Brian Drum, one of the supervisors of the Catawba County 911 Communications Center, who has been called upon to increase his supervising duties over the past year and has a record of dedication to 911 dispatch that spans more than ten years, has been recognized by his peers in the North Carolina Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (NC NENA) as Supervisor of the Year.

Catawba County has upgraded a feed from its 911 Center of the information on calls regarding traffic incidents. The feed shows the type of incident reported, such as a vehicle accident, stranded motorist or vehicle fire, and gives the location of the incident. Only traffic related incidents are reported through this feed.

As it continues to note National Emergency Preparedness Month, Catawba County Emergency Services reminds citizens who have family members with special needs, and caregivers of those with special needs, that it�s very important to be prepared in advance to help those with special needs cope with an emergency or disastrous situation.

Catawba County has been awarded one of only two grants presented across the nation, by Motorola and the National Association of Counties (NACo), to local governments that suggested innovative solutions to improve operations within their respective counties. The $30,000 grant will fund the wireless broadband internet capacity needed at Catawba County�s EcoComplex to allow for real-time monitoring between EcoComplex laboratories, universities and businesses.

Residents and businesses affected by severe storms and tornado on Oct. 26 in Catawba County can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills announced today. Mills made the loans available in response to a letter from North Carolina Gov. Beverly E. Perdue on Nov. 12, requesting a disaster declaration by the SBA. The declaration covers Lincoln County and the adjacent counties of Burke, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell and Mecklenburg in North Carolina.

Between February 16 and 24, 2011, more than 2,500 students in Catawba County�s three public school systems received the 2010-11 flu vaccine due to a successful partnership between the schools and Catawba County Public Health. School nurses collected permission forms from parents and coordinated flu vaccine mini-clinics at 43 schools.

Family Builders, the adoption service of Catawba County Social Services, can now help adult adoptees, birth parents and their close relatives find each other. Not all counties in North Carolina offer this service, which is called Confidential Intermediary Services. Until recently all adoption records were sealed under North Carolina state law. In 2008, a new law took effect that allowed the release of certain records to adult adoptees and birth parents, if both parties agreed.

The agenda for the next meeting of the Catawba County Board of Commissioners, 9:30 a.m., Monday, April 4, 2011, 1924 Courthouse, Newton, is now available.

Representatives from Public Health�s Women, Infants and Children program will be attending the upcoming Family Fair at Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) April 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to provide information and schedule appointments for families who qualify for WIC assistance.

Three area mayors and several other local officials recently participated in Mayors for Meals in Catawba County. This event was sponsored by Catawba County Social Services� Senior Nutrition Programs, which operates Meals on Wheels, Seniors Morning Out and other senior nutrition programs serving more than 1,000 people.

RealtyAnalytix Advisors, LLC announces the introduction of Catawba Industrial Commons, a multi-tenant industrial campus offering the most attractive, affordable and functional manufacturing, distribution and warehousing space in the Greater Catawba County region.

For the twenty-second straight year, Catawba County�s Budget Office has been recognized by its peers for producing a budget document which is easy to read and understand. The Office has won the 2010 Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association. This award recognized the County�s fiscal year 2010-2011 budget.

Employees with 25 or more years of service were recognized at the twenty-sixth annual Quarter Century Club lunch at the Catawba Country Club. Many current members of the club celebrated with retired County employees, who also served with the County for 25 or more years. Catawba County formed the Quarter Century Club in 1986.

The company will locate a manufacturing operation in the Catawba Industrial Commons, creating 110 new jobs with an average wage of over $50,000 and investing $15 million over the next five years. It will provide specialized services for parts used in gas turbine engines produced by Siemens, GE, Alstom and Rolls-Royce.

Do you have any unwanted household products, such as paints, cleansers, solvents, antifreeze, batteries or used motor oils; or electronics like computer equipment, old radios, mobile phones, TVs, VCRs, calculators or copiers? Dispose of them properly, free of charge, on May 7th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Catawba County Finance Department is a winner of the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2010. Catawba County has now won the award for 29 consecutive years.

