fredriggs.com

My wife asked me to be polite and professional before I started today’s message, and I said “I am tired of being polite, instead of running a political campaign Kinston’s fair headed stepchild has done nothing except whine and practice attack to distract politics.”

Van Braxton has managed to drag my name through the news media with at least 4 front page stories in the Free Press and 3 times on WCTI-TV-12, yet he has never called me nor did he respond to a request to a cut and past statement that was offered with no strings attached on kinstonpress.com, more on that tomorrow - remember this blog is entitled ramblings and I intend to ramble.

Today I want to discuss a front page story in the Free Press with the headline “Starling GTP revelation shocks county officials”

Here is a part of the story:
Willie Ray Starling, during a debate Thursday with his 10th House District opponent, Democrat Van Braxton, said he has been working to lure LPI to the GTP for several months. While Starling contends that he only said it was LPI’s intent to locate at the GTP, others say his statements about the company infer a final lease agreement has been reached.

“I didn’t know anything about all this until people started calling me and asking about what Starling said. I called Darlene Waddell and she told me it was ‘absolutely untrue’ that an announcement about LPI is planned for next week at the GTP.”

Al Donovan, Co-founder of LPI  told The Free Press on Friday that he considers the GTP a perfect place to do business.

An announcement also will be made about LPI’s intent to locate at the GTP.

Donovan added that it was Starling who introduced him to Sen. Elizabeth Dole and the staff at the GTP.

“He (Starling) should be credited for helping us get started,” Donovan said. “He has shown enthusiasm for our project.”
You can read the full story at:
http://kinston.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=40116&Section=Local

Now friends I don’t know where the Free Press is getting their information from but I would have to assume they are talking about the same news release I received.

From: Jennifer Russo
To: albertdonovan;billycjones1950@earthlink.net
Sent: 10/26/2006 12:46:44 PM
Subject: Edited Press Release

Albert & Billy,

I have made a few changes to the press release. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.

Thanks,

Jennifer Russo
Marketing & Communications Manager
N.C. Global TransPark Authority
2780 Jetport Road, Suite A
Kinston, NC 28504

Now I may be getting old and have to wear glasses, but nowhere did I  see “do not release this until after the election or we might not get any county or state incentives.” Click http://www.fredriggs.com/transparkannouncement.pdf  to see the press release complete with the company logo.

Just how dumb do they think we are?

Tomorrow more revealing ramblings about the Van Braxton Campaign.

A man, born just after 12:00 a.m. DST, circumvented the Vietnam War draft by using a daylight saving time loophole. When drafted, he argued that standard time, not DST, was the official time for recording births in his state of Delaware in the year of his birth. Thus, under official standard time he was actually born on the previous day—and that day had a much higher draft lottery number, allowing him to avoid the draft.

It’s time to fall back this Saturday Night/Sunday Morning

In the U.S., clocks change at 2:00 a.m. local time. in fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

When we change our clocks

Since 1966, most of the United States has observed Daylight Saving Time from at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of April to 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. Beginning in 2007, most of the U.S. will begin Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and revert to standard time on the first Sunday in November. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time.

A safety reminder

Many fire departments encourage people to change the battery in the smoke detector when they change their clocks because Daylight Saving Time provides a convenient reminder. A working smoke detector more than doubles a person’s chances of surviving a home fire. More than 90 percent of homes in the United States have smoke detectors, but one-third are estimated to have dead or missing batteries.

Score one for Willie Ray Starling! Guess Braxton was too busy with his massive duties on the city council and worries about websites.

Life Protection, Inc. (LPI), a recently formed North Carolina company, has announced its intention of locating its manufacturing facilities at the N.C. Global TransPark (GTP) in Kinston, N.C.

LPI will be producing a high-tech, anti-ballistic modular building under the tradename of “R.OA.D.House,” which is being marketed to the U.S. military as an alternative to the canvas tents that are presently used as housing for troops.

LPI is finalizing an agreement with DSM/Dyneema, a Dutch company that has its only production facility located in Greenville, N.C., for the exclusive use of their product as the armored coating. Dyneema is the material used in the bullet proof vests now worn by our troops in the military.

“LPI became interested in locating in Kinston after meeting with Mr. Willie Ray Starling in the early part of this year; he introduced us to Senator Elizabeth Dole and the Global TransPark team, and a good working relationship has been created since our first meeting. The LPI and TransPark marriage is a perfect fit,” said Al Donovan, Co-founder of LPI.

LPI intends to employ up to 500 people once they are at full production.

There will be a News Conference next week with LPI, GTP and Willie Ray Starling to make the formal announcement.

From US Census Data
(Kinston City Population 1990) - 25,295
(Kinston City Population 2000) - 23,688

For the past year I have been doing the daily uploading for KinstonPress, I am now in the process of passing that on to someone else because of other commitments.

One of the items received today is the below letter, I called the lady to make sure it was for real and we talked for about an hour.  I was told she sent the same letter to the Free Press and they informed her that they would not publish it because (?)

It was my decision to use only her first name because she is the daughter-in-law of a local business owner.

I ask that you read then decide. If this is the impression newcomers perceive will that attract new business and help grow the local population? What can we do to correct this problem? 

“Dear Editor,
My husband and I just recently moved to Kinston from Charlotte (he was born and raised here). Everyday I am shocked in one way or another by the way people treat other people, at the lack of customer service every where, and in the month in a half I been here I’ve heard “oh, well this is Kinston” about 1000 times!!!

I am shocked at the local government, and the things allowed to go on, I am shocked at the rankings of the schools. There are 1200 schools in the state, and Lenoir County schools are below 400 in all ranks (except Banks it is in the 900’s).

Every store I’ve been in customer service is absolutely awful! I have told friends and family how I feel like I am on another planet.
I am seriously considering leaving my husband behind and going else where. Even in Goldsboro things are different.

People have said “well Greenville is growing, and Goldsboro is growing it makes you wonder why Kinston is turning into a ghost town”.

I was trying to specifically give an example of the absurdities in this city……A county school rule is “NO eating or drinking on the bus”, and then when the children do well the teachers pass out candy as the children leave. Of course the children open and eat it on the bus. Then we get notes our children are breaking the rules!! Well, who the hell gave them the candy?

I could make a list about four hundred pages long on just the school. New people come but they aren’t staying, Kinston better wake up, and make some changes, and get up to date with the rest of the world.

Who are these Perry’s, and these Harvey’s that all my neighbors talk about who have been running this town for years and no one can get change because of it.

Is Kinston a bunch of dummies walking around complaining about it instead of doing something about it? My God if this were my home I would stand up for some change.

Sincerely,
Julie
Kinston, NC”

23 days and still counting - still no blue roll-out recycling cart has been delivered.

Your comments are always welcome!