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Archived:
September 1, 2006
Magistrate killed in crash
A Watauga County magistrate was killed in a traffic accident Wednesday. Walter Gwen Greene, 52, of 319 Vannoy Lane, died from injuries after he was ejected from his 1992 Toyota pickup truck at 10 a.m. Greene was traveling south on N.C. 105 down what is commonly known as “Rock Crusher Hill” just outside Boone, when he swerved to avoid a stopped vehicle, according to N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Josh Hodges. Greene maneuvered down the entrance to an asphalt plant owned by Maymead Inc., but the picup struck a gravel pile and flipped several times. Greene, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle. He was transported from the scene, but died later that day from his injuries. Greene’s passenger, his stepson, Nicholas Bovino, was not injured. Bovino was wearing a seat belt. No charges will be filed in the case. Photo by Scott Nicholson/Watauga Democrat
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Student murder: Thompson agrees to guilty plea
The man who shot an Appalachian State University student to death nearly two years ago was sentenced to 18 to 23 years in prison for the killing. Marty Lee Thompson pled guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday, abruptly ending a trial that never quite began.
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Local SAT numbers still rank as third-highest
Watauga County’s SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores dropped by an average of one point over the previous year, but the county still moved up in the ranks among the state’s regular public school systems.
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Before plea: Democrat reporter subpoened
Jerry Sena looked nervous as he held a certified letter in hand last week. The Watauga Democrat reporter had every reason to appear a bit harried after receiving a subpoena from a defense attorney last week to testify in the murder trial of Marty Lee Thompson.
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Town officials learn about Smart Growth
Call it Smart Growth 101. Members of the Boone Town Council and Boone Area Planning Commission recently attended a class, of sorts, hosted by Boone Development Services staff. While the 2006 Comprehensive Plan update was being developed, the term “smart growth” was frequently used. With the plan now in effect, development services wished to help council members and planning commissioners brush up on the concept Monday.
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Despite recent showers, Watauga is still too dry
Although Watauga County and the surrounding area are experiencing abnormally dry conditions, official say they are not yet concerned. However, Woody Yonts, chairman of the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council, said there’s not yet reason for concern because the dryness is not at a critical level.
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Nordic PC: Driving the ‘Ferrari’ of new computers
Computers of the gods? Maybe so, maybe no, but Nate Solberg will let customers know when he meets one. Solberg recently opened Nordic PC, taking four years of professional computer building experience and applying it to high-performance machines of his own brand – the Nordic brand.
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Reggie Hassler named chief of state association
Boone’s first fire chief has now risen in the ranks to become the top fire association official in the state. Reggie Hassler, who was hired as the town’s first full-time fire chief in 1988, was installed this past weekend as president of the N.C. State Firemen’s Association. The position gives Hassler a chance to support important initiatives in the group that represents most of the state’s 47,000 fire fighters.
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Luncheon opens Power of the Purse
More than 200 High Country women made their voices and pocketbooks heard Aug. 25. They attended the Power of the Purse luncheon at Blowing Rock Country Club to launch the High Country Women’s Fund (HCWF), an initiative sponsored by the High Country United Way (HCUW) that will be devoted exclusively to women’s causes in Watauga and Avery counties.
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August 29, 2006
Breaking news:
Thompson pleads
Durham man accepts second-degree murder conviction in shooting death of ASU student
Marty Lee Thompson pled guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday morning in the killing of an Appalachian State University student, abruptly ending a trial that never quite began. In the plea, Thompson admitted to shooting ASU senior Joseph “Joey” McClure in the head at close range in October 2004 and leaving his body at the side of Crocker Road. Thompson had been charged with first-degree murder and faced life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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Fall web worms likely harmless
It’s unsightly and resembles something out of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” but the pest weaving webs in local trees probably will leave no lasting damage.  The pest, the fall web worm, has drawn a lot of interest, but N.C. Forest Ranger Rudy Johnson said the effect is mostly visual. Johnson said his office has fielded a number of calls about the webs, which cluster on the ends of branches, often high off the ground.
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ASU chancellor responds to center report
Nursing, China and an airport — three topics mentioned by Appalachian State University chancellor Ken Peacock to the N.C. Center for Public Policy. Appalachian hosted the center’s board of directors meeting Friday, Aug. 25.  Peacock briefed the directors on ASU’s status, in response to a recent report from the center. The 402-page report, titled “The Statewide UNC Board of Governors: Its Selection, Powers, and Relationship to the 16 Local Campus Boards of Trustees” claimed the University of North Carolina system’s governance needed a “tune-up.”
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PART of a transportation solution for residents
The new regional bus line to Greensboro is coming round the mountain right on schedule.  The Piedmont Area Regional Transportation (PART) bus service from Greensboro, dubbed the Mountaineer Express, made its maiden voyage on Thursday. Though ridership numbers were lower than expected, transportation planners were reportedly pleased.
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Tipsy Taxi hits the road
Don’t be fooled by the name — Tipsy Taxi’s drivers are very sober about a new business concept.  Geared towards ensuring the safety of area students and residents during their less sober hours, Boone’s newest taxi service opened just more than a week ago to a grand, and thankful, reception.
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August 28, 2006
McClure murder trial set to begin; Durham man accused of slaying ASU student
A Durham man accused nearly two years ago of killing a student and dumping the body on the shoulder of a rural Watauga County road, is expected to go on trial on Monday.  Marty Lee Thompson, 23, was arrested in Chapel Hill less than a week after the body of 22-year-old Appalachian State University student Joseph McClure was found abandoned along the shoulder of a gravel section of Crocker Road. McClure had been shot once in the head with a .40 caliber handgun.
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Report: UNC system needs tune-up
According to the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research, the governance of the state’s public universities needs a tune-up. In its newest report, “The Statewide UNC Board of Governors: Its Selection, Powers, and Relationship to the 16 Local Campus Boards of Trustees,” the center concluded the legislature should relinquish the task of choosing members of the University of North Carolina system Board of Governors, instead granting the responsibility to the governor.
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Organizers hope funding new Green Valley site will be ‘a walk in the park’
The six-year-old Green Valley Park provided the backdrop for a fundraiser celebration Saturday to help pay off the 20-acre property.  The event was held to raise money to help match several significant local donations that could pay off the remaining debt on the property of about $200,000. According to park board member Pam Kidder-Ashley, two private, anonymous donors have each pledged $50,000 on the stipulation that the park board raises an equal amount. The board has until Jan. 1 to meet the “challenge match.”
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Boone declares Constitution Week
In 1955, Gertrude S. Carraway approached Pres. Dwight Eisenhower to designate Sept. 17 through 23 as Constitution Week. Carraway’s efforts proved fruitful, and the town of Boone will carry on the tradition.  In the ’50s, Carraway served as president general of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and last week, Ann Millsaps, Boone’s DAR chapter regent and vice director of North Carolina’s District 2 (Watauga, Ashe, Avery, Yancey and Wilkes counties) approached Boone mayor Loretta Clawson to ask Carraway’s same request.
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Adopt me at Watauga Humane Society!
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