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LINCOLN
TIMES-NEWS
P.O. Box 40
119 W. Water Street
Lincolnton, NC 28092
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RECENT
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Recent News - January 2003
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Dot Johnson retires
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End of an era
January 1, 2003 - The Lincoln County office of the Cooperative Extension Service will begin a new era in 2003. An era without a familiar face that has greeted
folks for 60 years..
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Dot Johnson emptied her desk and packed her car Tuesday. The Cooperative Extension Service employee has retired after 60 years of service.
(LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Victim airlifted after truck flips
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Injuries also reported in earlier wrecks
January 1, 2003 - One person was airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center after his truck flipped and landed upside down in a front yard
Tuesday..
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The North Carolina Highway Patrol has not released the names of the two males who were involved in an accident Tuesday on Brady Hoffman
Road. To the right, paramedics and firefighters prepare to transport one of the people, while others look over the scene. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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ELCM serves record number
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“After all, these are our neighbors.”
— Gail Satterthwaite
January 1, 2003 - DENVER — On a cold day in late December, Gail Satterthwaite and Leila Hager sat at a table in the back room of the East Lincoln Christian
Ministry..
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Above, Don Putnam gets a great big bear hug from an appreciative Tina Smallwood. East Lincoln Christian Ministry volunteers Frances Howard
(below) and Judy Farris organize angel tree gift bags before distribution. (Photos by Jenny Walling)
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New law offers anonymity
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Domestic violence
January 1, 2003 - A new law that takes effect today could help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The law aims to keep attackers away from their victims by making the victims virtually undetectable.
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Killer still sought in barbershop shooting
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January 1, 2003 - Police are still looking for a man who is charged with first degree murder following a
shooting Saturday at a local barbershop.
Detectives at the Lincolnton Police Department are asking anyone who is aware of Alvin Dwight Fair’s whereabouts to contact them.
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First baby of 2003 arrives
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Elizebeth Sierra
January 3, 2003 - Lincoln County’s Baby New Year arrived a day late, but her parents were simply happy to have her..
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Elizebeth Sierra Huggins, Lincoln County's first newborn of 2003, takes a nap in the arms of her mother, Donna Jones. Elizebeth was born
Thursday at 7:27 a.m. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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United Way nears goal of $400,000
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January 3, 2003 - Jeff Hedrick stood on a ladder in front of First Charter Bank during a
drizzle Thursday.
Hedrick, the district manager at Piedmont Natural Gas, seemed to go through a lot of effort to put one and a half red stickers on a sign.
Considering what those stickers represent, however, it was a minor inconvenience.
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Jeff Hedrick adjusts the sign in front of First Charter Bank reflecting United Way's progress in its 2002-03 fundraiser. (LTN photo
by Jenny Walling)
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Dispute may have led to truck’s crash
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January 3, 2003 - A 16-year-old airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center Tuesday following a wreck was
discharged later that night, according to a CMC official.
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Vocal contest offers rewards
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January 3, 2003 - Aspiring vocalists can win cash rewards in the first Heafner/Williams Vocal Competition.
Robert and Carolyn Heafner Williams hope to inspire singers.
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Trucks collide
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January 3, 2003 - A wreck in front of The Chuckwagon Grill backed up traffic on Highway 27 around 8 a.m. Friday. A witness told a state
trooper that Phillip Charles Moore, 20, was traveling east in the rainy conditions when he lost control of his Toyota pickup truck (shown above) and collided with a white Chevrolet dual wheel truck
headed in the opposite direction. Moore and the other driver were transported to Lincoln Medical Center for treatment of their injuries. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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City faces busy year despite budget woes
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January 3, 2003 - A new year brings new challenges for the City of Lincolnton.
The biggest challenge the city faces is continuing to provide services and complete projects despite significant budget cutbacks by the state, said City
Manager Jeff Emory.
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‘Kinder’ approach offered smokers
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Freshstart
January 3, 2003 - One of the most popular resolutions Americans make each New Year is to quit smoking.
Of the millions who try to break the habit, only a small percentage actually follows through. Few people know how to go about quitting or getting the support
they need, leading to the low success rate.
