Getting the Waste Out

04/28/2006 

Because of environmental regulations, Altec Industries paint shop can’t operate until the plants waste water collection tank is pumped daily and hauled away. This process would by taken care of if sewer infrastructure from the Town of Burnsville to Altec was in place, but its not. In order to comply with environmental guidelines, Global Environmental Services, engineers representing Altec has contracted the Town of Spruce Pine to accept waste water to be dumped into Spruce Pine’s waste water treatment facility. Spruce Pine officials say their plant has the capacity and the state water quality division has approved the plan. The contract charge is $50 per load. The agreement will be in place until the sewer project from the Town of Burnsville to Altec Industries off Cane River Middle School Road is completed.

One-Stop is Convenient

04/27/2006 

If time and convenience are factors for you when it comes to voting in the May 2nd primary, maybe one-stop voting is for you. In Yancey County, one-stop will run through tomorrow from 8:30 am to 5 pm and this Saturday from 8:30 am to 1 pm. For information, call 682-3950. One-stop voting is held at the Board of Elections office in the Yancey County Courthouse.

In Mitchell County, one-stop will run through tomorrow from 10 am to 4:40 pm and this Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm. For information, call 688-3101. One-stop voting is held at the Board of Elections office in the Mitchell County Courthouse.

National Day of Prayer

04/27/2006 

National Day of Prayer is Thursday May 4th, the annual event is for Americans to take time and pray for the nation and its leaders. A Day of Prayer service will be held on the Burnsville Town Square beginning with sacred gospel music at 11:30 am and the prayer service at noon. In case of rain, the event will be held at West Burnsville Church.

Taylor Says No to Flight 93 Memorial

04/26/2006 

Congressman Charles Taylor has blocked funding for a proposed memorial to victims of Flight 93; it was Flight 93 that crashed September 11th in Pennsylvania. Taylor is chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that handles the Interior Department. It's believed passengers and crew members of Flight 93 overpowered hijackers to divert the plane from its intended target. The memorial would cover 1200 to 1700 acres. Taylor thinks the proposed project is too large and will cost too much. He thinks the state of Pennsylvania should pay part of the bill, or the monument will cost taxpayers millions. Taylor’s opponent Heath Shuler is challenging his ideas. He supports building the memorial and thinks Taylor's actions are an embarrassment to Western North Carolina.

Shortfalls Could Mean Cuts

04/26/2006 

Battling shortfalls in funding could mean cuts in the classroom for Mitchell County Schools. Jeff Harding, Chairman of the Mitchell County Board of Education explains. (click audio button above)

Making Use of Natural Resources

04/25/2006 

Officials with the Clean Water Trust Fund are encouraging Spruce Pine to apply for a planning grant to see if it’s feasible to create a greenway along the North Toe River, from the Ingles area to the Spruce Pine Waste Water Plant. Richard Canipe, Spruce Pine Town Manager explains ( click audio button above)

B & E Arrest in Yancey

04/24/2006   

Yancey Deputies have charged a Burnsville man, David Lester Phillips, age 31, of Dancing Wind Lane, with breaking & entering, larceny, possession of stolen property and injury to personal property—all felonies. According to a news release from the Yancey Sheriff’s Department, Phillips became a suspect after the investigation into a break-in at a residence on Prices Creek Road. On April 12th, Deputies Higgins and Grindstaff along with Lt. Tom Farmer conducted a search of Phillips’s residence and found property taken in the break in. A rifle and a weed eater were found, but electronic equipment and tools have yet to be recovered.

Asking For a Drop in the Bucket

04/21/2006 

Mitchell County’s Board of Education will ask County Commissioners for an increase in funding of around $400-$450 thousand to cover balancing their operating budget for the coming year. This past year, the system has been hit hard by fuel and electrical cost of about $175 thousand more than they expected to spend and they expect that number to increase to around $190 thousand for the coming year. For capitol outlay, they will be asking for about $150 to $200 thousand to use to replace windows at two schools. But as Board of Education Chairman Jeff Harding says this is a drop in bucket for what they actually need for capitol outlay right now. (click audio button above)

Felony Drug Arrest in Mitchell

04/20/2006 

The Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department has arrested and charged a Mitchell County couple with selling Methamphetamine. Leonard Antonio “Tony” McFalls, age 47, and his wife Irma Jo McFalls, age 47, of 26 Upper Grindstaff Trailer Park Rd, in Spruce Pine were arrested and charged with Conspiracy to Sell Methamphetamine. In addition to the selling charge, Irma McFalls has also been charged with maintaining a dwelling for controlled substance. Tony McFalls remains in jail under a $20,000 bond, Irma McFalls remains in jail under a $35,000 bond. According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Department, the McFalls where selling Methamphetamine during a time period from late 2005 to early 2006. These offenses occurred while they lived at a location in the Upper Grindstaff Mobile Home Park in the Estatoe Community of Mitchell County. The McFalls cooperated with investigators and admitted to their involvement with the sale and use of illicit drugs.

