Tripp Welborne for Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame, Next Week WIll Be The Announcement,Will He Be Denied for Third Time?

Last year for the second year in a row the selection committee for the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame have denied one of the greatest athletes to ever lace up their shoes in the triad area be nominated in 2 time football All American Tripp Welborne.

It was with great honor that Keith Brown a Grimsley Alumni Class of 1987 had nominated Sullivan Anthony Welborne III otherwise known as Tripp Welborne Page Alumni Class of 1987 to the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame.

It is time that people really know about one of the greatest all around athletes in Guilford County get the recognition he deserves. This will be a short bio of his high school days but will show you just how impressive he was as an athlete.

During his 3 years at Page High School the football team in 85 and 86 won the state football championship, and Tripp Welborne had a combined record in 3 years of football at 41-1-1 . He was selected to be a east west all star athlete in both football and basketball his senior year in 1987. He chose to play in the basketball all star game because it would be his last hurrah at playing the sport on a competitive level.He also was nominated to play in the North-South All Star football game between North Carolina and South Carolina which was a huge honor back in the 80's.

picture shows Tripp on the right #3

Now on to the big leagues of Tripp Welborne's football career. His college choice was the Michigan Wolverines where during his time in college he was awarded 2-time All American in 1989 and 1990. Sports Illustrated had a cover called "Greatest Wolverines of All Time" CLICKHERE , and guess who was one of the defensive backs picked as one of the greatest in wolverine's storied football history none other than Tripp Welborne.

Even going back to his high school days Tripp Welborne was a great punt returner as well. How do I know that it is because I was the one on the other side of ball punting to Tripp Welborne going back to our days at junior high school at Aycock and Kiser then on to our days of playing against each other at one of the best high school rivalries in the state of North Carolina in Grimsley Whirlies and Page Pirates.

Here is a quick bio of college days at Michigan from the Bentley Historical Library on Michigan Athletics CLICKHERE, and here is the bio:

Hard-hitting defensive back who also handled punt returns for the Wolverines. The Greensboro, NC., native was a two-time consensus All-American selection. Welborne recorded 238 tackles in his three years in the defensive secondary and returned 67 punts for 773 yards. During his senior year (1990), Welborne set a single-season record for punt return yardage with 455. Welborne moved from wide receiver to defensive back after his freshman year and intercepted nine passes during his career. Played on three Big Ten championship teams. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings.

Now that the nomination is turned in to the Greensboro Sports Commission we will see what happens next but this nomination should get a resounding 100% yes vote because I will go on record as saying that Tripp Welborne was probably one of the greatest all around athletes to ever play sports in Guilford County History.

Now we are on to year 3 in the nomination process and we can see that the 2010 nomination class has been done and here is a post over at greensborosports.com CLICKHERE to see who was headed to the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame. You can see that they left off Tripp Welborne for the second year in a row. Will he be denied this year in 2011?


UPDATE
Here is a complete bio of Tripp Welborne's High School Career at Page High School from the years of 1985 to 1987 with football being a fall sport in his senior year of 1986

-NC vs SC All-Star football (1986 Shrine Bowl)

-NC Football State Champs '84 & '85

-1st team All-State '85 & '86 ('86...selected in 2 positions WR & DB - only one other player in state history had accomplished this... "Choo Choo Justice")

-1986 NC Player of the Year (Football)

-1986 Guilford County Player of the Year (Football)

-1986 Parade All American (ranked #1 WR in nation)

-1986 Shrine Bowl (NC vs SC All-Star football)

-1987 East -West All-Star Football game (selected but did not participate)

-1987 1st team All-State (Basketball)

-1987 Guilford County Player of the Year (Basketball)

-1987 McDonalds All American basketball nominee

-1987 East-West Basketball All-Star game

We will see what happens next week at the Greensboro Grasshoppers game where they will announce the Class of 2011  and hopefully we will see Tripp Welborne in this class .

