Runner of the Year: Mitchell Resor
Union County
Real Help for Real Living
page 18
Serving Indian Trail, Marvin, Stallings, Waxhaw, Weddington and Wesley Chapel
Volume 9, Number 51 • Dec. 18 to 23, 2014
Animal gas chamber
closes in Union County
page 17 Locally Owned & Operated www.unioncountyweekly.com
Spreading hope through song Local teen uses musical talent to help families of hospitalized infants by Josh Whitener josh@unioncountyweekly.com
The use of a gas chamber on animals was a main topic of debate between Sheriff Ed Cathey and Sandra Peterson, who ran against him in the November election. A main focus that Peterson campaigned on was to put a stop to gas euthanizations in Union County. Dr. David Drake, a veterinarian at Pressly Animal Hospital in Indian Trail, said that EBIs are far more humane than gas euthanizations, in his professional experience. “All of us here at Pressly were very pleased when we heard (about the transition in Union County),” Drake said. “We understand that some animals need
WEDDINGTON – In a world of American Idols and YouTube celebrities, one local teenager is discarding the path to stardom in exchange for helping families facing crisis. Fifteen-year-old Max Petruzzi, a Weddington High School sophomore, is using his musical talent to raise funds to purchase gift baskets for families of hospitalized infants. Max recently launched the nonprofit Mirabella’s Miracle, named after his 10-year-old sister, Mirabella, who was born prematurely at 29 weeks and was hospitalized due to a life-threatening sepsis infection. Though he was only 5 years old at the time of his sister’s illness, the event made a lasting impression on Max. “It was a tragic situation for my family,” he said. “I remember (Mirabella’s hospitalization), but it didn’t really click for me exactly how we almost lost her until years later… Until I was a teenager, I really didn’t understand how tragic it was.” An avid singer, Max began posting videos of himself singing on YouTube at 11 years old. His first video, a cover of the Bruno Mars hit “Just the Way You Are,” went viral, and Max received media coverage from several Charlotte-area news stations. He then attracted the attention of two of the largest talent agencies in New York and Los Angeles, as well as interest from the producers of “The X Factor,” the Disney channel, Nickelodeon and a couple of “boy bands” that were forming at the time. “I wasn’t really interested in pursuing a career to be famous,” Max said. “All of this kind of came together when I finally realized (there was) a way
(see Animal Shelter on page 5)
(see Mirabella’s Miracle on page 4)
Union County Sheriff’s Office discontinues use of its gas euthanization chamber on Dec. 9. Photo courtesy of Union County’s official website
Advocates say still a long road ahead to curb the killing of pets by Ryan Pitkin ryan@unioncountyweekly.com
The Union County Animal Shelter has recently made a full transition from gas euthanizations to the more-humane euthanization by injection (EIB) process, ending a years-long point of contention in the county. Until Tuesday, Dec. 9, Union County was one of only four counties left in the state that used carbon monoxide gas chambers on animals.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the shelter, has been working throughout the year to improve the ratio between gas euthanizations and EBIs. When the North Department of Agriculture announced in the first week of December that new regulations would ban gas euthanizations except for in extreme circumstances – such as natural disaster or a spreading virus – by February 2015, the sheriff’s office decided it would make a full transition to EBIs within the week. “I think everybody is excited about the direction we’re going,” said Captain Mackey Goodman with the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
INDEX: News Briefs, 6; Crime Blotter, 7; Scores, 8; Education, 10; Honor Roll, 12; Calendar, 16; Rev. Tony, 17; Sports, 18; Classifieds, 23