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www.yanceycountynews.com vTo be a voice, and to allow the voices of our community to be heard.v May 1, 2014 • Vol. 4, No. 18 v Recipient of the E.W. Scripps Award for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment v
Rick Tipton new DSS director
DSS board votes 3-2 to make interim director the permanent leader
Tipton to formally become the director of the agency. Tipton accepted, saying he and the DSS staff “want to be the best agency in North Carolina.” The vote came after an extended search for a director to replace departed director Darrell Renfroe, who left Jan. 30 to accept a newly By Jonathan Austin created position as Social Services Program Yancey County News Administrator for the NC Division of Social The board of the Yancey County Department Services. The board considered an initial batch of Social Services voted 3-2 late Monday of applicants but then posted the position again, afternoon to ask interim DSS director Rick seeking more options.
Rick Tipton
But throughout it all, it appears some on the board and, equally importantly, on staff at DSS were beginning to think that Tipton was the right one for the job. Peter Franklin made the motion to hire Tipton as director, and was seconded by Blaine Whitson. See page 5
Jonathan Austin/Yancey County News
Living history demonstrators gathered in Burnsville Saturday to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Burnsville, in which after a winter of starvation and deprivation, 50 local women raided the Confederate commissary and made off with flour to feed their families. A special proclamation by the Town Council, a living history day at McElroy House, and re-enactments of the raids and skirmishes on the town square were highlights of the weekend. Participants include Yancey History Association’s costumed volunteers, NC 22nd Co.B CSA and 3rd US MI troops, demonstrators, storytellers and townspeople.
Judge grants Silva a continuance Norovirus at Brookside
A federal judge has agreed to a continuance of the case against Patrick Ronald Silva on charges of coercing a minor to produce child porn and a handful of other federal child porn charges. Silva’s attorney, Jack W. Stewart, sought the continuance because “the current trial term of May 7, 2014 is less than 30 days” after Silva’s April 11 arraignment, “which provides the defendant an insufficient time period in which to prepare his case for trial.” Stewart wrote that the office of the U.S. Attorney “consents to the continuation.” Silva, a Burnsville businessman, was
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indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of coercing a minor to produce child pornography; coercing a minor to produce and transport child pornography; aiding and abetting the transportation of child pornography; receiving child pornography and possession of child pornography. He and Tabatha Dianne Black were originally charged by local officials after they were contacted by overseas law enforcement who had seen pornographic images of a child online and tracked them back to Silva. Silva and Black remain in federal custody.
No visitors are allowed inside Brookside Rehabilitation and Care after administrators informed the health department of serious norovirus infections within the facility. “We started out with limited visitation. Once the virus was confirmed we stopped visitation,” said Brookside administrator Scott Alexander. Yancey County Health
Department Nursing Supervisor Lacosta Tipton said the department was contacted by Brookside management about the norovirus, and said that the health department recommended steps that should be taken to limit the spread of the virus. “They’re doing a great job enacting those control measures,” Tipton said. She and Alexander said See page 11