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In: Board of Aldermen, New Bern, New Bern Fire Department, Planning and Zoning
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Three developers persuaded New Bern planning and zoning board members to hold off endorsing a proposed revised street ordinance, saying a Fire Department push for wider residential streets and bigger cul de sacs will hurt the environment and push up costs for new houses that could make affordable housing a thing of the past. The board voted unanimously (with one absent and one vacancy) to table the decision and send the proposed ordinance back to staff for further discussion and research. It was one of three option the board had: Approve it and forward it to the Board of Aldermen for further consideration, reject it,Read More →

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In: Craven County Board of Commissioners, New Bern business and commerce
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Belk, the North Carolina-based retailer that relies so much on holiday receipts to meet investor expectations, got into some hot water over its decision to ban Salvation Army bell ringers, so much so that it has reversed course and decided bell ringers are welcome, after all. Here’s the Tweet that Belk sent out on Dec. 2: Belk‏Verified account @belk Dec 2 Christmas truly is the giving season and we’d like to welcome Salvation Army bell ringers to all 294 Belk stores. Merry Christmas!  Happy ending to a story that started badly for the retailer, which has a store at New Bern Mall. Belk was once a family-ownedRead More →

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In: New Bern
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Bellk Belk found itself in hot water last weekend after it turned away Salvation Army bellringers at its New Bern store — and most of its 294 stores across the Southeast. Steve Tyson wasn’t going to stand for it. The Belk corporate honchos didn’t waste time in responding to the outcry of protests. They restored bellringer access the next day following a flood of complaints and threats by shoppers that they will spend their money elsewhere if they couldn’t donate their money outside a Belk store. In corporate America, nothing gets their attention more than thousands of potential shoppers saying they’ll spend their money somewhereRead More →

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In: New Bern, New Bern business and commerce
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New Bern has been selected as a top retirement destination by Where to Retire, the only magazine in America geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions. New Bern is profiled in the January/February 2018 issue, available nationwide on Dec. 12, the magazine announced in a news release today. New Bern gets promo’d on the magazine cover, left, under the headline, “Low-Cost Havens.” Where to Retire Editor Annette Fuller said New Bern possesses qualities important to today’s retirees. “Say hello to North Carolina’s stunning Inner Banks — the lesser-known cousin to the state’s Outer Banks. The star city is New Bern, at the confluence ofRead More →

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In: New Bern Post, Opinion
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Odds and ends I’ve collected over the past week. Could it be? In October, aldermen approved $15,876 to allow for New Bern Police special operations to attack the opioid epidemic. I sent an inquiry to the city for additional information about this. Here is the response: Chief (Toussaint) Summers is at a conference & I (city public relations director Colleen Roberts) wanted to make sure to touch base with him about the New Bern Police Department budget and your inquiry.  He has responded that the money will be used for special investigative purposes. That is all the detail that can be provided. Well that wasn’t very informative,Read More →

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In: New Bern Fire Department
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The New Bern Firement’s Museum dedicated an important relic — a fire house bell — commemorating the three New Bern firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty. The museum took the opportunity to show off its newly completed interior, including a second floor that gives a glimpse of a firefighter’s life, educates visitors about the Great New Bern Fire of 1922 (said to be the largest city fire in North Carolina history). Here is a Facebook video of the dedication: And here is a Facebook video of the interior of the museum:Read More →

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In: Aldermen, Board of Aldermen, Mayor, New Bern business and commerce
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Counting down the days before a largely new Board of Alderman convenes in mid-December, the 2017-vintage board met on Tuesday for a routine meeting in which most agenda items received no discussion and everything passed unanimously. Mayor Dana Outlaw was absent from the meeting while he attended a funeral. (Sorry for your loss, Mayor Outlaw.) Had he been at the aldermen meeting, he could have been counted on for at least one or two no votes, as is his custom. Meanwhile, Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Odham presided over the meeting and kept things tame and orderly, with minimal shenanigans and tomfoolery while the boss was away.Read More →

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In: New Bern
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Coming up Tuesday at New Bern’s Planning and Zoning Board is a proposed subdivision of 546 acres to create two residential subdivisions totaling 253 lots near Carolina Colours and almost as big as it. It has been more than a decade, before the Great Recession, since a housing development this large has been proposed for New Bern. Hutton Pointe at Bluewater Rise would subdivide 115 acres into a 151-lot planned unit development. Bendigo Bay at Bluewater Rise would subdivide 61 acres into a 112-lot planned unit development. Both subdivisions are being handled by John Thomas Engineering and A. Sydes Construction, Inc. Sides Construction bought theRead More →

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In: New Bern Post, News Media, Opinion
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You should know that the original version of this article has been taken down following a cease and desist demand from GateHouse Media. I was the executive editor at the Sun Journal until October 2017, when I resigned for personal and professional reasons. Once I discovered that at least one Sun Journal telemarketer was misrepresenting the circumstances of my departure from the company, I posted my resignation letter along with a memo  I wrote just prior to my resignation. A short time later, GateHouse Media sent me a cease and desist demand, which I present here in its entirety: December 14, 2017 Mr. Randy FosterRead More →

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In: New Bern
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New Bern Fire-Rescue is launching its “Fill a Fire Truck” food drive, which kicked off on Nov. 24 and lasts through Dec. 19. The goal of the food drive is to help City of New Bern employees and local families who are in need of food this holiday season. Residents and visitors to New Bern are encouraged to stop by New Bern Fire-Rescue Headquarters, located at 1401 Neuse Blvd., and drop off non-perishable food items to help fill the fire truck.  An engine is parked in front of the station with a large “Fill a Fire Truck” banner on the side, so donors andpassersby can’tRead More →