Meadowview Magnet Hosts Astronomy Night

Erik Cabrera and Caleb Whitaker, seventh grade science teacher, looked at which celestial bodies on the last night. (Submit photos)

Digital Learning Director Lucas Gillespie talks with Sid Sutphin and Parker Slate. (Submit photos)

Paul Clark’s Earth and Environment students, from left to right, including Rich Reeves, Jon David Knopf, Sid Sutherfin, Paul Clark, Violet Morgan, May Gen Gunter, Colton Moore, Alexis Vanhoey and Arnie Hughes (photos submitted)

On November 9th, Meadowview Magnet Middle invited eighth grade students of Paul Clark's Earth and Environment Course and their families to participate in an astronomy night.

Science and STEM coordinator Jeff Edwards, digital learning director Lucas Gillespie, and Meadowview Magnet eighth grade science teacher Clark co-organized the event.

Students, families and staff can see Venus, Saturn’s rings and craters on the moon.

The court suspends and then restarts some candidate submissions

MacDuffie signs contract with Tennessee Tech University

The Surrey County Committee held its last regular meeting of the year on Monday, which was a change of guard when they elected new officials. Commissioner Bill Goins (Bill Goins) moved to the chair, and the board of directors elects Commissioner Eddie Harris (Eddie Harris) as vice chairman.

As in the practice of this committee, there is a rotation schedule for officials, in which no chairperson is selected as the chairperson, and vice-chairpersons are removed from the chairperson.

According to Commissioner Van Tucker, the rotation format can increase transparency and eliminate the appearance of any small factions running on the board. He said that the rotation of officials can generate more and better ideas, as well as new voices in the committee.

Having a publicly functioning county committee is a huge benefit for the citizens of this county, because these officials are overseeing a huge annual budget of close to $80 million.

The outgoing chairman Mark Marion thanked the board and county staff for their hard work during his tenure. After a short break in the meeting of moving name tags and taking pictures, the committee was seated and chaired by Chairman Bill Goens.

In other committee news:

-Introduced to the local Eagle Scouts in recognition of their highest level of honor in Scouting. As Chairman of Eagle Scout, Chairman Goins took the time to talk about the great honour of reaching Eagle and pointed out that people have noticed Eagle Scouts, and the title is still meaningful.

Although not all Eagle Scouts can participate in the meeting, everyone deserves respect, and the committee celebrated the achievements of the following individuals: Garyn Bender, Nicholas Bryant, and Alexander Kaufhold. The committee also extended congratulations and best wishes to Eagle Scouts Joshua Joyce, Ethan Faw, Chase Harris, Skylar Lawson and Jacob Haywood.

-Joan Sherif, Director of the Northwest Territories Library, talked about the state of the library system. Sherif reported on the strong circulation of the entire system and said that although the flow of people may have declined, they showed an increase in the use of online resources.

The Northwest Territories Library has 13 libraries, and she reported that the system's book circulation has increased by 10%. "It's always nice to see this. People say, "Are people still reading? "I think the answer is yes."

"The library is as important as ever," Sharif said. "They are part of education for all ages." The system uses grants from the Emergency Connect Fund to purchase Chromebooks and hotspots to help bridge the digital divide, as evidenced by this. A Chromebook is a streamlined tablet device that is mainly used for web-based services such as browsing, and does not have an advanced processor for graphics or games.

Anna Nichols from Pilot Mountain and Sherif outlined the changes and improvements of the regional system, such as Lowgap now has Saturday time, or Pilot Mountain where there is a makerspace for business development activities. Nichols explained: “We are trying to find small niches and provide help in small ways that become a big deal.”

-Commissioner Tucker provided an update on his attempt to relocate the World War II Memorial, the old school bell and track and field memorabilia from the Old Westfield School. He is in contact with local church groups, trying to find the best habitat for these "close at hand" cultural relics.

-Commissioner Larry Johnson asked specific questions about important issues he wanted to see. The issues surrounding Jones’ school property are his biggest concern, and county manager Chris Knopf said that the board’s choice has been outlined and is unlikely to change. Knoff said that at this time it was in the hands of the committee members.

"This issue is complex and wide-ranging," Commissioner Harris said. The board decided that the Jones issue requires its own retreat meeting. "We need to treat it fairly," he said.

Commissioner Johnson also investigated the county's participation in PART (Regional Transportation Committee that manages commuter bus routes). The board of directors had been uncertain in previous meetings whether the number of passengers justified further participation in PART. Johnson asked how Surrey County could get rid of the agreement.

There is no clear way to remove a county from a multi-county agreement. County Attorney Ed Woltz requested and obtained permission to speak with PART attorney Tom Terrell. "He has the best feeling about how to solve this problem...even if it may not be very desirable" for PART.

Johnson finally asked when the committee could use funds from the US rescue plan. Knopf reported that he would be happy to put ARP spending back on the agenda for discussion in January.

-The county manager Knopf reminded the committee members that at their next meeting, they will vote on part of the matching funds for the expansion of the Surry Rural Health Center on Highway 89. Dr. Challie Minton has stated that he will seek to expand and agrees with Commissioner Marion that this is necessary. "They develop so fast; they burst at the seams over there."

