Friday, May 14, 2021
First, the good news: every municipality in North Carolina is eligible to receive a large cash infusion, up to 75% of its budget, from the American Rescue Plan (ARP).
Now, the less than good news: all municipalities, other than a handful of metropolitan cities with populations over 50,000, should be working
May 18, 2021, or perhaps on a slightly later date. Metropolitan cities and other governments can apply directly on the U.S. Treasury portal.
Even though a municipality s governing body probably has not yet voted to affirmatively accept ARP funds, and even though plans for using these funds must still be made, and even though the rules are unclear and will probably change, each non-metropolitan municipality should work with NC PRO on this administrative contracting checklist to be sure it is prepared to receive the ARP funds.
John “Trigger” Dupras takes in the view from Max Patch. Holly Kays photo
From flip-flops to overnights to the quintessential northbound thru-hike, there are many different ways to experience the Appalachian Trail on its route from Georgia to Maine. An overnight along the trail at Roaring Fork Shelter near Max Patch was enough to meet a variety of hikers, all hiking the trail their own way.
The thru-hikers
Giggles is from Switzerland, while Spartan splits his time between Naples, Florida, and Petoskey, Michigan. But for now, they both call the Appalachian Trail home.
They’re thru-hikers, two of the more than 2,000 people who each year step off from Springer Mountain in Georgia with the goal of walking 2,192 miles to Mount Katahdin in Maine.
A state House elections committee will discuss the matter at 1 p.m Wednedsay.
The executive director of North Carolina’s elections proposed on Tuesday that the state postpone all of the fall 2021 municipal elections until spring of 2022 because the U.S. Census expects to be six months late with the state’s latest population data.
This would affect most of North Carolina’s 551 cities and towns, from Fontana Dam (estimated in 2019 to have 21 residents) to Charlotte (with 886,000 people). The few exceptions are the communities whose elections are held in even-numbered years (Winston-Salem, Asheville and several others).
If the elections are postponed, none would be held this fall, and the current incumbents would remain in office at least six months longer than usual.