Bulldogs take
the court against
rival Lexington.
See Sports,
Page B1
THOMASVILLE
Saturday, January 23,2010
Inside Today
Piedmont Crossing names
winner of first Chili Cook-off at
the retirement community.
See Story, Page A3
119th Year-No. 49 50 Cents
www.tvilletimes.com
THOMASVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
State jobless rate at historic high
14 RANDOLPH STREET
THOMASVILLE, NO 27360
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
North Carolina’s unemploy
ment rate reached a historic high
in December.
According to the latest statis
tics released by the North Caro
lina Employment Security Com
mission, the unemployment rate
spiked nearly half a percent to a
record 11.2 percent last month.
This is the highest registered un
employment rate since the ESC
began using the current method
ology in 1976.
After several months of actual
job gains and relatively no change
in the unemployment rate, em
ployment feU by 31,338 workers in
December. May’s unemployment
rate of 11.1 percent was the previ
ous record.
“The effects of a national reces
sion continues to impact our job
less rate,” ESC Chairman Moses
Carey Jr. said. “Clearly, too many
people are without a job, which
is why we are working hard to
provide job search assistance
— among other services — for job
seekers, and unemployment ben
efits to thousands of people.”
Since December 2008, employ
ment has decreased by 191,258
workers, causing the unemploy
ment rate to climb from 8.1 per
cent to more than 11 percent. Un
employment also rose by 19,022
workers to 505,939.
“It was a little bit of a srurprise,”
said ESC spokesperson Larry
Parker. “There hadn’t been much
movement in the rate in the past
several months, and we had actu
ally seen some job creation lately.
For this to happen was a little dis
couraging.”
A slight increase in tmemploy-
ment was expected in December
See RATE, Page A6
TIMES PHOTO/ELIOT DUKE
Gun show returns to Chair City
Vendor Gray Potts gets ready for showtime. For the second time in three months, the Triad Gun & Knife Show
will be held in Thomasville. The event, formally known as the Lexington Gun & Knife Show, will take place today
and Sunday at 1618 National Highway, bringing hundreds of vendors to Thomasville. The show will run from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 9-4 Sunday.
Red Cross
offers ways
to help Haiti
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
Robert Ziegler has
worked with the Red
Cross for more than two
decades and understands
the fact people want to
help when a natural disas
ter like the earthquake in
Haiti happens.
Since the Jan. 12 quake
that has left an estimat
ed 200,000 people dead,
Ziegler, the executive di
rector of the High Point-
Thomasville
Chapter of the
Red Cross, said
concerned citi
zens have been
calling his of
fice wanting
to lend assis
tance any way
they can.
“Our part to
play is to raise
money so the
Red Cross can
provide direct
assistance to
the people of
Haiti affected
by the disas
ter,” Ziegler
said. “The best
way to help is
by giving a financial con
tribution. Giving to the
Red Cross International
Disaster Relief Fund lets
us purchase supplies in
bulk from oim national
partners. We get huge
discounts when we buy in
bulk and we get help get
ting shipments out.”
While Ziegler appreci-
WANTTOHELP?
Visit redcross.org
or call
(800) RED-Cross
Donations can be
made at the local
Red Cross office at
815 Phillips Aye. in
High Point or the
Lexington-
Davidson chapter
at 16 E. Center St.
in Lexington.
ates those who want to do
nate water, food and other
vital necessities, finan
cial donations are able to
be used much more effi
ciently by the Red Cross,
leading to more people
getting aid who desper
ately need it.
“We are able to lever
age that money so much
more effectively by mak
ing bigger purchases
than If someone goes to
the store here with the
same amount of money
and tried to
buy food to
drop off at
our door,” said
Ziegler. “We
can be so much
more efficient
with a donated
dollar.”
The High
Point-Thom-
asviUe Chap
ter of the Red
Cross has
been recom
mending any
donations be
made online at
redcross.org
or 1-800-RED-
Cross, making
it difficult to
determine the
amount of money raise
locally.
“We are receiving a
lot,” Ziegler said. “But so
much more has gone from
this area to the online do
nation locations. I don’t
know how much money
has been raised. Eventu-
See HELP, PageA6
Family-owned pharmacy
closes doors after 50 years
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
Thomasville Pharmacy spent
nearly half a century in the
Chair City, providing prescrip
tion drugs and health care prod
ucts to citizens for generations.
When the time came for owner
Joe Greeson to retire, his logi
cal successor seemed to be his
daughter Amy, who had worked
at Thomasville . Pharmacy for
much of her adult life. With 48
years of quality service behind
it, the chances of the family-run
business making a smooth tran
sition under new leadership ap
peared quite good.
A situation arose, however.
'I just felt that at this
time in my life, having
to devote that much
time to something
wasn't what I wanted
to do.'
—Amy Greeson
when Amy Greeson declined her
father’s offer to take over the
family business, ending Thom
asville Pharmacy’s long stand
ing relationship with its com
munity.
“This was one of the hardest
decisions I’ve had to make,” Amy
said. “I just felt that at this time
in my life, having to devote that
much time to something, wasn’t
what I wanted to do. It was diffi
cult. I would be remiss if I didn’t
say that it has been the highest
honor for me to have worked so
closely with my parents, and
side by side with my father.”
What made the choice so hard
for Amy was her educational
nonprofit called Healing Seek
ers. Amy has dedicated her life
to the organization that explores
the world looking for new medi- TIMES PHOTO/ELiOT DUKE
cal cures and treatments for dis- pi^armacist Amy Greeson Stands in front of her family's drug
See PHARMACY, Page A6 which was recently sold to Rite Aid.
Community Sponsor
Thomasville) •medical center
JRunnmrkabie Pieoplm. Rem^rkaAle Afedurin*.
Today's Weather
Mostly Sunny
47/36
Full Forecast Page 2
Weather
Focus
What's Opinion
Inside
Obituaries
Religion
Sports
Business
A2
A3
A5
A6
A8
B1
B6
in
M
O
p
rn
in
O
■a
O'
'0
Thomasville, North Carolina • Your Town. Your Times.