In an unrelated arrest, Timothy Clifford Brewer, age 21, 263 Estatoe Acres Mobile Home Park in the Estatoe Community of Mitchell County has been charged with selling Methamphetamine. Brewer admitted that he had conspired with neighbors to sell Methamphetamine to several different people. Brewer received a $20,000 bond for his charge.

Charged with Trafficking Marijuana

04/20/2006 

Yancey Deputies have charged a Missouri man and a part time Yancey County resident with trafficking in marijuana. According to Lt. Tom Farmer, of the Sheriff’s Department, Joshua J. King, age 29, was responsible for the manufacturing and delivering of 63 pounds of marijuana. Farmer said King engaged in the trafficking of marijuana from a residence in the Green Mountain Community to other locations in Western North Carolina and other bordering states. King’s arrest was the result of a recent indictment handed down by a Yancey County Grand Jury. He was released after posting a $5 thousand secured bond and is scheduled to appearing in Superior Court on May 23rd.

McDowell Teen Charged in Overdose Death

04/20/2006 

A McDowell County teenager has been charged in the death of his friend. Detectives say he gave the victim the drugs that killed him. Authorities say Blake Stacy's parents found him unconscious and not breathing in his bed last Friday morning. He later died at McDowell hospital. Preliminary autopsy reports show Blake Stacy died from a drug overdose. Now his 15 year-old classmate is charged with involuntary manslaughter. The sheriff's office says the classmate gave Stacy Oxycontin two days before his death. Authorities are not sure if Stacy took the drug at his school, West McDowell Junior High, or if this happened off campus. The suspect is also charged with possession of a controlled substance and sale and delivery.

Allegations of Ballot Tampering

04/19/2006 

The state Board of Elections is investigating allegations that someone mishandled absentee ballots in Mitchell County. The complaint was filed by a candidate for Sheriff. Sherrill Barber with WLOS TV has details. (click audio button above)

Settlement in Avery Suit

04/19/2006 

A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit against the Avery Board of Education that claimed school officials were negligent in the supervision of students who attended a basketball camp in Raleigh in 2003. A judge approved a $51 hundred settlement to cover medical expenses of a teenager who said he was sexually abused by members of the Avery High School Team as a part of an initiation ritual. The judge had ruled previously government immunity prevented the suit by the teen against the school system from moving forward. The lawsuit claimed older members of the Avery High School team held down the plaintiff’s son while another forced an object into the boy’s rectum. The students were attending a basketball camp run by NC State Basketball Coach Herb Sendek. The lawsuit claimed the teenager was one of 10 younger boys who were assaulted and the attack occurred at a private dormitory off the NC State campus. In 2003, two students pleaded guilty to criminal charges. One was sentenced to serve 60 days in jail and supervised probation, the other was sentenced to probation. The school board released a statement saying they were satisfied with the settlement and would have no further comment.

Lottery Scams

04/18/2006 

Yancey Sheriff Kermit Banks has issued a warning to all residents to watch out for lottery scams as fraud artists try to take advantage of the state’s education lottery. There has been an increase in reports from residents who have received lottery scam pitches. These frauds arrive in the form of letters, e-mails, and telemarketing calls. Many originate in other states or countries. Residents are told they have won a prize but first they must wire money to cover taxes, insurance or other fees. In some cases, the scammers include a very real-looking counterfeit check or money order that is supposed to cover these fees. Victims cash the check and wire the money, only to learn that the check is a fake. Some scam artists say they need “verification” and ask for sensitive financial information then use the information to commit identity fraud. People who pay the money or provide financial information to scammers never receive the promised prize. Some Yancey residents have lost thousands of dollars to scams. If you receive notification that you have won the Canadian National Lottery, the Las Vegas Actionable Awards Program or the Carolina Education Awards Program Lottery---do not respond. Instead, call your local law enforcement agency.

