Area News

The Bridge Community will host a Coat Drive and Give-Away soon, and hopes to collect new and slightly used coats for the event, stated Priscilla Jenkins, director. The agency is collecting new and slightly used coats. Drop off dates and locations are: • Saturday, October 23, 2021, 11am-2pm, 957 Mobile Café Parking Lot, 54 East…

The Alexander County Board of Education met on Tuesday, October 13, 2021, at the Central Office. Among topics presented was a new procedure to determine the use of face masks as a COVID-19 precaution for students and teachers. Katie Hanshew, Amy Robinson, Christa Roseberry, and Shari Wetherspoon made public comments regarding the board’s decision to…

The Alexander County Board of Commissioners heard reports about local broadband efforts from both Charter Communications and Open Broadband LLC at the October 11th, 2021, meeting, according to a county press release. Mike Tanck, Director of Government Affairs for Charter Communications (Spectrum), was first on the agenda to discuss broadband initiatives. He presented information about…

Alexander County has a cumulative total of 6,177 cases of COVID-19, with 194 cases in the last 14 days and 78 cases in the last 7 days, according to the health department information released October 5. There have been 119 deaths associated with the virus. Currently, there are 9 people in the hospital. The test…

The Stony Point Volunteer Fire Department received a Federal $101,904.76 Assistance to Firefighters Grant to help firefighter safety at Station 1 and Station 2 facilities, Chief Scotty Abernathy announced last week. A presentation to Chief Abernathy and fellow firefighters was made on Friday, October 1, by members of U.S. Senator Thom Tillis’ staff, Stephanie Blair…

DEA seizes 1.8 million fake pills and arrests 810 nationwide At a press conference October 1, 2021, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram announced a significant law enforcement surge to protect American communities from the flood of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced pills across the United States. Illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid…

Body discovered after unrelated crash occurred nearby; wallet containing ID card of missing local man found near body Response to a wreck that occurred on Tuesday morning, on the unpaved portion of County Home Road, led to the discovery of an unrelated dead body, according to Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman. A wallet found nearby…

Joel Michael Cliett, 45, of Taylorsville, N.C., was sentenced Sept. 29, 2021, to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, for mailing a threatening communication, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina in a press release. Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of…

Alexander County has a cumulative total of 6,053 cases of COVID-19, with 259 cases in the last 14 days and 83 cases in the last 7 days, according to a government press release. Sadly, there have now been 119 deaths associated with the virus. Currently, there are 11 people in the hospital. Approximately 38 percent…

On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 key metrics and trends. In an open letter to faith leaders, Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen expressed their gratitude for the faith community’s support throughout the…