waste collection services.
If you want more guidance on getting rid of yard debris and other waste, you can download the GSO Collects App to get a personalized collection schedule, search for what goes where, and more.
Also, you can learn other info at www.greensboro-nc.gov/yardwaste…

With illegal immigration being a problem for decades and the state of North Carolina being one of the states that sees a lot of illegal immigrants come to work, the North Carolina State Board of Elections – and county elections offices across the state such as the Guilford County Board of Elections – certainly don’t want to see any cheating in the most important presidential election in the history of the country.

So, exactly what will North Carolina elections officials do to ensure that only US citizens vote?

In this state, the NC Board of Elections notes “a series of laws and processes work together to try to ensure that only qualified U.S. citizens cast ballots in elections.”…

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office is calling on the community to help in its effort to offer some hurricane relief for the western part of the state with its “Together for Western NC” campaign.

The department is collecting essential supplies to help those affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

A trailer is now parked just outside of the Sheriff’s Office, and we are asking the community to help us fill it up. The donations will be delivered to the affected areas on Friday morning. 

You can drop off your donations in the Sheriff’s Office parking lot at 400 W. Washington St. in Greensboro by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3….

While ticket prices can be higher and direct flights might be fewer than at some other airports, Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) has a whole lot to offer – like shorter lines, less chaos, nice and helpful airport ambassadors and more. Which is why in an online survey the airport ended up just being named as one of the top 10 small airports in the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2024.

This recognition by flyers who voted online places PTI among the best small airports in the country, as determined by travelers nationwide….

There are some weird things that happen during elections, but, based on the lack of discussion regarding the quarter-cent sales tax increase referendum that will appear on the ballot for the November election it feels like the sales tax hike once again is doomed to fail. 

Residents of Guilford County like school children – which is why they have voted to approve $2 billion in school bonds in recent years – but those same people don’t like taxes, and there doesn’t seem to be a super-aggressive push for the sales tax hikes, unlike some previous attempts when there was a lot of promotion for it.

Voting has already started and the Rhino Times has yet to see a billboard, TV commercial or social media ad asking for people to vote for the referendum that would likely bring in an extra $25 million a year to the county…

If you’re driving along and you get lit up by a Guilford County Sheriff’s Office patrol car behind you, you better think twice in the future about making a run for it.  While some of the cars presently in use by the department have seen much better days, the fleet of vehicles is about to be beefed up with a lot of brand-new pursuit cars and other autos….

It used to be, back when the ACC was really the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Duke Carolina game would be one of the last games of the season; however, since the conference has added Cal, Stanford, SMU, the Sorbonne and the University of Moscow, that has…

North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, the current Republican candidate for governor, has vehemently denied claims made in a now-famous CNN report – he called them “salacious tabloid lies” – and Robinson accused his opponents of using AI and other digital tricks to “manufacture” false evidence against him…

It’s been raining cats and dogs in Greensboro but the problems in this city have not come close to the treacherous conditions that have been taking place in the western part of the state. That’s why, in response to a request from North Carolina Emergency Management, the Greensboro Fire Department has deployed 18 members of its Search and Rescue Team to help in search and rescue operations in Western North Carolina due to the impact of Hurricane Helene….

The late former Guilford County Commissioner Carolyn Coleman once complained to Guilford County Tax Director Ben Chavis at a commissioners meeting that she didn’t feel like the Tax Department was assessing the homes in her area high enough. She said she thought that he should look into that.  Just about everyone in the meeting room looked at her like she was crazy because, while you want your house to be worth a lot, you certainly don’t want the Tax Department to think it is.

That, of course, is because the higher the assessed value of your property, the more money you hand over to the Guilford County Tax Department every year. 

Guilford County conducted a revaluation of all the property in the county in 2022 and, according to Chavis, the values listed with the Tax Department are now much, much less than the actual sales value.  In fact, he said this week, on average, the listed property value for tax purposes is currently only 69 percent of the actual market value.

