Catawba County, North Carolina

As of January 2, 2010 restaurants, bars and other businesses that serve food and drink in Catawba County became smoke-free. Many health advocates and local residents are pleased that they can now enjoy a healthier dining experience. The ban is a result of a new law that... prohibits smoking in all restaurants and bars across North Carolina.

Catawba County and the Carolina Thread Trail invite all Catawba County residents to attend a public forum for the County’s Carolina Thread Trail Master Plan. Forums are set for January 25 (Sherrills Ford), January 26 (Newton) and January 28 (Hickory) where you may recei...ve information and share your input on the design of the county-wide Greenway Master Plan.

Many emergency medical personnel have other jobs in addition to volunteering in the community. When a catastrophe such as a serious illness strikes, they often aren’t able to work or volunteer in their other capacities as well. This can be devastating for the employee a...nd family. A January 9, 2010 fund raiser is planned at the Sam's Club on Highway 70 in Hickory.

Catawba County Public Health is now offering H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine without an appointment. Both vaccinations are free of charge and are available to all ages while supplies last. Catawba County Public Health is open Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm. For mor...e information on the H1N1 vaccine, seasonal flu vaccine or to make an appointment, please call Catawba County Public Health at 828-695-5800 or visit www.catawbacountync.gov/phealth.

School-aged children are invited to learn some Spanish compliments of Friends of the Sherrills Ford Library. Free classes for grades K-1 are scheduled at 10 a.m. each Saturday from Jan. 16 through March 6. One exception will be Saturday, Jan. 30, when classes are cancel...led. Instructor Victoria Jones will introduce children to everyday words and phrases and [...]

If you’re into the werewolves and vampires, Catawba County Library has several titles to sink your teeth into. Thanks to the popularity of such books as Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and the earlier Buffy the Vampire book and TV series by Nancy Holder, books with th...ese characters are a hot item for pre-teens and young [...]

Soup’s on Thursday, Jan. 7, at the Main Library in Newton when Youth Services hosts an hour of fun for elementary school children. The children’s library staff will honor National Soup Month by making some soup to enjoy and reading Pumpkin Soup by Helen Coop...er and Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. The program begins at 4:30 p.m. [...]

Book lovers, you know the feeling. You’re at the book store or library and know there is a particular book you should read, but can’t recall it. If you’ve ever experienced such frustration, a book diary can help. In it you jot down recommended books so... you’ll have that information handy. Youth Services at Catawba County Library [...]

Soup’s on Thursday, Jan. 7, at the Main Library in Newton when Youth Services hosts an hour of fun for elementary school children. The children’s library staff will honor National Soup Month by making some soup to enjoy and reading Pumpkin Soup by Helen Coop...er and Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. The program begins at 4 p.m. [...]

Friends of Catawba County Library will hold their regular monthly meeting at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 4, at the Main Library in Newton. Among the topics of discussion will be plans for 2010 and support of the ongoing BIG Read literacy project. Friends of Catawba County Libr...ary is a support resource and community liaison for the library [...]

As of Dec. 14, North Carolina libraries are able to offer patrons 318 new eBooks through NC LIVE, thanks to a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act grant from the State Library of North Carolina.       The new eBooks, with subjects focusing primarily on cla...ssic literature, history, biography, language learning, health, and medicine, are [...]

Catawba County’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2009 shows the County continued to deliver services in a sound fiscal manner in spite of a severe economic recession, which led to $1 million in cuts by the County governme...nt in March 2009. These cuts did not extend to the schools systems or Catawba Valley Community College since they experienced significant cuts from the State during the year.

Catawba County will operate the Oxford and Sherrills Ford Convenience Centers during special hours on December 21 (Sherrills Ford Convenience Center) and December 22, 2009 (both centers), after the convenience centers were closed over the weekend of December 19 due to t...he winter storm. Both centers are normally closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Julia Alvarez’s novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is the BIG Read selection for 2010 in Catawba County. The BIG Read is a countywide literacy effort sponsored by Catawba County Library System, Catawba Valley Community College, Lenoir-Rhyne University ...and Hickory Public Library System. The mission of The Big Read is to promote the power [...]

If day-to-day expenses are crimping your style, help is as near as the library. Catawba County Library System is hosting a series of drop-in consultations with Jim Escuder, economic support outreach coordinator at the Catawba County Department of Social Services. Escude...r will be on hand from 2-4 p.m. weekly at three locations to discuss options with [...]

If you think children get excited about a visit from Santa, adult readers aren’t far behind when it comes to new titles by a favorite author. Prime examples are non-fiction books by celebrities. Consider the hundreds of thousands of Sarah Palin fans made her memoi...r, Going Rogue, a best-seller weeks before it was published and Bill [...]

Catawba County Library System will offer a variety of learning opportunities to adults in January. The free 90-minute sessions are taught by trained library staff and pre-registration is required.  Classes include: Intro to Excel-Learn this basic spreadsheet program to ...create interactive charts for bookkeeping and other purposes. Scheduled 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Newton and [...]

Catawba County Library locations plan a variety of displays during the month of January. Displays are intended for informational and education as well as entertainment. Offerings will include: Newton-Winter, soup’s on, author Lewis Carroll             Genealogy: S...alute to Elvis Maiden- Elaine Lail’s collection of angels Sherrills Ford-Best-sellers this winter. St. Stephens-St. Stephens Fire Department Southwest-Hollywood Barbies Claremont-Home decorating The library system operates seven locations [...]

