Archive - News Article
September 6th, 2010
Michael Fox doesn’t claim to be the inventor of the dulcijo, but he certainly plays the hybrid instrument like it’s all his own.
Fox, 54, of Hickory, started experimenting several years ago on the design of an instrument with the neck of a dulcimer and the drum of a banjo, and after infusing the right parts in each instrument into one music-maker, the dulcijo was born.
“It finally, after about five or 10 years, came together,” Fox said. “I just came up with this name, and I thought it was unique.”
The Catawba County Animal Shelter is expected to reopen today after a 13-day cleaning process to rid the facility of a deadly illness.
Catawba County Emergency Services Director Bryan Blanton will present an update about the shelter’s reopening Tuesday during the Catawba County Board of Commissioners regular meeting.
Catawba County Animal Services Manager Jay Blatche said Monday the sanitation process, which includes cleaning the building with bleach, antimicrobial agents and a pressure washer, is on schedule, and the facility is expected to reopen today.
The 2010 hurricane season is under way, and a storm’s path of travel could affect the severity of its destruction in Catawba County.
“We actually worry more about (storms) that come from the Gulf Coast,” said Karyn Yaussy, Catawba County Emergency Management coordinator.
Hurricane Hugo, the 1989 storm that devastated parts of western North Carolina and caused more than $7 billion in damage, traveled near the Gulf Coast and across the Appalachian Mountains.
The water line break in Newton was a challenge for the city’s Public Works employees.
“That was the worst leak I’ve seen,” said Tim Abernethy, Newton Water Plant supervisor. “I’ve seen some come close, but not that bad.”
Crews worked more than 24 hours to repair the pipe that broke around 3 a.m. Aug. 24, and the incident, which cost the city millions of gallons of water, was a learning experience for everyone involved.
September 3rd
Maiden’s new police chief said two words described his feelings after being sworn into his position: excited and nervous.
“It’s excitement for the opportunity that I’ve been provided by the council and the mayor to be part of a team effort to make the police department better,” said Chief Tracy Ledford, who started his career in law enforcement at Maiden Police Department in 1994. “I’m also excited to continue forming strong relationships with the community.”
But Ledford was nervous, too, about his new job.
Newton Animal Control Officer Dustin Grant isn’t your average dog catcher.
Yes, he manages the city’s stray cats, dogs and the occasional wild hog, but if you’ve got a complaint about a neighbor’s pesky unkempt grass, he manages that, too.
“We handle a lot of dogs running loose, especially in summertime,” Grant said. “But there’s more to it than that.”
September 2nd
Newton-Conover City Schools Superintendent Dr. Barry Redmond estimated South Newton Elementary could cut their car-rider loading time in half one week after the first day of school.
He was right.
On the first day of school last week, it took 28 minutes for South Newton’s 200 car riders to get picked up from school using the school’s newly implemented traffic pattern. On Thursday, it took exactly 14 minutes.
The Hickory American Legion Fair continues through Monday.
Tickets are free for children 6 and younger; $5 for children ages 7-17; and adults ages 18 and older are $7 each. Friday is Senior Citizens Day and senior citizens can enter the fair for free from noon to 5 p.m.
The schedule for remaining of the fair includes:
Police are looking for two suspects who allegedly stole hundreds of dollars in electronics Wednesday from a Conover residence.
The suspects allegedly stole a laptop, a 36-inch flat-screen TV, a 42-inch flat-screen TV, a surround sound stereo system and eight pairs of boots from a residence in the 500 block of Eastway Lane in Conover, said Sgt. Bart Lowdermilk of the Conover Police Department.
Claremont has a new city manager.
City Council decided unanimously at a special meeting Wednesday night to offer the city manager position to Doug L. Barrick, of Cornelius.
Mayor David Morrow contacted Barrick after the meeting to offer him the job, and Barrick officially accepted the offer Thursday.
“We’re very excited to have (Barrick) come to Claremont,” Morrow said. “There’s a lot of things that he’s done where he’s from that he will bring to Claremont.”
