News

Georgia Sen. Miller proposes $100 million agency to fight poverty in the Southeast
Georgia Sen. Zell Miller last week introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate calling for the creation of a $100 million federal agency to fight poverty in the poorest region in the nation – the rural Southeast. The proposed legislation, which Miller has dubbed the Southern Regional Commission, joins two previously introduced bills in calling for a federally designated agency focused solely on the Southeast. Miller says he is eager to meet with the sponsors of the other bills, including North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre, to draft a single compromise measure. Miller and McIntyre’s bills differ somewhat in that McIntyre’s proposed Southeast Crescent Authority would leave eligibility decisions up to authority members and would cost the federal government $40 million a year for five years. Miller’s bill would cost half that amount and identifies 242 specific counties in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia for funding. To read more about the proposed Southeast Regional Commission, click here http://miller.senate.gov/press/2003/030503-SBB.html.

North Carolina the ninth highest state in the nation for residents without medical coverage
A healthcare report released earlier this month by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that nearly one in three non-elderly Americans lives without basic medical coverage, 2.3 million in North Carolina alone. The report, “Going Without Health Insurance,” ranks North Carolina among the top ten states with the largest number of uninsured people. Surprisingly, the report shows that most uninsured Americans lacking health insurance for at least a portion of the previous two years had a job during that period, citing statistics that more and more employers are simply unable to afford coverage for their employees. To read the full report, click here http://www.familiesusa.org/Going%20without%20report.pdf.

Commuting patterns show more rural North Carolinians traveling to metro areas for work
More and more North Carolinians are traveling outside their home county each day to work, according to just-released Census figures, a trend sociologists say is likely to gain momentum in the coming years due to the increasingly tight job market and rising housing costs that make commuting more attractive than ever before. In rural North Carolina, traveling away from home to find work is often the only choice when job opportunities are harder to come by. According to data taken from the Census as well as the center’s Rural Data Bank, the rural commuting trend is especially evident when looking at the percentage of rural workers who travel to jobs each day in urban counties like Catawba, Buncombe and New Hanover, where between 18 to 32 percent of county workers live in a neighboring rural county. In urban Forsyth County, more than 47 percent of the county’s workers live in rural Stokes County. For information on commuting patterns in your county, visit the center’s Rural Data Bank at www.ncruralcenter.org/databank/index.html.

Easley’s Incumbent Workforce Development Program ready for applications
Gov. Mike Easley has announced a new workforce development program that will allow North Carolina employers to apply for grants for employee training programs. The program is designed to upgrade employees' skills and increase companies' competitiveness in the global marketplace. The Incumbent Workforce Development Program, which became effective March 7, allows employers across the state to apply for grants of up to $50,000 for employee training. Any private or non-profit business may apply. The scope of available training options includes occupational-skills training to meet emerging trade-skill needs and educational training to meet workplace literacy, readiness and English-as-a-second-language needs. Businesses must complete and submit applications to their local Workforce Development Board. To receive an application, visit the N.C. Department of Commerce website at www.nccommerce.com/workforce, or call the North Carolina Commission on Workforce Development at (919) 715-3300.

Reports and Research

Rural School and Community Trust report highlights critical rural education needs
The Rural School and Community Trust has released its second report on rural education data, trends and challenges. Why Rural Matters 2003: The Continuing Need for Every State to Take Action on Rural Education is an analysis of data on education in rural America from a wide variety of sources, taking a close look at what is working and what is lacking. The report concludes that specific policy attention to rural school needs is critical for many states. The report is geared to state education policymakers and rural citizens, and ranks the states most critically in need of education reform. Of the 13 states included in the report’s Rural Education Priority ranking, North Carolina is listed in the number six spot. In priority order, they are Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Dakota, North Carolina, Arkansas, West Virginia, South Carolina.

Regional development strategies needed for small rural communities off the beaten path, report finds
A new report by Auburn University’s Economic Development Institute, “Beyond the Interstate: The Crisis in Rural Alabama,” finds that implementing a regional approach to economic development is best for small rural communities with limited physical infrastructure, especially for those located a distance from the main highways. Researchers at Auburn also offer a set of recommendations for coordination among the many players involved in community and economic development, everyone from community colleges to utility companies. Further, researchers recommend that small rural communities work toward rebuilding civic life and establishing strong leadership in order to secure economic development opportunities. Click here to read the full report. www.auburn.edu/outreach/edi.

USDA presents snapshot of rural America at the start of 21st Century with new report
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service has compiled new data on rural America that presents a compelling look at how rural people and places are faring at the beginning of the 21st Century. The report, “Rural America: Opportunities and Challenges,” includes general data such as the current number of rural counties – there are 2,305 – as well as more in-depth data on business and social trends in various rural regions of the country. The report finds that “no single industry dominates the rural landscape, no single pattern of population decline or growth exists for all rural areas, and no statement about improvements and gaps in well-being applies to all rural people.” Mirroring the current economic conditions in rural North Carolina, the report finds that some rural areas across the nation have shared in the economic progress of the late 20th Century, while others have not. To read the full report, click here. www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/Feb03/features/ruralamerica.htm.

