Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville | Volume 79 • Issue 7 • Wednesday, February 12, 2014
75¢
Sr. Carmelita Love blooms on the Catawba honored By Alan Hodge
alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Photo by Alan Hodge
Sister Carmelita Hagan is seen with the plaque she was given at the recent Unity Day event in Belmont for her work at Catherine's House and Mercy House. She was totally surprised at receiving the honor. By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
It's 3,622 miles from Sister Carmelita Hagan's birthplace in County Donegal, Ireland to her office at Catherine's House on the campus of the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont, and she's spread love and caring for those who need it every step of the way and then some. That fact of selfless service was recognized recently when she was presented with the Humanitarian Award at Belmont's 23rd annual Unity Day Service. The event was held at Mount Moriah Baptist Church. With typical humility,
she was surprised when her name was called. “I was in total shock,� she said. But truth be known, few folks who know her were surprised. “I have known Sr. Carmelita for many years because my children attended Sacred Heart Grade School when they were in elementary school,� said Belmont Mayor Charlie Martin. “She was strict but fair and really loved the children and wanted the best for them. Her service and sacrifice to the needy in our community is unparalleled. She is a great role model for See HONORED, 9
Melinda Wilson to be inducted into Belmont Sports Hall of Fame By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Long-time South Point High coach and teacher Melinda Wilson will be one of the inductees when the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame banquet takes place on March 11 at 7pm at Catawba Heights Baptist Church-and deservedly so. Wilson's ebullient personality, love of sports- especially basketball- her outstanding career on the hardwood court at LenoirRhyne University, as well as her commitment to quality education for her students, made her a natural choice for inclusion into the Hall of Fame. “I'm very humbled to be chosen for the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame,� Wilson said. “This is the biggest award I've ever gotten. Sports has been my life and I've enjoyed every aspect of
it including playing, the coaches, friends, and the backing that the Belmont community gives.� Wilson's career as a player and later as a coach goes back a long way. As a student at South Point in the late 1970s, she played basketball, volleyball, softball and track. She was All Conference. At Lenoir-Rhyne Wilson was a four-year varsity basketball and volleyball player. She played All Conference and All Tournament in her junior and senior years. Her teams won the conference all four years she was on them. The basketball teams finished third in 1981 in Final Four Division II play. She was a Scholar/Athlete for four years and chosen numerous times as Player of the Week. “Basketball was my love at Lenoir-Rhyne,� she said. As a teacher/coach, Wilson was at Belmont Middle School for 12 years and has been at South Point High for 18 years. In addition to coaching basketball she has taught Health and Physical Education as well as Sports Medicine. See WILSON, 9
Belmont isn't the French Riviera but romance has been known to bloom on the banks of the Catawba River as well as the Mediterranean Sea. That's certainly the case with Carrol and Jo Ann Trull who are on the cusp of being married for half a century. Their story began in 1963 when they met at the VFW Club at Morris Field in Charlotte. “The first time I saw him I was really impressed,� Jo Ann says. “We were on the dance floor and I told my friends he was the one for me.� A memento from that fateful evening still remains. “Carrol was wearing a beige sweater,� Jo Ann says. “We still have it.� Carrol says he had a bit of a time letting go of his bachelor ways. “I was used to doing what I wanted to and wasn't sure about settling down with one woman,� he said. Nonetheless, the romance between Carrol and Jo Ann grew- fueled at least in part by hamburgers. “We would go to the What-a-Burger in Belmont,� she said. “We went so many times the waitress knew what we wanted when we held up two fingers See TRULLS, 9
Carrol and Jo Ann Trull in 1965.
Belmont woman killed in front yard By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
A North Belmont woman was struck by an SUV around noon on Saturday and died from her injuries. Lavon Ramsey, 75, of the 1900 block of Perfection Ave. off Hickory Grove Rd. was in her yard when a 1999 GMC Jimmy driven by Belinda Strange Hudspeth, 45, barreled through a rail fence, smashed several roadside trash cans, mowed down a mailbox post, then hit Ramsey, throwing her into the roadway. Officers said Hudspeth had been texting while driving and lost control of her vehicle. Ramsey was taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center, but died. Hudspeth, who lives on Magnolia St. in Belmont, was arrested at the scene by NC Highway Patrol officers and taken to Gaston County
jail where she was booked on charges of driving while impaired (prescription medicines), second-degree murder, wanton disregard, driving with no license, texting while driving, and careless/reckless driving. Hudspeth has had several prior arrests dating back to 2005 when she was con-
victed of possession of drug paraphernalia, obtaining property by false pretense. In 2009, she was convicted of trafficking heroin, DWI, and other drug charges. On June 1, 2012 she was arrested for probation violations. Huspeth’s bond has been set at $1,000,000. At right: Hudspeth
Lavon Ramsey was hit by a car and killed while in her front yard. As seen here the vehicle first hit several trash cans and a fence.
Alcohol to be allowed Coal ash spill at Friday Night Live By Alan Hodge
alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Area designated for sale & consumption at popular venue By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Last week's Belmont city council meeting saw two informative and eye-opening presentations headlining the bill. The first talk and listen was by CaroMont Health CEO Doug Luckett who gave a PowerPoint presentation on his firm's current and future state of affairs as well as its relationship with customers and the local community. His Belmont talk was similar to the one he gave to the Mount Holly city council a couple of
weeks ago. Luckett assured both councils that CaroMont was going full-bore to provide local folks with top quality health care. “We are Gaston County-centric,� he said. Luckett went on to inform the Belmont council with a plethora of particulars regarding the breadth and scope of CaroMont including the interesting fact that the average wage for the firm's non-physician staff was $23.27 per hour. Luckett also allowed as how CaroMont creates over See COUNCIL, 11
Last week's huge coal ash spill at Duke Energy's Dan River location has the Catawba Riverkeeper, Sam Perkins, saying “I told you so�. “This is a dire warning and reminder that these facilities have failures, and on Mountain Island Lake, Lake Norman and Lake Wylie, we have facilities with the same EPA-rated high hazard threat potential.� said Perkins. “This could have been much worse, and despite Duke Energy’s reassurances that its facilities are safe, it failed to prevent a major spill in the midst of a lawsuit against every one of its coal ash waste ponds statewide.� Perkins continued. “A major coal ash waste pond spill on one of our Charlotte-area drinking water See SPILL, 11
5,000 pairs of eyes read what you’re reading right now. Let’s grow your business in 2014.