Area News

By MICAH HENRY Approximately 250 people gathered in downtown Taylorsville for a protest against racial injustice and police brutality on Thursday, June 4, 2020. This followed protests in other cities nationwide following the death of Minneapolis, Minnesota, resident George Floyd, a North Carolina native, who died in police custody in Minneapolis last month. The local…

New health guidelines released Monday represent a first step to help North Carolina K-12 public schools find a safe way to open to in-person instruction for the 2020-21 academic year, health and education leaders announced Monday. The StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12) is online (click here). The document lays out a comprehensive set of baseline…

Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman noted that, although the June 4 protest was largely peaceful, with about 250 people in attendance, there were some problems reported as the evening wore on. Speakers included organizer Jessica Sumpter, attorney Daryl Davidson, Sr., as well as Jerry Ratchford, among others. Some carried signs with phrases including, “Justice for…

Town of Taylorsville placed under a preemptive State of Emergency beginning Thursday, June 4, at 6:00 p.m., Judge Underwood cancels curfew — (updated June 5, 5:00 p.m.) Note: The State of Emergency referred to below was lifted June 5, about 9:00 a.m.   Taylorsville Mayor George Holleman issued a State of Emergency on June 4, 2020.…

By MICAH HENRY (Updated June 3, 9:15 p.m.) A protest that is being promoted in Taylorsville this week does not have the backing of local civil rights or political groups. According to posts on Facebook, local resident Jessica Sumpter announced a protest in Taylorsville on Thursday, June 4, at 7:00 p.m. to speak out against the…

By TOSHA BROWN The Alexander County Board of Education met for their regularly scheduled meeting at Alexander Central Auditorium on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. The meeting was closed to the public due to the COVID-19 restrictions. New meal distribution plans along with updated school calendars was discussed. During her report, Alexander County Schools Superintendent Dr.…

The candidate filing period for Alexander County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor (1 seat) begins Monday, June 8, at noon and runs until Monday, July 6, at noon. Candidates must be at least 21 years old, a registered voter in Alexander County, and pay a $5 filing fee. Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor…

The Town of Taylorsville’s Board of Commissioners will meet Tuesday, June 2, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. in Town Hall. The meeting agenda is shown below.

Alexander County man ‘couldn’t stop shaking’ after $230,724 jackpot win   RALEIGH – Michael Mawhorter of Taylorsville has been playing the lottery since he moved to North Carolina, and on Wednesday, his commitment paid off to the tune of a $230,724 Cash 5 jackpot win.   Mawhorter, a machine operator at a paper mill, bought…

The next regular meeting of the Alexander County Board of Commissioners will be Monday, June 1, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. via the Zoom online video platform. Commissioners will consider reinstating convenience site trash fees, which were suspended on March 20 of this year, as well as the Alexander County 2020 – 2021 Budget Ordinance, approval…