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through April 30
at theThomasville
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THOMASVILLE
Tuesday, April 20,2010
Inside Today
g" East Davidson girls soccer
m faces rival Salisbury on
the pitch.
See SPORTS, Page 7
119th Year-No. 85
WWW.tvilletimes.com
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Council approves business license
BYERINWILTGEN
Staff Writer
Thomasville City Council
voted 6-1 to approve a business
privilege license at its Monday
night meeting, with Council
man David Yemm dissenting.
The ordinance will become ef
fective July 1, and billings will
begin October 1. Fees - which
vary from $2.50 to $50, depend
ing on the type of business
- will not be prorated the first
year.
“We’ve worked long and hard
to try to find an ordinance that
would be acceptable by the peo
ple in this community, includ
ing the business community,”
Councilman Scott Styers said.
Styers said that while busi
nesses may not like the extra
fees, a business privilege license
helps to ensure that the city gov
ernment knows what types of
industries operate within the
city limits. It becomes a matter
of public safety, he said.
“There are some concerns, as
much as we don’t want to admit
it,” Styers said.
Mayor Pro Tempore Ron
Bratton cited an instance a few
years ago when the Chair City
was contacted by police de
partments from all across the
country about a Thomasville
furniture company that was
charging people for furniture
and then not sending it.
“We didn’t even know that
it existed,” Bratton said. “It’s
important to know what busi
nesses are in Thomasville so
that we can protect not only
our citizens, but people all over
the country. Whether it makes
money or not, we need it for
public safety.”
Styers also pointed out that,
unlike neighboring munici
palities such as High Point and
Winston-Salem, the Thomas
ville privilege license would not
require a business to disclose
how much money it made the
previous year.
See LICENSE, Page 10
TPS gives
back to
'Smart Bear'
program
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
Marie Bentley has spent
almost 30 years encour
aging children to read
through her Smart Bear
program without ever
asking for anything in re
turn.
With the help of friends
and volunteers, Bent
ley has managed to visit
schools across the state
— and even some in other
countries — every year
hoping to inspire another
generation to read more
by packaging a book and
a bear together in a pro
gram supported by char
ity and donations.
On Monday morning,
one of those schools af
fected by Bentley’s Smart
Bear program decided to
give back. Thomasville
Primary School presented
Bentley with a $200 dona
tion, money raised from
the students who benefit
from an idea that is now
more than a quarter cen-
See BEAR, Page 6
TIMES PHOTOS/LARRY MATHIS
A Day for the
Little Ones
Area children enjoy the attractions at this
year's Itty Bitty Kiddie Festival Saturday at
the Davidson County Fairgrounds. The an
nual festival, sponsored by Smart Start and
Thomasville Medical Center, offers parents
information about local child services while
children engage in a variety of activities.
Fishing trip
on Yadkin
River ends
in tragedy
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
A Saturday on the Yad
kin River turned tragic
when a father and son
drowned while fishing
near High Rock Lake
dam.
Davidson County Sher
iff David Grice said Pho-
thy Chanthahevang, 39,
of 1241 Windover St. in
Albermarle, and his son
Blu Chanthahevang, 14,
of the same address, both
drowned Saturday eve
ning near the Bringle Fer
ry Wildlife Access area
after Blu feU in the water
while trying to retrieve
his fishing pole. Phothy
jumped in after his son
but could not save him
and also drowned.
According to a David
son County Sheriff’s Of
fice press release, Phothy
and his two sons, Blu and
10-year-old Vin Chan
thahevang, were fishing
on a small aluminum
boat under the bridge on
Bringle Ferry Road near
High Rock dam when
Blu dropped his rod and
reel into the water. Blu, a
special needs child with
ADD who couldn’t swim
and was not wearing a
life vest, bent over to re
trieve his equipment and
feU into the water. Phothy
jumped in without a life
vest, but also didn’t know
how to swim.
“There are two people
dead and we want people
to know the importance
of life preservers,” Grice
said. “There has to be a
life preserver on the boat
for each person, even if
you’re not wearing it. I
think children under 13
must have a personal floa-
See TRAGEDY, Page 12
Nationals await Ledford HOSA students
BY LISA WALL
Editor
With lab coats around their
shoulders, the high schoolers had
game faces on.
Members of the Ledford Senior
High School Health Occupation
Students of America (HOSA) club
practiced routine medical proce
dures such as blood pressure, mov
ing patients onto a stretcher and
weighing infants.
Ten of the 220 HOSA members at
Ledford recently placed in the top
three in their various medical-re
lated events at the HOSA state con
ference and currently are prepar
ing for the national conference in
Orlando. Fla., on June 23-26.
"I think it’s very noteworthy.”
WANT TO HELP?
To help the Ledford High
School's HOSA club raise mon
ey for the national conference,
contactTona Turner, R.N. and
HOSA advisor, at 769-9671.
said Tona Turner, R.N., HOSA Ad
visor at Ledford High. “I’m cer
tainly very proud, and I think our
school is very proud of what these
young people have accomplished.”
HOSA is a national, student-led
organization endorsed by the U.S.
Department of Education and the
Health Science Technology Educa
tion Division of ACTE. The orga
nization seeks to encourage health
career opportunities and to en
hance the administration of qual
ity health care.
HOSA chapters at schools pro
vide various courses for students
looking to go into health care, and
the national HOSA organization
organizes regional, state and na
tional conferences for students to
compete in medical-related events
as varied as medical terminology,
dental assisting, community aware
ness, sports medicine and CPR.
“These students are involved in
the classroom and an organization
with the high school that is very
civic-minded, students that are the
future of health care providers”
Turner said.
TIMES PHOTO/ERIN WILTGEN
Ledford HOSA students (from left) Lauren Mallory, who
took third in extemporaneous writing, and Elizabeth
Bradley, who took second in health education, practice
See HOSA, Page 6 a health exam of a child Friday.
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Xhomasville) aaedical center
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