BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Summer is flying by and that means parents will need to buy school uniforms for their kids by August.

Middle school in Bladen County starts on August 27 and students will now be required to wear uniforms as a part of the new dress code policy adopted by the Board of Education.

Each middle school has chosen its own standard uniform and colors that represent the school, according to the county’s school website. It also states that school uniforms lead to a decrease in discipline and behavior problems in students. Uniforms reduce distractions and create a “higher level of safety.”

All clothing must be free of labels, graphics or insignias of any kind, except for the school logo.

Acceptable shoes are tennis shoes, loafer, slip-on, lace-up or Velcro style. Flip-flops, bedroom shoes, slippers, shower shoes, or spike heels are prohibited.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Over $8 million was awarded to over 600 fire departments across the state recently through the 2012 Volunteer Fire Department Fund.

The Fund was created in 1988 to provide dollar-for-dollar matching grants to assist volunteer fire departments, according to a news release from Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshall Wayne Goodwin. A total of $8,717,495.18 was awarded to 644 departments and some of that money is going to Bladen County. Here’s the list of local grants:

• Ammon V.F.D., Inc., $3,850
• Bay Tree Lakes Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., $11,111.44
• Bladenboro Fire Department, $19,050
• Clarkton Fire Department, $30,000
• Dublin Fire Department, $10,622.50
• Elizabethtown Fire Department, $3,500
• Kelly V.F.D., Inc., $7,105
• White Lake Fire Department, $13,465

 “I’m proud that so many fire departments are taking advantage of this important grant program. These grants help our volunteer fire departments stretch their budgets to better serve our communities,” stated Goodwin in a news release.

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