October Fest
See page 17
Vol. 9, No.4
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A Shoreline Community, Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.
It Is Your Right
Charlie McBriarty
Photo by Dan Law
Jason Baker (PKS Fire Chief/Emergency Manager) receiving the Storm Ready
Community Designation certificate from John A.Coie (NOAA Warning Coordination
Meteorologist).
Storm Ready Community
The National Weather Service has designated the Town of Pine Knoll Shores a
Storm Ready Community. The designation was created in the late 1990s to rec
ognize a community’s ability to respond to severe weather emergencies. In order
to qualify, communities must demonstrate their ability to receive severe weather
threats and inform the public about them. North Carolina has 62 areas designated
as Storm Ready - 48 counties and three municipalities, including Pine Knoll Shores.
Pine Knoll Shores demonstrated its capabilities to receive severe storm alerts and
inform the public by having a severe-weather operations plan; a communications
system, including a siren system and radio channel; and the ability to receive severe
weather information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through its emergency opera
tions center at the fire station.
In addition to warning infrastructure. Pine Knoll Shores has made efforts to edu
cate the public on storm preparedness by having annual hurricane meetings. Storm
Watcher training provided by the National Weather Service was recently held at
town hall.
Emergency Management Director/Fire Chief Jason Baker says, “Our goal is to
save lives through preparedness. We do a lot to prepare our community for major
storm events, and this designation recognizes our efforts.”
Mil
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TfTe Piiie Rnoll Shores Radio Station broadcasts 24 hours a day
with weather and emergency info.
EMERGENCY-CALL 911
ECC 726-1911 • PUBLIC SAFETY 247-2474
This month has a number of
holidays and celebrations. In fact, this
column will be devoted to something
that begins in October and concludes
on the first Tuesday of next month.
Fear not, all you spooks, goblins and
sweet treat lovers, Halloween will be
mentioned, but in another article in
this months paper.
The first Tuesday of November is
Election Day, the last day citizens will
be able to vote. Personally, I have been
looking forward to this day for several
months, for it will finally terminate
the endless bombardment of political
ads.that infect television viewing 24/7
in the so-called “swing states,” which
include North Carolina. Let’s hope, and
perhaps even pray, there is no need for
vote recounts that delay the eventual
onset of relative peace and quiet over
the airwaves.
As citizens, we all have an important
role to play in helping to free our TV
screen of pundits and prognosticators
battling over the virtues and vices of
various office seekers. We can vote!
Of course, voting is more important
than just freeing up the TV airways
of political clutter. Voting is a critical
part of being a citizen of a democracy.
Voting is a right we have that gives
each of us a voice, a way to individually
express our choice of who will or will
not hold office.
The 2012 election is special because
it is when we select who will serve for
the next four years as:
October 2012
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VOTE
COUNTS
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• President and Vice President of the
United States
• Governor and Lieutenant Governor
of North Carolina
• North Carolina’s Attorney General;
Commissioners of Agriculture,
Insurance and Labor; Secretary
of State, Superintendent of Public
Instruction and Treasurer.
We will also choose who will
represent us in the US House of
Representatives for this the 3^^
District, for the next two years.
In addition, we will elect our
representative to the NC Senate and
House of Representatives and our
district’s County Commissioner, as
well as a NC Supreme Court Associate
Justice, Court of Appeals Judges and
District Court Judges. Finally, we will
select the Soil and Water Conservation
Supervisor.
Citizens who will be 18 years or
older on November 6 of this year are
eligible to vote if they have registered.
As of September 4, Pine Knoll Shores
has a total of 1,277 registered voters.
If you are not registered, it is a
relatively simple process that can be
(Continued on page 3)
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