RFP Staff

♦ In accordance with NCGS 153A-40(b), the Chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners has called a special meeting to be held on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at Salisbury City Hall, 217 South Main Street, Salisbury, North Carolina.

The purpose of the meeting will be for the Rowan County Board of Commissioners to meet jointly with Salisbury City Council and the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education to recognize the Rowan Little League Softball Team for winning the Little League World Series Softball Championship.

SegmentNext.com

♦ SimCity’s Ageless Wisdom to Salisbury, N.C.’s City Hall on the Importance of City Services to all Its Residents. The City Services Guide:

http://segmentnext.com/2013/03/11/simcity-city-services-guide/

Todd Paris, Attorney and Candidate for Salisbury’s City Council

♦ One of the questions I asked this week at the City Council’s “candidate meeting” was about whether Paul Woodson told the rest of City Council about Northstate Communication’s interest in acquiring Fibrant a year or so back and if the Mayor walked out of negotiations without even asking for a price.

I directed the question to Mayor Woodson, however the City manager said he had stepped out earlier. Fibrant’s Jon Sofley did volunteer to answer my questions. He confirmed the meeting did occur but called it “exploratory.” He did not know that night if Woodson had told anyone. The public sure didn’t know.

Northstate Communications is a leading Fiber to the Home FTTH provider and their most recent financial reports indicate more than enough assets to purchase Fibrant. They could have wrote a check that night for enough money to pay off the debt, refund the $7.6 million plus to the water and sewer fund and have the knowledge and resources to properly run and market this Fibrant. Of course, we would have to “open the books” and let them see if it would be a good purchase. Non-disclosure agreements could have protected the city from any adverse findings, if any, they might uncover.

Is anyone asking City Council what they knew and when they knew it? Judging by their response at the meeting, I question whether the rest of City Council was even told about the NorthState meeting.

By the way, incumbent apologists have attacked me for asking “hard questions” at this “purely informational” meeting. City Hall invited me by letter, to come and ask questions. I do know that in the last two such meetings that no challengers asked questions and that all incumbents were re-elected. If challengers do not ask hard questions and question bad decisions they might as well fill out the forms to apply for city boards and committees that we were presented with that night.

Why are some folks mad? I think the purpose of this meeting is to: bring challengers in, convince them that under the city manager system, that they don’t really have the power to change anything, invite them to join various boards and committees instead, impress upon them that “negative campaigning does not work in the city” and give them a little “hug” along with their free city tote bag and water bottle, and get the incumbents reelected. I guess I just didn’t play “nice.”

Oh by the way, I consider Scott Maddox and Mark Lewis, who have served on council before, to be neo-incumbents, who already have “the nod.”

Candidate Jeff Watson drew my attention to the fact that City Manager Bailey in his opening remarks stated that there were two slots open on Council. There are five slots open, unless the challengers do not challenge. By the way, I left my city water bottle and tote bag under my chair.

RFP Staff

♦ KODI.TV Exploding in Popularity among Savvy “Cord Cutters”, IPTV Viewers, and FREE TV and Movie Advocates.  Learn about KODI.TV here:

http://kodi.tv/about/

John Q. Public

♦ Do Black Lives Really Matter to Salisbury’s City Council?  Let’s Check the Record

• Where is the alleged Police presence down in the West End?  West Enders report they seldom see any police and often calls go unanswered.  No answered calls equals no reports.  No reports equals a magical 39% drop in crime.  Perhaps the Chief of Police is too busy moonlighting at the Salisbury Housing Authority?

• Black lives don’t seem to matter as much as Mark Lewis’s “Disturbing Demographic”?

• City Hall doesn’t do gentrification, they do “urban renewal”.

• Apparently bike lanes are more important than security lighting down in the West End.

• How come black communities have few sidewalks and “8 block” and the “Country Club” have them?  Is it really a good idea that seniors are forced to walk on Horah Street in the dark?

• How is it that when black taxpayers request basic city services they get a runaround: “We’re working on it.”  “We’ll get back to you soon–this takes a lot of thinking.”  “Let’s not jump blindly into this–we need to study this and get back to you.”

• Black lives don’t seem to matter as much as a part-time security gig for the city’s “moonlighting” police chief who couldn’t name a single murder victim out of “ten” unsolved murders in Salisbury–all minority victims.  Yo!

