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Store robbed; suspect nabbed
Boone police arrested a Fayetteville man in an east Boone trailer park just after midnight Thursday in connection with the robbery of a nearby convenience store.It was the second such robbery in a little over a week in Boone, but investigators aren’t ready to say the two are connected. Jeremy Lee Jenkins, 33, has been charged with one count of felony robbery with a dangerous weapon in the Thursday morning incident at a Hess station at the corner of U.S. 421 and N.C. 194 in Perkinsville.

ASU students rescued at Linville Gorge
(AP) Authorities rescued three Appalachian State University students late Tuesday after they got lost during a hike in the mountainous Linville Gorge area. The freshmen students, two men and a woman, used cell phones to call the Avery County Sheriff's Office as darkness fell and temperatures dropped into the upper 30s and lower 40s. The hikers were wearing shorts and sandals, authorities said. Rescue crews located the students shortly before 11 p.m. and lifted them to safety before midnight.

Mayor, developer square off on paper
An open letter to Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson from developer Phil Templeton has caused a stir at town hall. Templeton’s letter, which was read on the radio Wednesday morning, alleges Clawson offered to sell her property on VFW Drive at twice its value in return for Templeton withdrawing an application for a special use permit (SUP) for a medical clinic at 315 State Farm Road, which is adjacent to VFW Drive.

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Police, Hickory Ridge supporters keep watch for tools on the open market
The thief or thieves who stole away from the Hickory Ridge Homestead Heritage Museum last month with several thousand dollars worth of blacksmithing tools, also robbed the community of 200 years of history. The burglars shattered not only the sanctity of Boone’s most prominent historical shrine, but rubbed out the legacy of a local family who’d donated their treasured heirlooms to the museum, in part, for safekeeping. Read more.

Saving the day earlier
If the push for earlier daylight savings time needed a metaphor, a local soccer team kicked one up last week. As the sun grazed the mountains and darkness fell, passersby at Brookshire Park witnessed a bizarre sight, girls kicking a soccer ball by the harsh glow of car headlights — yes, headlights. Read more.


Salvation Army marches through $25K campaign
The Salvation Army gave a salute Tuesday to those who helped make its annual holiday fund-raising efforts a success. Christian service organization held its Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at the Boone United Methodist Church to honor those who rang the bells for the “Red Kettle Campaign.” Jerry Walker, chairman of the High Country Service Unit that serves in Watauga and Avery counties, said about $25,000 was gathered in the campaign. The effort also was supported by more than 100 volunteers from all walks of life. Read more.

Commissioners face busy weekend in retreat
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners is sitting down with 269 pages of information and many departmental heads for 12 hours of planning. The annual pre-budget retreat will be held Friday and Saturday at the Watauga County Administration Building in Boone. Read more.

Dry conditions lead to local brush fire
A grass fire, touched off by child’s play and dangerously dry conditions, threatened several homes east of Boone Tuesday evening before firefighters knocked it down. North Carolina Forest Service ranger Rudy Johnson said the blaze burned almost a quarter-acre at a Vannoy Way mobile home park just off U.S. 421 S. Read more.

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation launches financial push
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is asking park enthusiasts to “Share The Journey.” With federal park funding at a virtual standstill for years, the support of organizations like the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation play a key role in keeping the parkway clean and green. The foundation has launched a fund-raising campaign in anticipation of the park’s 75th anniversary in 2010, hosting broad lines of merchandise and public activities to further the user experience along the nation’s most-visited national park. Read more.

Watauga tobacco output on the decline
In the third year of the tobacco buyout program, local tobacco production continued to decline even though last year the state had a historic high production of burley tobacco, the kind most often grown in the High Country. Read more.

Major motion picture to film in the Ashe County area
They are about 3,000 miles from Paramount Pictures studio, but Todd and West Jefferson will serve as stage and setting for a major motion picture this year. MileStone Entertainment is planning an autumn shoot in the High Country for the movie “Edgewater,” which producer John W. Beach describes as a blend of “The Sixth Sense,” “Of Mice & Men” and “Sling Blade.” Read more.



March 7, 2007
Remains prove not to be missing Chambers

Dental records show local woman's location still unknown
Skeletal remains discovered last month at a construction site near Bristol, Tenn., are not those of a missing local woman according to a spokesperson with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Nancy Myers said a comparison of dental records showed conclusively that the remains uncovered Feb. 12 are not Jade Chambers. Read more.



Foscoe VFD plans Valle Crucis substation
Although not everyone agrees with its location, the Foscoe Fire Department is planning to open a new substation this year to help fill a service void in the Valle Crucis community. Tracy McLean, chief of the Foscoe Volunteer Fire Department, said the department hopes to have the substation opened by the end of the year. Read more.


Meetings cover water and zoning
A series of special public hearings and meetings is slated this month for the town of Boone, beginning Thursday, March 8. The evening begins with a special meeting of the Boone Town Council and Water Study Committee to discuss secondary pressure zones in relation to a master water plan. Read more.

News Briefs: Instructor cleared of assault charges

A District Court judge cleared an Appalachian State University instructor last week of charges brought last year by the daughter of Rep. Virginia Foxx. Read more.

Blue Ridge Community Theatre production features talent, comedy and dinner
What kind of stage comedy has a major part of its action take place in a graveyard during a funeral? One of the funniest ones ever written, that’s what kind. The Blue Ridge Community Theatre will present a special dinner theatre production of the hit southern comedy “Dearly Departed” this Friday and Saturday, March 9-10 at Legends on the campus of Appalachian State University. Doors open at 6 p.m. and advance tickets are required. The dinner portion of the dinner theatre will be provided by Bandana’s Barbecue of Boone. Read more.

March 5, 2007
Wilcox Emporium agrees to host displaced museum’s exhibits from storage
A little bit of downtown Boone’s Wilcox Emporium could place the Appalachian Cultural Museum back in the public eye. Roger Wright, co-owner of the Wilcox Emporium, agreed to donate 400 square feet of space for a miniature annex of the displaced cultural museum. Read more.

Bee Colony Collapse Disorder strikes apiaries nationwide
The apiculture world is abuzz over the case of the disappearing bees. Local beekeepers are reporting incidents of “Colony Collapse Disorder,” part of a nationwide mystery that has raised concerns over the pollination of this year’s agricultural crops. The disorder involves the complete disappearance of bee colonies, leaving behind empty hives and abundant food and pollen supplies. Read more.

Boone Chamber asks: What is amazing customer service?
The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce uses a couple of words to describe the winners of its customer service awards — outrageous and amazing. And both are meant in the best possible way. As area businesses settle into 2007, the time has come for the next round of awards, and the chamber is accepting nominations for the 2007 recipients. Read more.

SAT expert grades test prep methods
How does one grade success? For Saul Chase, it’s a student’s marked improvement on the SAT. The Scholastic Aptitude Test can be an intimidating foe, standing between students and the college of their choice. Last September, Chase, a former teacher of 23 years in the Avery County school system, brought his system, Test Prep, to Watauga County. Read more.


Mountaineer Express line climbs less than expected
An express bus service connecting Boone with points east has been steadily gaining momentum, but its ridership is still running about 12 percent behind the projected numbers. The Mountaineer Express, which runs a daily bus between Boone and Greensboro with three stops in between, is averaging nearly 26 passengers per day. Brent McKinnie, director of Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, said the original grant proposal was for 30 passengers a day and, with half the funding year remaining, PART is making a marketing push in search of more riders.Read more.