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It is now official: Constructing a combination police and fire station in Valdese will cost no more than $10,830,000 with a contingency fund of $600,000.

D. R. Reynolds submitted a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the town’s public safety building project last week that fell on the lower end of the $10.8 to $11.2 million range Valdese officials estimated in May.

The GMP is also less than the $10.9 million Financial Feasibility Pricing estimate last month, with $700,000 set aside as contingency funds.

In an email to staff and council members last month, Town Manager Todd Herms said he and staff would look for ways to lower the cost.

Herms said in the email that he believed costs associated with access control, alert systems, VOIP, cameras, signage, and flagpoles could be substantially reduced.

While the cost of those items did not change, Herms and staff were able to lower the cost of the retaining wall, roofing, cabinetry, glass and glazing, and several other line items.

https://monkeylink.co/52e465

Valdese public safety building won't exceed $10.83M It is now official: Constructing a combination police and fire station in Valdese will cost no more than $10,830,000 with a contingency fund of $600,000.

The origin of a parasite that’s been causing a multi-state outbreak of intestinal issues is now known.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have traced the issue back to shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico used in Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Despite not being listed, North Carolina has had 307 cases of cyclosporiasis and 13 hospitalizations since May 1, as reported Tuesday by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Burke County Public Health tracks confirmed cases, but officials have not said whether any have been identified locally. UNC Health Blue Ridge officials said there have been no reports of hospitalizations associated with the illness.

Cases within Wake County account for the largest portion of those infected at 236 and 5 hospitalizations as of Thursday, according to the county’s website. Charlotte media outlets reported that in Mecklenburg County, there have been 19 cases reported this year, most of which have been linked to international travel.

https://monkeylink.co/60ec79

NC health officials urge caution as cyclosporiasis cases rise North Carolina health officials are urging residents to safely handle and wash fresh produce as cyclosporiasis cases continue to rise across the state, with 307 cases reported since May 1.

When Tim Barnsback slid into the booth at Little Guatemala in Morganton, he wasn’t dressed like a civics teacher who had just returned from Philadelphia after being selected as one of 31 educators nationwide for the “Principles of America at 250” weeklong institute at the National Constitution Center.

His “World Cup US ‘94” T-shirt, paired with shorts and flip-flops, reflected the summer season, but Barnsback only had his teaching to talk about, reflecting on time spent in the nation’s birthplace the week just before Independence Day.

The “Principles of America at 250” educational institute is a fellowship program that invites educators from across the nation to study how the concepts that formed the United States have grown and shifted since the signing of the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago.

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Taking America's first principles back to the classroom Local educator Tim Barnsback recented the "Principles of America at 250" educational institute, a fellowship program that invites educators from across the nation to study how the concepts that formed