Entrepreneurial activity, support studied in Rockefeller Foundation report
The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation has released a new study on entrepreneurs that examines the current environment in Arkansas for supporting entrepreneurial activity and makes recommendations to improve Arkansas’ entrepreneurial climate, both short and long term. Many of the recommendations build on existing practices in the state including the Governor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Development. To view the full report, visit the foundation’s website at www.wrockefellerfoundation.org/pdfs/ConnectTheDots.pdf.

top of page

Meetings and Events

Center kicks off first rural economic development meeting in Raleigh March 31
The Rural Center will host the first in a series of five regional meetings on rural economic development on March 31 in Raleigh at the Commons Building in the Wake County Government Complex off Poole Road. The center is partnering with the N.C. Community Foundation to host a series of five regional meetings on rural economic development that will provide up-to-date information on the state’s economic situation, listen to the needs of rural residents and address the financial, human and technological resources available to meet those needs. Other meeting dates and locations are as follows: April 7 in Roper at the Vernon James Center; April 25 in Asheville at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Enka Campus; May 16 in North Wilkesboro at the Walker Center of Wilkes Community College; and May 30 in Fayetteville at Fayetteville Tech. To register for the meetings or to find out more, contact Kelly Tucker, event coordinator at (919) 250-4314, or email ktucker@ncruralcenter.org.

Center’s Microenterprise Loan Program offering workshops on applying for business credit
The Rural Center, through its award-winning Microenterprise Loan Program, is currently offering a series of educational small business workshops designed to enhance business planning across rural North Carolina. There are 10 workshops planned through June 30, 2003, each featuring an interactive discussion of do's and don'ts when applying for business credit. The next scheduled workshops will be held March 31 in Nash County at the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, April 14 in Archdale at Randolph Community College, and April 25 in Rich Square at Roanoke Chowan Partners for Progress. For more information about the workshops, contact Darlene Deberry at 250-4314, or email to ddeberry@ncruralcenter.org.

Workshop on effectively using the 2000 Census to take place in Cary March 24 and 25
This hands-on workshop will teach participants to perform in-depth demographic studies using the recently released 2000 U.S. Census. Participants will learn how to extract, analyze and present detailed North Carolina demographic data in compelling new ways. The workshop is specially designed to meet the unique needs of community planners, municipalities, grant writers, economic development organizations, health care organizations, analysts and other individuals interested in performing detailed demographic research. The one-day workshops will be held in Cary on March 24 and 25, 4000 CentreGreen Way, Suite 100 Cary NC, 27513. The cost of the workshop is $225, and includes all materials. To register online, go to www.calmriver.com.

4th annual Road Show for businesses to be held across the state April 7 to April 11
North Carolina businesses interested in increasing their exports and expanding their presence in the international marketplace will have the opportunity to meet with international trade experts from the North Carolina Department of Commerce at the department’s fourth annual Road Show. From April 7-11, businesses from the mountains to the coast will have the opportunity to learn how to become and remain competitive in the global marketplace. Companies interested in attending the Road Show will need to be pre-qualified as export-ready. Dates and locations are as follows: April 7, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Enka Campus; April 8, Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College; April 9, Winston-Salem, Brookstown Inn; April 10, Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College; and April 11, Wilmington, Cape Fear Community College. For more information, visit the website at www.exportnc.com, or contact Kim Patterson at 919-733-7193 or by email at kpatterson@nccommerce.com.

top of page

At the Rural Center

Rural Center to host series of regional meetings on rural economic development
The Rural Center is partnering with the N.C. Community Foundation to host a series of five regional meetings on rural economic development this spring. The purpose of the meetings is to provide up-to-date information on the state’s economic situation, listen to the needs of rural residents and address the financial, human and technological resources available to meet those needs. The meetings will also provide an opportunity for rural leaders, including graduates of the center’s Rural Economic Development Institute (REDI) and board members of the Community Foundation, to foster relationships that will generate new ideas and stimulate economic development in these communities. Meetings will be held March 31 in Raleigh; April 7 in Roper; April 25 in Asheville; May 16 in North Wilkesboro; and May 30 in Fayetteville. To register for the meetings or to find out more, contact Kelly Tucker, event coordinator at (919) 250-4314, or email ktucker@ncruralcenter.org.

Center’s board of directors awards $28.6 million in grants for rural water and sewer needs statewide
The N.C. Rural Economic Development Center's board of directors voted Feb. 27 to award $28,607,273 in grants to rural communities for water and wastewater system improvements. In all, 75 grants were awarded to communities for improvements ranging from major new water system development to planning projects will that make future improvements possible. In announcing the awards, center president Billy Ray Hall said the projects were essential for rural communities weakened by mounting job losses, and are especially significant in that they will create and retain more than 5,100 jobs and will help build a stronger rural infrastructure capable of supporting new economic development initiatives. For more information on the grant awards, visit the center’s website atwww.ncruralcenter.org/grants/capacitydetails.htm.

