2008
A look back
The following compilation is a concise look back at the news events which shaped the High Country in 2008 excerpted from the pages of the Watauga Democrat.

January
During the first week of January, a methamphetamine lab was discovered on Jones Drive Meat Camp. The residence had been vacant for two years and was owned by a Florida resident. Four individuals, Johnny Wayne Ellison, 40, of Boone, David Bruce Woodring, 40, of Boone, Randy Jack Davis, 37,of Mountain City, Tenn., and Jamey Houston Dowless, 29, of Trade, Tenn. were charged in the incident.

On Jan. 1, a new state law went into effect mandating restaurants to recycle all beverage containers in establishments holding certain Alcohol Beverage Commission permits. Failure to do so could result in the revocation of the permit.

On Jan. 9, A Seven Devils police officer shoots an alleged armed man, Walter Steele, at his residence on N.C. 105 South near the Watauga-Avery County line. The man died two weeks later. Following an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigations, the officer was cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident.

Appalachian State University and the town of Boone signed a water-use pact on Jan. 16. The agreement provides an emergency supply of water to the town, while crediting water to the university. The parties agreed to mutually fund the approximately $250,000 in costs of design, construction, maintenance and operation of the interconnection.

The Boone Town Council adopted two zoning measures on Jan. 17, paving the way for the new college of education building for ASU. The first action was an amendment to the unified development ordinance in the U-1 (university) district, which established requirements for building setbacks, building height limitations, intensity, parking and buffering. The second action was to approve a zoning change for properties on College and Howards Streets and Hamby Alley from R-3 (multi-family) to U-1 (university).

The Watauga County Commission and the school board approved a $42.7 million guaranteed maximum price tag for the new high school building and related facilities on Jan. 23.The construction price was presented by the contracting team of Barnhill Contracting Company and Vannoy Construction.

The Watauga County Commissioners transferred nearly two acres of property to the Hospitality House of Boone on January 24. The property is located in the Bamboo community and will be used to build a larger facility to house the homeless.

February
An ice storm on Feb. 1 left nearly 2,000 people without power across Watauga County. The storm averaged one half inch of ice across the area, causing fallen trees to take out power lines.

On Feb. 6 a small fire in the rear of the store caused nearly $50,000 in damages to merchandise in Big Lots, located in New Market Centre. The store closed for one day to clean-up and re-opened the following day.

A Criston Eagle small airplane crashed on the Mountain View Aviation, Boone airport on Feb. 9. The operator of the plane was attempting to land and came into contact with trees at the end of the runway. Though, the plane was a complete loss, pilot Ralph Lerch, 72, of Boone, sustained only minor injuries.

During the second week of February, the speed limit of N.C. 105 from the N.C. 105 Bypass to the Poplar Grove Road intersection was dropped from 45 mph to 35 mph. The change was the result of a request made by the Boone Town Council to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Tammy Guilford of Boone was the proud owner of a 2007 PT Cruiser as the winner of the High Country United Way car raffle, announced at Ross Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Boone on Valentine’s Day.

A fugitive in a three-year old sexual assault case was arrested on Feb. 20 in Bradford Trailer Park. The assault was reported to have occurred in May of 2005. Francisco Javier Martinez-Garcia was alleged to have eluded arrest by fleeing to his home country of Mexico. Watauga County Sheriff’s Office learned that he had returned to the area and surveillance efforts matched his description to the 2005 case.

At their annual retreat held on Feb. 22, Boone town council members agreed to deny a request from Watauga County to waive water availability, permitting and inspection fees for the new high school project. The total of those fees was estimated at $125,000.

March
A false police report lead to the first-ever lockdown on ASU campus. A student, Matthew Haney, reported to the Boone Police Department, he came home on March 3 to an armed gunman who ran off in the direction of the campus. Upon further interviews, Haney admitted he had fabricated the story and was charged with filing a false police report.

A fire destroyed a Deep Gap home on March 6. The home, located on V.L. Moretz Road was a complete loss despite the efforts of more than 30 firefighters and seven trucks.

On March 16, a fire destroyed one of the original buildings of the Tweetsie Railroad them park. Firefighters from Blowing Rock Fire & Rescue and Boone Fire Department arrived on scene to find the Depot Gift Shop and the Museum fully engulfed. Among the historic items lost, memorabilia and costumes from the 1960’s television cowboy Fred Kirby were destroyed.

A new voting precinct was designated by the county board of elections in late March. The new Transfer II precinct, located on ASU campus was established to ease confusion in the Boone II precinct, a heavily student-populated area.