• How about the major disparity in minority hires in city jobs? Big time.

• The Vanderford “Spite Hole” is still overgrown and Norway rats breed among the weeds and locust saplings.  No city response to clean up the “Spite Hole” for over a decade.

• How about the covert “shrinking” of basic city services to the West End?

• What’s up with the “Civic Park Apartments”?  Were promises made and not kept?

• Are Basic city services to black communities as important as propping up Fibrant which incurred $12.6 million in losses in 2014.  Wait a fat second–didn’t city council claim Fibrant turned the corner and made a small profit?

You don’t matter to city council. They shouldn’t matter to you. You need to run city council out of Dodge.

RFP Staff

♦ In a city fighting to stay above water in crime and suffering from no shortage of break-ins throughout Salisbury, 32-year old teacher assistant Sherita Washington felt heartbroken when she returned to her apartment at 10:15 p.m. Friday evening and found it ransacked.  Missing from her apartment, in the Pine Hills Complex at 400 west 15th Street, were electronics valued at $1,825.  Among the missing electronics were 2 TVs, a Nintendo game console, A DVD/CD player, a Hewlett Packard computer.

Washington, prior to the break-in, left her apartment to visit a Pine Hills neighbor at 9:45 p.m. and returned 30 minutes later, finding her door strangely unlocked.  Besides her missing electronics, Washington saw that her bedroom dresser was ransacked.  She had no idea about who might’ve invaded her apartment.  There was no sign of any forced entry.

Police investigators questioned other renters living in the complex, but at this time lack leads.

If you have any information about this break-in, please call the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 or Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.

http://rowanfreepress.com/2014/03/29/best-methods-for-stopping-home-invasions-and-break-ins/

RFP Staff

♦ Tracy Christy Heffner,41, of Salisbury was arrested early Sunday morning at the Waffle House on the 500 block of East Innes in Salisbury for allegedly engaging in prostitution.

Heffer was charged with engaging in prostitution (misdemeanor). Under a secured $500 bond, Heffner was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center and later released.

Heffner’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0591546&searchLastName=heffner&searchFirstName=tracy&searchMiddleName=c&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

http://rowanfreepress.com/2015/03/12/salisbury-n-c-s-hott-pink-massage-spas-amy-joe-honeycutt-charged-with-prostitution-today/

http://rowanfreepress.com/2015/01/05/police-shutdown-two-rough-trade-massage-parlors-in-salisbury-n-c-5-ladies-busted-for-unlicensed-massage/

RFP Staff

♦ While Rowan County is rebranding the county, another kind of branding shows up in Salisbury a major pit stop on the I-85 “human trafficking” route where women from Mexico, Central America, Asia, Eastern Europe, and missing U.S. teens are forced into sexual slavery.  According to law enforcement and organizations, who battle the human trafficking across the United States, a number of signs exist that a woman is engaged in sexual servitude.  Branding with a branding iron or a tattoo needle are common.  These brands most often appear on the nape of the female’s neck, the side of the neck, the upper back, and in some instances on the calf.  Most frequent brands or tattoos encountered are barcodes, hearts containing dollar signs, a number, or the pimp’s name.

RFP Staff

♦ Maybe word is out that a felon can comfortably blend in Salisbury, North Carolina with its large and impressive criminal element?  10 unsolved murders and some say the 9th ranked most dangerous city in State.  Salisbury proved the end-of-the-line for fleeing Michael Eugene Harper, 35, of 3799 Highway 150 S. seeking refuge from Cherokee County, South Carolina narcotics violations.  One wild ride Monday that wound up colliding with two vehicles at North Church and West Kerr Streets in Salisbury not far from Ralph Baker’s Shoes. Harper could’ve used some of Ralph Baker’s running shoes for his flight-on-foot.

Harper was arrested and charged with flee/elude arrest with a motor vehicle (felony), driving the wrong way-one-way street/road (misdemeanor), unsafe passing yellow line (misdemeanor), 2 counts of reckless driving to endanger (misdemeanor), 2 counts driving while license revoked and speeding (misdemeanor), hit and run/leave the scene of an accident with property damage (misdemeanor), and in Rowan County elude arrest (felony).  Harper was wanted to Guilford County for failure to appear (misdemeanor).