In the last business of the evening, Knopf submitted a funding request to the board of directors to recover part of the expenses incurred by the residents of Toast in cleaning up the nuisance property. Several board members stated that they were aware of the faulty property west of the Old Franklin Fire Station on Toast Road.

Commissioner Harris said that Doug Hall of the Surrey County Code Management Department considered this to be one of the most serious "problem properties." Community members organize and assemble heavy equipment on their own to solve their ongoing problems. They removed 22.4 tons of rubbish from the property, which has been a problem of squatters.

The committee members would like to thank the residents of Toast for their hard work and unanimously voted to pay the $1,007.55 cost of dumping garbage. Even Tucker, who is financially conservative, voted on the board: "I think if we can spend a thousand dollars to get rid of this mess, he will be happy to do it."

Dobson-The first day of the candidate application period is usually accompanied by a lot of activities, and this is the case with Dobson this week.

"We had a very busy day at the Surrey County Election Commission (office), and 14 people applied for the office," the county election director Michella Huff announced Monday evening. That was the first day that those seeking various local seats in Mount Airy and elsewhere in Surrey could officially put on their hats for the 2022 election season.

However, one of the applicants, Will Pfitzner, the candidate for the northern seat of the Mount Airy Committee, has withdrawn from the race.

Joanna Refvem has also applied to serve as North District Commissioner.

At the same time, three people who announced their intention to run for mayor also submitted applications on Monday: Jon Cowley, Theresa Lewis and Ron Nilan, who is now the mayor.

Cowley, 59, is the longest serving city council member since 2008. He announced in July that he intends to run for the highest elected position in Mount Airy and made it clear that he thinks Niland is doing well.

His decision to run for mayor can be traced back to David Rowe, who once held the post, resigned in October 2020 due to health reasons.

Cowley has stated that he hopes to play a different role in the city government. Cowley stated in July that although the mayor does not have the right to vote in his actions-except to break the tie-one thing he can do is "tell our story." He believes that the mayor is the facade of the city and the most eye-catching representative.

The 66-year-old Niland formally announced at a council meeting last Thursday that he would run for mayor and submitted an application on Monday.

"This is a period of change in the history of our city," Nilan said on Thursday, adding that he hopes to continue the "great work" that has already started and become part of Airy Mountain's vision for many projects.

Lewis also announced her candidacy for mayor a few months ago.

She is a former on-the-job commissioner of Mount Airy and a retired local businesswoman who has long-term connections with WorkForce Unlimited human resources company.

Lewis, 63, cited her past experience with the city government—including playing a key role in launching its recycling program about 10 years ago—as what made her eligible for public office again.

Over the years, she has also served on the boards of various community organizations.

The three candidates submitted on Monday will force the Mayor of Airy Mountain to conduct a primary election in March. This is necessary when three or more candidates are seeking a specific position.

The Mount Airy election is non-partisan.

Since Cowley was not allowed to run for public office and his current committee seat, this opened the door for others to apply for the North District-Cowley never encountered opposition in his three re-election campaigns there.

At noon on Monday, when the candidate's application period began, Pfitzner and Refvem did so without hesitation.

But Pfitzner, 28, said on Tuesday that his candidacy is short-lived and he will withdraw his name from the proceedings sometime this week.

"I didn't know that Joanna would submit an application," he said of Refvem, a neighbor of his Montclaire Drive and a friend of Pfitzner's family.

"I really believe that Joanna will do a good job," Pfitzner said, while expressing that he didn't want to run against someone so close.

As the owner of a company called LazerEdge Designs, his reasons for seeking public office include adding different elements to the city government.

"I want young people to enter the leadership," Pfitzner said, saying that he only temporarily postponed his plan. "I will run for some type of city leader in the future."

Refvem, 67, is a semi-retired counselor at Mount Airy High School. She mentioned on Tuesday that her family has lived in the city since 1996. She wants to do something to help "a community that is very good for us," the candidate said.

She is not particularly concerned about the city government activities that promote the election for public office.

"I have absolutely no agenda at this time," said Refvem, who plans to measure the concerns of citizens and how she can help. "I think I want to be a good student in the community."

Candidates for the party county office also submitted applications on Monday, including:

• Surry Sheriff Steve Hiatt, 58, a Republican who will be campaigning for his second term in the office he was elected to in 2018;

• The current court clerk Neil Brendle, 45 years old, is also seeking a second consecutive term of Republican votes;

• Brundle’s challenger, Melissa Marion Welch, a 41-year-old Republican from Dobson;

• Walter D. Harris, 68, applied to run for a seat in the Mount Airy District of the Surrey County Council, and is now served by Bill Goins, a first-term incumbent and Republican;

• Tessa Saeli, 48, a resident of Elgin, is seeking a seat on the long-serving Eddie Harris (all Republicans) County Committee Southern District;

• The current Democratic member of the Surrey County Board of Education, 44-year-old Mamie M. Sutphin of Pilot Hill, represents District 2 on the committee;

• Brent Long, 56, is also a resident of Pilot Hill. He is a Republican and is seeking to overthrow Supthin.

