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This article is a stub while I wait to receive the news release from Billy Joiner. Meanwhile, here is his bio from the Town of Trent Woods website: Commissioner/Mayor Pro Tem “Resident for 39 years” Worked for Sprint for 37 years Married with 2 daughters, sons-in-law and 4 grandchildren Retired from the West of New Bern Volunteer Fire Department with 20 years Active member of Tabernacle Baptist Church Crossing Guard of Bangert Elementary School 20 years as a referee for youth basketball & umpire for youth baseball Serves on Town’s Citizens Emergency Response Team Shriner & Mason Serves on local Community Watch program Retired military E-8Read More →

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New Bern Ward 3 Alderman ET Mitchell says she is running for the District 4 Craven County commissioner seat that Scott Dacey is giving up in his run for Congress. Mitchell said she would be a “voice of reason and common sense” on the Craven County Board of Commissioners. She joins Trent Woods Town Commissioner Billy Joiner in the District 4 race. Unofficial word of Mitchell’s candidacy has been spreading for about two months now. In fact, on my last day as executive editor at the Sun Journal on on Oct. 13, I alerted reporters there to keep an ear out for her announcement alongRead More →

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Stories that matter Other stories I am working on for later this week (links to be added as the stories are filed): Details about downtown parking lots and how they will be used … but will it be enough? The city gets more time to renovate the old New Bern Train Depot. The city moves forward to develop Martin Marietta Park, which will become the city’s largest park. Wreaths Across America: Group plans to place wreaths on the gravestones of veterans across the United States, including 1,517 at New Bern National Cemetery. City gearing up for a frickin awesome holiday season, including something new this year.Read More →

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Sometime soon, when you call 911 in New Bern for an ambulance, the 911 dispatcher may ask a lot of questions that, in the heat of the moment, may seem beside the point. But the questions 911 dispatchers ask, and the answers they get in return, will save lives. New Bern’s 911 dispatchers are rolling out a system called “Emergency Medical Dispatch.” The system is a combination of software and training that allow 911 dispatchers to ask medically pertinent questions and then give medical advice about how to save that person’s life. The program was hatched in New Bern earlier this year, and in OctoberRead More →

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In its final meeting Tuesday before all hell breaks loose, the Master Parking Plan Advisory Committee (it only took me three weeks to get the full name right) plowed through last week’s draft of recommendations and added several more. The committee is delivering its recommendations to the Board of Aldermen at a workshop the board has scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 21. One new addition to the recommendations is that the Board of Aldermen not take any action, but leave the public hearing and final decisions to January 2018, after new board members take their seats and have had a chance to get settled in andRead More →

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Coming up Tuesday in the New Bern Post: Full coverage of the last Parking Advisory Committee meeting Tuesday afternoon and its final recommendations to the Board of Aldermen, and top-story coverage of Tuesday evening’s Board of Aldermen meeting. Later this week, I’ll drill down into the minutiae. Because I’m not looking to build an audience. I’m looking to build community awareness and civic involvement. ~ Randy Foster, New Bern Post Got tips or comments?Read More →

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Board of Aldermen 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 14, 2017 City Hall, corner of Pollock and Craven streets Agenda   1.  Meeting opened by Mayor Dana E. Outlaw.  Prayer Coordinated by Alderman Odham.   Pledge of Allegiance. 2.  Roll Call. 3.  Request and Petition of Citizens. This section of the Agenda is titled Requests and Petitions of Citizens.  This is an opportunity for public comment, and we thank you for coming to the Board of Aldermen meeting tonight to share your views.  We value all citizen input. Speaker comments are limited to a maximum of 4 minutes during the public comment period.  At the conclusion of 4Read More →

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In: Craven County Board of Commissioners, New Bern, New Bern business and commerce
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Saltwater Creek LLC, a real estate company that lists New Bern lawyer Kelly Greene as its manager, has put in a bid for $109,000 for long-vacant commercial building on Broad Street. The two-story office building is on a half acre lot at 509 Broad St. The Craven County tax office puts the building’s value at $310,000. The building, constructed in 1950, was once the location for Craven County Council on Aging and more recently the Craven County Probation Office. The building has been vacant for years. At one point there was a plan to turn the building into a business incubator and work was started.Read More →

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The New Bern Planning and Zoning Board met Tuesday with two agenda items and one discussion item. 1 – Consideration of a General Plan for Miller & Brabble Properties, LLC/Robert Chiles Engineering; a proposed 2 lot major subdivision on a 9.98+/- acre tract, located at the intersection of Karen Drive and Neuse Boulevard. The property is further identified as Craven County Parcel identification number 8-241-025. (Ward 4). Plan is to build an apartment complex.Sept. 1 reviewed proposed general plan. City staff recommended approval. The board, meeting with a bare minimum quorum, voted unanimously to approve the subdivision. In short, the property owner wants to subdivideRead More →

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One item on the Master Parking Plan Advisory Committee draft list of recommendations that didn’t make the cut on Tuesday is euphemistically called “Trash Plaza.” Bear Plaza, the cozy, charming stretch of narrow open space that starts on Middle Street, comes to an abrupt end at Trash Plaza. The area doesn’t have a formal name, and consists of a meandering parking lot punctuated by concrete islands, random shrubbery, garbage cans, and the faint aroma of bat guano — all owned by something like 14 people or entities (see Craven County GIS map, right). “The MPPAC (or, advisory committee for short) recommends the BOA (or, BoardRead More →