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Back to School
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January 6, 2003 - Children around the county filed off buses and out of family cars this morning, ready to start their first school day of
2003. At G.E. Massey Elementary School, Principal Sandy Johnson welcomed students as they arrived. (LTN photo by Diane Turbyfill)
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Board to hear request for subdivision
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January 6, 2003 - Residents will have the chance to voice their opinions on several rezoning applications
tonight at the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting.
The meeting starts at 6:30 in the Commissioners Room of the Citizens Center.
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Participants sought for Family Fair
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January 6, 2003 - Participants for the second Family Fair are being sought to help raise community
awareness and money for child abuse prevention.
Vendors, entertainers, dancers, singers, musicians, storytellers, puppeteers, sponsors and volunteers are needed to help make the event possible.
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Fiddler to perform Jan. 14
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January 6, 2003 - The Lincoln County Concert Association will welcome a young fiddler to the
Citizens Center stage Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
April Verch is a performer who features a wide variety of musical styles. She is an award-winning fiddler with a virtuosity, masterful technique,
and a sense of fun.
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Man arrested in barbershop slaying
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January 6, 2003 - A Lincolnton man charged with murder in connection with a barbershop shooting was
arrested Friday night in Huntersville.
Alvin Dwight Fair, 2357 Lake St., Lincolnton, was arrested at a Huntersville apartment after police received a tip that he had been staying there for a few
days, Detective Rick Lynn said.
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Relay for life plans for ‘war on cancer’
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Board to name new school tonight
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January 8, 2003 - Lincoln County’s new elementary school is about to get a bit more
personality.
At its meeting tonight, the Board of Education is scheduled to select a name and set attendance lines for the school being built on St. James
Church Road outside of Denver.
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Andrew Simonds, site manager for M.B. Kahn Construction Management, shows off the progress on Lincoln County's new elementary school. A
name and attendance lines will be set for the school at tonight's school board meeting. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Denver lifter brings home silver
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Silver medalist Jennifer Thompson, left, is congratulated at the 2002 World Bench Press Championships in Luxembourg.
(Photo courtesy of Jennifer Thompson)
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2002 World Bench Press Championships
Editor’s Note: Jennifer Thompson, a World Champion in the Bench Press and a Powerlifter, is a
seventh-grade teacher at East Lincoln Middle School and a Denver resident. She recently returned from Luxembourg, where she competed in the 2002 World Bench Press Championships.
——————————
January 8, 2003 - Luxembourg was a beautiful city. It was decorated for Christmas and had a lot of old world charm.
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County gets clean audit report
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January 8, 2003 - Lincoln County commissioners were presented with a clean audit report during Monday’s
meeting.
Representatives from the accounting firm Cherry Bekaert & Holland performed this year’s audit.
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Maiden considers retirement center
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January 8, 2003 - MAIDEN — Council members agreed Monday to draft a letter of support to examine the
possibility of constructing an early retirement center in Maiden.
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Murder suspect held without bond
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January 8, 2003 - A Lincolnton man accused of murder in a fatal shooting at a barbershop made his first
appearance in Lincoln County District Court on Monday.
Alvin Dwight Fair, 2357 Lake St., was being held in the Lincoln County Jail without bond after appearing before Judge K. Dean Black.
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New members seek rule changes
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January 8, 2003 - With just three board meetings under their belts, commissioners Carrol Mitchem and
James “Buddy” Funderburk already have some changes in mind.
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New subdivision opposed
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Planning Board narrowly approves 31-home tract
January 8, 2003 - Neighbors of a proposed 31-home subdivision told county commissioners and planning board members Monday night that they are
against it.
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Fiery Ford
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January 8, 2003 - Firefighters from South Fork Volunteer Fire Department work to put out a truck fire Tuesday afternoon on Laboratory
Road. When they arrived, brush around the vehicle had also caught on fire. Allen Rhyne (pictured in background) said he was driving his 1986 Ford Ranger to a garage for repair work when he saw smoke
coming out of the engine. He and his son got out of the truck, and his wife, who was following them in another car, called 911. No one was hurt. (LTN photo by Diane Turbyfill)
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Barefooters ski into the new year
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January 8, 2003 - LAKE NORMAN — Some people like spending New Year’s Day at home, quietly
reflecting on the past year and planning for the next.