• Jessica George, 33, from Siloam, is a Republican seeking to fill a seat on the 3rd District County School Board that was recently vacated by Early Ke;

• Republican TJ Bledsoe, 40, a Dobson resident, campaigned for a seat on the Surry County Board of Education District 4, now chaired by Terri Mosley, chairman of the board.

The candidate application period will end at noon on December 17.

With candidate applications now open, anyone who has the ability to predict the future through a crystal ball may consider running for county governor. With this insight, you can make the best decisions about when to start planning, designing, and implementing the next round of school renovations—and the price tag is skyrocketing every year.

At the Surrey County Committee meeting on Monday night, Bill Powell of LT Consulting informed the board of directors of the upcoming renovation of the school. With the work of Dobson, Franklin, and Mountain View Elementary Schools now complete, Elgin's large-scale project is also underway, and the board heard and saw photos before and after the renovation project.

This phase started with an assessment of the county's needs in 2014, and then the architects began designing in 2018. In 2019, the bidding for Mount Airy's HVAC project and three basic projects ended. This seems to be a long time, but Powell told the committee members based on his experience, "It takes five years to find, find and find the right way."

Considering the normal planning timetable before considering the pandemic, Powell said that the fact that these projects are progressing well proves to all parties involved. "This is a long and focused process, and everyone needs to be praised," including affected faculty, staff and students.

These major projects, elementary schools, and ADA compliance issues related to Elkin and its gymnasium are costly. The total amount of these three primary school projects has exceeded 25 million U.S. dollars, while Elkin's budget exceeds 11 million U.S. dollars.

Dealing with these projects before things completely fall apart is the key. Powell commented to the board that although the appearance of the old school in the 1960s may still be structurally sound, the internal fixtures, windows, pipes, wiring, floors and ceilings are nearing their useful lives.

Schools completed at this stage, such as Franklin, have added some deferred maintenance costs-which means they will not re-queue in five years and need a new roof, but will deal with it now. A little financial planning at the front end "can save schools and taxpayers money."

Judging from the photos in the presentation, the work of the three schools is breathtaking. Before and after Dobson, Mountain View and Franklin's shots, it can be dizzy. Some classrooms were completely destroyed, "everything is gone—the wind blows through," Powell said of the classrooms through which tumbleweed can pass. Classrooms that were once exposed to water pipes and old windows are now bright, clean and modern learning spaces.

Franklin Elementary has a new gym floor and pick-up/drop-off area, while Mountain Park turns a site into a new school building with its own covered drop-off area. Powell said that Dobson has a two-story teaching building, which means they are now a "complete internal campus."

The construction of the kitchen area of the cafeteria hides the exposed pipes and wires of the kitchen staff. The school also built new enclosed walkways to reduce children’s outdoor time between classes, and a new safe entrance to the school office to protect everyone on the campus.

The severely outdated bathroom 30 years ago treated the "rotted and expired" pipes under the floor and was torn up and regulated. Powell pointed out that the bathroom walls adopted "a color that we knew in the 1950s", thus showing traces of the past few decades. We have the avocados and we have the gold harvested," he said with a smile. What's ridiculous is that when these bathrooms were designed, the Americans with Disabilities Act did not exist, so they are not useful for 21st century schools.

It is these ADA compliance issues that Elkin is facing, and Powell called it "a difficult project. It took us a while to do it." Elkin needed a three elevator system designed to cover seven floors and 72 Feet height to move students from one gymnasium floor to another gymnasium floor and allow access to the new ADA and Title IX-compliant locker room.

It's hard to imagine the design and coordination of such a project until Powell showed elevation photos that illustrate the scale of the operation. Powell praised Vannoy Construction, the contractor who managed the Elkin project, and suggested that the project would be "easier to construct" to reduce the expected cost. Elkin's project is in progress and is currently within budget, with an estimated completion date of the fall of 2023.

The committee members asked Powell about funding the next round of renovations. Commissioner Van Tucker asked about the conditions of the three high schools and the cost of the work required. "In 2014, when we talked about this, we said that each person might have 20-25 million. Now each of us is talking about more than 400,000," Powell said.

When asked to predict what these costs might be in the future, the answer was simple: "In what year? Those buildings are very old. Getting off the slide is a big deal," he said. Waiting to start planning will not improve the situation or costs, Powell suggested, "Five years from now, 40 million will be 50 to 60."

After digesting this number for a moment, Tucker reiterated, “This is why I hope you will solve this problem for this board and public consumption again tonight. More importantly, we need to be very cautious on this board and use our available Funds. We have future needs."

The Central United Methodist Church will host a "White Christmas" this year. "White Christmas" is a drive-in site nativity plan in which the church will collect non-perishable food for the Yokefellow Ministries Food Pantry.

All food is required to be wrapped in white, hence the name "White Christmas".

"This is an adaptation of the Central UMC tradition that began in the 1960s," said Daniel V. Miller, senior pastor of Central United Methodist Church. "In the special service in the sanctuary of the church, the children dressed in costumes replayed the story of the birth of Jesus."

