Name: Rocky Mount leaders spent $70K on retreat at Grove Park Inn
Uploaded: 2021-09-14T19:12:32-0400
Duration: 161822
Description: The records received by WRAL News show the mayor, city council, city manager and several other city leaders spent $70,444.99 over three days and two nights at the Omni Grove Park Inn, a luxury resort in Asheville.

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The records received by WRAL News show the mayor, city council, city manager and several other city leaders spent $70,444.99 over three days and two nights at the Omni Grove Park Inn, a luxury resort in Asheville.

SOMEONE OUT OF STATE, AND POLICE DOGS SWEPT THE AREA JUST TO BE SAFE, THERE WAS ADDITIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SECURITY ON CAMPUS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. >>> MORE THAN $70,000 THAT IS HOW MUCH ROCKY MOUNTAIN TAXPAYERS PAID FOR CITY LEADERS TO SPEND TONIGHT AND 3 DAYS IN ASHEVILLE IN APRIL. DOCUMENTS WRAL OBTAINED DETAILED THE COST OF THE CITY'S ANNUAL RETREAT, TAKING HOW MUCH SIMILAR CITIES SPENT ON THE RETREATS, AND HOW ROCKY MOUNTAIN LEADERS ARE JUSTIFYING THE COST. >> Reporter: FINANCIAL RECORDS SHOW THAT ROCKY MOUNT SPEND THEN MORE THAN $70,000 ON THE RETREAT FOR $2000 AT THE PARK IN, A LUXURY RESORT IN ASHEVILLE WHEN THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER OR OTHER CITY LEADERS SPENT TWO NIGHTS AND 3 DAYS THERE, THAT WAS 22,000+ SPENT ON HOTEL ROOMS FOR TONIGHT AND WITHIN $1200 SPENT ON MEALS. >> IS A HUGE INCREASE IN PRICE. DIRECT RECORDS SHOW THE CITY'S PAST TWO RETREATS IN 2018 AND 2019 COST JUST OVER $30,000 COMBINED. >> THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO HOLD THE MEETING IN FEBRUARY IF, WITH P.J. WALKER, ANDRE KNIGHT, AND RICHARD JOYNER SAYING THEY WANTED AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ASHEVILLE'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS AND PRESENTED DURING THE MEETING THE MAYOR SANDY RUBS AS OPPOSED TRAVELING FOR THE RETREATS THAT IT SHOULD'VE BEEN HELD AT THE ROCKY MOUNT EVENT CENTER INSTEAD. COATS MEMBERS LEAD, AND TELLS WRAL IT SHOULD BE LOST ON ANYONE THEY DISCUSSED AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON STAYING AT ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE RESORT IN THE COUNTRY, STATE AND CITY MANAGER  ROCHELLE SAID SHE SUPPORTS HOLDING THE RETREAT IN NASHVILLE BECAUSE SHE TAKES HER DIRECTIONS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL AND SUPPORTS THEIR DECISIONS, AND THE OMNI GROUP WAS SELECTED BECAUSE NO OTHER VENUE IN ASHEVILLE WOULD ALLOW THEM TO BROADCAST THE MEETINGS LIFE FOR THE COMMUNITY WHILE ALSO PROVIDING ENOUGH SPACE FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING. LOOKED AT HOW THE RETREAT COMPARED TO THOSE OF SEVERAL COMMUNITIES. HELD AT THE TOWN'S CHAMBERS, WITH ESTIMATED COST OF $50 FOR WATER AND SNACKS, AND NO MEALS OR LODGING PROVIDED FOR THE CITY OF WILSON SET A STOCKHOLDING OUT OF TOWN RETREAT OVER A DECADE AGO. HOLDING A HALF-DAY RETREAT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS IN 2016. WE ASKED THE COUNCILMEMBERS TO HOLD THE RETREAT AT THE GROVE PARK INN WHY THEY VOTED FOR THE ARMY INSTEAD OF AT THE EVENT CENTER, THE ONLY RESPONSE CAME FROM REPRESENTATIVE P.J. WALKER STANDS BY THE DECISION. >> AGAIN, AS THEY TOLD US BACK IN MARCH, THE ROCKY MOUNT CITY MANAGER TOLD WRAL THAT THE $70,000 RETREAT, WOULD COST BETWEEN 16 AND $18,000.

Keenan Willard

Jodi Leese Glusco

Rocky Mount leaders spent $70K on retreat at Grove Park Inn

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<p>I'm meteorologist, Kat Campbell in the wr a severe weather center. No more thirties in the forecast and we don't have a frost threat tonight so you can leave your plants be, temperatures are falling into the upper forties to lower fifties overnight. We've got a different wind direction and some more clouds that will fill in by daybreak tomorrow at the bus stop, it'll be in the low to mid fifties for most of the kids out there. So a mild start, but you may want to send your kids to school with an umbrella because by the time they head home, some of us are going to be dealing with a chance for rain during the afternoon. It's all due to this cold front. Approaching from the northwest. There's not a lot of moisture for the front to work with, but just enough and enough lift to squeeze out some rain. I think that rain chances would start in our northwestern counties around 11 a.m. through lunchtime. And then that chance is really closer to, to three o'clock here in the triangle. But that might be when the kids are heading home as we get toward 456. It would be south and east of the triangle with the best chance for rain. Rocky Mount, Southern Pines. I'm thinking you'll be in that 3 to 5 p.m. time frame for rain. It's not going to be a very heavy rain. There is a small chance of a thunderstorm embedded, but most of us will just see some pretty light rain. In fact, models are showing less than 5/100 of an inch of rain. So very tiny rainfall amounts from this event. We do have the Durham Bulls in town this week. And luckily the forecast looks good for all of their home games. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We've just got wonderful baseball weather. Temperatures will be near 70 for the first pitches and the rain should be over in Durham, the triangle by the time we get to dinner time for tomorrow evening, which means it's likely to be a dry game for us. Your seven day forecast show, some big changes are on the way though. We've got 74 for the high Wednesday with chance for rain Thursday just 72. So a small dip in our high temperatures more noticeable at night though we fall into the upper forties Thursday night to Friday morning, we're going with 47 as the low Friday morning around the triangle. And then once we get to the weekend temperatures begin to rebound. However, that will come with an increasing cloud cover mostly cloudy Saturday and Sunday. But back in the eighties by Sunday and even warmer next week, highs could climb near 90 a week from today.</p>

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Good afternoon. I'm Grace Hall and welcome to this afternoon's drawings for Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024. Let's get started with the Carolina pick three. The first pick three number is the first number is one followed by 30 and then your fire ball is four. Joining me for this afternoon's drawing is our auditor from mcconnell and Jones L LP. Now let's move on to the Carolina pick for the first pick four. Number is still waiting for those numbers to draw. As I said this afternoon's drawing, our auditor is mcconnell Jones L LP. Now we've got your first number is eight then zero, then nine followed by eight and your fireball is four. Thank you for watching.

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Rocky Mount leaders spent $70K on retreat at Grove Park Inn

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