North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, who’s running as the Republican nominee for governor of the state, is still traveling around North Carolina campaigning; however, the vast majority of state and national Republican officials have pulled the rug out from under him after a damning CNN report alleged that, years ago, Robinson posted on a porn site that he was a black Nazi, liked transgender porn and thought that Martin Luther King was “worse than a maggot.”

Robinson denies the entirety of the story; however, many of his fellow Republicans don’t seem to be accepting his denial. The Republican Governors Association – a group “dedicated to one primary objective: electing and supporting Republican governors” – cut off funding to the Robinson campaign…

The Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center is a nonprofit with a mission of  advancing “equality and inclusion through philanthropy, programming and advocacy that uplifts the LGBTQ community.”

Jennifer Ruppe, who’s served as the executive director of the Foundation and Center for the past six…

One of the most moving things that happens at Piedmont Triad International Airport twice a year is...

According to multiple media reports, the City of Greensboro agreed to pay $220,000 to settle a lawsuit against former Greensboro City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba, in which a female employee who reported to him claimed there was “unwanted touching” by the former manager.

The settlement included $165,000 for the claim, plus additional money for the woman’s wages and unused vacation time, as well as money to cover her legal bills in the case.

Though the settlement occurred about a month after Jaiyeoba stepped down in March of 2024, the records of the lawsuit and its outcome only became public this week…

If you know the driver of the car above, the authorities would like to talk to you because, according to a press release sent out by Piedmont Triad International Airport, on Saturday, Sept. 21, at about 6:40 p.m., this vehicle rammed into the main entrance to the FedEx Shipping Center at 6061 Old Oak Ridge Road in Greensboro….

It’s difficult enough to fly these days for people who don’t face physical challenges, but for those with disabilities – and the friends and families who help them fly –  things can be even tougher.  That’s why Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) is joining with partners to put on an event that should help a lot in that regard.

he Guilford County Sheriff’s Office “improperly released” two jail inmates charged with violent crimes in one week – one from the Guilford County jail in downtown Greensboro and one from the jail in High Point.  The Office takes responsibility for the first one but has stated that the second improper release was due to a mistake by the court system….

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t provided a whole lot of details on exactly what went wrong when two inmates charged with violent crimes were improperly released from custody last week; however, just before midnight on Monday, Sept. 23, the Office sent out a press release that provided information about each release.

It starts by providing some information that was already known: On Monday, Sept. 16, at about 4:30 p.m., Carlos Geovany “Yobani” Diaz-Gomez, 32, was “improperly released” (read: escaped) from the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro…

Every day, everyone in North Carolina – and around the world for that matter –gets older.  There isn’t much, or anything really, that one can do about that; however, the State of North Carolina is establishing a new program that’s intended to help state residents maintain a good quality of life as they age….

An unverified rumor going around is that somehow inmates in the Guilford County jail system found a Monopoly game in the rec room and discovered that they could use the “Get Out Of Jail Free” cards to convince county detention officers that they could be released from confinement.

That rumor is almost certainly not true, but it does raise the question as to how the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, not once, but twice, improperly released inmates into society in a single week.

For the second time in a matter of days, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office improperly released an inmate charged with violent crimes into society when he was supposed to remain behind bars.

 In the first case, the Office denied, when asked by WXII News, that a jail inmate had been improperly released…

Luckily, no one was killed or injured, but the consequences could have been disastrous when an armed detention officer with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department accidentally fired his pistol in the men’s bathroom at the county jail in downtown Greensboro. 

The bullet traveled through the wall of the bathroom, across the hall, and lodged into the door of the jail’s Transportation Office. That’s the division of the department that transports inmates between jails, to court, to hospitals and to other destinations…

On Thursday, Sept. 12, at about lunchtime, an officer who was using the restroom was adjusting his pants after rising from the toilet, and, before doing so, he took his pistol – most likely a Glock – out of its holster and placed it on the bathroom floor while he adjusted his pants…

The City of Greensboro, the Audubon Society and some of the area’s partnering businesses are coming together for an interesting cause: To make it easier for birds to fly south for the winter.