When the service is over, the congregation will come to the altar and wrap the food in white paper.

"These canned foods are given to Jesus as gifts, and then to the local food bank in Jesus' name," Miller said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation must change, as there is no possibility of large gatherings in closed areas. Kisha Sipe, Director of Children's Ministry, changed this activity to driving through.

When arriving at the event site, the audience will stop and turn off their headlights. Each of them will receive a program with a live narrative of the birth of Jesus.

"We also provide a QR code for those who want to listen to the recording in the car. Those who don't have a'smartphone' will get a CD," Miller said.

This living birth is composed of several different "stations". These stations include angels, shepherds, holy family, and wise men.

“At each station, participants will stop to listen or read the narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ,” Miller said.

The event will be held at the Central United Methodist Church from 7pm to 8:30pm on December 12.

The event is free, but the organizer requires you to bring non-perishable food in white packages.

"We look forward to sharing the story of Jesus' birth with the community, and sharing the gifts we brought to commemorate Jesus' birthday with people in the community suffering from food insecurity," Miller said.

The long-standing Western music group Riders In The Sky will make its debut at Mount Airy on Saturday.

Members of the Grand Ole Opry who have won multiple Grammy Awards will perform at the Historic Earle Theatre on Main Street for the first time. The concert is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm

"Christmas the Cowboy Way" by Riders In The Sky showcases a festive combination of Western classic music, traditional Christmas music and Riders original Christmas carols, aiming to bring joy to people of all ages.

"They will even invite the audience to sing a few traditional festival classics with them," the Surrey Arts Council said when announcing the show. "And all these Christmas charms have been the classic Western favorites that riders have been singing for 30 years. This is a show that truly delights people of all ages."

Riders In The Sky has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 30 years and has recorded 37 studio albums, performed in all 50 states, and performed in 13 different countries. Some people may remember their appearances on shows such as Hee Haw, and recent music recorded with Disney/Pixar, including the theme song "Woody's Roundup" in the movie "Toy Story 2."

Ticket prices range from US$35 to US$65 and can be purchased at www.surryarts.org, the Surrey Arts Council Office at 218 Rockford Street, phone 336-786-7998 or at the door one hour before the show.

On November 9th, Meadowview Magnet Middle invited eighth grade students of Paul Clark's Earth and Environment Course and their families to participate in an astronomy night.

Science and STEM coordinator Jeff Edwards, digital learning director Lucas Gillespie, and Meadowview Magnet eighth grade science teacher Clark co-organized the event.

Students, families and staff can see Venus, Saturn’s rings and craters on the moon.

Candidates who wish to apply for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina, as well as all seats in the state's General Assembly, were unable to apply on Monday after a panel of three judges in the North Carolina Court of Appeals approved the suspension of the application.

However, the full appeals court cancelled the suspension late on Monday, and candidates can submit applications when local election offices across the state open on Tuesday morning.

Applications for municipal seats, judges and other local office candidates began as scheduled on Monday, and are not affected by court litigation.

The delay occurred after the North Carolina Court of Appeals approved the temporary suspension of applications for state and congressional seats. At first, the suspension seemed to last at least until noon on Thursday amid the controversy over the border between Congress and the General Assembly constituency.

Last Friday, the court ruled on those who tried to stop the application. At least two lawsuits have been filed to try to stop filing applications and overturn the state's congressional and assembly district boundaries established using 2020 U.S. Census data.

In one of the lawsuits filed by North Carolina of Conservation Voters Inc., the plaintiff argued that the new border was the result of an “extremely partisan” district, which allowed the Republican Party to sit in the U.S. House of Representatives in that state. Occupy an overwhelming advantage, even though the state is relatively evenly divided among Republican and Democratic voters.

In addition to Monday’s order, the three-judge panel also asked state and Republican officials to respond by noon on Thursday before making a permanent ruling.

The court order stated: “A ruling on the petition will be made when the defendant submits a response or if the response period for not submitting a response expires.”

However, the lawyers of the Republican officials who helped draw the new map immediately appealed to the 15-member Court of Appeals. The agency ruled later on Monday that candidates can continue to submit applications and wait for the outcome of the court proceedings.

This is far from the first time the Republican Party has faced such an action. The party redrawn the map of Congress and the General Assembly after the 2010 census, so that the state was embroiled in lawsuits challenging these seats until it was finally ordered by the court to redraw the map in 2016 and 2017.

The Alpha Xi Tau chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Association of Surrey Community College raised more than $3,000 for the Church of Hope Orphanage in Ghana. This is the result of the club’s efforts in this year’s "Honor in Action" project.

In the summer and fall, the Society Branch raised US$3,065 and donated items to the Hope Church Orphanage. The orphanage accommodates children rescued from slavery in Ghana’s quarries and also provides them with medical care and education. The orphanage needs repairs, and the money is used to repair the roof, dining room, kitchen, plumbing and electricity.

PTK members received a $1,000 action honor award to help them work hard. In addition, they also organized their own fundraising activities. This includes the Labor Day sale, the donation of unsold items to the Hope House thrift store, the fall beauty basket sweepstakes, and donations from the Desireé Blakley and James Hunter chapters of the American Revolutionary Daughters National Association.