Baker's Mountain, Riverbend and St. Stephens Parks will close at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 18, 2009 due to the winter storm.

Description: Catawba County, NC …”A great place to live and work”, is seeking a strategic and visionary Human Resources (HR) Director who is looking to work in a progressive environment that fosters innovation. The center of the Greater Hickory Metro area, Catawba Cou...nty, with a population of 158,000 citizens and a highly professional workforce of 1,100 full-time employees, offers a full-service HR department with a staff of 11 people performing traditional and non-traditional functions in the areas of recruitment, benefits, employee relations, organizational development, risk management and wellness. The successful candidate is: •a strategic business thinker with significant breadth in the HR competency areas of recruitment and selection, benefits, particularly self-insured plans, risk management including wellness initiatives, employee development, diversity initiatives and performance management. •innovative and proactive in seeking and retaining talent through programs such as mentoring, leadership development and succession planning. •an excellent and effective communicator who uses facilitative and collaborative approaches in leading cohesive change. •a talented and skillful leader committed to benchmarking and developing the human resources function over time in order to make it a model “best practice” department. •a highly accomplished HR professional who thrives in a culture of high expectations and personal accountability •a responsive professional who continuously improves customer service in a service-driven organization with a long-held tradition as an employer of choice. •a champion for employees regardless of department, tenure or position. Qualifications: A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or related field and five years’ progressive experience in human resources, including time as a director or assistant director. Local government experience, HR certification (PHR, SPHR, IPMA-CP) or eligibility and desire to sit for certification is preferred along with a Master’s degree, particularly in Public Administration. Salary range is $71,500 and up with compensation negotiable based upon experience and qualifications. This position is considered light work, lifting up to 20 pounds. To apply, go to http://www.empliant.com/survey/F8491A580-144F-2090-6C2A/ to complete a qualifying survey and submit your resume for consideration. Visit our HR page at http://www.catawbacountync.gov/depts/pers/default.asp for more information.Salary Range: $71,512.00 to NegotiableCloses: Open Until Filled

Cold December nights are great times to curl up with a good book or watch a Christmas movie. Catawba County Library System has many holiday-themed items available, but be advised that the library system will observe a special holiday schedule this month. Facilities will... be closed Dec.23-25 and resume regular business hours on Saturday, Dec. 26. [...]

Catawba County Library System will continue its adult education opportunities in January with free computer instruction and GED classes. Adults may pre-register by contacting the library where the classes are scheduled. Jim Escuder of the Catawba County Department of So...cial Services will be on hand to advise local residents experiencing financial difficulties. Free personal consultations will [...]

David Weldon, who has served as Catawba County's Emergency Services Director for almost seven years and has worked in emergency services in Catawba County for eighteen years, will be leaving the county in early 2010 to begin new duties as area coordinator for the North ...Carolina Division of Emergency Management in eight eastern North Carolina counties.

Those who have not yet paid should remember that North Carolina law requires that interest be added at the rate of 2% for January, and three-fourths of 1% for each following month, on all property tax bills still unpaid after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Payments... sent by mail must be postmarked no later than January 5, 2010 to avoid the added interest.

If you’re looking for inexpensive entertainment while the kids are out of school, look no further than Catawba County Library System. For the price of a bag of popcorn and soft drinks, you’ve got the makings of an enjoyable time for the whole family. The mov...ie is free. The Hallmark production of A Christmas Visitor may [...]

If you receive a poinsettia, an amaryllis bulb, Norfolk pine or florist’s cyclamen for the holidays and don’t have a green thumb, your local library can help. Not only does Catawba County Library System has several books on indoor plant care, but a search of... NC Live can offer quick reference to reliable on-line resources that [...]

Description: Catawba County Social Services, dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Catawba County citizens, is recruiting for a Protective Services Social Worker to respond to and evaluate reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of disabled adults. Dut...ies include completion of screening reports and evaluations, crisis intervention, substantiating allegations, and mobilizing services. Assuring clients rights to self determination/capacity to consent are key components of this position. Intensive social work services offered from this position include comprehensive psychosocial assessment, link to services, assessment of family dynamics, and counseling on long term care decisions to maintain health and safety. This position also requires that the worker provide on-call after hours on a rotating basis. Services provided include legal guardianship, payee services, at risk services, and court ordered evaluations. REQUIRES: Master's degree from an accredited school of social work and one year of directly related experience; or a Bachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work and two years of directly related experience; or a four year degree in a human services field or related curriculum including 15 semester hours in courses related to social work or counseling and three years of directly related experience; or graduation from a four year college or university and four years of directly related experience; or an equivalent combination or education and experience. Must have a valid Driver’s license. CSW is preferred. This is considered light work; lifting up to 20 pounds.Salary Range: $41,803.00 to $64,864.00Closes: Closes On 2010-01-01

I had a chance the other day to visit with my grandson’s class at Banoak Elementary School.  His teacher, Ms. Rhoney had given the first grade class an assignment:  Bring someone to class that you would like to know what they do at their job.  We had already completed the written assignment with the ten [...]