The committee compiled existing information about the status of children in the county. It also held public meetings and surveyed members of the public about their priorities and ideas. The committee found that most children in the county are well-cared for, but that a substantial number are falling through the cracks. A major cause of concern is the large number of children living in poverty.

The annual Foothills Regional Conference for Parent Educators will be held Friday, June 3 from 9:00am until 2:00pm at the Catawba County Cooperative Extension Center in Newton. The 2011 theme is Helping Families Do More with Less.

Beginning July 1, 2011, computer equipment and televisions will be banned from disposal in North Carolina landfills, under a law passed last year by the General Assembly. Catawba County will provide four one-day electronics recycling collection events in fiscal year 2011-2012, free of charge. All residents of Catawba County will have access to these electronics recycling events, including those who live in the cities and towns in the county.

Furniture manufacturer Lee Industries, Inc. plans to expand their manufacturing capabilities in Catawba County by extensively redeveloping and renovating the former Conover Chair facility in Conover, N.C. and adding 75 new employees beginning in late 2011. The company will be hiring cutters, sewers, spring-up associates, inside and outside upholsterers, shipping personnel, support staff and more. The average employee wage is expected to be $41,045, nearly $7,000 more than the average pay for workers living in Catawba County.

Anyone accessing My Catawba County will be able to choose from a selection of informational links and County applications. The application was developed for mobile devices with a web browser such as iPad, iPhone, Android phones and tablets.

Area youth participating in the NC Cooperative Extension�s 4-H program helped children at Catawba County Public Health plant vegetable seeds. The activity was one of a series of visits by local North Carolina Cooperative Extension staff and volunteers to Public Health�s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinic designed to encourage WIC families to grow and eat fresh vegetables.

Catawba County�s Meals on Wheels program has nominated Winnie Hovey for the award and is asking the public to vote for Hovey in the contest. The contest is featured on Facebook, and the top vote-getter will be named the winner.

The North Carolina Veterans Park in Fayetteville includes a visitor�s center, gardens, fountains, sculpture and displays. Five Catawba County residents, including World War II veteran Carmie Cook, had a �hand� in the park�s creation.

You may now access the Catawba County Library System website from your smartphone, thanks to a recent upgrade to the library�s home page. LS2Mobile is accessible with an iPod Touch or iPhone.

The facility is now testing biodiesel fuel being produced by several companies in the region and from the harvest of crops growing around the landfill to test which ones grow best in the local climate while producing the best oils for biodiesel.

The Catawba County Sheriff�s Office, in conjunction with The Cognitive Connection and The Foothills Coalition, is sponsoring an Operation Pill Stoppers program that now provides fixed locations for citizens to properly dispose of their unused and unwanted medications.

�Catawba Communities,� a monthly show which will feature information about programs and services provided by local governments, school systems and associated agencies across Catawba County, will premiere on Charter Communications� Government Channel (Channel 3) on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, at 8:00 p.m.

What if the August 23 earth tremors had been closer or stronger? Would you know what to do? Here are some tips from Catawba County Emergency Services.

The County was recognized for implementation of a Building Permit QR Codes system, which provides building contractors and inspectors with up-to-the-minute job site and inspection information, at their fingertips, in the field.

Vaccines will be administered on a first-come, first-serve basis, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., or until the supply is depleted on September 21, World Rabies Day, thanks to 250 vaccines provided by the World Rabies Organization and Pfizer Animal Health.

Work is under way to ready the Conover Branch Library for re-opening on Tuesday, September 20. Staff and volunteers are unpacking boxes of library materials and arranging furniture. The new branch address is 403 Conover Station, SE, in the Warlong Building on the former Broyhill plant property along the railroad tracks downtown.

