Union County NC Announcements, News, Events » News

2010 North Carolina Sales Tax Holiday Back-to-School Savings Through North Carolina’s Sales Tax Holiday

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:56:37 +0000

Clothing Exempt from North Carolina Sales Tax

Each item of clothing must be priced $100 or less. Eligible items include:

Bandannas
Bathing Suits
Belts and Suspenders
Coats and Jackets
Costumes (not masks sold separately)
Diapers (adult and baby, cloth and disposable)
Ear Muffs
Gloves and Mittens (general use)
Formal Wear (not rented)
Hats
Hosiery
Insoles
Jogging Suits
Neckwear
Rain Wear
Shoe Laces
Uniforms

See a complete list.

Footwear Exempt from North Carolina Sales Tax

Footwear $100 and under is exempt, including:

Boots
Overshoes
Sandals
Slippers
Sneakers
Steel-Toed Shoes

School Supplies Exempt from Sales Tax

Each product must be priced at $100 or less. These are the only items free from sales tax:

Binders
Blackboard Chalk
Book Bags
Calculators
Cellophane Tape
Clay and Glazes
Compasses
Composition Books
Crayons
Erasers
Folders (expandable, manila, pocket and plastic)
Glue, Paste and Paste Sticks
Highlighters
Index Cards and Index Card Boxes
Legal Pads
Lunch Boxes
Markers
Notebooks
Paintbrushes for Artwork
Paints (acrylic, oil and tempera)
Paper (copy paper, colored, construction paper, graph, loose-leaf notebook paper, manila, poster board, tracing)
Pencil Boxes
Pencils and Sharpeners
Pens
Protractors
Rulers
Scissors
Sketch and Drawing Pads
Watercolors
Writing Tablets

School Instructional Materials Exempt from Sales Tax

To qualify for the sales tax holiday, each item must be used as a
reference tool to learn the school subject. The price must be $300 or
less for:

Reference Books
Reference Maps and Globes
Textbooks
Workbooks

Sport or Recreational Equipment Exempt from Sales Tax

Sports and recreational equipment $50 and under per item is exempt, including the following:

Ballet Slippers
Cleats or Other Spiked Athletic Shoes
Gloves (baseball, bowling, boxing, golf, hockey and other sports)
Goggles
Hand and Elbow Guards
Helmets (bicycle, skating, baseball and other sports
Life Preservers and Vests
Mouth Guards
Roller and Ice Skates
Shin Guards
Shoulder Pads
Ski Boots
Waders, Wetsuits and Fins

Computers Exempt from Sales Tax

Computers priced $3,500 or less qualify. The state of North Carolina defines a
computer as a central processing unit, monitor, keyboard, mouse and
speakers all bundled together. Purchasing a monitor, keyboard, mouse or
speakers separately is taxable. All peripherals, such as scanners and
external hard drives are not exempt from sales tax.

Computer Equipment Exempt from Sales Tax

Each item must be $250 or less in the following categories:

Computer printers
Computer Storage Media (recordable CDs and DVDs)
Handheld electronic schedulers (not part of a cell phone)
Personal digital assistants (not part of a cell phone)
Printer Supplies for Computers (paper and ink)

Taxable Items

Clothing accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, protective equipment, furniture and
business items are types of items that are not eligible for the sales
tax holiday.

Monroe NC – Child Pornography material sent to Local Monroe Businesses

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:49:04 +0000

Monroe NC – State, Federal and local investigators are trying to find out who sent fliers containing child pornography material to some Monroe businesses. Officers have received numerous calls from businesses complaining about receiving the fliers, even the police station received one. The fliers showed up sometime over the weekend in plain envelopes . Investigators said the fliers advertised a Valentine’s Day specials for Key Printing and Graphics, a local company operating in Monroe, and contained inappropriate images of boys and girls throughout the flier. The owner of Key Printing and Graphics said his business had nothing to do with the fliers, or the delivery, The Police said the return address is fake. Authorities are telling local businesses not to open the ad if it arrives in the mail. Monroe police, the State Bureau of Investigation and the federal Postal Inspection Service are all investigating.