Dr. Kathleen Fowler, PTK Chapter Advisor of Surrey Community College, said: “Through our project, we understand that our informed actions can have a positive impact, helping victims of human trafficking escape the cycle of poverty and exploitation, and provide them with a Study and grow in a safe place. In the past, these children could only eat one meal a day as a salary for their hard work in the quarry. Now, they will prepare three meals a day in the newly renovated kitchen and be safe , Dine in a leak-proof restaurant. With a well-nourished body and mind, these children will be healthier and more successful in school. Since education is the key to helping these children escape the cycle of poverty and exploitation, our project is helping to transform the terrible legacy of child labor. A legacy of hope."

Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society that recognizes the academic achievements of students from universities that award associate degrees and helps them grow into scholars and leaders. The association is composed of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters from 11 countries.

For more information about Phi Theta Kappa and its projects, please contact Fowler at 336-386-3560 or fowlerk@surry.edu, and Kayla Forrest at 336-386-3315 or forrestkm@surry.edu. Follow the local chapter on Facebook @surryPhiThetaKappa or visit www.ptk.org.

New version from Mount Airy Public Library:

Midnight Lock-Jeffrey Deaver

Christmas Promise-Richard Paul Evans

Go tell the bees I'm gone-Diana Gabarden

Fearless-James Patterson

Wish you are here-Jodi Piccott

On my corpse-Jeffrey Archer

101 legal forms for personal use

Zen and the Art of Saving the Earth-Thich Nhat Hanh

Snack Carnival-David Cedaris

The library story time is open to anyone who wants to join us. If you have not been vaccinated, it is recommended to wear a mask. Bilingual story time for children-listening to English and Spanish stories at 4pm on Mondays); 10:30am on Wednesdays for children aged 2 and 3 years old; reservations for children born to 2 years old on Thursdays at 9:30am Babies; Thursday morning at 11 am, a preschool story time for 4 and 5 year olds.

Surrey Community College offers fun and free English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at the Mount Airy Public Library from Monday to Thursday from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm. Anyone interested should contact Jennifer Pardue at 336-386-3674.

Hooked-Join our crochet club at 3pm every Wednesday. Bring your own yarn and make a group project or bring your own project to work. This month’s project is pumpkin.

Tai Chi returned to the library. Joining us every Friday at 10 am This course is beneficial for people with limited mobility.

Classic Movie On Monday, December 20th, at 6pm, we will watch the Lemonade Kid starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. A scammer in New York City didn't take out the $10,000 he owed a gangster until Christmas, which prompted him to start scams frantically.

Due to the Christmas holiday, the Community Book Club will meet on the third Wednesday of December at 1pm. In this conference, we will invite speaker, author Calvin Vaughn and editor Heather Elliot to talk about their book Life On Main.

Lace-Romance Readers Book Club meets on December 21st at 6 pm This month's novel is Bridgetton: The Duke of Julia Quinn and I.

Make It Mondays will be held on the third Monday of each month, and craft materials will be provided. Registration is recommended.

Letter to Santa Claus – Write a letter to Santa Claus telling him how good you are, then take it to the library and mail it to the North Pole.

Cookies with Santa-December. 21 o'clock 4 o'clock in the afternoon, share stories and cookies with Santa Claus. You can also take a photo with Santa Claus.

The Mount Airy Public Library will be closed from December 22nd to December 26th to welcome the Christmas holidays and long winter naps.

Learn about all events on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

After being largely robbed of the 2020 public holiday celebrations by COVID Grinch, local residents are making up for it this year-as can be seen from an event in the downtown Mount Airy.

Although the "half mile of Christmas cheer" involved a certain distance on Thursday night — when North Avenue was closed to traffic and attendees could enjoy live music from 10 different groups along the way — there was no limit to smiles.

With the festive atmosphere in the air, the party benefited from the rare December evening temperature in the 1960s, as the Mount Airy High School band appeared about an hour later and led the crowd to the town hall to light the tree lights.

"I'm pretty sure this is the most we have ever done," said Jenny Smith, a member of the Urban Appearance Committee, of those who participated in the organization's long-term lead lighting program.

The crowd on the city hall grounds is a far cry from last year, when the coronavirus pandemic disrupted normal annual events, such as the Christmas parade and the lighting of the official holiday tree in Mount Airy-the scale of these events has been greatly reduced.

These take the form of activities that can only be driven by cars—allowing social distancing—in which case people are confined to their cars while riding carols and other groups similar to Thursday night performances. A major traffic backup was produced.

This evolved into a 2021 event, retaining the live music part-first attempted last year-but in a more simplified casual exercise environment. It is combined with the normal tree lighting plan, with Santa's visit as the highlight.

"I think this is a great event," Smith said, echoing the comments of others who participated in the celebration, including the open day in the city center.

She agrees that this shows that the traditional holiday spirit is back—really.

"I don't even know how many people we have," Smith added on Friday, when she said that the organizers were already looking forward to similar events in 2022, building on this year's success.