The high-speed chase began in Davidson County when a Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to make a vehicle stop of a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta.  No such luck.  Harper, driving at top-speed, flew through the intersection of Old Salisbury Road and Tyro Road at 100 miles-per-hour and then onto Highway 150 and Wilcox Way.  Rowan County began with a blur.  Soon Spencer and Salisbury Police picked up the chase.  Not too long afterwards the Volkswagen Jetta rammed through the two vehicles at North Church and West Kerr streets in Salisbury and Harper attempted to go it on foot.  The Salisbury Police ended that flight in a hurry and turned Harper over to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office for the arrest.

Harper’s passenger and owner of the Jetta, Shae Bell was charged with an expired registration plate.  The Spencer Police impounded the car.

Under a $55,000 secured bond, Harper is currently in the Davidson County jail where he awaits a court hearing on September 30th.  He also faces hearings in Rowan and Guilford Counties.

Michael Eugene Harper’s extensive criminal record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0588274&searchLastName=Harper&searchFirstName=michael&searchMiddleName=e&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

SacBee.com/AP

FBI Raids Palm Springs City Hall in Corruption Probe:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article33220311.html

RFP Staff/CDC

♦ Seldom spoken about in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools is the uncomfortable topic of body parasites not uncommon among our school system’s many poor and homeless children sometimes living in less than hygienic conditions. Many citizens understand that an estimated 65% or more children, attending classes in the Rowan-Salisbury School System, are on free or reduced school lunch programs. A higher percentage of poor children on free or reduced school lunches attend schools inside the boundaries of Salisbury, N.C. Here in Salisbury resides the largest homeless shelter yet constructed in the state of North Carolina and an abundance of public housing to assist the city’s many poor.

This article’s featured photo above is a ringworm infestation.

The “Silent Plague” of body parasites, encountered among our school age poor, is common to school children dwelling in urban poverty in such cities as Camden, N.J., Detroit, East Saint Louis, Newark, and Chicago. Poverty and body parasites go hand-in-hand. So it should come as no surprise that Salisbury, N.C. with its 25% poverty would have students suffering from the parasitic four: Scabies, lice, ringworm, and bedbugs all highly communicable forms of parasitism. Children, from even more affluent families, can become afflicted by the four common body parasites due to contact with infested youngsters. So it is wise for all parents of children in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools to become aware of the symptoms of the “silent plagues”.

Let’s go to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) valuable website for the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of Scabies, lice, bedbugs, and ringworm.

SCABIES

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/

LICE

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/

http://www.rss.k12.nc.us/school-health-lice-manual

BEDBUGS

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/

http://pestcontroldirectory.net/bed-bug-removal/north-carolina/rowan-county

RINGWORM

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/ringworm.html

Scabies burrows: below

Bedbug infestation: below

Crab lice: below

Body lice: below

Steve Mensing, Editor

♦ The other day we reported “America’s Gig City” and Fibrant are going to make the announcement on Thursday, September 3rd down at Catawba College that Fibrant is going to 10 gigs.  So what if Fibrant has only sold to 1 or 2 one gig subscribers or that Time Warner Cable is already offering 10 gigs to any major business or institutional area of Salisbury or the County.  The challenge is nobody is utilizing the kind of over-the-top-speed in the Bury and not a whole lot tech companies and institutions want to set up tent here due to Salisbury’s mammoth downside: crime, poverty, a bottom rung school system, 10 unsolved murders, a lack of jobs, and a major heroin, crack, and meth epidemic in Salisbury–you’ve heard it all before.  All of these basics need to be shored up before the “whippoorwills come jetting back to Capistrano”.

Going to 10 gigs doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when you factor in these two ugly realities that our incumbent city council will never tell you about Fibrant.

• Reality number 1 is extremely ugly and undeniable. City Council told us that Fibrant “turned the corner”, but the 2014 city budget audit told us otherwise.  Fibrant lost a whopping $12.6 million dollars.  Hey and they still owe 7.6 million to the water and sewer fund.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2E5Ew6OLdElbmlTcEd0OTZBWDg/view?usp=sharing

$12.6 million in 2014 losses and our incumbents believe our municipal broadband was a good decision.  And Mark “The Empire No-Tel” Lewis thinks the city should keep it.

