Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
Volume 78 • Issue 17 • Wednesday, April 24, 2013
FARM MARKETS
75¢
Opinion... 4A Meditation... 5A Sports... 7A
bring a fresh taste to town... 3A
Belmont runners survive marathon ‘danger zone’ ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Tragic. Chaotic. Crazy. That’s how Jason Meulemans of Belmont described the scenes he saw in person last week following explosions during the Boston Marathon that killed three and wounded another 170 participants and spectators. The blasts came near the end of the race and Meulemans had just completed his run shortly before. “I had already finished about twenty minutes earlier and was at the John Hancock building getting a massage,� said Meulemans. “An official came in and told us to evacuate the building.� Meulemans described the scene he saw outside on the street. “There were cop cars everywhere,� he said. “It was chaotic. I saw about twenty-five ambulances. It was crazy out there.� A couple of controlled explo-
sions set people on edge as well. “I heard them and thought it was more bombs,� Meulemans said. “People were crying.� Eventually Meulemans made it out of the danger zone. “It was over an hour before I could get a ride,� he said. “But the city was quiet later that night.� Once at the airport, Meulemans said he had time to reflect on what he had seen and heard. “My heart goes out to the families,� he said. “It was unspeakable violence.� Mueleman’s own family was concerned for his safety. “My mom called and was freaking out,� he said. Another local runner who was in the marathon was Brian Trotter who lives on New Hope Road near Belmont. For Trotter, an odd twist of fate meant he and his wife were underground seconds before the bomb went off and did not hear the See RUNNERS, 5A
Photo courtesy Brian Trotter
This photo was taken on Saturday, April 13 in front of the finish line of the Marathon. Brian Trotter, who lives near Belmont, and his friends were standing almost exactly in front of where the first bomb went off. People from left to right are: Michael McWhirter (Trotter’s training partner from Gastonia), Amber McWhirter (his wife), Melissa Trotter and husband Brian.
Arwood Catawba River debate heats up facing charges ALAN HODGE
alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Unrelated to fatal accident Last week’s story of the tragic death of two children near Stanley, seven-yearold James Levi Caldwell and his cousin six-year-old Chloe Jade Arwood, took another turn when the father of Chloe was arrested by Lincoln County Sheriff’s detectives and charged with two crimes unrelated to the construction site cave-in that claimed their lives. Jordan Arwood Officers discovered six firearms, including an AR-15 rifle, and marijuana in the home of Jordan Keely Arwood, 31, 5858 Cedarbrook Court, Stanley. Arwood was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and See ARWOOD, 2A
Belmont Police respond to call at Middle School On April 19 Belmont Police officers responded to an unknown disturbance at Belmont Middle School. Middle school staff reported to school SRO Officer J. Lutmer that they heard popping sounds coming from outside the building off of school grounds. The staff was not sure if it was firecrackers, gunshots or something else. As a precaution Belmont officers covertly deployed to the school to insure the safety of the students and staff. Belmont officers quickly determined See POLICE, 2A
Last week the continuing debate over the cleanliness of the Catawba River heated up with environmentalists and Duke Energy trading jabs on the subject, and one of the usual bones of contention, coal ash at Duke’s steam stations, particularly at the now-closed Riverbend station ash ponds, was on the menu. On Wednesday the American Rivers group sent out a press release naming the Catawba among the nations “Most Endangered Rivers�. “The America’s Most Endangered Rivers report is a call to action to save rivers that are facing a critical tipping point,� said Peter Raabe of American Rivers. “We all need
healthy rivers. They provide our drinking water, support the economies of our communities, and promote public health and quality of life. We hope citizens will take action to ensure a healthy Catawba River for generations to come.� “American Rivers and its partners are calling on the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources to require Duke Energy to ensure the Riverbend coal ash ponds are sufficiently maintained in perpetuity to safeguard the river and water supply for future generations,� the press release said. “Recently at Duke Energy’s Riverbend Steam Station, a coal-fired power plant that sits adjacent to the drinking water source for 860,000 people, problems have appeared at the dam
holding back the coal ash pond. Seeps are now coming out of the dam on all sides and into the reservoir, calling into question the dam’s structural integrity.� Duke Energy fired back at the American Rivers claims. “It’s disappointing that American Rivers and its partners continue to bait the public and play on emotions to further their own agenda,� said Duke spokesperson Erin Culbert. “This does nothing to serve the Catawba River. While they focus on promoting unfounded gimmicks, we will continue to collaborate with the 18 public drinking water utilities along the river who are taking real action to protect our water supply for this and future See DEBATE, 5A
Old cemetery gets new respect, care ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
An important, and often neglected, part of Mount Holly’s history is finally getting some of the attention it deserves. Located at the corner of W. Catawba Avenue and Hawthorne Street, behind Burge UMC in the Freedom community of Mount Holly, the small plot that holds the graves of local African-Americans going back to the 19th century has been overgrown and vandalized. But several folks, including Curtis Alexander, are getting things in order so that those buried there will get the respect that’s been lacking. A recent morning saw Alexander and a crew of men attacking the weeds at the cemetery. “I think around 1980 the city stopped taking care of it,� Alexander said. “It has looked pretty bad.� According to Alexander, blacks and whites were once buried side by side in the cemetery, but at some point that changed. “I heard that in the 1950s the whites were moved across the street to the city cemetery,� he said. What’s left now is a scattering of broken grave markers and bare places where it’s likely someone is buried, but exactly who remains unknown. Surnames visible on some of the markers include Rankin and Grice. One of the oldest markers still legible bears the name of a certain Mack Rankin who was born in 1826 and died on January See OLD CEMETERY, 2A Photo by Alan Hodge
Two busloads of students from Mountain Island Charter School worked hard on Friday morning helping clean up the African American cemetery at the corner of Hawthorne and Catawba streets in Mount Holly. Pictured above, right are Emerald Rollins, Sevanna Sorrow, Curtis Alexander, Brian Corrigan, Ken Osterndorf, and Jackson Rhinehardt.
Agreement Reached
Goats to clean up the cityĘźs kudzu ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
After much rumination, the City of Mount Holly has reached a formal agreement with Horseshoe, N.C.-based Wells Farm to have goats brought in to clean out kudzu and other weeds from two sites owned by the municipality. Talks regarding the goats had been on the City Council agenda on several previous occasions prior to the final contract agreement that was signed on April 4. The goats will do their work at two sites
in Mount Holly. The first one will be about 0.68 acres at the corner of Highland Street and E. Central Avenue. The other site is 2.9 acres on the west side of N. River Street, including a piece of the property once known as First Street. According to Shan Horton with the city, the exact date that the goats will arrive has yet to be determined. “We are currently locating the exact property lines so they can be flagged for the fence lines that will keep the goats in,� Horton said. “Also, the foliage, especially See GOATS, 5A
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