Thursday, April 1, 2010 | 50¢
Help for those out of work
One arrested, 2 others sought after shooting Staff report
SHELLEY SMITH/SALISBURY POST
Jon McCraw looks over job postings at the Rowan County Employment Security Commission.
Stimulus funds help keep unemployment benefits flowing BY SHELLEY SMITH ssmith@salisburypost.com
More than $99 million in unemployment extensions were paid out in Rowan County in 2009. “Hopefully, that’s helped the people who received it and helped businesses,” said Debbie Davis, manager of the Rowan County Employment Security Commission (ESC) and JobLink Career Center. Through the Workforce Reinvestment Act, the agency was able to implement programs and training, some in conjunction with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, for those looking for jobs. “We received an additional opportunity with the stimulus money beyond what we would have normally received,” Davis said. “And at the same time, the government is supporting training programs.” Stimulus funds gave the ESC additional opportunities to work for residents who needed training to get back to work, Davis said. Andrew James, a state Employment Security Commission public information officer, said staff members were added in Salisbury with stimulus funds. The Workforce Investment Act gave 3.5 positions to Rowan County’s ESC, while the Wagner-Peyser Program
Fifth in a series added two positions. “We used additional staff in Salisbury who were paid using recovery funds to assist Rowan County residents who have needed various ESC services,” said James, noting services as work skills assessments, help in getting training, resumé preparation, job search assistance and unemployment insurance benefits. “Without a doubt, hundreds, if not thousands, of county residents were helped by the agency, especially with this additional staffing,” James said. Davis said she hopes the agency will be able to continue to fund pro-
grams. “We’ll have to see what Congress does with extensions,” she said. “With the funding, we were able to make extensions available to more people.” The recent extension allowed people to receive unemployment who would have exhausted their benefits, she said. “We also work with trade programs that fund someone up to three years in training,” Davis said. “It can particularly help people going into the health-care field. However, it’s only for those who have lost their jobs to foreign trade.” Rowan-Cabarrus Community College also received stimulus funds to develop and offer classes for people out of work. “It’s pretty tough right now,” Davis said. “We’re anxious to see it turn back around.” Larry Parker, also a public information officer with the state ESC, said the agency will continue to serve the public whether stimulus funds are available or not. “While the stimulus funds are short-term, we will always be working hard in Salisbury and around the state with all of our 89 offices, to assist North Carolina’s 4.5 million-person workforce,” Parker said.
Watt: Federal efforts turning economy toward solid ground BY KARISSA MINN kminn@salisburypost.com
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, DN.C., made a case Wednesday that the federal stimulus bill is slowly turning the economy around. At a town hall meeting on the Livingstone College campus, Watt pointed to graphs of the nation’s economic progress that showed a distinct “V” shape. Between July 2007 and March 2009, the national wealth loss was $17.5 trillion, Watt said. From March through September 2009, some of that loss has been recovered.
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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009 — at a point just before the graphs began to trend upward. “Some people have questioned whether the stimulus bill worked,” Watt said. “Something happened right after this that started the trend back in the opposite direction... We think it was the stimulus that was primarily responsible for this.” On Sept. 19, 2008, members of Congress joined an emergency conference call with then-Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson and Chairman of the Fed-
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One man has been arrested and two others are sought in the shooting of a Salisbury man. Ronald Lafleur Woodruff Jr. sustained multiple wounds when he was shot around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Grim Street and Old Wilkesboro Road. Darius Lorna Hamilton, 29, of 684 White Rock Ave., Granite Quarry, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder. He is being held in the Rowan County Detention Center with bond set at $100,000 on the attempted murder charge and without bond on a proHAMILTON bation violation. Salisbury Police responding to the scene found evidence of a shooting, but the victim already had left the scene to seek help at a nearby residence. Woodruff told police he was walking near the intersection when three people he knew approached and began an altercation. During the incident, Woodruff was knocked to the ground. While on the ground, he heard several gunshots and was struck in the lower right leg, left thigh and received a graze wound to his left toe, according to police. It was not clear which of the three suspects shot Woodruff, but police believe all three had guns. Woodruff is associated with Groundbreaking Video Productions, a local company that recorded the fight at LaBamba night club on Klumac Road in which a Salisbury police officer appeared to strangle a woman.
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Police Chief Rory Collins said no guns have been recovered. Police looked for the suspects through the night. Hamilton turned himself in around 2 a.m. Wednesday. The other two suspects being sought in this case are: Darryl Sylvester Price Jr., 19, 1210 W. Horah St., and Delwyn Jamar Smith, 25, 1217 W. Bank St., Apt. 9-D. Price was wounded in an exchange of gunfire at a house on South Jackson Street in November. Raylin LaShawn Woodruff and Dennis Alexander were also wounded in the incident. Price was also shot May 14, 2009, at 715 Hall St. He has previously been charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon. Smith has a criminal record dating to 2003, including charges of hit and run, reckless driving, possession of a schedule II substance, resisting an officer and trafficking in opium or heroin. Woodruff has been convicted of multiple traffic and drug charges dating to 1994. Anyone with information on the case or the whereabouts of Price and Smith are asked to call the Salisbury Police Department at 704638-5333 or Crime Stoppers at 1866-639-5245, where you can remain anonymous.
SHELLEY SMITH/SALISBURY POST
Shrubbery is blooming, but the new Dunkin’ Donuts remains vacant.
Dunkin’ Donuts plans on hold Company trying ‘to identify a franchisee’ to open new location BY SHELLEY SMITH ssmith@salisburypost.com KARISSA MINN/SALISBURY POST
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt speaks at Livingstone College during a town hall meeting Wednesday. eral Reserve Ben Bernanke. “They were calling to tell the elected leadership of our nation that we were in a situation that, if we didn’t react to it quickly, could be worse than Great Depression,” Watt said. “We started to take immediate action to respond to it.” One of the first forms
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of action was the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was meant to get credit flowing again between banks. The next step was to address the $5 trillion to $6 trillion loss in consumer spending. With the recovery act, legislators injected money back into
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Is trouble brewing for the newly constructed Dunkin’ Donuts on Jake Alexander Boulevard? Possibly, according to information from a company representative. McCall Gosselin, Dunkin’ Donuts’ public information representative, said the projected opening date for the doughnut and coffee spot is unknown and could be months away. The building, which has covered its signs and logos with white tarps, is filled with equipment and chairs, but that’s as far as it goes. The reason for the stall: accord-
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ing to Gosselin, there is no owner. “At this time, we are working to identify a franchisee for this location,” she wrote in an e-mail. On Wednesday afternoon, two package delivery notifications from UPS were on the front door of the shop, one dated March 26, the other March 31. A business card was also sticking out from the door — contact information for a sanitation service out of Statesville. Dunkin’ Donuts representatives have remained mum on the future of the facility, but a Post reporter was told to “call back in a few months” for updates on a projected opening date.
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