"We definitely want to do it again," a member of the Appearance Committee said of the half-mile Christmas cheer, which may include more musical groups and other adjustments.

This year’s party was a multilingual event. Local Spanish-speaking students and teachers sang songs such as "Feliz Navidad" during the one-hour music festival on North Street.

Vehicles are prohibited from Independence Avenue to Pine Street.

The fire that swept across Pilot Mountain State Park in late November was not the only proof of extreme dry conditions—there is also a new report showing that Mount Airy received less than 1 inch of rainfall throughout the month.

According to the monthly breakdown data released by FG Doggett Water Plant on Friday afternoon, November was the first time in recent memory the city experienced such a low water output, totaling only 0.45 inches.

A search of records revealed that the monthly precipitation measured at the city’s official weather monitoring station factory in October 2016 was even far close to this meager total amount of 0.93 inches.

The average rainfall of Mount Airi in November is 3.38 inches.

However, there were only four days of measurable rainfall last month, and the highest production-0.32 inches-was recorded on November 12, with only minor rainfall on the other three days.

For the whole year of 2021, as of November 30, the precipitation was 40.57 inches, 4.05 inches less than the normal local production of 44.62 inches in the first nine months of this year, a decrease of 9.1%.

This reflects the continued La Niña weather pattern that envelopes the area, which is characterized by reduced rainfall and higher than normal average temperatures.

Due to the cold current near the end of November, the local temperature was actually more than 3 degrees lower than usual, which was different from the temperature in the area last month. This was accompanied by frost on the 11th day.

The average temperature in November is 44.1 degrees, while the historical average temperature of Mount Airy is 47.2 degrees, where weather records have been preserved since 1924.

The La Niña phenomenon did set a monthly high of 80 degrees on November 10, breaking the record of 79 degrees in 2005. The 19-degree reading on November 25 was the lowest point of the month.

It was foggy one day.

Dobson-Local residents can help local non-profit organizations while preparing for the holidays.

The Northwestern North Carolina Children’s Center provides services to children and families in Surrey and surrounding counties, hosting Christmas shops and taking photos with Santa during this holiday season.

On Saturday, Santa set out to take pictures from the North Pole. Cookies and hot cocoa are provided at the event.

Olivia Shay Photography is taking pictures on the spot.

The appearance of Santa Claus is just one of two holiday fundraising activities held by the center.

“We provide holiday treats and decorations at Miracle in the Main Holiday Shoppe,” Beeson explained.

Our shop is open from 10 am to 5 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 10 am to 6:30 pm on Tuesday and Thursday.

Mrs. Hanes Moravian biscuits, wild boar head meat, Daniel Boone ham, Mrs. Pumpkin’s frozen chicken pie and baked pasta, and the Christmas green leaves of the Wals greenhouse are available for purchase at the central office in Dobson.

The shop also sells paintings created by the service young people and Christmas trees decorated by the staff.

Beeson said: "We hope that people in the community can stop and look at the services we provide, support the youth and families we serve, and understand the projects we must provide."

Bisen said that the funds raised will be used directly to support surrounding communities. The center does this through a number of projects, including its two residential group homes, parenting classes, and counseling services.

The center operates two residences, one in Dobson and the other in Yadkin County, which can accommodate 15 young people at any time.

"Our goal at the Children's Center is to support the children and families in our community," Bisson explained. "A supportive community has always surrounded us and helped us achieve this goal."

The main office of the center is located at 520 North Avenue in Dobson, and two fundraising events have been held. Those who need more information can call 386-9144.

Sometimes, a novelist working hard to complete a book needs the gentle push or a little encouragement of a close person to complete his work.

This is the case with Pilot Mountain native Michael Almond.

Almond is an international business lawyer. His debut film "The Tannery" is a legal thriller set in Wilkes County in the early 20th century. He said that this less gentle push came from his wife In the spring of 2020.

"I started thinking about'The Tannery' and roughly outlined the story of 2004," he said. "A lawyer is a direct thinker. For 16 years, time and time again, I was fooled by this incident and did research."

Then, on a certain day in April 2020, after spending months at home in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, he thought that he might finally solve the problem.

"Helen Ruth, it's coming," he recalled telling his wife. "I think I have solved all the problems, I think I have solved all the problems."

"Listen to Almonds, you need to understand something. You and all my friends are tired of hearing your research and hearing your outline. You are now in a pandemic and you have no excuses anymore. Go upstairs. Go to your man's cave and write down the damn thing, or shut up."

So Michael Almond followed his wife’s advice and returned to his man’s cave. Five months later, he had a complete story of 125,000 words in his hands, even though his writing method might be a bit unconventional.

"I did this in a draft because I would go upstairs to my man's cave every morning, start writing at about 8:30, and then come down at about 2:30."

He would give his wife and a group of senior readers the writing that day, and they would carefully check the work and mark any problems or inconsistencies or other issues they might see.

"Every day, I merge these changes and write more."

He also hired a development editor to help him reduce the completed project to approximately 115,000 words.

This novel tells the story of the fictional lawyer Ben Waterman fighting the Ku Klux Klan and "a ruthless and ambitious prosecutor" to prove that Virgil Wade did not kill Rachel Schumann.