A fire scorched an estimated 25 acres in Vilas on Stone Mountain on March 27. The fire began with a resident burning household trash and the fire escaped and spread quickly up the steep slope. More than eight fire departments responded with an estimated 50 firefighters to battle the blaze.

April
In early April, Barrack Obama campaign staffers officially opened the presidential candidate’s campaign office on the corner of King St. and Straight St. in downtown Boone. The office provided yard signs and bumper stickers for Obama backers in the High Country.

The Wellness Center in Boone celebrated its 10th anniversary. Located in the building that formerly housed the Polar Palace ice rink, the gym and physical rehab center recently added a new swimming pool to its facilities.

A joint investigation between the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and the Watauga County Animal Care and Control department resulted in the seizure of 77 dogs and three dead puppies from a home near Todd. The dogs’ owner, 18 year-old Anna Mae Warner, was later charged with 70 counts of animal cruelty as a result of the investigation. Seized were many toy dog breeds including miniature schnauzer, Maltese, Jack Russell, shih tzu, pug and other small breeds.

In April, a popular restaurant and nightspot, the Boone Saloon, suffered an interior fire during a Thursday night concert. Renovations and repairs kept the business closed for the next four months.

In the capital murder trial of Neil Matthew Sargeant, 26, accused of killing Stephen William Harrington, 19 of Boone, Sargeant was found guilty and sentenced to life behind bars with no possibility of parole. Sargeant was the second of three defendants accused of killing Harrington and disposing of his body in his own car parked on Sleepy Hollow Lane in the Foscoe community on the morning of Nov. 8, 2005.

Appalachian State saw its first player taken in the NFL Draft since 2001 when Dexter Jackson was picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round on April 26.

The Watauga County Board of Education hired Tim Pruitt as the new football coach at Watauga High School, replacing popular and successful coach Adrian Snow who led the Pioneers to the 4-A state semifinals in 2006 and 2007.

The town of Boone held a special public hearing on the newly proposed mixed drink referendum. The hearing was marked by the presence of an unusually high number of non-Boone residents opposed to the town gaining liquor by the drink.

On April 29 former president Bill Clinton spoke at Appalachian State University on behalf of his wife, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Thousands of people turned out to hear Clinton speak at ASU’s Varsity Gym.

May
Third-grade teacher Erin Patterson of Parkway Elementary School was named Watauga County Schools Teacher of the Year for the 2007-08 school year. She was presented the award in her classroom at Parkway on Friday, May 9.

Approximately 1,700 ASU students received their degrees during ceremonies over the weekend of May 10-11.

A 19-year-old man, Seth Pickett, was fatally stabbed outside a post-prom party on Navajo Trail in Boone on May 17. After a brief investigation, police officers arrested Samuel Maurice King, 23, of Boone and charged him with murder.

A series of undercover operations by the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Division led to the seizure of more than 100 grams of crystal methamphetamine and the arrests of four Boone men. Arrested in the operation were Nicholas Gray, Mark Moretz, Adam Mattox and Douglas Moretz.

A second person, Richard “Ricky” Hurt, 22, was charged in the animal cruelty case involving Anna Mae Warner of Todd. Authorities stated that Hurt resided at the same Todd household when Warner was charged with 70 counts of animal cruelty in connection with an alleged puppy breeding operation at the residence.

On Friday, May 30, Watauga High School held graduation ceremonies for 295 seniors.

June
Officers of the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, Meat Camp Volunteer Fire Department and Watauga Medics responded to a call regarding an infant who was not breathing. Eight-month-old Octavia Miller was transported to Watauga Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. The cause of death was determined to be hyperthermia. Kayla Ernestine Ruppard, 20, of Deep Gap, was later charged with involuntary manslaughter in the case.

Green Valley Elementary School student Baron Fenwick became one of 45 finalists in the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Former ASU student Matthew Haney, 22, charged with filing a false police report, was sentenced on June 10 to two years unsupervised probation and 100 hours of community service. The charges stemmed from a March 3 incident in which Haney claimed a masked gunman wearing a black Pink Floyd T-shirt entered his apartment in an attempted robbery. The incident resulted in ASU’s first ever campus lockdown before Haney admitted that he had made up the story in an attempt to get out of paying for a broken door at his apartment.

On June 10 Gov. Mike Easley and the N.C. General Assembly declared it to be “Mountaineer Day” in the state in honor of the ASU Mountaineers and the team’s three consecutive 1-AA championships during the 2005-2007 seasons.