The joint effort, called the “Lights Out” program, is in effect twice each year. It takes place every spring – from March 15 to May 31 – and again each fall, when it runs from September 10 to November 30…

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office did not notify the public after the escape of a 32-year-old male inmate charged with a violent crime, and, when asked directly by WXII News if an inmate had escaped, told the station’s reporters that “An inmate did not escape from either one of our detention centers.”

In a story that aired on Friday, Sept, 20, WXII stated, “WXII’s 12 investigates repeatedly reached out to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office Thursday after a tip came into our newsroom about an inmate escaping the jail in Greensboro.”

            WXII stated that the Sheriff’s Office “repeatedly denied” that an inmate had escaped…

There’s been a widespread national reaction to the Thursday, Sept. 19 CNN news story accusing North Carolina Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Robinson of, roughly a decade ago, posting on porn sites that he was a “Black NAZI!”, enjoyed watching transgender porn, thought Martin Luther King Jr. was “lower than a maggot,” and many other lewd and vulgar things.

The national reaction from Republicans has been mixed, with some questioning the story and others saying Robinson should get out of the race. (The deadline for doing so just passed so Robinson will be the Republican candidate.)

On Friday, Sept. 20, the Guilford County Republican Party issued a statement as to where the county party stands – which is solidly behind Robinson. It was sent out by Chris Meadows, the chairman of the county party…

The Guilford County Division of Public Health’s Health Action Group and Clinical Services Section is offering no-cost mpox vaccinations and HIV/STI testing at the Greensboro Pride Festival on Sunday, Sept. 22.

The health division’s mobile unit will be there at the corner of South Elm-Eugene Street and Smothers Place in Greensboro from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m…

A Thursday afternoon, Sept. 19 CNN bombshell news report set the North Carolina and national media on fire with claims that NC Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Robinson, years ago, referred to himself as a “Black Nazi,” stated that he favored a return to slavery, despised Martin Luther King, Jr. and enjoyed viewing transgender porn.

Robinson, even before the report came out on Thursday, posted a video on the social media platform X in which he denied any truth to the claims.

The CNN report is so damning that some Republican leaders in the state are saying Robinson should drop out of the race – in the same way Biden did. However, just as Biden did after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump, Robinson said he’s absolutely determined

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department reported at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, that it – along with multiple law enforcement agencies – is seeking a Guilford County man on the loose who’s wanted for the murder of a woman in Robeson County. ..

Spinning Dreams, a movie theater offering $5 tickets and showing second-run movies such as Barbie and The Beekeeper – announced this week that it will be moving from the Pinehurst Building at 2 Centerview Drive in Greensboro; however, at this point, Spinning Dreams doesn’t know where its new theater location will be…

By all accounts, it was longtime Greensboro resident Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, who allegedly waited in the bushes behind a fence around a Florida golf course in an attempt to put a bullet into former President Donald Trump, who’s now running again to be the next president of the United States.  

As with anything and everything in this heated election season, members of both political parties are pointing fingers at each other and freely tossing around supposed reasons why Routh apparently wanted Trump dead.

Since 1998, Routh was arrested many, many, times – and he was often convicted of crimes, including felonies….

Over $554,000 in food benefit money has been detected as stolen from North Carolina’s Food and Nutrition Services participants since Sunday, Aug. 18 of this year – and a loss of a great deal of money from the program is nothing new. 

Criminals can alter card reading equipment at stores, which allows them to steal both the magnetic stripe data from the cards being used and the PINs assigned to those cards…

There’s an old joke.

Two guys are out in the woods walking through a field when, suddenly, they see a large bear looking right at them, appearing ready to come after them.

One man turns to the other and says, “Oh my God, what do we do?!

The other says, “Run?”

“Run?? Are you crazy? We’ll never outrun that bear,” came the response.

“Well,” says the other man, “I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you.”…

Recently, Guilford County government sent out bids to get unit pricing for basic vehicle and repair services for the cars and other autos in multiple Guilford County departments – and those services will now be lumped together under a new contract with five vendors.

The scope of work that will be included in this three-year, nearly $2-million deal, will cover – for much of the county’s fleet of cars, trucks and SUVs – “Preventative Maintenance Services, Automotive System Diagnosis, and Up-fitting Services”…