Wade is a poor mixed-race teenager who is accused of stabbing to death the famous young Jewish woman Schumann at the beginning of the Jim Crow era in North Carolina.

"This is a murder mystery and legal thriller, but it is also a book about justice, about what justice means in Wilkes County at the turn of the (20th century)," Almond said. "I chose the time period very carefully, because 1900 was a pivotal year for North Carolina and the South. The dawn of the 20th century marked a decline from the Civil War, reconstruction, and reconstruction to darkness."

He explained that that darkness is the rise of the KKK, voter suppression efforts aimed at limiting black votes, and other violence against minorities, all of which were under the shadow of Wellington Masaka in 1898. Although the main characters in the "tannery" are fictitious, many historical figures from states and regions appear in the work.

The book was published by Koehler Books in Virginia Beach and was released on October 19 in hardcover, paperback and e-book formats. Almond said that the popularity of his novel was pleasantly surprised.

"It's been a mess since then. I was at Pages Books in Mount Airy two weeks ago and all the books she had on hand were sold out. I had to go to my car and buy some more."

This stop is part of Almond's 40 book tour that began throughout the South on October 15. Amazon's sales are good, and the book ranks 5th in new releases of black and African-American historical novels, 12th in southern historical novels, and 17th in the historical thriller category.

He plans to appear on Tuesday at the Politics and Professional Bookstore in Washington, D.C., where he will participate in an hour-long online show hosted by novelist and Emmy Award-winning television producer Jeffrey Blunt. To view the plan, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pp-live-michael-a-almond-the-tannery-with-jeffrey-blount-tickets-207357581107?aff=erelexpmlt

This book is even expected to be nominated for the debut of the American Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Annual Image Award.

Since his stay in Mount Airy is very popular, Pages Books has asked him to make his second appearance, which is scheduled for December 11th from 9 am to noon, when he will meet with fans and sign a copy of his novel.

For more information about the "tannery", almonds or their scheduled appearances, please visit https://www.michaelalmondbooks.com/

One week after the millstone fire started, and it may rain, people are now looking at the restoration and future of Pilot Mountain State Park. Apart from forestry and firefighting officials, few people have witnessed the loss of the park with their own eyes, but corporate donations have already pledged to help the park.

Since last weekend, donations of all sizes from ordinary citizens have been pouring in continuously. The call for donations of food and beverages quickly surpassed the ability to store these items. The community then began to provide financial support as needs changed.

Now, the community’s efforts to raise funds to support the park are doubling, and it has also received important corporate financial support.

Last week, Allegacy Federal Credit Union announced a donation of $10,000 to help restore and rebuild Pilot Mountain State Park. This is in addition to the food and beverages they donated to Pilot Knob's volunteer fire brigade.

"It's heartbreaking to see Pilot Mountain photos on fire because many of our members and employees live, work, and enjoy this beautiful area of our community," said Cathy Pace, President/CEO of Allegacy and a native of Pilot Mountain.

"In the past few days, we have seen wonderful gatherings of community spirit behind brave firefighters and helped start the reconstruction effort. We are honored to be able to provide support and encourage employees, members and other businesses to join us."

Donation to Allegacy of Friends of Sola Town Hill. The Friends of Sola Town Hill is composed of more than 200 people from the local community. Every year, “US$10,000 is generated from our donations and fundraising activities to purchase education, protection and trail maintenance and other items not included in the budget,” Dai Said Bill Varden.

"As we advance the restoration and restoration of Pilot Mountain, these (Allegacy) funds will have a huge impact on the park," said Vaden, the chairman of Friends of the Soladun Mountains.

"We appreciate the generous donation. As a non-profit organization, we rely on partnerships with businesses and community members such as Allegacy to protect the safety and beauty of our parks and rivers for our community and many tourists who travel here."

Friends in Sauratown Mountains have also been working with the community to create Pilot Mountain specialty license plates. In light of the terrible events in the past week, they are renewing the push to get the Pilot Mountain section to cross the finish line and use the funds to help the park recover from the Grindstone fire.

The plan has always been to allow the Pilot Mountain sector to generate additional revenue streams for Friends for use in Pilot Mountain State Park projects not covered by the state government. In order to obtain approval, the group has been trying to collect 300 applications to submit to the DMV, and their goal is to be on site.

Vaden said she would like to see the Pilot Mountain license plates listed on the DMV website and the personalized license plates for the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Mountains. According to Vaden, the Blue Ridge segment generates more than $500,000 in revenue each year.

"These types of plates are suitable for nature and outdoor groups, people see them, and then people want them," she said. Those who scroll online looking for Shag Dance or Kevin Harvick themed sections may see the Pilot section and change their minds.

In this way, the new source of recurring income for the Friends of Sola Town and Mountain has begun. It can also be a gift that can be given to friends continuously without further effort, just update your license plate just like you. "If you keep this plate, it will be our annual gift."