Others spend the day recovering from a night of celebration.
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January 8, 2003 - Terry Corriher (top) flashes an exhausted smile after his run during the Lake Norman Barefoot Challenge. Carl Rubidge, a
member of the Carolina Show Ski Team, twists and turns his way across Lake Norman. (Photos by Jenny Walling)
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‘Go anywhere chick’ takes community service on the road
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Lincoln’s jobless rate surges
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County’s November figure well above state average
January 10, 2003 - Lincoln County’s unemployment rate rose dramatically in November.
Jumping to 7.9 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from October, the county-wide rate reached its highest mark since July 2002.
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New DSS building almost complete
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City gets tougher on false alarms
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Permit approved for East Main retail center
January 10, 2003 - The Lincolnton City Council Thursday night approved a resolution that police and fire officials hope will curb the number of
false alarms in the city.
Police Chief Terry Burgin told council members that 20 percent of the calls city police receive are alarm calls.
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Relay for Life
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January 10, 2003 - Mandy Sanford reads from her Relay for Life information packet during Tuesday's kick-off meeting at First Methodist
Church in Lincolnton. She is on the Health Occupations Students of America Team, one of approximately 60 teams expected to participate May 2-3 during the cancer fundraiser at Lincolnton High
School. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Pickens wants part-timers to keep retirement supplements
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January 10, 2003 - Sheriff Barbara Pickens wants to keep sheriff’s office employees around as long as she can.
That’s why when she found out employees who retire and then come back to work part time wouldn’t be able to receive their retirement supplement, she took
action.
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Bond set at $100,000 in barbershop shooting
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January 10, 2003 - Less than a week after his arrest in connection with a fatal barbershop shooting,
Alvin Dwight Fair was in a Lincoln County courtroom for the second time.
Fair, 22, 2357 Lake St., appeared Thursday in Superior Court with his attorney, David Black, for a bond hearing.
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Lessons learned from ice storm
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Damages near $1 million
January 10, 2003 - December’s devastating ice storm left more than broken branches and snapped power lines in Lincoln County.
It also left behind a lot of valuable lessons that Emergency Management officials urge residents to remember in the event of another storm.
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Gunfire from limo sends shock wave
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January 10, 2003 - A limousine driver from Denver just couldn’t wait to do a little hunting.
Michael Paul Rife, 2205 Beth Haven Church Road, was taking his children to school the morning of Dec. 20 in the limousine he drives for a business in Gaston
County.
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Board sets new attendance lines
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New school named St. James Elementary
January 10, 2003 - After two months of waiting, parents in east Lincoln County now know where their children will attend elementary school next year.
And they know the name of the newest school in the neighborhood — St. James Elementary.
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Helping Hands opens Tuesday
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Long-awaited clinic to provide healthcare to Lincoln’s indigent
January 13, 2003 - The Board of Directors of the Helping Hands Health Clinic couldn’t hide their anticipation or excitement last week.
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Judy Cassell (left), the first patient at the Helping Hands Health Clinic, was interviewed Thursday afternoon by volunteer Jane Lowe.
(LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Sheriff warns of con artists, scams
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January 13, 2003 - Recent cases of telemarketing and charity fraud have local law enforcement officials
on alert and urging caution to residents.
A Lincoln County woman was recently the target of a possible phone fraud, Sheriff Barbara Pickens said.
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United Way campaign a success
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$400,000 goal
January 13, 2003 - With more than a month and a half left before its annual fundraiser concludes, United Way of Lincoln County has already reached its stated goal.
The organization has raised $400,000 for several health and human service agencies in its 2002-03 campaign despite the struggling economy.
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Charlie & Chocolate on stage
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High schools show mixed bag on EOC tests
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Middle schools improve on computer tests
January 13, 2003 - Lincoln County’s schools have received a mixed bag on their mid-year report cards..