XMG Vs. Guilford County Computer Talk from Anonymous Email

e mailed to Triadwatch on this whole XMG Vs. Guilford County issue from someone who wants to remain anonymous.


Custom CMSes can cost anywhere from several hundred, to tens of thousands of dollars easily. It depends on the data and the customization. In the corporate website world, those developments can also cost in the tens of thousands. I know several websites for corporations that were done anywhere for 30k-100k+. Complete design work, and you'd gawk at it. That's just the way things work.



Also, mockups are standard in the industry. You always do a mockup before going through with actual design work. That goes for application development, game development, everything. It's part of good design.


I will say though, that if you want to call into question issues, there are actually several that the more information seem to get disclosed, the more you wonder what's going on (from a business angle).


I am curious why the county isn't chasing this legally. They did pay, and depending on what the PO said, they're not subject to timelines unless written inside the PO itself. So any "extra" paperwork doesn't really do anything when it comes to the actual "business contract" part of it.


From a business perspective, I find a lot of issues with vendor fault here and the more disclosed information, it seems that the more the vendor was at fault. Which in that fashion, I do wonder whether or not there has been weight thrown around politically to stiffen a legal suit. Depending on how the PO was worded, the county is entitled to their money back I would assume.


Give you an example of a basic PO. I as a buyer tell you that I want 5 apples at 10 cents a piece, and you sell them for 50 cents. You sign off on my PO. Thus, you're obligated to give me 5 apples at 10 cents a piece. If you give me 4 apples at 10 cents a piece, then you still broke the contract and I can either not take any of it or sue for not upholding contract.

Neighborhood Fights Annexation While City Threatens To Cut Off Water ,Developers Not Telling Homeowners, Does This Sound Familiar?

HAT TIP WCNC in Charlotte CLICKHERE

It looks like other cities in South Carolina are having problems with the developers signing agreements to be annexed without the knowledge of the homeowners. Check out the embedded video above and also look and see who the local reporter is because she was a part of News 2 in Greensboro if i am not mistaken.

This issue of forced annexation was also a local issue in Greensboro back in the beginning of the year with some neighborhoods out near Mcleansville  were being forced to annex into Greensboro but with a court order CLICKHERE these neighborhoods are still out in the County of Guilford.

Bloggers Having To Pay for a Business License in One CIty , Guess Which One? Laughable

HAT TIP : Drudge Report CLICKHERE

This story posted on Drudgereport about a city who wants to charge bloggers a business license for $300 is just beyond absurd but give them a A for trying to hose their citizens. Here is a link to the story and take a guess before you  CLICKHERE

It isn't enough they want to do this to their citizens but after watching this reality show on A and E  from the city in question called Parking Wars it is par for the course from this city. Here is a embedded video on Parking Wars, enjoy.

Bartering With The Greensboro Coliseum Part #1 WFMY News 2

News 2 Barter Agreement With Greensboro Coliseum


The Greensboro Coliseum has barter agreements with some local companies and with the last Greensboro City Council meeting on 7-20-2010 they were funding a new facility called the VIP Room. It was pointed out on  another post at  TRIADWATCH CLICKHERE  about questions for Coliseum Director Matt Brown in regards to bartering services and construction jobs at the coliseum . This post and other post in the coming days will show you what we received in a open records request under North Carolina state law inquiry into the barter agreements at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The first local company is WFMY News 2 which had one of the simple barter agreements as you can see above in a scribd version of the agreement. It looks like they pay for 2 Carlyle Club tickets for $5,000 cash then they trade for the other 2 tickets for a total aggreement of $10,000 with a 3 year deal that ended on 7-31-10. The letter from News 2  business manager Laura Smith states "The trade being provided by WFMY in exchange for 2 Carlyle Club memberships is for advertising with WFMY".

If you would like to see what the Carlyle Club looks like CLICKHERE , here is a brief description of what the Carlyle Club offers but it might just be called 'The Club" without Carlyle for the future.