• Reality number 2 calls on Fibrant becoming 10 gig ready. This requires an extremely expensive infusion of specialized equipment to stabilize the system under a 10x torrent of gigs and make it secure from being overwhelmed.  A “fail-over facility” is a must.  In layman’s terms Fibrant’s equipment can barely handle a single gig as it is.  It would no doubt collapse without secure backup throughout the 10 gig system. Where is the money coming from?  The water and sewer fund is already tapped out for $7.6 million and jack-rolled our bond rating.  City services are limping along as a result of our alleged “fiber-optic economic development tool”.

I’m hearing whispers about going to 10 gigs already: “Bad move–don’t they ever learn?  It’s almost 5 years since the soft rollout and Fibrant tanked the Bury. What are the incumbents thinking?”

Moving to the “next generation of innovation” and going “beyond the next horizon” has a heavy price tag.  And most likely it will put the city in even a deeper hole.

RFP Staff/N.C. Department of Education

♦ We were disheartened to see the abysmal letter grades for many of the schools in Rowan-Salisbury School System.  Not only was there a lack of significant improvement, there appeared to be a march backward in several schools.

Schools inside Salisbury’s borders often graded quite poorly.  We were not shocked by what we reviewed knowing that Salisbury suffers from significant poverty and challenges with literacy.  While we were dubious of the school system’s much ballyhooed one-to-one digital initiative having much significant effect, we believe intensive literacy programs like Tsunami Literacy and mentoring will help many at risk students.

Later when the complete state report cards are available the Rowan Free Press will post the Rowan-Salisbury School System grid like we did in 2013-2014.

Here are the 2014-2015 letter grades for each school in the Rowan-Salisbury School System:

Henderson High N/A

Bostian Elementary C

Carson High C

China Grove Elementary D

China Grove Middle C

Cleveland Elementary C

Corriher Lipe Middle D

East Rowan High C

Enochville Elementary C

Erwin Middle D

Koontz Elementary F

Faith Elementary C

Granite Quarry Elementary C

Hanford-Dole Elementary C

Hurley Elementary D

Isenberg Elementary D

Knollwood Elementary F

Knox Middle F

Koontz Elementary F

Landis Elementary D

Millbridge Elementary C

Morgan Elementary C

Mt. Ulla Elementary C

North Rowan Elementary F

North Rowan High D

North Rowan Middle D

Overton Elementary D

Rockwell Elementary C

Rowan Co. Early College B

Salisbury High C

Shive Elementary C

Southeast Middle C

South Rowan High C

West Rowan High C

West Rowan Middle C

Woodleaf Elementary C

RFP Staff

♦ David Jamar White, 32, of 631 South Ellis Street in Salisbury was arrested Tuesday in a suspected drug house at 507 W. Cemetery with crack, counterfeit bills, and marijuana after neighbors snitched on White making alleged drug sales in the front yard.

When Salisbury Police investigators showed up with warrants at the West Cemetery property and began a through search of the premises, they found 15.7 grams of crack, 4.8 grams of marijuana, and $200 in counterfeit money.

White was charged with possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver a controlled substance II (felony) and possession of a controlled substance schedule VI (misdemeanor).

Under a $5,000 secured bond, White was detained in the Rowan County Detention Center until he made bail and was released.

David Jamar White’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0679529&searchLastName=white&searchFirstName=David&searchMiddleName=j&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

RFP Staff

♦ A triple shooting at 1011 Rachel Lane in Salisbury Wednesday Afternoon lead to one dead and two wounded.

A neighbor, hearing gunshots, called 911 and summoned Salisbury Police to a one-level white mobile home on the corner of Rachel Lane and Gaskey Road near Airport Road.  The first officers on the scene found two persons shot.  One of the victims Nathan Rupet Pant, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene.  A surviving gunshot victim, Tonya Veann Wilks, 44, of 1011 Rachel Lane was transported to Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center where she is said to be in stable condition.

Later Wednesday afternoon a third individual Desmine Marnic Kirkland, of Neelytown Road in China Grove, who suffered a gunshot wound arrived at Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center.  It was determined Kirkland was at the Rachel Lane shooting. His wound is reported as being non-life threatening.

All afternoon police vehicles were parked along Rachel Street as investigators spoke with neighbors and gathered crime scene evidence.

All three persons are said to know each other.

Police have not yet named the killer or the cause of the apparent shootout. No charges are yet filed. The crime scene is still under investigation.

