MEEKS TO RETURN TO CAROLINA FOR SENIOR SEASON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2016
CHAPEL HILL – University of North Carolina junior forward Kennedy Meeks will withdraw from the 2016 NBA Draft process and return to UNC for his senior season in 2016-17.
The Charlotte, N.C., native has averaged 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds and shot 55.4 percent from the floor in 104 games over his first three seasons.
“I’m thankful I had the chance to explore my draft options, but I’m excited about the opportunity to rejoin my teammates and work toward having another outstanding season at UNC,” says Meeks. “I appreciate the support my coaches and teammates gave me during this process as we gathered information about my professional opportunities at this time. The feedback on what I have to work on so that I can have a great senior year, help my team have a great season and be ready to take that next step is invaluable.”
Meeks has started 77 games, including 28 in 2015-16 when the Tar Heels won 33 games, the ACC regular season and Tournament championships and won the NCAA East Regional. He averaged 13.3 points in UNC’s NCAA Tournament wins over Indiana, Notre Dame and Syracuse, and needs only 19 points to become the 73rd 1,000-point scorer in Carolina history.
“Kennedy did the right thing in taking the time to see where he stood with the NBA Draft at this point in his career, an opportunity we encourage all of our players to take,” says Carolina head coach Roy Williams. “I think Kennedy’s made the right decision in returning to school to finish his degree and put himself in better position toward playing professional basketball, which is his dream. If he works hard this summer, he can have a big-time senior season and also help our team reach its goals.”
(Thanks to STEVE KIRSCHNER, University of North Carolina, Senior Associate A.D. for Communications for the press release)
Henderson Rec Players Auditions This Saturday
Reminder to past participants and all who are interested, the Henderson Rec Players will be holding auditions this weekend for the upcoming summer productions.
Auditions are this Saturday, May 7th at 2 P.M. at First Baptist Church. Please call 252-431-6091 with any questions or simply be at First Baptist at 2 P.M. this Saturday for the Henderson Rec Players auditions.
Recreation programs are many in Henderson and Vance County, and with summer coming, you will want to click here and check over the complete list of recreation programs offered by the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department.
Summer day camp activities may be of particular interest to youth 13 and under as well as their parents. And, youth employment opportunities are listed for those between 14 and 18 years old.
Arson second-leading cause of N.C. wildfires in past 10 years
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, MAY 2, 2016
Contact: Brian R. Haines, public information officer
N.C. Forest Service
919-857-4828
Arson second-leading cause of N.C. wildfires in past 10 years
May 1-7 is Arson Awareness Week
RALEIGH – Arson is the second-leading cause of wildfires in North Carolina over the past 10 years, the N.C. Forest Service says.
From 2005 through 2014, North Carolina had 45,609 wildfires, of which 8,461, or 19 percent, were intentionally started. Arson trails only careless debris burning among the causes of wildland fires in the state.
And with North Carolina ranking No. 1 nationally in the amount of land that falls within wildland urban interface zones, the risk to homes and other buildings is high. These zones are areas where buildings and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland, forest or vegetation.
“Because of the proximity of development to wildlands, the Forest Service estimates that as much as 41 percent of homes in the state are at risk from wildfires,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “When you combine that fact with the crime of arson, it highlights the need to set up fire-adapted communities to protect vulnerable areas.”
To learn more about becoming a fire-adapted community, or ways you can protect your home from a wildfire, visit the N.C. Firewise program at https://www.ncfirewise.org/index.htm or contact your local N.C. Forest Service county ranger. Contact information and other fire prevention tips are available at ncforestservice.gov.
The arson statistics are particularly pertinent now because it’s Arson Awareness Week. The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Fire Administration and its partners are using May 1-7 to focus attention on wildfire arson, particularly in the wildland urban interface.
The National Association of State Foresters says more than 72,000 U.S. communities are now at risk from wildfire within the wildland urban interface.
