RENOVATION LIGHTNING in Greensboro

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A vacant building on Elm Street is ablaze! My, My, what a surprise. The restaurant that has operated from the location has very recently moved out to another location downtown. (See new comment below. I shouldn't have posted this until I had more information.

Renovating an old building is very expensive, even with historic funds, low-interest loans, etc.

My questions is always the same. How did the fire start? Maybe is should be, who is responsible for the fire? And the other questions is, will the arsonist be found?

Most of these renovation lightning fires are declared to be arson by police and fire departments. Some, like one that happened in a vacant building with no electricity was said to be an accidental electrical fire.

One apartment complex had several fires several years ago before enough damage was done.

I could be wrong this time. But I doubt it.

More at 11.

Added later

Oops. I might have been wrong on this one. This one might have really been an accident.

what did you do on election day?

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I voted early because I worked on election day. I helped people find their voting locations. I told them where to vote, but not how to vote. That's a departure from my usual job on election day.

Tuesday, election day, I answered phone calls for the Board of Elections. The volunteers from LWV were in a room with a door at each end and a table running down the middle. There were four telephones on each side of the table and one on the end. Each place had a computer. The room was barely big enough to walk behind the chairs (a really tight squeeze for some of us.)

Most of the calls were from people who wanted to vote but were not sure about the location of their voting place. After getting the name of the person calling and an address, I looked up the name on a computer and told the caller his or her precinct number and the location. Some had moved since they last voted and I told them to go to their old precinct and get a transfer slip and take it to the new location. Some wanted to know if they could vote on the bond issues. I told them they could only vote if they lived within the city limits of Greensboro. Some thought they were in the city, but when I looked up their address, it was not in Greensboro. Only one person seemed a bit upset. He had gone to his regular polling place and the bond issues didn't show up on the ballot.

I hope every eligible voter who called got to cast a vote. I would like to see people able to vote at any polling place in the county. There would have to be a central secure registry for that to happen. It could be done so that the appropriate ballot choices would show up for each voter like it does in early voting machines and a way to ensure that each voter could only cast one ballot.

I love early voting. It is so convenient. I think that more people would vote if they could vote early and close to their workplace or their favorite restaurant. We Americans are a bit lazy. The only thing I don't like about early voting or anywhere voting is that I have always enjoyed going to the poll on election day and seeing people that I haven't talked to in awhile, maybe since last election day. It is always fun to chat a bit while waiting in line or even outside after voting.

The strangest call I answered was from a person who wanted to know if she could cast a vote in Greensboro for a candidate in another state. The last call I answered was at 7:23. I told the caller where to find his voting place. I also told him that I hoped he was very close because he only had a few minutes to get there.

It was an interesting job, but I wouldn't want to do it full-time.

Where Did That Mountain GO ? ?

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Come Find Out when you attend:

The League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad

LUNCH WITH THE LEAGUE

November 14, 2006


Everyone is welcome!

GLOBAL WARMING
Kim Yarbray, Guilford College
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator
Gay Cheney, Member Sierra Club, Cool Cities Team & LWVPT
KILOWATT OURS (film)

Time: 12:15 pm
Place: Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Haywood Duke Meeting Room
607 N. Greene St., Greensboro 27401

PROGRAM IS FREE
Meal is optional. Lunch: $8.00 per person.
Lunch Reservations: e-mail to: LWVPT@earthlink.net or Phone: 378-4457

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