Moore County Democrats are cranking up their precinct meeting schedule in preparation for the party's county convention in April.

Party Chairman Jim Heim said the precinct meetings will give Democrats "an opportunity to voice their opinions and weigh in on policies." Precinct members will also be electing delegates to the county convention.

The Cameron Precinct will hold the first such meeting at 7 p.m. next Wednesday at 213 Red Hill Road, Cameron.

The East and West Aberdeen precincts will meet jointly from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 6, at the the commissioners' chambers in the Aberdeen Municipal building. Coffee and light breakfast foods will be available.

Voters in all four Pinehurst precincts (A, B1, B2 and C) will hold a combined meeting from 5:30 until 7 p.m. Friday, March 12, at Pinehurst Village Hall. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

Heim said other precinct meetings will be announced as scheduling is completed.

VEST- Moore County Tax Administrator Wayne Vest has completed all requirements for the residential evaluation specialist professional designation offered through the International Association of Assessing Officers. Among the requirements for certification are successful completion of several courses and workshops, an eight-hour case study exam and a four-hour master exam.

Vest is a magna cum laude graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. He is a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers and the N.C. Association of Assessing Officers. He has worked for Moore County for 12 years, the past three as tax administrator.

VAD - The Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) Advisory Board will host a communitywide meeting on Thursday, March 11, to introduce its program to interested Moore County farming families.

The 6:30 p.m. event will be held at the Agriculture Building, 707 Pinehurst Ave., in Carthage.

The VAD advisory board will meet Wednesday, March 3, at 3 p.m. for its regular monthly board meeting. The meeting will be held in the Soil and Water Conservation District conference room in the Agriculture Center.

The program is set up to designate areas devoted to farming purposes and is designed to protect farming and ecological interests.

Both meetings are open to the public.

PENSIONS - Congressman Howard Coble appeared on CNN Tuesday night to discuss his refusal to participate in the congressional pension plan.

The interview was taped in his Capitol Hill office earlier in the day. The 6th District Republican's stance on the subject is well-known.

The CNN segment was part of the "Broken Government" series.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at (910) 693-2479 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.