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Inaugural ticket request via Web

The office of U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-5) released the following information today regarding inauguration-ticket requests. Click here for more information: http://www.foxx.house.gov/?sectionid=118&sectiontree=59,118

WHS Playmakers to present one-act plays

The Watauga High School Pioneer Playmakers invites the public to an encore performance of their award-winning one-act plays. At the Regional North Carolina Theatre Conference One-Act Play Festival, the Playmakers received multiple awards for their self-written piece "Communicare" and a Holocaust play by Jeffrey Hatcher, "Korczak's Children." Both of these plays will be performed for a final time on Monday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the William Ross Auditorium at Watauga High School. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.

Crimestoppers: Radford Quarry office broken into
Watauga County Crimestoppers requests the public’s help in identifying the person(s) responsible for the following crime(s): Sometime between Saturday evening, Nov. 8, and Monday morning, Nov. 10, the office at the Radford Quarry, located at 5605 Bamboo Road, Boone, was broken into and property was taken. Anyone with information on this crime or any other crime is asked to call Crimestoppers at 828-268-6959. All information will be kept confidential. Crimestoppers pays rewards for information, which leads to arrests; recovery of stolen property; seizure of drugs; and the location of wanted persons.

Most Watauga schools reach distinction marks
Final school testing results confirmed that all nine Watauga County schools met expected standards of academic growth under the ABCs of Education end-of-year testing.

Study: Grandfather scenic area would draw more visitors
An economic study compiled by Colorado State University suggests a mountain of value in a scenic designation for a large tract of federal property.

Watauga County's band of brothers Five members of the Bryan family, natives of the Meat Camp community, gathered for the Veterans Day observance Nov. 11 at Appalachian State University. The brothers represent three of the armed forces. Joe Bryan, (left in photo), is a retired staff sergeant with the N.C. Army National Guard. He also is a retired Appalachian employee. Junior Miller, a half brother to the Bryans, served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired at the rank of technical sergeant. Terry Bryan, third from left in the photo, served in the U.S. Army. John Bryan, second from right in the photo, retired as a captain with the U.S. Navy with more than 26 years of service. Jim Bryan, landscape supervisor at Appalachian, was one of the many young men receiving a draft notice from the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Although he was not drafted into service, his older brothers all served at the same time during that war. Photo by ASU photographer Marie Freeman

Blowing Rock amends noise ordinance
With three new construction projects in the works for downtown Blowing Rock, the town’s board of commissioners decided to “nip in the bud” any noise problems residents of the community might experience in the next two years.

National Episcopal leader discusses homelessness, community issues
A discussion of homelessness and related issues brought together about 200 people from the faith and non-profit communities Thursday morning.

Watauga sheriff’s reports:
Oct. 25 —Michael Thomas Peterson, 17, of 135 Milligan Ave., Johnson City, Tenn., was arrested on view on charges of possessing and/concealing weapons (knife).

You take 2 million tons and what do you get?
Watauga County will beef up its recycling efforts to head toward a state goal of 2 million tons of recycled materials annually by 2012.

Crimestoppers: Theft of tools from storage trailers
Watauga County Crimestoppers requests the public’s help in identifying the person(s) responsible for the following crime(s): Sometime between Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 10, at 6 p.m., a suspect(s) entered a farm around the 1300 block of Brownwood Road. The suspect(s) then broke into two storage trailers. The suspect(s) then left the area with an aluminum tool box and other tools Anyone with information on this crime or any other crime is asked to call Crimestoppers at 828-268-6959. All information will be kept confidential. Crimestoppers pays rewards for information, which leads to arrests; recovery of stolen property; seizure of drugs; and the location of wanted persons.

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November 12, 2008

Veterans Day Nick Friedman, left, and William H. Smith face the flags as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance on Tuesday at the Boone Mall during a Veterans Day program. Photo by Mark Mitchell

Party faithful assess implications of county’s Democratic shift
Watauga County is currently a solidly “Blue” county, but political winds are ever changing and the local political parties are already charting new courses.

Day targets recycling
Nov. 15 is America Recycles Day, and local entities are fishing in the local waste stream to land more reusable materials.

Disc dive Two-year-old Angus catches some air as he snags a Frisbee thrown by owner Scott Moretz while the two play at Brookshire Park in Boone. Photo by Mark Mitchell

Boone Police reports:
Oct. 30 —An incident of communicating threats was reported at 10:42 a.m. on the 200 block of Shadowline Drive.

Town session will deal with Boone municipal leftovers: parking, signs
The town of Boone is offering a double feature Thursday night, with a joint meeting of the Boone Town Council and Boone Area Planning Commission followed by a quarterly public hearing.

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November 10, 2008
Stolen vehicle found in Watauga Lake

A vehicle reported stolen in Watauga County was recovered in Butler, Tenn., last week.

Top Episcopal Church bishop to visit Boone
A top official of the American Episcopal Church will visit Boone to discuss homelessness.

Honoring veterans First-grade students of Parkway Elementary held their second annual “Bring a Vet to School Day” on Friday. Photo by Mark Mitchell

Third suspect charged in sexual offense investigation
A third person has been arrested in an investigation into an underage gathering held on Oct. 3. Derek Wesley Scism, 17, of Boone, was charged with second degree sexual offense related to the incident.

Watauga sheriff’s reports:
Oct. 23 —Ricky D. Cook, 35, of 1762 Silverstone Road, Zionville, was served with an order for arrest for failure to appear at a scheduled court date. He was placed in the Watauga County Detention Center and is scheduled to appear in district court on Nov. 24 in lieu of a secured $1,000 bond.

Local home construction down 25%
Amid a national housing slump, local home start-ups have slowed, though homeowners are taking advantage of low prices to remodel their existing homes.

Weekend wildfires damage 212 acres of U.S. Forest Service land
Crews from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) continued on site at two wildfires first reported on Friday.