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Gina Guffie, Reba McCormick, Chris Angle and Josh Matney (from front to back) were some of the eighth-graders at WLMS who performed well
on the computer competency tests. Countywide, West made some of the highest gains on the test. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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County’s EMS gets new training officer
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January 15, 2003 - For John Watts, it was time for a change, and that change led him to
Lincoln County.
Watts, 43, has taken over the position of training officer for Lincoln County EMS.
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John Watts (left), new training officer for Lincoln County EMS, stands with Mike Keller, operations supervisor and public information
officer outside the EMS building in Lincolnton. Watts will be responsible for education, training and public relations. (LTN photo by Diane Turbyfill)
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High Shoals seeks Lincoln water link
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January 15, 2003 - HIGH SHOALS — High Shoals city leaders Tuesday approved a resolution authorizing
engineers to move forward on plans for a system that will pump water to the city from Lincoln County.
Officials are now going through steps to secure a Community Development Block Grant for the project, which will make sure High Shoals won’t pay anything for
the system.
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Apartment complex now safer, cleaner
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January 15, 2003 - Pat Hull remembers a time when she was afraid to walk from her car to her
Woodhill apartment with her purse in her hand.
“When I’d drive in, I’d hide my purse under the seat,” she said.
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Woodhill Apartment manager Steve Herman climbs the stairs of one of the units. Herman is working to change the public's perception of
Woodhill and make residents feel safe. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Chamber eyes push for school funding
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485-member group to serve as an advocate for local education
January 15, 2003 - The Lincolnton/Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce will take an activist role in support of education in a 2002-2003 work program adopted by the board
Monday.
Chamber leaders, now under the direction of new chair Billye Roland, are charting a course for the 485-member organization to serve as an advocate of better
school funding.
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Leading students could face drug tests
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January 15, 2003 - Student-athletes in Lincoln County are used to the possibility of being screened for
illegal drugs.
Their classmates in the band, Key Club and National Honor Society eventually might have to submit to the same tests.
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Health clinic opens to grateful clients
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Helping Hands
January 15, 2003 - Judy Cassell absolutely had to see a doctor.
Cassell, 54, has diabetes, a medical condition that prevents her body from properly converting sugar into energy.
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Nurse Jane Allred checks Judy Cassell's heart beat before her visit with a doctor at the Helping Hands Health Clinic. (LTN photo by
Jenny Walling)
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N.C. 16 Permit snags delay project
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January 15, 2003 - DENVER — Construction on the first phase of N.C. 16 is right on schedule.
However, the future of the second and third phases is still uncertain.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has yet to be granted the appropriate environmental permits to begin construction on phases two and three,
according to project manager Drew Joyner.
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Striper tourney nets cancer fighting cash
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January 15, 2003 - LAKE NORMAN — Phil Long and Mike Perry woke up early Saturday morning to
do some fishing.
Just before 5:30 they launched their boat at Cornelius Creek.
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Above, Johnny Walker watches as his 4.56-pound striped bass is pulled from a striper tube to be weighed. The tube pumps water
through the fish's gills, enabling it to be released alive. Below, a striped bass is released back into the lake, one of 29 live releases at this year's tournament, thanks to the invention of the striper
tube. (Photos by Jacob Rudolph)
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Device gives new meaning to ‘tubing on the lake’
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January 15, 2003 - Twenty-nine participants at Saturday’s striper tournament were saved by a tube.
The striper tube, an invention of National Striped Bass Association president Warren Turner, helped put nearly 30 fish back in the lake who would have
otherwise died.
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Outlook positive but challenges seen for 2003
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(Right) Bill Canipe adds some bacon to his plate during the annual Lincoln Times-News breakfast Thursday morning.
(Far right) Dr. Ifeanyi Okafor of the Scala Medical Clinic talks with Jimmy F. Martin. (LTN photos by Jenny Walling)
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Hundreds attend LTN breakfast
January 17, 2003 - Despite facing an uncertain fiscal future, many Lincoln County leaders still have a positive outlook on 2003.
Hundreds of community members attended the annual Lincoln Times-News breakfast Thursday morning at the Lincoln Country Club. While many were optimistic,
they saw problems ahead, particularly for strapped state and local governments.
