Deryck Wilson

Retiring Soon?

A lot of Americans will be! - Greenville and Pitt County is the place to be for Senior Living!

At age 78, Helen Walter says she has no desire to sit around knitting or watching soap operas like many people her age might choose. Give her a bat, ball and a sunny day instead.

Walter, a member of the "Ole Rascals" Senior Games 65-and-older softball team, is among 35 local senior athletes who will leave later this week for the National Senior Games in San Francisco, Calif.

Pitt County representatives will participate in archery, badminton, bowling, golf, softball and basketball during the event which runs Aug. 1-15. They will be among a North Carolina delegation which includes 298 participants.

"This group is going to represent Greenville-Pitt County and the state of North Carolina in a national competition," said Alice Keene, coordinator for Greenville-Pitt County Senior Games. "They take a lot of pride in that and this area should be very proud of them."

The group will be competing against athletes from 49 other states and Canada.

"The level of competition in these events is high," said Kathryn Phillips, 71, who is making her third National Senior Games appearance. "In many cases, the women are a lot more physical and competitive than the men. You would be surprised."

Greenville-Pitt County Senior Games began in 1984 as one of 17 local games in the state. Participation has grown from about 45 people at that time to more than 400 each year.

The National Senior Games are held every two years. Participants qualify during their state's Senior Games held during the previous fall.

Greenville has the life most seniors want to enjoy, whether it's like Helen & participating in activities such as the NC Senior Games or enjoying our areas GOLF, BOATING, and ECU Sports! For more area information, please click HERE!

Place a SOLD sign on your property TODAY - List with Coldwell Banker!

RELEASED TODAY: New U.S. home sales rose by the largest amount in more than eight years last month, in another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back from the worst downturn in decades.

The Commerce Department said Monday that sales rose 11 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000, from an upwardly revised May rate of 346,000.

It was the strongest sales pace since November 2008 and exceeded the forecasts of economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who expected a pace of 360,000 units. The last time sales rose so dramatically was in December 2000.

Sales have risen for three straight months. The median sales price of $206,200, however, was down 12 percent from $234,300 a year earlier and down nearly 6 percent from $219,000 in May.

The report is another encouraging sign that the beleaguered housing sector is finally coming back to life. Last Thursday, the National Association of Realtors reported that home resales posted a monthly increase of 3.6 percent in June.

There were 281,000 new homes for sale at the end of June, down more than 4 percent from May. At the current sales pace, that represents 8.8 months of supply - the lowest level since October 2007.

Fallout from the housing crisis has played a central role in the U.S. recession, now the longest since World War II. Foreclosures have spiked, homebuilders have slashed construction, and financial companies have lost billions.

In addition, the 2009 Homebuyer's Tax Credit, which, if eligible, gives you $8,000 tax credit if you buy a home as a first-time buyer before Dec.1 2009. Check out those details HERE!

To search ALL of the Pitt County MLS including the areas of Ayden, Greenville, Winterville and the surrounding rural areas, please CLICK HERE or visit us online @ www.ColdwellBankerGreenvilleNC.com

Click HERE or the Banner Above for the Free Subdivision Guide!

The City of Greenville would like to welcome you to the area. The City of Greenville is here to answer common questions and provide important information to new residents so that your move to Greenville will be successful. The following list contains important information for new residents:

Housing Assistance: Greenville has a variety of housing options for its residents. Whether you are looking to rent, lease, or buy, Greenville has a large variety of living options. To learn more about apartments and real estate in Greenville, click on one of the following links:

For apartments: www.apartments.com

For real estate: www.ColdwellBankerGreenvilleNC.com

Driver's License: The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is responsible for issuing North Carolina Residents with Driver's Licenses. Their office is located in the Carolina East Shopping Centre on Memorial Drive. For information on how you can obtain a North Carolina Driver's License, call 830-3456, or click on the following link: http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/driver_services/drivingpublic/applying.html

