Archive - Mar 2012 - News Article
March 29th
There is no “pink slime” in the hamburgers served by Catawba County’s schools.
But what is pink slime, and why should people be worried about it?
Details in The Observer News Enterprise print and online editions.
March 28th
When Duane Cozzen heard his daughter had been hit by a car earlier this month, the roles in his life were instantaneously reversed.
When he found out the driver kept going, he couldn’t believe it.
Cozzen, a sergeant with the Claremont Police Department, had worked hit-and-run accidents before, but this was his 12-year-old daughter, Cassie, who was the victim.
The following churches and cities reported they will host Easter egg hunts, some as early as this weekend.
Saturday
Trinity Reformed United Church of Christ, 10 a.m.
City of Claremont, Claremont Park, 11 a.m.
Bethlehem United Methodist Church, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Old St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 2 p.m.
Sunday
City of Newton, Southside Park, 2 p.m.
Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, 4-5:30 p.m.
Catawba County school officials say students aren’t eating “pink slime” in their cafeterias.
Administrators and child nutrition directors say their school systems' ground beef does not contain any ammonia-treated beef, which has been scrutinized and called “Pink Slime” by a host of national media outlets and former food scientists in recent weeks.
Students in Julie Young's second-grade class at Tuttle Elementary School recently established a pen-pal relationship with a class at St. Dominic Savio School in Weyburn, a city of about 10,000 people in the southern region of Canada's Saskatchewan province.
"As a teacher, I like to try to help my students be global," Young said, "and see the world outside Maiden."
Senior projects are soaring to innovative new in Discovery High School at Newton-Conover.
One year-long student effort resulted in an a new Android app. Another published a book online. Another senior’s online blog has attracted attention from Russia and Germany.
March 27th
The following arrests and incidents were reported by the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.
Arrests
*Jerome Mikal Gray, 17, of Hickory, was arrested on a charge of unauthorized use of conveyance. He was held in the Newton Detention Center on a $1,000 secured bond.
Catawba County Schools is asking the state to end its budget reversion process that stripped the school system of more than $5 million last year.
This week, the Catawba County Schools (CCS) Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution that asked state lawmakers to “eliminate” the discretionary reversion process that has taken away hundreds of millions of dollars from school systems across the state in recent years.
For more of this story, pick up Wednesday's edition of The O-N-E.
Local education leaders are considering expanding senior graduation projects to more schools countywide.
Superintendents say they would like to see more seniors completing portfolio and resume-boosting projects prior to graduation — something county school systems have required in the past.
For more details on this story, pick up Wednesday's edition of The O-N-E.
The coming academic year won't have any more school days than last year, even though start and end dates will change in Catawba County.
State public school officials recently overrode a 185-day school calendar requirement previously approved by North Carolina lawmakers. Local school boards throughout the state complained the extra days would create extra costs to operate buses and buildings without extra funding, and many of the state's districts applied for waivers to use the five additional days for staff development.