Persons with information about the shooting are requested to call the Salisbury Police at 704-638-5333 or Rowan-Salisbury Crime Stoppers 1-866-639-5245.

The Late Nathan Rupert Pant:

1011 Rachel Lane, Salisbury, N.C.:

Tonya Veann Wilks:

**This article will be updated as new information arrives.**

Nathan Marnic Kirkland:

Chuck Hughes, Seat 5 Representative, Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education

♦ No one in Rowan County is more disappointed with the 2014-2015 Growth and Performance grades than I. Despite putting millions into the IT- 1:1 program, hiring co-principals at Knox Middle, hiring coaches to teach teachers to teach reading, as well as other staff investments, we did not even maintain the status quo, we actually took steps backwards as evidenced by the recently posted 2015 Growth and Performance grades. They were lower than those in 2013 and 2014 when the framework for change was initially implemented.

During a period of migration from books and chalk boards to iPads and a technology based system, some hurdles are to be expected. However, we do not have the luxury of blaming hurdles such as transition or county poverty for the failure to provide excellent education for our children. Rowan-Salisbury School system is expected, and rightfully so, to anticipate and compensate for hindrances that compromise academic progress.

When a football coach changes his game plan from a basic running game to a passing game and he gets throttled, I assure you, he will reconsider the basics. I would like our Board of Education to consider doing the same.

http://rowanfreepress.com/2015/09/02/2014-2015-n-c-department-of-education-letter-grades-for-each-school-in-the-rowan-salisbury-school-system/

RFP Staff

♦ Deceased shooting victim was identified as Nathan Rupert Plant, 37, of Lexington, N.C. Yesterday a triple shooting occurred at 1011 Rachel Lane in Salisbury Wednesday Afternoon led to one dead and two wounded.

A neighbor, hearing gunshots, called 911 and summoned Salisbury Police to a one-level white mobile home on the corner of Rachel Lane off Gaskey Road near Airport Road. The first officers on the scene found two persons shot. One of the victims Nathan Rupert Pant, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene. A surviving gunshot victim, Tonya Veann Wilks, 44, of 1011 Rachel Lane was transported to Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center where she was said to be in stable condition and has since been released.

Later Wednesday afternoon a third individual Desmine Marnic Kirkland, 28, of the 500 block Neelytown Road in China Grove who suffered a gunshot wound, arrived at Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center. It was determined Kirkland was at the Rachel Lane shooting. His wound is reported as being non-life threatening.

All afternoon police vehicles were parked along Rachel Street as investigators spoke with neighbors and gathered crime scene evidence.

All three persons are said to know each other, yet their exact relationships are yet unclear to investigators.

Desmine Marnic Kirkland, 28, is no stranger to death scenes. Kirkland was previous convicted of 2nd degree murder as an accessory after the fact in the 2010 for 2009 slaying of Demetrius Bost. After Bost was murdered his body was coldly flung into a ditch on Milford Hills Drive.

Desmine Marnic Kirkland’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0996675&searchLastName=kirkland&searchFirstName=desmine&searchMiddleName=m&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

Police have not yet named the killer or the motive of the Wednesday’s shootout. No charges are yet filed. The crime scene is still under investigation.

Persons with information about the shooting are requested to call the Salisbury Police at 704-638-5333 or Rowan-Salisbury Crime Stoppers 1-866-639-5245.

The Late Nathan Rupert Pant:

1011 Rachel Lane, Salisbury, N.C.:

Tonya Veann Wilks:

**This article will be updated as new information arrives.**

Nathan Marnic Kirkland:

RFP Staff/N.C. Department of Education

♦ Public Schools within Salisbury’s City limits are a MUST to Avoid.  Check out their horrific letter grades on N.C. Department of Education 2014-2015 report card for Salisbury schools:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2E5Ew6OLdElam5yNGZxRmpOQlU/view?usp=sharing

We’re focusing on strictly academic performance of Salisbury’s schools and not the schools notorious behavioral problems, drug problems, illiteracy, safety, or gang activity.

The letter grades of Salisbury Schools:

Salisbury High D (graduation rate 69.74%)

Henderson High N/A (graduation rate 40%)

Overton Elementary D

Koontz Elementary F

Isenberg Elementary School D

Hanford Dole Elementary D

Hurley Elementary D

Knollwood Elementary F

Knox Middle F

MyCityisBeingRapedbyCityHall.com

Come to Beautiful Salisbury, N.C., Pay $400 Bucks a Month for 10 Gig Internet, and Die in an Unsolved Murder!