License Plates: The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is responsible for issuing North Carolina License Plates to drivers. Their office is located at 800 B Mall Drive in the Carolina East Centre. For more information on how you can obtain a North Carolina License Plate for your vehicle, call 756-5099 or click on the following link: http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/vehicle_services/licenseplates/plateObtain.html

Voter Registration: There are several ways to register to vote in the state of North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, many local libraries, and agencies have voter registration forms available for voter's to complete. To obtain specific information on how you can register to vote, click on the following link: http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/

Utilities: Greenville Utilities Commission is the Utility Service Provider for Greenville Residents. Greenville Utilities is Located at 401 South Greene Street. Click on the following link to obtain specific utility information: http://www.guc.com/index_a.html

Telephone Service: Embarq is the local phone service and internet service provider for Greenville. Click on the following link to obtain information about signing up for telephone service: http://www.embarq.com/residential/index.html

Cable Television & Internet Service: Suddenlink Communications is the local provider for cable television, telephone service, and high speed Internet Service for Greenville. Click on the following link to obtain information about the services that Suddenlink has to offer: http://www.suddenlink.com/

Sanitation, Garbage, & Recycling: The Sanitation Division of the Public Works Department is responsible for providing trash pickup and recycling services for residents located in the Greenville City Limits. To obtain information regarding trash pickup and recycling services, contact the Public Works Department at 252-329-4527 or click here.

Employment Opportunities: The City of Greenville offers great employment opportunities. Click here to view current job postings for the City of Greenville:

Education: The City of Greenville offers an array of great schools and education facilities for residents.

Elementary Schools:

Pitt County Elementary Schools

Colleges and Universities:

East Carolina University

Pitt Community College

Hospitals: The City of Greenville is known for its outstanding health and medical facilities. Pitt Memorial Hospital is among one of the finest and most advanced hospitals in the state. For information on Pitt Memorial Hospital and its services click on the following link:
http://www.uhseast.com/body.cfm?id=26&oTopID=26

Religious Affiliations: Greenville offers many different religious affiliations and groups. To see a listing of local churches and religious affiliations, click on the following link: http://www.reflector.com/news/content/community/factbook/2005/religion.html

Shopping: Greenville offers a variety of shopping from department stores to specialty stores. To see a list of local shopping centers click on the following link: http://www.visitgreenvillenc.com/store_search.asp?

Dining: Greenville offers a huge selection of dining choices, from southern food to international cuisine, you definitely will not go hungry in Greenville. To see a list of local restaurants and dining selections, click on the following link: http://www.visitgreenvillenc.com/restaurant_search.asp

Local Newspaper: The Daily Reflector is Greenville's most famous local newspaper, offering residents local and national news coverage as well as entertainment and weather. To learn more about The Daily Reflector, click on the following link: http://www.reflector.com/

Newcomers Club: The Newcomers Club of Greenville welcomes people new to Greenville at their luncheons on the second Wednesday of each month. They also sponsor activities to help newcomers learn about our city and make new friends. Call (252) 551-2020 for more information

The Pitt County Board of Commissioners approved the 2009-10 budget Tuesday following a public hearing that did not have any speakers.

Click Here to View the Budget

The commissioners held a public hearing on the proposed budget and no one took the opportunity to comment on the proposal before the board unanimously approved it. The board immediately approved the budget that will not increase taxes in Pitt County.

The board approved the $206.4 million budget that is a 6.5 percent reduction from the current year's. The budget keeps the ad valorem tax rate at 66.5 cents per $100 valuation.

The budget includes $34.9 million for Pitt County Schools, an increase of $408,360 over the current year's budget.

Education takes up nearly 25 percent of the 2009-10 county budget. The county also increased funding to Pitt Community College by $217,146.

The budget will also fund the opening of the 192-bed detention center expansion.

It also includes the restoration of a $25,000 Community Schools and Recreation grant match program.

