Archive - 2010 - News Article
August 30th
Catawba County Schools Board of Education hired a retired superintendent to serve as its interim until a permanent superintendent is employed.
The Board of Education approved to hire Glenn Barger at a vote of 5-1 Monday in a special meeting. Board member Sherry Butler opposed Barger's hire. Member Carolyn Connor was not present at the meeting.
August 27th
Two area law enforcement agencies were awarded more than $57,000 in grant funds to purchase updated equipment for crime prevention and control.
Hickory Police Department and the Catawba County Sheriffâs Office received the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant (JAG) from the United States Department of Justiceâs Office of Justice program.
The JAG grant, given to HPD and the sheriffâs office Aug. 18, is awarded annually based on a cityâs population in comparison with its crime statistics.
Mike Propst, of Claremont, chows down Friday on a plate of 50 chicken wings at Untouchables in Conover during a wing-eating contest with his friend Brian Hardy, of Claremont. The men wanted to see how many wings they could eat in 30 minutes after watching an episode of the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” television show. “Man v. Food” host Adam Richman ate 50 wings in 30 minutes, and Propst and Hardy wanted to see how their abilities compared with Richman’s. Propst finished 36 wings in 28 minutes, and Hardy finished 27 wings in 30 minutes.
Catawba County Schools Board of Education is close to naming an interim superintendent.
On Friday, the board met at Crowe and Davis, a firm in Conover where CCS attorney Crystal Davis works. The closed-session meeting was to discuss interim superintendent candidates.
The board recessed its meeting in the afternoon Friday to reconvene Monday at 4 p.m. at Crowe and Davis, 121 First Ave. South in Conover.
"Several board members had conflicts and had to leave (Friday's meeting)," said CCS Board Chairwoman Joyce Spencer.
The University Christian High School Barracudas had their first pep rally Thursday to prepare for an upcoming girlâs volleyball game.
And while the Lady Barracudas played Thursday night, UCHS officials met with parents to discuss plans for the schoolâs new facility.
âThis is for kids who are really, really motivated and fairly mature,â said UCHS Principal Jerry Willard. âThis is fulfilling the mission of education in Catawba County.â
Palliative CareCenter and Hospice of Catawba Valley was recognized Friday as one of 97 models for workplace safety in North Carolina.
The center was presented the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) certificate by North Carolina Transportation Commissioner Cherie K. Berry.
âThank you, thank you for everything you do,â Berry told Hospice employees at a reception Friday.
Berry experienced Hospice services first hand when her mother was care for in the hospice center in Caldwell County.
August 26th
The Main Library in Newton is expected to open its children and teen sections next week following repairs for extensive water damage.
Heavy rain on Aug. 18 and 19 caused water to leak inside the library, which damaged several paperback books, as well as the libraryâs carpet and molding around the ceiling.
âWeâre hoping (to reopen) sometime early next week,â said Lynne Reed, Main Library branch manager.
The carpet surrounding the area needs replacement from water damage.
âAmazingly, very few books were damaged,â Reed said. âWater just came in and poured down on the area.â
A Hickory teenager is recovering Thursday after falling from a moving vehicle earlier this week.
James Patrick Walton, 16, sustained head injuries during the fall and is in fair condition at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.
Walton was sitting on the trunk of a stationary 1995 Eagle Talon at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the residential area in the 700 block of 37th Avenue NE in Hickory.
Another teenager, Damion Alexander Sietz, 16, of Hickory, was also sitting on the vehicleâs trunk beside Walton.
It sounds like the latest script from a science fiction movie â men in bright green, full-body jumpsuits search an abandoned warehouse for a dangerous substance leaking into the atmosphere.
But for the Catawba County Emergency Servicesâ HAZMAT team, itâs just another day on the job.
The 35-person crew, comprised of volunteers from area emergency management teams, conducted a training session Thursday to prepare for an evaluation of their services in November.
Joyce Murphy and her husband Mike finished the 2009 Soldiers Reunion Bike Ride in last place.
âWe were last â dead last,â Mike said.
One year and thousands of miles of bike riding later, Joyce completed a 60-mile bike ride across Catawba County to celebrate her 60th birthday.
âI just thought it was something I could feasibly do,â Joyce said. âIâm really just doing it for myself. I thought, âWhy not?ââ
Joyce and Mike, who live in Newton, started riding bikes together two weeks before the 2009 reunion ride, and after their first ride, they were hooked.
