Area News

Donna Osowitt Steele, 52, of Taylorsville, N.C., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer in Charlotte on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, and pleaded guilty to wire fraud, for embezzling more than $15 million from her former employer, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert R. Wells, Special…

On Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Alexander County Communications received a call of a suspicious person on Woodring Lane in the Bethlehem Community of Alexander County, said Sheriff Chris Bowman.  Officers responded and found that the caller had stopped the suspicious person near some storage units located in the area. Officers located…

By ANGELA FARR KING The January School Board Meeting was held via Zoom on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, due to high cases of Covid reported among students and staff in many Alexander County schools. This was in conjunction with the decision for Sugar Loaf Elementary to operate on a remote learning schedule due to staff…

The Alexander County water system is going to expand, according to a county news release, thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan Act in the amount of $7,283,353. At the Jan. 10 meeting (via Zoom due to COVID), the Alexander County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement for engineering services to begin planning for…

By MICAH HENRY Taylorsville’s own Peoples Drug store has secured a supply of the new prescription antiviral pills to treat COVID, said Phil Icard, owner. The tablets are Paxlovid by Pfizer and Molnupiravir by Merck. Icard said the tablets offer effective treatment against COVID. He credited April Chapman, clinical pharmacist at Peoples Drug, with actually…

Candidate filing for North Carolina’s 2022 primary elections, as well as rescheduled municipal elections, will resume at 8 a.m. Thursday, February 24, 2022, and end at noon on Friday, March 4, under an order issued Tuesday, January 11, by the Superior Court of Wake County. The order by a three-judge panel upheld state legislative and…

Alexander County Schools announced the January 11, 2022, school board meeting will be held virtually, due to the increased rate of COVID-19 numbers involving staff in the schools. The meeting will be conducted via Zoom, with scheduled speakers joining according to the published agenda. The meeting will be live-streamed on the district YouTube channel.  …

Effective Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, Sugar Loaf Elementary School will begin remote instruction due to a staff shortage which limits the ability to safely and adequately supervise and educate students, according to Renee Meade, Communications Director/Public Information Officer for Alexander County Schools. This decision is based on 55% of core instructional staff being absent Tuesday.…

Local law enforcement officers were involved in a chase with a suspect in a stolen vehicle on the evening of Wednesday, January 5, 2022, which spanned two counties. Alexander County officers were notified of a suspect who had stolen a vehicle and was traveling on Liledoun Road on the evening of January 5 about 7:19…

SNOW FELL ON HIGH ELEVATIONS IN ALEXANDER OVER WEEKEND — A fast moving storm front brought not only thunderstorms to the region Sunday night, Jan. 2, 2022, but also ushered in a blast of cold air that brought rain, sleet, and snow to the area. High elevations in Alexander, like Moore Mountain Road near the…