Feb. 20 - 26, 2020
Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO
Gene Robertson with Yates Construction, the town of Stokesdale’s utility contractor, refers to a subdivision plan while speaking at the town council’s Feb. 13 meeting and explaining why the town needs to standardize its water system infrastructure. “We are trying to get ahead of the building,” Robertson said. Read article about Stokesdale’s projected housing boom on p. 22.
www.nwobserver.com
IN THIS ISSUE News in brief .......................................2
Early voting available now through Feb. 29. Town seeks ‘fresh start’ with ORYA .... 3 Your Questions ...................................4 Oak Ridge Town Council ..................6 Liviah Griffin, ‘100 years loved’.........8
Complaint leads to surprise inspection of Happytail Puppies A second complaint to the N.C. Agriculture Department reveals that Happytail’s training facility isn’t licensed by CHRIS BURRITT OAK RIDGE – A complaint against Happytail Puppies on N.C. 150 led to a surprise inspection last week by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, which also learned that the company’s training facility on Alcorn Road isn’t licensed. The Agriculture Department won’t discuss the ongoing investigation, agency spokeswoman Heather Overton said in an interview earlier this week. As of Wednesday, Feb. 19, the results of the investigation still weren’t available. After learning about the Alcorn Road facility, state inspectors notified Guilford County Animal Control, which looks into complaints of animal abuse, Overton said.
The developments over the past week follow complaints by several people who bought puppies from Happytail that were later diagnosed by veterinarians with respiratory and other illnesses known to be contagious. Some owners learned from their vets that their dogs showed signs of being confined to crates for long periods of time after they were born. Owner Sonya Mackovic, who opened the facility in 2018, said in an interview last week that the puppies she sells aren’t sick and that they’re not mistreated by her staff or by licensed breeders in Ohio where she buys the dogs. The facility can house as many as 300 dogs, according to state inspection reports. The unannounced inspection last Friday, Feb. 14, followed a complaint prompted from a reader of an article about Happytail Puppies in last week’s issue of the Northwest Observer, according to Overton. The Agriculture Department’s animal welfare section investigates complaints against kennels, animal shelters and pet retailers.
...continued on p. 12
Reflecting on her long life, this centenarian says, “Age is just a number.”
Photo by Lily Pierce/NWO
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Summerfield Town Council ............. 10 NWO Business & Real Estate ........... 13 McMichael log house ..................... 14 Center Grove Grill ............................ 16 Stokesdale anticipates 500 houses .22 Crime/Incident Report ....................26 Calendar Events...............................27 High School Sports ...........................28 Youth/School News .........................29 Student Profiles .................................30 Letters/Opinions...............................32 Grins and Gripes ..............................34 Classifieds .........................................36 Index of Advertisers .........................39 NWO on the Go!...............................40