Monroe NC H1N1 Flu shot clinic to be held Friday Feb.5th

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:42:30 +0000

The Union County Health Department will provide free H1N1 vaccines to people of all ages on Friday, Feb. 5 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. inside Monroe Crossing (Monroe Mall) at the entrance to Sears.
For more information, call the Union County Health Department at 704-296-4878

Union County NC Public School KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:21:05 +0000

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

February 1 – February 5, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Parents of kindergarten children may register their child at the elementary school located in their
attendance area. Eligible children must have reached their fifth birthday on or before August 31 (of
the year of entrance) in order to enroll in a public kindergarten in North Carolina.
According to the North Carolina state law, all children entering kindergarten must present
documented evidence of having received immunizations and physical examinations before attending
school.
Immunizations needed are as follows:

DTaP/DT vaccine – five doses (if the fourth dose was given on or after their fourth birthday, the fifth dose is not required)
Polio IPV vaccine – four doses (if the third dose was given on or after the fourth birthday, the fourth dose is not required)
MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) - two doses (first dose on or after their first birthday; second dose before school entry)
Hepatitis B vaccine – three doses (third dose must be after child is 6 months old)
HIB – at least one dose on/after 15 months of age (not required after age 5)
Varicella (Chicken Pox) - one dose (required for children born on or after April 1, 2001, second dose highly recommended before school entry)

Kindergarten Health Assessment Form - You must have your doctor or health department
complete the Kindergarten Health Assessment (KHA) Report which you can pick up anytime from
the school. In addition, you must submit an up-to-date certificate of immunizations (no longer a
part of the KHA Report). It is important for your doctor to record all the requested information
on the KHA Report, front and back. Please review the form before leaving the office to be certain this
has happened or you will be sent back to the office to get the needed information.
Parents should bring to the school copies of their child’s birth certificate,
immunization record, two proofs of residence, and the Kindergarten Health
Assessment Form before the first day of school.

For more information call the school your child will attend

Union County Master Gardener Association is selling rain barrels to help Union County residents conserve water.

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:48:05 +0000

Gardener Association is Selling Rain Barrels

January 19, 2010 Monroe, NC – Union County Master Gardener Association is selling rain barrels to help Union County residents conserve water.

Rain barrels can be purchased in either 60 or 80 gallon barrels. The 60 gallon barrels are $85, and the 80 gallon barrels are $100. All barrels must be pre-ordered by Feb. 22, and can be picked up at the Union County Agricultural Center at 3230 Presson Road in Monroe on Feb. 27 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Rain barrels reduce water usage, which reduces bills. They also reduce stormwater runoff into streets and streams. Also, irrigating with harvested rain water provides ground water recharge at the source or rain fall.

By installing one 60 gallon rain barrel you can save 600 gallons of water through a 20-week growing season.

Further information can also be received by emailing unionmg@co.union.nc.us, calling 704-283-3822 or visiting the Cooperative Extension Website at www.co.union.nc.us.

Monroe NC singer Karla Davis wins national country music showdown

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:06:53 +0000

Karla Davis wows stage at Nashville’s fabled Ryman Auditorium

Country music singer Karla Davis wowed an audience in Rock Hill on her path to winning the Colgate Country Music Showdown.

The Monroe, N.C., artist sang at the Freedom Center in downtown Rock Hill, advanced to a state competition and then took top honors in the finals at Nashville’s fabled Ryman Auditorium.

The annual showdown is an American Idol-like contest that seeks to discover the next big country star. Winners also get $100,000.

This year, the regional finals were held in front of a packed house at the Freedom Center. Davis represented radio station WRHI.

“She was very memorable,” said WRHI office manager Noreen Ruff, who watched the Rock Hill performance. “She used her guitar in a very different way. She would sing a line and hit the guitar with her thumb. And she performed barefoot.”

On her blog, Davis lists her musical role models as Eva Cassidy, Joss Stone, Bobbi Gentry, Etta James, John Legend, Carrie Underwood and Jason Mraz.

Some people compare her to soft rock singer Colbie Caillat.

In a song called “A Day Away,” Davis tells about a desire to be near loved ones, saying “a day away from you is a day too long.”

story Courtesy of the Charlotte Observer

Local Indian Trail NC family star in TLC’s One big happy family

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:21:46 +0000

TLC has a new reality TV show that features a local Indian Trail, NC family (The Coles) struggling with obesity called “One Big Happy Family”. I watched this show for the first time last night with my 14yr old daughter. She goes to school and has a couple of classes with Shayne at Porter Ridge High School. So this morning I get this Google alert in my inbox about Indian Trail NC, So of course i read it and it is about The reality show and the coles. The headline reads “TLC’s “One Big Happy Family” doesn’t sit well with some viewers”. The story is about how the show has been the center of some criticism and controversy and how TLC is exploiting the family. There is another story on CNN.com (“‘Big’ concerns surround new reality show” ) about the show. Here is a link to a few clips of the show.
If you watched the show let us know what you think about the Coles and the struggle to lose weight while being filmed for a TV reality show. In your mind do you think TLC is exploiting the family?