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Students open wide for dental exams
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January 17, 2003 - Brittany Greer had never been in a dentist’s chair before this week.
Greer, 9, a third-grader at G.E. Massey Elementary, learned the correct way to brush her teeth and even had some “little plastic things” put on her
teeth to prevent cavities.
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Brittany Greer, a third-grader at G.E. Massey Elementary, gets a free checkup from Debbye Krueger, a public health dental hygienist.
(LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Class Reunion
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January 17, 2003 - Lincolnton High School Class of 1972 celebrated their 30 year reunion Saturday, Nov. 30, 2002 at Glen Oaks Country Club
in Maiden. Those attending participated in a silent auction, listened to music played by their classmates and sang karaoke.
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City land use plan is a roadmap for Lincolnton’s future
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January 17, 2003 - Picture a Lincolnton where the new chain burger joint has condos on its second floor —
not because the builder wanted to build them, but because he was required to.
Or a Lincolnton where the empty “big box” store — long vacated by a major retailer — is demolished — at the owner’s expense.
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R-Anell to reopen plant
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Cherryville plant will make Fast Lube, car wash buildings
January 17, 2003 - CHERRYVILLE — The R-Anell Housing Group’s manufacturing plant in Cherryville has gone unused for two years.
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Gary Bertelsen (above) points out the work that needs to be done before the former Gold Medal Homes plant of Cherryville (below) can
reopen. The plant, vacant for the past two years, will began pro-duction of commercial buildings in February. (LTN photos by Jenny Walling)
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‘Nice’ snowfall poses few problems locally
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January 17, 2003 - Lincoln County finally got its winter wonderland.
About three inches of snow fell in the western part of the county Thursday night, according to a representative from the National Weather Service.
The east end received only a slight dusting. Toward the Cat Square area, residents reported up to five inches of snow.
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Thursday's snowfall turned Lincolnton into a winter wonderland. Snow blanketed bushes and trees at the park at First Presbyterian Church
on Main Street. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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King’s work left lasting impression
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Civil Rights leader remembered as bold, articulate in troubled times
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”.... Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 20, 2003 - On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Martin Luther King
Jr. was assassinated.
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Robert Hamilton, president of the NAACP in Lincoln County, looks over some of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches and letters printed in the
front of his Bible. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Lincoln to receive food and shelter assistance grant
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Police computer system updated
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MLK Day features first parade
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January 22, 2003 - Justice. Righteousness. Peace.
That’s what Martin Luther King Jr. fought for, and that’s what 23 county churches and other organizations marched for Monday afternoon.
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Members of various churches in Lincoln County march down Water Street Monday as part of the first Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.
Twenty-three area churches participated in the parade. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Worker escapes burning truck
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January 22, 2003 - As his GMC bucket
truck went up in flames Monday, Victory Blalock could only watch and shake his head.
“It looked like the fourth of July out here,” said Orlando Brooks, who witnessed the fire.
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Firefighters work to put out a blaze that sent flames shooting out of this Asplundh bucket truck Monday on Chinock Trail.
Firefighters from South Fork Volunteer Fire Department responded, and the Lincolnton Fire Department assisted. The truck driver escaped unharmed. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Commission split on tax increase pledge
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January 22, 2003 - Two members on the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners have pledged that they won’t
raise taxes this year.
Commissioner Carrol Mitchem has signed a pledge from the watchdog group Citizens for Sound Economy, and Commissioner James “Buddy” Funderburk has indicated
that he will also sign.
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Nurse testifies in rape trial
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January 22, 2003 - A nurse testified Tuesday about the condition of a rape victim as trial began for
Kevin Dale Gray in Lincoln County Superior Court.
Gray, 31, of 7966 Bradford Lane in Denver, is accused of sexually assaulting a Boger City woman on July 28, 2001.
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Christian Ministry seeks volunteers for LINC meals
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January 22, 2003 - A couple of hours a month can bring hot food and warm feelings to homebound senior
citizens.
Mitzi Williams, coordinator of LINC meals at Christian Ministry of Lincoln County, says the more than 200 volunteers do just that.