County Manager Scott Elliot said the program would be paid for with funds taken from Sheppard Library, an allocation that was lowered at the request of the city of Greenville, and the elimination of a proposed $9,000 communication package for members of the board.

While the budget does not contain any new tax increases, it does include several fee changes. The tipping fee for residential construction and demolition - previously free - will rise to $40.

The EMS prices for basic transport, advanced I transport and advanced II transport will increase to $330, $390 and $565 respectively. These amounts are in line with Medicare reimbursement rates, Elliott said.

The Emergency Medical Services fund equals about $4.5 million, including a $200,000 transfer from the county's general fund and another $200,000 from the payment in lieu of taxes from Pitt County Memorial Hospital.

Local departments requested 50 new positions, but only 31 were recommended by the county manager. Thirty of those recommended positions are linked to staffing the new detention center scheduled to open during the summer.

The county employees' health insurance plan is dropping to 90 percent coverage with 10 percent co-insurance. Previously, the plan offered 100 percent coverage.

The commissioners also approved the recommendation of the Pitt County Democratic Party to replace retired Register of Deeds Judy Tart with Assistant Register of Deeds Deborah Barrington.

"Ms. Barrington comes highly recommended by her supervisor, the former Register of Deeds Judy Tart," Pitt County Democratic Party Chair Betsy Leech said. "Her resume includes more than 25 years, including 11 years as the Assistant, in the Register of Deeds office and substantial related education to prepare her for this position."

Barrington will fill the unexpired term which ends in December 2012. Tart announced her resignation effective June 1 at the April 25 Democratic Convention. She served for 11 years.

For other important tax information, including the $8,000 First Time Buyer Home Tax Credit and FREE Credit Reports, please visit us on the web @ www.ColdwellBankerGreenvilleNC.com

The spotlight is once again on Ayden's Skylight Inn barbecue restaurant. The Pitt County purveyor of pig, East Carolina-style, will hit the big time in the Big Apple this weekend as part of a popular festival that celebrates roasted pork.

A short documentary film about the local restaurant, titled "Leave It to Cleaver: The Story of North Carolina's Skylight Inn BBQ," is scheduled to be shown at 4 p.m. Sunday as part of New York's seventh annual Snapple Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. According to the Web site, bigapplebbq.org, the film "showcases the Jones family of Ayden, N.C., whose restaurant The Skylight Inn carries on a family tradition of whole hog barbecue that has continued in an unbroken line since the 1830s."

The film was created by filmmaker Joe York and the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi.

Samuel Jones, the grandson of the restaurant's founder who operates the Skylight Inn with his father, Bruce Jones, and uncle, Jeff Jones, said York spent four days with them, filming their every movement from dawn until dusk.

"He got up with us and went to work with us and covered every aspect," Jones said. "He did interviews with my dad and Uncle Jeff and me and captured the history of the business and what it means to our family."

Jones said he will attend the film screening at the festival and also will serve as a commentator for the panel discussion titled "East of Raleigh: America's Original Barbecue." According to the Web site, the panel will include John and Dale Reed and John T. Edge, who have written books about barbecue. "In eastern North Carolina, barbecue is characterized by whole-hog cooking and vinegar-and-pepper sauces," the Web site states. The panelists will "discuss the origins of that barbecue style showing it was established by the early 19th century, not just in eastern North Carolina but throughout the United States. The rise of barbecue stands and the spread of bottled ketchup from 1876 on may have changed the 'cue landscape across the country … but tradition remains east of Raleigh, and in scattered outposts all over the nation."

The Snapple Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, held over two days in Madison Square Park, also includes samplings and cooking demonstrations.

The Skylight Inn is at 1501 Lee St. in Ayden. Call 746-4113. http://www.hollyeats.com/SkylightInn.htm

For other community news and events information, visit us @ www.ColdwellBankerGreenvilleNC.com