Todd Paris, Candidate for Salisbury City Council, Salisbury, N.C.

♦ The Fibrant-Calix 10 gig news is no doubt the turning point for Salisbury. You see, Fibrant’s birth was somewhat troubled. Over-budget and financially troubled from inception, in addition to the 33 plus million dollars borrowed back in 2008 and 2009, 7.6 million dollars were taken from the water and sewer customers. The 2014 audited budget reveals the city has been only paying the interest on this “loan.” There is some question whether they intend to ever pay it back. Did you know this? Mark Lewis and Brian Miller approved it. We get to vote for them again this year!

Additionally, the audited 2014 budget (page 47 of 168) shows the “Broadband Services Fund’s” total net position as being negative 12.6 million. If you know budgets, you will no doubt note that “Total Net Position” is little more than a measure of value or worth. In other words, Fibrant is 12.6 million dollars south of “worthless.”

Do you folks know that Fibrant’s budget only shows three employees and shifts the rest to the City Budget? While some of the folks at Fibrant do double duty, like running the stoplights; a number of employees, including the sales and marketing employees, do virtually nothing for the city proper, and are not even on the Fibrant budget. The result is an annual subsidy from the general fund, by employee allocation, which in essence subsidizes Fibrant from the city’s general fund in excess of one million per year. Let me repeat this, IN EXCESS OF ONE MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR! If this stops, property taxes can be lowered over 3 cents or we could rebuild the surviving remnants of the Salisbury Police Department back into the first rate agency that it used to be.

Of course, that’s all turning around because we now have ten gigabit capacity! We have had one gigabit capacity for some time. Do you know how many companies are using our one gigabit capacity? We hear it’s “three businesses.” If we can only sell one gig to three businesses, how do we expect the same failed marketing strategies and economic development “wonks” to sell ten gigabits?

Then there’s the little “birth defect” from the beginning. Did they tell you about Atlantic Engineering? They were the original contractor that ‘strung the lines.” They underbid the project and came back asking for more money. The city refused. As a former Duke Power employee, you would probably know that all installations on the poles have to be in compliance with the National Electric Safety Code. A “run and gun” ensued and much of the network was installed without meeting code, endangering the lives of utility workers since 2009. Was Atlantic Engineering’s performance bond “pulled?” Has a lawsuit been filed? Have we started fixing this at our own expense? Has the statute of limitations expired? Is the cost for “the fix” over 4 million dollars? Are certain persons on council so embarrassed by this nonfeasance that they have told Fibrant employees not to talk about it? How long will the city continue to kick this can down the street because they don’t have the cash to fix it?

Calix Inc. will fix everything. It is a multi-million dollar corporation that Van Geons and the city say will save us and lead us into the new 10 gigabyte century. I am so glad that someone did their due diligence on these folks.

Calix stock is down from $12.00 per share to $7.00 per share. Last quarter they had a loss in excess of 5 million from operations. Their six month loss was in excess of 17 million. Of course, RFP “lies all the time!” A link to Bloomberg is attached. Another link to a financial website is attached that says that on a scale of “one to a hundred” that Calix’s predicted likelihood of bankruptcy is over seventy out of a hundred! Of course, I just know what I read. Maybe Van Goens and the Council need a class on how to use the “google box?” It took me ten minutes to find this.

Have Van Geons, Paul Woodson, Maggie Blackwell, Karen Alexander and Brian Miller already signed a contract with these guys? If Calix does go “belly-up,” are we going to be stuck with a bunch of equipment and no support or software updates? How will this loss be absorbed? Will there be another raid on water and sewer funds? Will Spencer, Granite Quarry and the other small towns that linked with our water and (or) sewer just have to “suck it up.” Will the bond rating folks downgrade us once again?

Well, the links are below. The judges at the courthouse say “show your work!” This 10 gig pig is going to need lots and lots of lipstick. In retrospect, Calix and Fibrant may be the “perfect match.” We are so lucky Duke Power has not forced us to spend millions to make our poles safe!

http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=CALX

https://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/CALX–Probability_Of_Bankruptcy