On June 17 the Boone Town Council voted to approve a mixed drink referendum for restaurants inside the city limit. The approval of the referendum paved the way for a public vote on the matter.

Anna Mae Warner and Richard Hurt entered a deferred prosecution agreement in a Watauga County courtroom to settle the more than 70 animal cruelty charges against them. The agreement included the couple’s allowing the Watauga Humane Society to take custody of more than 100 dogs seized from their Todd community residence.

Michael Wyant, formerly the director of high schools, driver’s education and athletics for the Catawba County schools, was named principal for Watauga High School. Wyant’s appointment was approved by the Watauga County Board of Education on June 17.

July
The Boone Town Council approved a water allocation that would allow the Boone Wal-Mart to expand by 28,000 square feet.

The North Carolina Superior Court overturned a Boone Board of Adjustment decision after local developer Phil Templeton challenged the town’s denial of a permit to construct a medical clinic.

Jason Bigelow and Anna Bridges, both of Vilas, were arrested after allegedly robbing the High Country Bank in Foscoe at gunpoint.

A Wilkes County bomb squad safely detonated an explosive device discovered at the front entrance of the Boone Wal-Mart.

The 6,200-acre upscale Laurelmor development’s fate grew uncertain after the Ginn Company missed a payment on a $675 million loan.

Country music star Charlie Daniels closed out the 2008 Appalachian Summer Festival with a concert at the Holmes Convocation Center.

Former presidential candidate and Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul made a”Campaign For Liberty” stop in Boone.

August
Hawksnest Ski & Golf in Seven Devils announced it would no longer operate ski slopes but instead focus exclusively on snow tubing.

Former Boone police officer Marvin Eric Tart was charged with six counts of felony sexual exploitation of a minor. The arrest stemmed from an Internet investigation and a sting by Buncombe County and state officers.

The Boone Town Council scheduled a $25 million bond referendum to install a new water intake plant on the South Fork of the New River and about 12 miles of water line.

Despite a sluggish economy, a report showed Watauga County tourism and travel revenues rose 6.7 percent in 2007.

The State Bureau of Investigation cleared Seven Devils police officer Jonathan Harris of any wrongdoing in connection with the January fatal shooting of Walter Garland Steele.

A new Family Resource Center, housing several local non-profit agencies, opened on Birch Street in Boone.

Boone voters overwhelmingly adopted a referendum to allow mixed-drink sales in Boone.

Patrol members at Appalachian Ski Mountain earned a national award for their January rescue of a person suffering cardiac arrest.

Amber Clark Pennell gained national media coverage for being discovered and rescued five days after being trapped in an automobile accident on U.S. 321 in Caldwell County.

Makato’s Seafood and Steakhouse of Japan served the first legal mixed drink in Boone.

September
Former U.S. Senator and vice-presidential candidate Bob Dole visited Blowing Rock to campaign for his wife, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

The Town of Blowing Rock was exonerated in a civil trial resulting from a 2004 fall at Glen Burney Falls.

Rescue workers found a lost hiker on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the aid of a cell phone’s global-positioning system.

Watauga Health Department was selected for a $475,000 grant to fight childhood obesity.

James Canter of Zionville, who had been convicted with Alisha Chambers in the 2005 abduction of two children, was treated for gunshot wounds stemming from a domestic disturbance.

The Boone Town Council set its road priorities for 2011-2017, listing N.C. 105 improvements and a Boone bypass at the top.

The Town of Boone announced an agreement to purchase the historic downtown post office for $1.25 million and to lease it to the United State Postal Service for 20 years.

Gas shortages in the wake of Hurricane Ike kept local motorists with one eye on the gas gauge.

A lockdown was ordered at Valle Crucis Elementary School after a man suspected of killing a Caldwell County Sheriff’s Deputy was reported in the area. The suspect, Skip Brinkley, was later found dead in Caldwell County of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

One woman and six children were transported to Watauga Medical Center, with no serious injuries suffered, after a school bus rolled off Hardin Road when the edge of the road gave way.

Dixie Cleaners of Boone closed its dry-cleaning operation after 53 years in business, selling its facility to Appalachian State University.

The Rotary Club of Boone observed its 60th anniversary.

The State of North Carolina announced plans to purchase Grandfather Mountain, paying $12 million for 2,600 acres. The park will be managed a non-profit group, with no change in operations expected.

See the Weekender edition (Jan. 1-3) and the Dec. 31 Web for the rest of this article.

—Melanie Davis, Jeff Eason, Scott Nicholson