Future Savings

04/17/2006 

An inconvenience is expected to turn into savings. Spruce Pine Manage Richard Canipe says residents of English Woods have been greatly inconvenienced over the past three months because of the construction of a sewer line. This was a new line of approximately 12 hundred feet of 12 inch sewer line. Canipe says the first few days of the flow at the Town’s waste water plant decreased by about 40 thousand gallons per day. This indicates they were getting a tremendous amount of creek water into the system that they had to pay to treat unnecessarily and he says over a period of time this will make a significant difference in the amount of water the Town treats at their waste water facility, which will decrease the cost and operation of the plant.

USDA Loan

4/13/2006 

The Spruce Pine Fire Department gets a boost from USDA. Chief David Hughes says they have secured a USDA Federal loan for $2 million for the construction of the new fire department to be built on some 5 acres at Valley Road and Willis Street. The 32 thousand square feet building will house equipment and a community center. The primary use of the funds will go for grading, construction and the initial instillation to get the facility running and then USDA steps into to secure the loan and give the fire department long terms to pay back the loan. Hughes said it’s his understanding this will probably be the biggest USDA loan in North Carolina for 2006.

Mitchell County “One-Stop”

04/12/2006

“One-Stop” voting for the May 2nd primary begins tomorrow. Each county can set their own hours, in Mitchell County; the hours will be 10:00 AM-4:30 PM, Monday-Friday and one Saturday, April 29th, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The Mitchell Board of Elections office will be closed this Friday, April 14th in observance of “Good Friday.” Requests for mail-out absentee ballots will be accepted through April 25th, by mail or a family member can come in and request a ballot be mailed.

Yancey County “One-Stop”

04/12/2006

“One-Stop” voting for the May 2nd primary begins tomorrow. Each county can set their own hours, in Yancey County; the hours will be 8:30 AM-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday, and one Saturday, April 29th, from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM. The Yancey County Board of Elections office will be closed this Friday, April 14th in observance of “Good Friday.” Requests for mail-out absentee ballots will be accepted through April 25th, by mail or a family member can come in and request a ballot be mailed.

Dog Ordinance

04/12/2006

An ordinance is now in place that requires dogs to be on a leash in Spruce Pines Brad Ragan & Riverside Parks. According to Richard Canipe, Town Manager, the ordinance requires pets to be on a leash, no dogs are allowed in any of the playgrounds. Persons bringing their pets to the parks are required to remove from all the trails, parks and playgrounds any fecal matter discharged by these dogs. The first violation of this ordinance is a penalty of $50 which will be assessed against the owner or the dog or the person who has brought the dog into the parks.

Parkway Section Opens

04/11/2006

The Blue Ridge Parkway, from US 221 at Linville Falls to just north of Spruce Pine, has reopened. This eight mile section was closed when remnants of two hurricanes passed over the region in 2004, causing more than a score of rockslides. One of the storms dumped upwards of 20-inches of rain on the region. The Parkway section between NC 80 and Mt. Mitchell (mile 344-355), which is currently closed for scheduled tunnel maintenance, will reopen no later than April 29.

Dialysis Center Public Hearing

04/11/2006

Total Renal Care of North Carolina has applied to the Certificate of Need section of the North Carolina Division of Facility Services to establish the Mayland Dialysis Center, a nine-station dialysis facility. DaVita Inc is the parent company for Total Renal Care of North Carolina. A public hearing for this project has been scheduled for May 18th, at 1:00 pm, in the courtroom of the Yancey County Courthouse. At this time, this is the only meeting, in the tri-counties, that will be held on this project. Total Renal Care has identified four sites, two in Burnsville and two in Spruce Pine for the proposed $1 million Mayland Dialysis Center. Anyone may file written comments concerning this proposal. Comments must be received no later than May 1st. The mailing address is: Certificate of Need Section, Division of Facility Services, 2704 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-2704.

Sticking to a Budget

04/10/2006

The State has encouraged the Town of Burnsville to stay within their budget. According to Mayor McIntosh, the Town has received notification from the State Treasurer of some things that should be addresses in the upcoming budget process. It was noted they are concerned the audit for 2004-2005 was not received in Raleigh until January 27, 2006, which was seven months after the fiscal years end and the Town could not make any changes to correct some of the problems the feel the Town is having. The state is also concerned about the Town’s fund balance being low ($300 thousand or about 13%). The state average fund balance was over a million dollars for a comparable sized municipality. They cautioned the Town about not having money for unexpected emergences, expenditures and infrastructure needs. McIntosh said the state is also concerned about how the Town spent more money than was budgeted and cautioned the law is very strict on this subject, when a budget is passed it should be a budget. McIntosh said he was concerned about what the audit for 2005-2006 will look like, because he said it’s been an expensive year. He said he believes there will have to be a lot of belt tightening of Town finances.