The Library re-opened for business in newly renovated space on the top floor of Conover Station. Its new address is 403 Conover Station, SE, in a 1918 structure erected for the Warlong Glove Manufacturing Company. Business hours will remain unchanged: 12 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 9- 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 9 - 2 on Saturday.

The program started in the spring, when 4-H youth received a set of plants and participated in a workshop where they learned how to create a successful home mini vegetable garden with tomatoes, peppers, squash and more.

Catawba County 4-H Club members are collecting dry dog and cat food for the pets of Catawba County Meals on Wheels recipients.

A 35 year veteran of the Register of Deeds Office, Beaver was praised by all her co-workers in that office for excellent customer service, for being a patient instructor on the laws involved in her work, and for preserving the County�s history.

The award was presented for the agency's Children and Aging Strategic Planning Projects in the category �Profiles in Community Collaboration�. The entry described the Children�s Agenda Planning Committee and the Aging Leadership Planning Project. In both cases, Social Services took the lead in collaborating with area agencies to develop reports about the needs of children and older adults.

More than 120 people recently attended the seventh annual Foothills Regional Conference for Early Childhood Educators in Statesville. This year�s conference theme, "You Make a Powerful Difference", explored the difference that early childhood educators make in the lives of young children.

Catawba County Library System has hired a librarian to serve both the Conover and Claremont branches. Siobhan Loendorf will add preschool Ready to Learn sessions, computer classes and adult programming for Conover and Claremont branch libraries.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has released recommendations on widening of Highway 16 South in Catawba County (within the minutes of public meetings). Link to project maps: http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/highway/roadway/hearingmaps_by_county/county/Catawba.html

The United States Environmental Planning Agency (USEPA) has announced that Catawba County will be classified as �attainment� from its current �nonattainment� designation for Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) on December 19, 2011. PM 2.5 (fine particle pollution) refers to tiny particles of droplets in the air that are two and one half microns or less in width. Two and one half microns is about thirty times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Colonel Michael W. Gilchrist, Commander of the Highway Patrol, presented the awards to EMT Paramedic and Crew Chief Brad Harris and EMT Paramedic Eric Jones for their role in pulling a person from a burning vehicle.

Internal Systems Analyst Scott Klinger was recognized, in part, for integrating a new billing program that resulted in improved efficiencies across the organization.

The program of the North Carolina Department of Transportation provides limited funds for low-income persons who need to maintain or insure their car so they can continue working. It is administered by Catawba County Social Services

Used cooking oil will be accepted only at the Blackburn Solidwaste Convenience Center at 3864 Rocky Ford Road, Newton, NC 28658. No business waste accepted. The Blackburn Solidwaste Convenience Center is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Catawba County�s Budget Office has been recognized by its peers for producing a budget document which is easy to read and understand. The County Budget Office has won the 2011 Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

Catawba County has won the Government Innovation Grant Award (GIGA), from the UNC School of Government, the Local Government Federal Credit Union, and the North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association, for its innovative use of Quick Response (QR) Codes on building permits issued in the county. The County was recognized for implementation of a Building Permit QR Codes system, which provides building contractors and inspectors with up-to-the-minute job site and inspection information, at their fingertips, in the field.

The Catawba County Building Services Division has built a web page with links to the new code.

Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba County students in the 4th or 5th grades submitted posters related to the theme �Severe Weather Awareness� and illustrated an example of a natural hazard that affects North Carolina. One poster from each county and one overall winner from all entries were chosen as the winners of the Unifour Area Severe Weather Awareness Week Poster Contest. The winners were announced during Severe Weather Awareness Week with surprise presentations at each winner�s school.

Catawba County Government renewed an annual tradition on March 22nd, honoring employees with 25 or more years of service at the twenty-seventh annual Quarter Century Club lunch. Catawba County formed the Quarter Century Club in 1986. A highlight of this year�s program was the recognition of twelve new Quarter Century Club members.