Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
Busted! Arrests made in meth lab operation Three Belmont men and a Belmont woman were arrested on August 11, 2013 for their role in running a methamphetamine lab that was being operated in the Flowers Court neighborhood. Belmont Police Chief Charlie Franklin said the lab was discovered when Belmont officers responded to a call of a man being chased by three suspects armed with guns. “The officers responded to a call of someone being chased with a gun,� Franklin said. “When the officers finally located the victim they received information that the armed subjects had run into an apartment at Flowers Court.� Belmont officers with the assistance of the Mount Holly and Gaston County Police then went to the apartment in question. “At that time the subjects in the apartment were brought outside and the home was checked for weapons,� Franklin said. “Initially no weapons were found.� Belmont Police then obtained consent to search the home further from the apartment leaseholder. During that search police discovered items that led them to believe that a meth lab was being operated. “Once the officers saw what looked like meth paraSee BUSTED, 3A
Duke coal ash uproar continues
Meet Dinga, a real ‘Carolina’ dog
Photo by Alan Hodge
Sales of Cramer High “Storm� memorabilia were fast and furious following the ribbon cutting ceremony Sunday. The school colors of purple, silver, and black are striking.
School doors open! ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Photo by Alan Hodge
Jack Winchester of North Belmont is seen with his Carolina dog named Dinga. The breed is believed to be descended from Native America dogs that took to the swamps centuries ago. Winchester caught Dinga near High Shoals and the South Fork River there. ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Folks who visit Jack Winchester’s antique shop on Hickory Grove Road in the Springwood area usually do a double take when his dog named Dinga looks at them with her hypnotic, shockingly blue eyes. But once they hear what type of canine he believes she is, their fascination skyrock-
The back and forth between environmental groups such as the Catawba Riverkeepers and Duke Energy over the utility’s coal ash storage methods–particularly at the now-closed Riverbend Steam Station on Mountain Island Lake near Mount Holly–ramped up last week when both outfits issued statements taking the other to task regarding the accuracy and veracity of their claims. Duke Energy Senior Vice President for Environmental Health and Safety blasted the Riverkeepers in a lengthy statement and basically said concerns over coal ash storage were unfounded. “The Catawba Riverkeeper has expressed concerns about Mountain Island Lake’s water quality. We share that focus and dedicate significant resources daily to monitoring water quality across all the regions we serve,� said Allen. “Duke Energy began monitoring the lake in 1953, long before the Clean Water Act, and more than four decades before the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation was formed. Test results have always proven and continue to demonstrate the region’s drinking water supplies are safe. See DUKE, 4A
ets. Winchester says Dinga is a Carolina dog, and he’s not just talking about where her mailing address is. Carolina dogs are the “natural� dog of America whose ancestors came along with Native Americans across the Alaskan land bridge from Asia thousands of years go. Scientists have established that the Carolina dog is See DINGA, 3A
Students will burst through the doors of Stuart W. Cramer High School for the first time on Monday, August 26, but their entry was preceded Sunday by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the public that brought over 1,000 folks to the brand new campus. Many, many local educators, civic leaders and politicians were at the event and all expressed glowing words
about the incredible facility. The keyword was “magnificent�. “Stuart W. Cramer High School is a magnificent campus that will serve Gaston County for many years to come,� stated Superintendent of Schools L. Reeves McGlohon. “Much time and energy went into planning the new high school. We gave careful thought and consideration to everything from road design and the layout of the building to how See SC HIGH, 7A
Belmont beauty queens Todd Hagans
Path cleared for MedPlex By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
75¢
Volume 78 • Issue 34 • Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The Mount Holly City Council gave unanimous approval last week to a change in the Manual for Design in Downtown Mount Holly that will clear the path for construction by CaroMont Health to build a freestanding emergency facility on NC 27 across from the Municipal Complex. The text amendment would exclude freestanding emergency care centers, physician’s office, ambulatory care facilities, and outpatient facilities greater than 25,000 sq. ft. from the Manual for Design requirements. However, such facilities would still have to meet certain parking requirements, exterior walls on commercial and mixed-use buildings shall be finished mainly in brick, and vinyl or aluminum siding, particle board, corrugated metal, unfinished concrete block, false stone cladding, rough sawn wood, and synthetic stucco are prohibited from use. The CaroMont facility will be known as MedPlex and will be 37,000 sq. feet. It will cost about $25 million to construct. MedPlex will have 12 treatment rooms, a trauma room, and a resuscitation room. There will be diagnostic CT scans, ultrasound, and lab work. Gaston Emergency Services will use MedPlex as a substation. Groundbreaking for MedPlex will take place in September with construction to start soon after and a completion expected in spring or early summer 2015. The facility will serve a geographic area that includes 20,000 folks.