 

Town Waits on Funds from County

04/07/2006

Burnsville’s Town Council has voted to not allow Mayor Danny McIntosh to sign construction documents for the start of the Altec Infrastructure project, until $99 thousand in matching funds is received from Yancey County. McIntosh said “we’re going to get it,” the County has promised the money, and after talks with them he’s not worried and he believes the town will get the money within the next couple of weeks. He said he didn’t think the construction will be delayed and that Altec Industries will have their water and sewer connections and he looks forward to their grand opening in August.

Inmate Dies

04/06/2006

An inmate that Avery County was holding for Maryland authorities has died. Waymare Billups, age 56, died in the emergency room at Cannon Hospital on March 31st. He was released to Avery County from the Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution on March 20th, to wait for Maryland officials to pick him up on Monday, April 3rd. According to a news release from the Avery Sheriff’s Department, Billups had medical problems and had visited the doctor three times while in Avery’s custody.

Reaction to Charges from Madison High Prank

04/06/2006

Eight Madison High School students broke into the school last weekend and let chickens and other animals loose. Surveillance cameras caught the act on tape and deputies charged the students with misdemeanor breaking and entering. Now some parents are saying end-of-the-year pranks are a tradition at Madison High and they can't recall any other formal charges in the past. But Madison County Sheriff John Ledford says this was more than a prank and the kids caused a lot of damage in the school. He also says he followed the law in charging them.

Yancey Arrests

04/05/2006

Yancey Deputies have charged Shawn O’Brian Riddle, age 32, of a Benfield Hill Road address, in Newland, with being a fugitive from Justice. According to a news release from the Yancey County Sheriff’s Department, on Saturday, March 25th at about 10:30 pm, State Trooper Carver stopped Riddle on Hwy. 80 South near Poplar Grove Store, and charged him with driving while impaired. Riddle's two children, ages 2 and 4 were passengers in the car, Trooper Carver called the Sheriff's Department. Lt. Tom Farmer said the kids were not in proper restraints and were not wearing diapers or suitable clothing for the temperatures and snow that was falling outside. Yancey social worker Peter Franklin took the children to DSS  where they were fed, diapered & fit with proper clothing. A background check revealed Riddle had several outstanding warrants from Tennessee for burglary and thefts.The children have been placed in a foster home while he is waiting to be returned to Tennessee. Meanwhile, the DA’s office is reviewing the actions of Riddle to determine if he should be charged with Child Abuse. In an unrelated case, Deputies have charged James Jason Robinson, age 24, of a Bakers Creek Road address, in Burnsville, with felonious larceny of a firearm and with filing a false police report. He had reportedly that the residence where he and his father live had been broken into. He said a gun and jewelry were taken. Lt. Tom Farmer, of the Yancey Sheriff’s Department said Robinson admitted, during an interview, he had taken the gun and had filed the false report to cover up his actions.

The Dangers of Spit Tobacco

04/04/2006

Gruen Von Behrens began using spit tobacco when he was 13 years old, at 17 he had cancer. Behrens spoke to students at Cain River & East Yancey Middle Schools and at Heritage High School on Monday. He told students, if you use, you could look like him, his face is disfigured and his speech is very hard to understand. He has had 23 surgeries and has been battling cancer for about 11 years. Spit tobacco is one of the most addictive substances there is, it more addictive than cocaine and heroin combined. He said every dip of spit tobacco someone puts in their lip has the same amount cancer causing agents as 3-5 cigarettes. He urged students to make smart choices throughout life. Behrens visit to Yancey Schools was sponsored by Yancey Teen Tobacco Use Prevention. To learn more about Gruen’s story go to http://www.nstep.org/

Woman Charged with Statutory Rape

04/03/2006

A Burnsville woman will make her first court appearance in Yancey District Court on April 11th, after being charged with statutory rape. Danay R. Burke, age 25, of a Sampson Branch Road address was taken into custody on March 23rd and charged with having sexual intercourse with a 14-year old male child. According to a news release from the Yancey County Sheriff’s Department, an investigation began after receiving a report of the alleged conduct between Burke and the minor child from Yancey County Department of Social Services. According to Lt. Tom Farmer, when the offense occurred, the child and Ms. Burke lived in the same community and were acquainted with each other. Farmer said cases in which adults are having sex with underage teens are on the increase. He said people who commit these types of crimes have no defense and the law is clear about that. Burke was jailed under a $50 thousand secured bond and the released after posting bail.