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Regional Briefs: WFDD now operating on low power
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Published: July 15, 2009
Public-radio station WFDD-FM (88.5) is using an auxiliary transmitter after the station's main transmitter site in Davidson County went out.
Station engineers say that the main transmitter was damaged Sunday afternoon by a lightning strike, said Denise Franklin, WFDD's general manager.
The auxiliary transmitter does not have as wide a range as the main transmitter, broadcasting a 500-watt signal as opposed to the primary transmitter's 60,000 watts, so many listeners may hear static, a fuzzy signal or bleed-in from other stations.
The station normally covers 32 counties, Franklin said; the auxiliary signal can be heard mostly in the Winston-Salem listening area, though some nearby areas may be able to pick it up.
Engineers are working to fix the problem as soon as possible, Franklin said, but they do not expect broadcasts from the station's main transmitter to be restored before the end of the week.
Listeners can also hear the station online at www.wfdd.org.
Seven candidates file for local races
Candidates filed yesterday to run for town boards in Kernersville, Lewisville and Bethania, according to the Forsyth County Board of Elections.
In Kernersville, Keith Mason filed to keep his seat on the board of alderman. He was appointed in 2008 to fill the unexpired term of Alderman Dawn Morgan, who became mayor after former Mayor Curtis Swisher resigned to become town manager.
Also filing yesterday were two challengers in Kernersville, Tracey Shifflette and Harvey Pulliam Jr. Shifflette is a member of the town's parks and recreation advisory board. Pulliam ran unsuccessfully for the board in 2007. All five seats on the Kernersville board are up for election, with seven candidates in the running so far.
In Lewisville, challenger John P. Sangimino filed to run for a seat on the town council, where all six seats are up for election. Sangimino was active in the group Forsyth Citizens for Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, which sought to extend the town's zoning control to areas outside the town limits last year. Six candidates are so far in the running for the six Lewisville seats.
Two candidates filed yesterday to run for the Bethania Board of Commissioners, which has two available seats up for election this November. Filing were incumbent Charlie Wolff and challenger Brent S. Rockett.
House rejects Senate budget bill
RALEIGH -- N.C. House and Senate Democrats now have to work out a compromise on extending a stopgap spending measure for state government before it expires tonight.
The House yesterday rejected the Senate's version of a continuing resolution that directs Gov. Bev Perdue and state agencies how they can spend money while legislators negotiate a permanent budget.
The biggest issue may be how long the continuing resolution should stay in place. The Senate wants it to be open-ended, but the House wants another deadline, perhaps the end of the month.
The temporary plan is needed because Democrats haven't yet agreed to a two-year spending plan that was supposed to take effect July 1.
Waiting period for clubs voted down
RALEIGH -- A Senate committee voted yesterday to eliminate the required waiting period for membership to bars and clubs.
The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee despite objections from a socially conservative Christian organization and concerns of the restaurant industry.
The bill now moves to the Senate floor for what could be a final vote before heading to Gov. Bev Perdue's desk.
Under current law, most establishments that operate exclusively as bars are classified as "private clubs," open to members and their guests. But people must wait three days after their membership is activated before they can enter the bar.
Establishments that generate at least 30 percent of revenue from sales of food and non-
alcoholic beverages don't have to operate as private clubs with a three-day waiting period.
Fee-free weekends at Wright site
MANTEO -- Visitors to a national park attraction at North Carolina's Outer Banks will be able to visit some attractions free of charge.
The National Park Service said it is taking part in national fee-free weekends this Saturday and Sunday and Aug. 15-16.
That means visitors to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore area will be able to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
The program doesn't mean that fees will be waived for campgrounds and lighthouse entry.
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