CaroMont has acquired about six acres of land for the project and hopes to add another 1.5-acre parcel to that. Robby Aull, principal and chief architect on the MedPlex job, says the look of the building will have plenty of red brick, glass, and metal trim in a style not unlike the textile mills that first put Mount Holly on the map. “This is a significant project,� said Richard Blackburn, CaroMont VP of Support Services. “I have no doubt this will make the NC27 corridor in Mount Holly take off and be a real boon to the community.� MedPlex will be an extension of CaroMont Regional Medical Center and will expand and provide easier access for emergency care to northeast Gaston County and northwest Charlotte residents. MedPlex will also fit in nicely with Mount Holly’s intent to improve the town’s “walkability�. Plans for the medical facility will include a 10-foot wide greenway on the property that will connect to the Carolina Thread Trail. CaroMont will also be building an 8-foot wide sidewalk along NC 27 and 5foot sidewalks along South Alexander and Elm streets. MedPlex has been in the works for several years and officials from the City of Mount Holly and CaroMont have met on occasion to tweak both the design and zoning regulations to get everything just right. CaroMont’s plan was also contested in court by rival Carolinas Healthcare who also had eyes on Mount Holly as an emergency hospital location, but CaroMont prevailed.
Contributed Photo
This architectural rendering shows how the MedPlex emergency health facility will look when it is completed on Hwy. 27 near Hwy. 273 in Mount Holly. It will feature a dozen rooms and diagnostic capabilities among other services.
Special to the BannerNews
Belmont teenagers Lyndsey Stephens and Rachel Abernathy have at least three things in common. They are 17 years old. They are seniors at South Point High School. And, they are Gaston County’s newest beauty queens. Stephens captured the Miss Gastonia 2014 title and Abernathy was crowned Miss Gaston County 2014 to conclude the annual Miss Gastonia Scholarship Pageant held Sunday, August 11 at Gaston College. They will receive a $1,000 scholarship and other prizes and represent Gastonia and Gaston County in next summer’s Miss North Carolina pageant. Jordan Gallagher, 21, a senior at Wingate University, was the first runner-up and received a $300 scholarship. Ashton Laney, 17, a student at Lincoln Charter High School, was the second runner-up and won a $200
Lyndsey Stephens Miss Gastonia 2014
Rachel Abernathy Miss Gaston County 2014 scholarship. See BEAUTY QUEENS, 5A
HUD grants awarded By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
The US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently awarded over $48 million in grants to NC Public Housing Authorities and both Belmont and Mount Holly got a nice slice of the pie. Capital Fund grants are awarded each year to the nation’s approximately 3,100 public housing agencies through a formula that considers number, type and age of units in a community. Eligible uses for this funding include development, financing and modernization
of the public housing units as well as management improvements at the public housing authority. Mount Holly’s public housing, the Rollins and Holly Hills apartments, is run by the Statesville Housing Authority whose COO is Darbah Skaf. “Each year HUD allocates funding to Public Housing Authorities under the Capital Fund grant,� Skaf said. “This grant is use for repairs and renovation to public housing units. In the past few years, Mount Holly has used the money to See HUD, 6A
Call us today at 704.263.4646 of Stanley
Open Monday - Friday • Located on Hwy 27 South in Stanley - across from Food Lion