Area News

  By ANGELA FARR KING At the June 28, 2022, Town Council meeting, the second public hearing was held to review the 2022-2023 proposed budget. The Council voted unanimously to adopt the new budget with an addendum to the motion stating that new water rates would begin on Tuesday, June 28, instead of July 1.…

Lack of staffing cited as reason for minimum custody unit closure, no outdoor time for inmates Alexander Correctional Institution, like many employers in the area, is experiencing a significant staff shortage which has effected changes in the unit’s operations and in the daily lives of inmates. The Division of Prisons “very much wants to provide…

A Taylorsville man who is a gang member was arrested, along with an Iredell County woman, in a narcotics case last week. Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell stated that on Friday, June 24, 2022, investigators with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division with the assistance of Road Patrol Deputies executed a narcotics search warrant…

  Sheriff Chris Bowman and investigators with the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office recovered a stolen vehicle June 22, 2022, that was underwater near the Dusty Ridge Access to Lake Hickory in the Wittenberg Community of Alexander County. The vehicle was reported stolen to Hickory Police Department in 2019. There were no occupants inside the vehicle.

Sheriff Chris Bowman, along with the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, is still seeking information leading to the whereabouts of Bethany Lee Brown. Ms. Brown was last seen on April 8, 2022. Anyone with information is asked to please contact Detective Lieutenant Dennis Foster at 828-632-1111 or Alexander County Crime Stoppers at 828-632-8555. A $500 reward…

Taylorsville had the rare privilege of being home to a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point recently. Alexander Central alumna Paige Cooper graduated West Point on May 21, 2022, and was immediately commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and headed to Ft. Benning, Georgia, for Infantry Training then Ranger…

Budget retains current 79¢ property tax rate The Alexander County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the 2022-2023 county budget at the June 20th meeting, according to a news release. The budget totals $53,653,167 and includes no local tax or fee increases, except for a 3 percent increase in water rates by the City of Hickory.…

MORE THAN $14,000 RAISED FOR HOSPICE — The Apple City Street Rodders held their most recent club meeting on Saturday, June 18, 2022, at Sulphur Springs Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. Special guests were Jamison Presnell, Executive Director of Alexander County Hospice, and Deidra Skinner, Hospice Marketing/PR/Office Administrator. ACSR President Roy Bentley presented a check to…

By MICAH HENRY Jamie Mecimore Smith is proud of her father. Enough so that she poured her feelings into a compelling, winning entry in The Times’ 2022 Father of the Year Essay Contest. Jamie, age 38, of Stony Point, is the daughter of David A. and Darlene Mecimore, of the Wittenburg Community. Jamie said her…

FREE CONCERT THIS FRIDAY — The Hiddenite Arts and Heritage Center proudly presents Dirty Grass Soul to appear Friday, June 17, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. rain or shine, on the Rotary Performance Stage at the new Alexander County Courthouse Park, located at 101 W. Main Avenue in downtown Taylorsville. Hailing from the musically rich foothills…