Local digest
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on April 9, 2004 2:01 PM
Americal files for bankruptcy
HENDERSON -- Americal Corp., once a large employer in Goldsboro, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to sells its Peds brand socks to an auction bidder, the Triangle Business Journal reported Thursday.
The company has been steadily laying off 365 workers at its headquarters and manufacturing plant in Henderson since last year. The layoffs will leave the company with about 70 people in sales, office work and distribution.
"Obviously, (the bankruptcy) is not something we wanted to do, but what we needed to do," Americal Vice President Sherri Isgar-Schweickert told the newspaper. "It'll just make it a cleaner sale."
The company expects to emerge from bankruptcy shortly after the sale of the Peds brand. From the early 1970s until October 2002, Americal operated a plant on Patetown Road in Goldsboro to manufacture women's hosiery. It employed as many as 400 people, but those numbers had dropped to around 100 at the time of its closing. Competition from foreign markets, plus the trend toward business casual dress, hurt sales.
Faison group recommends demolition
FAISON -- The Faison Recreation Committee has recommended that the town build a new gymnasium to replace the historic old building that many wanted to save.
Engineer Pat Willett with Hobbs Upchurch & Associates waited almost six months to hear from the town about whether it wants to tear down the Faison Gym at the community park and replace it, or to renovate it. The old gym is structurally sound, she said. Renovations would cost a little more than building a new one.
"Either way, it's going to cost a half million," said Mayor Bill Igoe. He said the town's recreation committee is pursuing several state grants.
Ingram to present 'chalk talk'
MOUNT OLIVE -- Robert Ingram, a student at Mount Olive College, will present a "chalk talk" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Hennessee Room. A centuries-old concept, "chalk talk" is a religious service where a picture is drawn using soft chalk on paper or cloth and is accompanied by a sermon, special music, narration and lighting effects. According to Ingram, seeing illustrations based on Scripture brings a fuller understanding of God's word to congregations.
Argentines visit Rotary
MOUNT OLIVE -- The Mount Rotary Club was the host to a delegation from Argentina on Thursday night at the Southern Belle Restaurant.
The club will place a photograph of the visitors in a time capsule near the Icarus Monument to Flight at Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks. The time capsule will be opened in 2105.
"Every club in the district is putting together materials to put in it," said Patti O'Donoghue, a member of the Mount Olive Rotary who is gathering the materials for the time capsule.
The Rotary club is having an archivist preserve the items in a metal capsule, with the oxygen removed and replaced with nitrogen. Next year, the Rotary district governed by Darron Flowers of Fremont is planning to participate in the group study exchange by sending about five people to Argentina.