The Club



We invite individuals and corporations to become members of Greensboro's exclusive sports and entertainment club and experience all the Coliseum has to offer from reserved premium Club level seats.

Your membership to The Club includes these exclusive privileges:



• A luxuriously upholstered arena seat in the carpeted prime mid-court or end-court upper level Club sections


• Professional wait staff service at your premium Club seat


• Complimentary tickets* to major Coliseum events


• VIP parking and private Club entrance


• Full access to Club facilities, including bar/lounge/dining area and private restrooms.


• Buffet service for Club Members only

Look for more post in the coming days on other local companies who barter and have advertising agreements with the Greensboro Coliseum.

Should Charlotte Bobcats be Renamed after Local ABA Team Called Carolina Cougars

Charlotte Observer's Scott Fowler has a new article with a title "Michael Jordan Should Change Charlotte Bobcats Nickname", CLICKHERE

Ever since i heard the new name of the franchise Bobcats it never resonated with plenty of people. I would like to nominate the name of a  local triad basketball team from the American Basketball Association in the Carolina Cougars where you can see some of the logos back in the day above.If you would like to get a brief history of the Carolina Cougars who played in the Greensboro Coliseum here is the link to that online web site  CLICKHERE

It looks like some people would like the new name of the Charlotte franchise of the NBA "The Flight" but Triadwatch would like to nominate the CAROLINA COUGARS as the new name of the franchise in Charlotte. We know that both the hockey and football team are both named for the carolina region and it might be time to do the same with this team.

Mere Compliance VS. Ethics Reform in North Carolina Letter from Foundation for Ethics in Public Service

With permission from Hayley at the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service. Below is a letter from Executive Director Les Merritt.

MERE COMPLIANCE VS. ETHICS REFORM

While the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service CLICKHERE provides a service to the public nationwide, we are based in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is no secret that in the recent past North Carolina has had its fair share of public officials with ethics problems, and some continue to be under the scrutiny of prosecutors, law enforcement, and federal grand juries. When the North Carolina State Government Ethics Act was signed into law in 2006, many hoped that unethical conduct on the part of public officials in the state would at best decrease and at worst be exposed and investigated. Unfortunately, neither has been realized.

The high profile cases of former Speaker of the House Jim Black, former Legislator Mike Decker, former NC Lottery Commissioner Kevin Geddings, former US Congressman Frank Balance, former Commissioner of Agriculture Meg Scott Phipps, and others led to the establishment of a more formal ethics entity for the state of North Carolina. There was hope that establishing a structured and proactive Ethics Commission would thwart unethical behavior on the part of public officials in our state. This sentiment if not expectation was framed by the Commission’s Executive Director when he wrote, “On August 4th, 2006, Governor Easley signed the ‘State Government Ethics Act’ into law. It is the most comprehensive and sweeping ethics law in the history of the State and was the result of a tremendous bipartisan effort in both the House and Senate”. The same publication quotes then Governor Easley to the effect “North Carolina citizens have the right to know that the power they entrust to public officials is not abused for private gain or personal interest.” (attributed to Governor Michael F. Easley, 8/4/06, upon signing HB1843 [State Government Ethics Act], NC Board of Ethics Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 8).

However, in nearly three years of existence, the Commission has done little to tackle real ethics issues in our state. Not a single resolution of note has come as a result of any Ethics Commission investigation, even though several dozen complaints have been submitted or referred. For example, the media has reported that former Governor Mike Easley allegedly failed to disclose a seemingly inappropriate relationship on his Statement of Economic Interest, but this went undetected, or perhaps unchallenged, by the Ethics Commission. Meanwhile, a Board of Elections investigation continues into alleged campaign finance violations by former Governor Mike Easley, as well as a federal grand jury investigation of how his wife, Mary, obtained her position (and subsequent 80% raise) at North Carolina State University. These are only a few of the many aspects of possible violations of honest services law apparently before a federal grand jury. None of these issues appears to have been surfaced or investigated by the Ethics Commission. Earlier in the year, Ethics Commission staff said publicly on several occasions that a testament to the ethics and high moral quality of the public servants and legislators of North Carolina is the fact that there have been no substantiated cases resulting from allegations submitted to the Ethics Commission to date.

