March 24, 2006
Buzzing
Members of the “Miss Bee-havin Hive” consult each other about the spelling of a word at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Spelling Bee for Grownups Tuesday evening at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center. Pictured (not in order) are: Christy Parker, Beth Mings, Gina Snow and Christy Welch. For more on the “buzz,” please link with the story below. Photo by Marie Freeman |
County skatepark wheels in motion
The Watauga County commissioners oiled the wheels of a plan to develop the county’s first designated skateboard park.
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Boards discuss North Fork precinct
The fate of the North Fork voting precinct came under the spotlight again Tuesday, as board of elections officials addressed the Watauga County board of commissioners about the issue.
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Local buzz: To bee or not to bee
The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Spelling Bee for Grownups Tuesday, March 21, and all but one team of the 40 participating learned to spell “defeat.”
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Watauga’s jobless rate ticks up slightly
Watauga County had the second-lowest unemployment rate in the state for the month of January, according to the Employment Security Commission (ESC) of North Carolina.
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Diversity reigns in public comments
Though each speaker clocked in with a three-minute time limit, Tuesday’s public comment period at the commissioners’ meeting stretched over an hour, broaching development, Watauga High School, compost, and a license plate office.
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Boone commission OKs comprehensive plan
Before discussing future planning priorities, the Boone Area Planning Commission recommended unanimous approval of the revised 2006 Comprehensive Plan at its regular meeting Monday, March 20.
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Local charter school overcomes obstacles
Watauga County’s first charter school has overcome a rocky start to settle in and plan an expansion for the next school year.
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March 22, 2006
Sliding into spring
Drew Stanley tries out the roller coaster rail at the terrain park at Appalachian Ski Mountain on Monday. Spring arrived Monday at 1:26 p.m., along with an afternoon snowfall that blanketed most of the High Country. For more on spring’s snowy arrival, please link with the story below. Photo by Marie Freeman |
Banner Elk firefighters likely died of hypothermia
Two men who survived a boating accident that killed their four friends say they swam to shore with a shoelace to keep them connected and flagged down a pizza delivery driver for help, but were too late to save the other men.
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Spring has sprung?
To celebrate the first day of spring, Mother Nature sent a kiss of irony in the form of a blanket of snow across the High Country.
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Farming panel discusses obstacles, opportunity
“Ensuring Financial Success for Small Farmers in North Carolina” may sound like a lofty goal, but a panel discussion kicking off North Carolina Small Farms Week offered some positive suggestions.
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Farmers discuss ways to remain viable
Blake Brown, a professor at North Carolina State University addressed a crowd of agricultural professionals on a timely yet perennial topic: How can a farmer make a living?
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Relay for Life changes venue
Just days after holding their March 7 kickoff celebration and team captains meeting, Watauga Relay for Life leaders changed the date and location of this year’s Relay. This year’s all-night, fundraising event will be Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17 at the Watauga High School stadium complex.
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Exceptions pass under new sign rules
The Boone Town Council signed new sign regulations into effect at its regular meeting Thursday, March 16.
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Skatepark gains ground
The Boone Town Council will literally pave the way for a local skatepark.
At its regular meeting Thursday, March 16, the council agreed to offer an in-kind donation of pavement for the Appalachian Skatepark Council, a local organization dedicated to providing a safe gathering place for participants of skateboarding and in-line skating.
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Makoto aboard Celebrity Serve bandwagon
In the two months before Boone restaurateur Ted Mackorell succumbed to cancer, he received care in his home from Hospice of Watauga County.
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March 20, 2006
Friday wreck injures three
A fully loaded tractor-trailer smashed into a late model, four-door Mercury sedan Friday morning on U.S. 421 near the Wilkes-Watauga county line, forcing the car into a stand of trees and sending its occupants to the hospital with serious injuries. Investigators said the tractor-trailer crossed the center line as it descended a steep grade some 15 miles east of Boone. Two occupants from the Mercury sedan were airlifted from the scene after being freed from the wreckage. Their identities and condition had not been released as of press time. The truck driver was also injured and remained unidentified. Reports of his condition remained unavailable. First responders from Watauga Rescue, Watauga Medics, Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and the Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department responded to the emergency. Wilkes County also sent rescue workers to the scene. The state Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash. Photo by Jerry Sena |
Four Banner Elk volunteer firefighters killed after boat capsizes, two make it to shore
Banner Elk is mourning after four of its volunteer firefighters died and two survived after the small catamaran they were sailing overturned more than a mile from the North Carolina coast on last Wednesday.
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Old Navy will sail into Boone
Old Navy is docking in Boone Mall, as construction and renovation begins on the local shopping center.
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Dry days continue to spark fires
Wildfires continue to plague the High Country as dry and windy conditions keep local firefighters busy, and the Blue Ridge Parkway enacted a ban on open burning.
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Plan to sell park lands draws fire
A Bush administration plan to sell national park lands, including nearly 2,800 acres in the Pisgah National Forest, has drawn opposition from the state government and environmental groups.
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Town hazard map could cost $25,000 to produce
The Boone Town Council awarded a bid to create a geologic hazard map for steep slope development to Trigon Engineering Consultants of Greensboro at the Thursday, March 16 regular meeting.
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Boone businesses face new water rates
A proposed, new water rate structure was introduced at a meeting of the town of Boone’s water study committee Wednesday, March 15.
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Green Valley Park blossoms
The Green Valley Park is ready to take on a more prominent community role as its supporters continue to develop the site.
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Winds of change may bring energy source
Supporters of sustainable energy are supporting a county ordinance that would allow for development of windmills while keeping true to the intent of a state law that limits development on ridge tops.
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Advocate for Victims — New rules of courtship
The year was 1991 and two date rapes had been reported on the campus of a small liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
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Small Farms Week kicks off
The pieces may be small, but they make up a big part of the state’s agricultural puzzle. North Carolina A & T University (NC A & T) and the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service are kicking off Small Farms Week in Boone, with the slogan “It’s a growing business—ensuring financial success.”
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