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Lawmakers offer little hope for school budget problems
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January 22, 2003 - Lincoln County’s representatives to the General Assembly gave the Board of Education a
message it probably didn’t want to hear Tuesday morning.
At the board’s annual legislative breakfast, Rep. Joe Kiser, R-Vale, and Sen. Jim Forrester, R-Stanley, said the state will start the next fiscal year needing
$2 billion to meet a $14 billion budget.
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Lincolnton native elected to lead Shriners for 2003
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January 22, 2003 - William M. “Bill” Van Dresser III has been elected to lead the nearly
10,000-member Oasis Shrine for the year 2003.
“I am proud to serve Oasis, and I appreciate the show of support,” Van Dresser said of his unanimous election to the post.
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ELBA statement reflects expanded Lincoln vision
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January 22, 2003 - The East Lincoln Betterment Association’s new mission statement was unveiled to the
public last week.
Co-president Greg Coffey said ELBA’s board of directors took the evolving vision of the association into question, asking: “What do we want to be as an
organization?”
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Westport Golf Course for sale
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Residents hope to purchase site, save it from development
January 22, 2003 - DENVER — The heart and soul of Westport is for sale.
Westport Golf Course was recently put on the market for $3.1 million, and a group of residents wants to buy it before it is sold to developers.
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Bitter chill follows heavy snowfall
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Snow day marked by frosty frolic
January 24, 2003 - The snow stopped falling by 9 a.m., but the fun continued all day.
Children — and adults — put on their gloves and toboggans and enjoyed a day off Thursday.
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(Left) Ronnie Leonhardt shoveled a path to businesses on the west side of the courthouse Thursday
(Below) J.T. Bowden gets a free ride from his neighbor, Jared Leonard. (LTN photos by Jenny Walling)
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Vale man fatally injured in car, wrecker crash
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January 24, 2003 - A Vale man died Wednesday morning after a two-vehicle wreck on N.C. 27
West in western Lincoln County.
Neal Hubbard Caskey Jr., 46, 726 Bert Yarbro Road, was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to Lincoln Medical Center.
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Fire, EMS and Rescue responded to a fatal accident Wednesday morning at the intersection of N.C. 27 West and Hebron Church Road. Neal
Hubbard Caskey Jr. was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to Lincoln Medical Center. The driver of the second vehicle was not seriously injured. (LTN photo by Diane Turbyfill)
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Lincoln teachers certified
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January 24, 2003 - Lincoln County Schools announced that 14 of its teachers have been certified by the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
The board was started in 1987 to set high standards for what competent teachers should know and be able to do, to develop and operate a national system to
assess and certify teachers who meet those standards and to advance educational reforms that help improve schools.
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LMC audit received
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Revenue rises, debts decrease
January 24, 2003 - Lincoln Medical Center concluded the 2001-02 fiscal year in solid financial shape.
The firm of Larson Allen-Cherry Bekaert LLP delivered a draft of the hospital’s annual fiscal audit to the Joint Boards of Directors of LMC and Lincoln Health
System on Wednesday.
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Harlan Boyles dead at 73
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January 24, 2003 - Lincolnton native and former State Treasurer Harlan Boyles, a highly respected state
treasurer for nearly 25 years, has died at age 73.
Boyles, who was suffering from cancer, died Wednesday night at his Raleigh home with his wife, Frankie, at his side.
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Tires spin, traffic clogs on ice-layered roads
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January 24, 2003 - A surprisingly heavy snow storm blasted Lincoln County Wednesday night, dropping up to
11 inches on some parts of the county and chilling the area with temperatures that dropped into the teens.
While the National Weather Service predicted snow to fall on Lincoln, officials didn’t expect quite so much.
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Fun Fights
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January 27, 2003 - Ben Ford scopes out his next victim during a snowball fight with his friends. Children enjoyed playing outside during
the snow days. They returned to school today on a two hour delay. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Mother promotes Blue Star Banners
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Record lows boosts power use
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January 27, 2003 - Record low temperatures last week sparked a surge of power use by North Carolina
electric customers.
Temperatures in the Charlotte area dipped down to 9 degrees Thursday night, said an official from the National Weather Service.