One has to wonder what exactly is the point of having an Ethics Commission if it is not going to take its role as an investigative or enforcement entity seriously. Do we really need to have ten salaried employees to file financial paperwork and offer advisory opinions? Also, the eight Commissioners who are expected to serve the public as an effective regulatory and watchdog entity have been silent in the face of the State’s continuing ethics crisis. The Commission has entirely too much discretion to ignore or dismiss complaints that come through its office. There is little to prevent management at the Commission from failing to aggressively investigate complaints against those who show political favor or exercise financial and administrative control over the Commission’s operations and budget. Since the General Assembly controls the purse strings of the Ethics Commission, how can the Commission effectively police the same agency that makes its existence possible? By the admission of its own Executive Director, the Ethics Commission is actually more of a compliance or conflict of interest entity than an “ethics” agency. The Ethics Commission must act with accountability and independence, and certainly needs oversight by the citizens who pay them. Since it is difficult to legislate “doing the right thing” as state government is currently structured (e.g. with an Ethics Commission whose members are appointed by political leaders and whose funding is controlled by those on whom it may receive an allegation of wrongdoing), the media becomes not only more relevant, but essential to counter public corruption. It also is essential that non-governmental, independent organizations such as the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service assist the media with investigating and exposing cases of corruption. We are a non-partisan, non-profit organization that does not rely upon the potential or actual subjects of complaints for financial support. Since we do not accept any government money, we are able to freely, fairly, and forthrightly examine all complaints that are received by our office without the fear of being retaliated against by those with political influence, before passing credible allegations on to our colleagues in the media. It is clear that such independent oversight must be as non-partisan, objective, careful, and absent of any zealotry, as all local, state, and federal oversight agencies are expected to be. But one difference is clear: conflict of interest and political influence are much less likely – hopefully absent – when the investigative, referral, and reporting process are in the hands of a non-governmental, non-partisan entity like the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service. Our donors, complainants, witnesses, and the greater public expect, and will receive, nothing less than unconditional objectivity.

Les Merritt

Foundation for Ethics in Public Service

Executive Director

Who is Ulturnagen? What Do They Want With The White Street Land Fill?

This past Greensboro City Council meeting on tuesday 10-20-2009 there was talk about the White Street Land Fill. John Hammer from the Rhino Times has a brief explanation of this whole ordeal if and when the powers to be at the Rhino Times CLICKHERE will update their website then proceed to the article titled"City Council Ponders Step In Right Direction". During the speakers from the floor Carl Lebby from Ulturnagen came to speak to the Greensboro City Council.

If you would like to see the pdf presentation that Ulturnagen gave to the Greensboro City Council on July 24, 2009 please click on the title above called "Who is Ulturnagen? What Do They Want To Do With The White Street Land Fill?

Rock 92.3 + Ultimate Album Side + Wednesday 2:00 pm = Keith Brown's Favorite Band

Classic Rock 92.3 has a daily contest where loyal P1 and other listeners have a chance to submit their ultimate album that they would like to hear on Rock 92.

It so happens that Weather Dave Aiken has picked my ultimate album which will be played this Wednesday at the 2:00 pm. hour of the day. Hope you like to hear the sounds of my favorite band GENESIS CLICKHERE for the official Genesis site.

I hope you enjoy listening to my ultimate album side and also got a free t-shirt and a Papa John's Party Pack.Thanks DBC

If you would like to send in your ultimate album side just click on the title above or CLICKHERE

Enjoy the sounds of Genesis.