RIAA selects local government grantees
The Rural Internet Access Authority recently announced the first round of recipients chosen to participate in its Local E-government Utilization Program or LEG-UP, a $1.5 million program designed to improve the delivery of public services. Through LEG-UP, the authority will work to advance technology infrastructure, training and use by local governments in 55 rural North Carolina counties and/or municipalities. LEG-UP is being funded in part through a $700,000 grant the authority received from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Technology Opportunities Program in October 2002. The authority matched this contribution with $605,000 cash and $204,032 in-kind support from its own private funds. The N.C. Center for Public Technology also pledged $11,250 of in-kind support to the effort. For more information on the grants, visit the website at www.e-nc.org.

From the N.C. Press

The Courier Times: Factory explosion another blow for struggling Kinston
Rex Howard had it pretty good. As manufacturing jobs disappeared and “For Rent” signs popped up around him, he was accruing 26 years of experience at a medical equipment factory earning decent wages, five weeks’ annual vacation and full medical benefits. That maintenance job vanished in early February amid the explosion and fire that all but destroyed the West Pharmaceutical Services factory and left four coworkers dead and nine others in critical condition. Beyond the human toll of the explosion is an economic loss that Kinston can hardly afford. Howard said wages ranged from $23,000 to $42,000 a year at the plant, a rubber and fittings manufacturer for medical equipment. That’s good money in Lenoir County in rural, Eastern North Carolina, which trails the rest of the state in income and education. Lenoir County households make a median of $31,191, compared to the statewide median of $39,184, according to the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center. A drive through Kinston’s downtown, with its vacant store-fronts and faded awnings, reveals ample evidence that the 1990s boom that lifted the state’s urban center passed by this county of 60,000.

The Kernersville News: Development officials say regionalism, new incentives will help economic development
Over lunch recently, members of the Kernersville business community attended an Econonic Development Advisory Council meeting. The focus of the meeting was to discuss how to enlarge the tax base of Kernersville and improve the town’s economy. On hand to speak to the council was Robert Leak, Jr., President of Winston-Salem Business, Inc. One of the main focuses that Kernersville and the rest of the area will have to work on, he said, is marketing themselves as a region and working together rather than have every municipality doing its own thing. Leak cautioned that North Carolina is not as good a competitor for industrial and business recruitment as it was a few years ago, as other states have become more competitive with the business incentives they offer. You have to have land, facilities and utilities ready to go, he said, adding that Kernersville’s best bet is to prepare available land for development now.

The North Wilkesboro Journal Patriot: Study focuses on the ‘Knowledge Economy’
The role of education in the transformation of the area economy away from manufacturing was a primary focus of two workshops held recently as part of an economic analysis on Wilkes and 11 other counties. The importance of providing educational opportunities beyond high school, particularly in technical training, for the area workforce was emphasized, said Dr. Ken Poole of the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness in Arlington, Va. In an industrial economy having a strong work ethic is important, but in a knowledge economy it is more important to be able to transition and adapt, Poole said. Towards the goal of increasing opportunities for higher education, said Poole, there is discussion about Appalachian State University, Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory and Catawba Valley Community College working together to form a new institution that would offer new programs. Poole said the focus would be on science and technology skills, particularly computer literacy.

The Elkin-Jonesville Tribune: Face of farming changing in Surry County
Farming in Surry County is no longer business as usual. That is the latest word from the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, as it presented a report last week to the county board of commissioners entitled, “The changing face of agriculture.” Agriculture is more of a business than it has ever been, according to extension agent T. Bryan Cave. Many people can remember 30 or 40 years ago when everybody was in agriculture and most anybody could make a living off their farm, he said, it’s a business and it has to be operated that way. Fewer and more specialized farms, a decrease in the number of farmers able to make a living in the face of weather and market uncertainties, the overproduction of commodities and rising input prices reflect not only the changing agricultural climate, but that of much of the country as well, Cave said.

top of page

Copyright by N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, Inc. 2002. We encourage you to share this UPDATE with interested individuals, organizations, or agencies. Material may be reproduced in electronic or print form. We ask that you please cite the Rural Center as the source.

Your subscription to this electronic newsletter is for Rural Center use only. We will not distribute or share your email identification with others. To be removed from this mailing list, please send an email to ruralpartners@ncruralcenter.org with unsubscribe in the subject line.

The mission of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center is to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies that improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources.

N.C. Rural Economic Development Center
Michelle Taylor, UPDATE editor
Kelly Tucker, UPDATE production manager
Elaine Matthews, vice president for communications and development
4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 250-4314 Fax: (919) 250-4325
www.ncruralcenter.org