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Snow holidays will cut spring break
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January 27, 2003 - Just like the snow that blanketed Lincoln County last week, spring break is slowly
melting away for students and teachers.
School officials announced Friday that the first and last days of spring vacation will be used to make-up the two instructional days missed due to last week’s
winter weather and dangerous road conditions. April 14 was going to be a mandatory annual leave day, while April 21 was designated as an optional annual leave day. Both are Mondays.
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Pie Day has quick celebration
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January 29, 2003 - The choices boggled the mind — mud, hypocrite, apple crisp, buttermilk, Japanese fruit, lemon.
No one could choose just one.
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Edith Martin serves May Reasoner during the observance of National Pie Day as Helen Turner, right, prepares her pie. (LTN photo by
Jenny Walling)
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Victim recounts brutal sexual assault
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Identifies defendant as attacker at her home
January 29, 2003 - The victim of an alleged sexual assault told a jury Tuesday that she feared for her life and could only think of her family during the
incident.
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Kevin Dale Gray leaves the Lincoln County Courthouse on Tuesday after another day of listening to testimony in his trial for an alleged
sexual assault in July 2001. The trial continues today. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Denver Drifts
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East fire departments keeping pace
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New personnel, manned stations, shorter response times could lower insurance premiums
January 29, 2003 - DENVER — East Lincoln fire departments are working full time to keep up with the rest of east Lincoln.
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East Lincoln Fire Department Capt. Lee Keever shows off one of the station's newest additions, the custom-made, 22-ton Engine 30.
(Photo by Jacob Rudolph)
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District names student essay winners
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Sixth-graders write about pollution
January 29, 2003 - The Lincoln Soil & Water conservation District selected Whitney Ellis, of West Lincoln Middle School, daughter of Tim and
Jackie Ellis, as first place winner in the sixth-grade competition. Whitney received a $100 prize for her essay: “There’s Trouble Under the Surface — Groundwater Pollution.” Her teacher is Tina Houser.
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New road at Industrial Park drives business
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January 29, 2003 - A recently received state grant has put the Lincoln County Industrial Park on the road
— literally — to attracting new industry.
Barry Matherly, executive director of Lincoln Economic Development Association, announced Tuesday that the county has received a $233,000 state grant to pay
for a new road through the park, located just off U.S. 321.
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Commissioners deny request for residential project
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January 29, 2003 -- Shortly after 7 p.m. Monday, a round of
ear-stinging applause broke out in the Commissioners Room.
A small group of residents who stood in firm opposition to a proposed rezoning that would have allowed 31 homes to be built on 10 acres of land on Petes Road
was pleased.
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Planning board change sparks debate
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January 29, 2003 - A proposed change to the way planning board members are appointed sparked a heated
debate among commissioners Monday night.
After discussing the issue, commissioners voted 3-2 against the changes. Commissioners Carrol Mitchem and James “Buddy” Funderburk voted in favor of the
amendment.
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Underwood seeks to put new band on track
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North boosters meet
January 29, 2003 - Neil Underwood has spent 20 years building the marching band at East Lincoln High School into one of the most prominent programs in the state.
Now he’s ready for something new.
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Commission to consider zoning requests Monday
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Paradise Lakes and The Village at Cowan’s Ford would add 500+ homes
January 29, 2003 -- DENVER — Two new major subdivisions could be on their way to east Lincoln.
Paradise Lakes, a 249-acre property, and The Village at Cowan’s Ford, a 151-acre property, are both slated to begin construction this year.
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Super spellers vie for title
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January 31, 2003 - Jessalyn Cullitan is letter perfect — and she has the trophy to prove it.
It didn’t come easily.
The Pumpkin Center Middle eighth-grader survived three rounds of tough competition against top spellers representing Lincoln County’s 14 elementary
and middle schools to take the 2003 Lincoln County Schools District Spelling Bee title Wednesday afternoon at the Charles R. Jonas Library.
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Lincoln County Schools' top speller Jessalyn Cullitan is all smiles as she is congratulated by her mother, Carla Cullitan, and her
grandmother, Sadie Campbell, following Wednesday's bee. (LTN photo by Jenny Walling)
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Cousins’ fight turns deadly
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