Please leave us your comments and thoughts.

A single man crime spree in Union County NC (Updated)

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:59:40 +0000

WAXHAW, NC (WBTV) – At first it seemed to be just a fire — still it was a fire that was big enough that it closed Highway 75 in Union County.

But, the fire at the cabinet shop that closed the road was only the tip of the iceberg of a one-man crime spree that wrecked places all over town, authorities say.

The man who set the fire also stole two vehicles — from two different places — and tried to rob an ATM.

The most visible episode of the crime spree was that Highway 75 was shut down early Tuesday morning from McNeely Road and Western Union School Road because of the fire.

Investigators believe the same man who set the fire that destroyed a cabinet shop, stole a vehicle from that area.

Here is a timeline of events from police to WBTV:

Stole Pickup from a landscaping company.
Traveled down Highway 75 to a cabinet company set the building and several vehicles on fire.
Traveled back North on 75 into the city of Monroe where he crashed into doors of a Food Lion
Traveled across Monroe and crashed into an ATM where the truck was disabled.
After that, he broke into a house and stole another vehicle.
A short time later, he was taken into custody.

Witnesses say they saw the shop and several vehicles nearby on fire and called it in, which lead to the capture of the suspect.

By 8:15 am the fire was out, but roads were still closed because of fire operations in the area.

Jonathan Dowdy was charged with first degree burglary, felony breaking and entering, motor vehicle theft, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Dowdy has not been charged yet to the fires in Waxhaw, but that could change.

The following story is courtesy on WBTV

(Update)
Johnathan Dowdy has been charged with:
3 counts of felony breaking and entering.
2 counts of possession of stolen property.
2 counts of larceny after breaking and entering.
1 count of larceny of a motor vehicle.
1 count of possession of a stolen vehicle.
1 count of misdemeanor larceny.

He is in the Union County Jail under a $75,000 secured bond.

Windstream Expands Business Service into Monroe, N.C.

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:52:59 +0000

Windstream Expands Business Service into Monroe, N.C.

05.01.2010 | Author: Business Wire | Posted in Technology

Full Suite of Next-Generation Voice and Data Solutions Now Available

MATTHEWS, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Windstream Corp. (NASDAQ: WIN) announces the expansion of its next-generation voice and data services into Monroe, N.C., giving local businesses a new choice for advanced communication services.

Monroe business customers may now benefit from a robust portfolio of voice and data solutions, including dedicated high-speed Ethernet Internet, VoIP converged communications systems, Virtual Private Networks, Virtual LAN Services, managed network security and local and long distance service, all designed to help businesses increase productivity and run more efficiently.

Windstream’s cost-effective solutions also include business bundles that can help improve a customer’s bottom line, saving business customers on Internet and phone service over comparable Verizon services.

“Windstream understands the growing demand for our voice and data solutions and has expanded our product availability into Monroe,” said Don Perkins, vice president of business marketing. “Our customized solutions can help businesses improve productivity and connect with their customers.”

The company has approximately 192,500 access lines and 1,350 employees in North Carolina. Windstream already serves business customers in markets across the state including Matthews, Concord, Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro, N.C.

For more information about Windstream’s next-generation data services, visit www.windstream.com/business.

About Windstream

Windstream Corporation is an S&P 500 company that provides digital phone, high-speed Internet and high-definition video and entertainment services to residential and business customers in 16 states. The company also offers a wide range of IP-based voice and data services and advanced phone systems and equipment to businesses and government agencies. The company has approximately 3 million access lines and about $3.1 billion in annual revenues. Windstream is ranked 4th in the 2009 BusinessWeek 50 ranking of the best performing U.S. companies. For more information about Windstream, visit www.windstream.com.

Stallings police release photo of burglary suspect

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:44:30 +0000

STALLINGS, N.C. — Police are searching for a man who has broken into several businesses in Stallings.
Police released surveillance photos from some of the businesses that were broken into on Independence Boulevard.
Police tell NewsChannel 36 the suspect gets around on a white scooter.
If you have any information, call Stallings police at 704-821-0300

Story and Photos courtesy of WCNC.com

If you have any information, call Stallings police at 704-821-0300