Generating $6,000 in recurring funds from only the first 300 sectors will be of great benefit to the organization. If participation is high, the potential revenue from the sector may be much larger. Therefore, the original license plate is only the beginning of a larger movement. When people see such beautifully decorated license plates on Pilot Hill, Vaden hopes it will grow.

She knows the pain, fear and uncertainty she felt in this community last week. Some people with health conditions are ordered to stay at home, but the smell of smoke will be transmitted to the home anyway. Last week, the fire caused damage to everyone in this area.

"Everyone was destroyed by it," Vaden said of Grindstone Fire. "Looking at the photos, although it is a huge heartbreak, it doesn't seem to be as serious as imagined."

"It seems to burn the floor, as we saw during controlled burning. This is actually to cultivate seedlings and promote vegetation in the spring."

The Pilot Mountain license plate has not yet been approved in the DMV, so anyone interested needs to visit the website sauratownfriends.org and click on the Pilot Mountain license plate application link. Finally, check whether the board is within one hundred applications to reach the goal.

To help achieve this, Truliant Federal Credit Union is stepping up its efforts to help this work cross the threshold. On Friday morning, the Friends Club announced that “Truliant Federal Credit Union has generously donated US$6,000 for the restoration of Pilot Mountain State Park. Thank you Truliant Federal Credit Union for helping us make our license plate project a success.”

Truliant held an on-site registration event on Saturday, and they paid the handling fee for the Pilot license. Contact Sauratown Mountain Friends to learn more about Truliant board support.

These contributions from Allegacy and Truliant, together with the dedication of the friends of Sauratown Mountain and all the good people in the community, will help ensure the recovery of Pilot Mountain and her long-term health for future generations to enjoy.

When an architect started a nearby project to bring the New Art Center to Mount Airy, city officials were asked to allocate US$400,000 to help complete the facility.

However, on Thursday afternoon, the request made by the leader of the Surrey Arts Council (SAC) to the Mount Airy Council was considered an investment in the community, not a direct gift of public funds.

After years of planning, the Art Center began construction on September 27 at a site along Rockford Street near the Blackmond Amphitheater and Mount Airy Public Library.

The project led by the Surrey Arts Council will create a multi-purpose facility that will contain offices, classroom space and exhibition space, including a museum dedicated to the original conjoined twins who lived near Mount Airy in the 1800s. There will also be spaces for artists and scholars to exhibit, as well as public toilets.

“This will become an economic generator for Mount Airy,” Brian Royster, chairman of the Surrey Arts Council’s board of directors, told city officials, touting the additional tourism resources it provides.

"Needless to say, tourism is the driving force for the development of Mount Airy," added Royster, a local lawyer.

He also mentioned on Thursday that although the new center aims to keep art alive in the community, it has "a wide range of uses" for everyone. This includes spaces for business meetings, fundraising events, tours and events (such as class reunions), which are part of what Royster calls "unique multi-purpose" facilities.

According to Tanya Jones, executive director of the Surrey Arts Council, the New Art Center is estimated to cost about 3.5 million U.S. dollars, and he also spoke to city officials on the funding request on Thursday afternoon.

Jones said the arts organization has raised more than $2 million for this work, and in addition to the $400,000 requested by the city government, the Surrey County Commission has also been asked to provide $500,000.

The SAC executive director reminded city council members on Thursday that although her organization will use the new facility to meet its planning and other needs, once completed, the building will become the property of the city government.

According to an agreement reached last year, it will in turn lease the facility to the Surrey Arts Council for 25 years while maintaining the structure unchanged.

Commissioner Tom Koch noted on Thursday that the municipality had previously invested $300,000 in facilities under construction.

According to the actions taken by the previous group of city commissioners in September 2019, this figure is much higher, including the provision of US$1 million to art organizations for their multi-purpose buildings. Starting from the 2019-20 fiscal year, this will be allocated at a rate of US$200,000 per year over five years.

However, the committee members who served at the time reached a consensus that the future board of directors could not promise to provide funding at this level, and after three new committee members took office, in June 2020, the $1 million allocation was basically cancelled. The new board did retain the $200,000 allocated for 2019-20 to respect the members who continued to serve during that period.

At the beginning of 2019, the former committee members also designated a city fund of US$100,000 to assist the planning and construction of the New Art Center-which constituted the total US$300,000 cited by Koch.

Despite the failed move, Jones earlier this year requested the restoration of the $200,000 annual appropriation recommended by the previous board of directors in the 2021-22 municipal budget, but the request was rejected.

On Thursday, when Koch asked to see the detailed financial records of the Surrey Arts Council, especially the balance sheet data for the past three years, the funding issues that led to the reversal of the previous board’s actions surfaced again.

"It has been filed with the city government," Jones responded, explaining that this type of financial information is submitted every year as part of its relationship with the municipality concerning the facilities it owns, which are part of the activities of the Surrey Arts Council conduct.

But she promised to cooperate fully with such information.

"I just never saw it," Koch said.

The City Council did not approve or reject the $400,000 request on Thursday afternoon, but unanimously voted in favor of a motion by Commissioner Steve Yokley, which will be taken at the next meeting of the committee.

In a speech to Mount Airy officials, Royster, Chairman of the Art Group's board of directors, tried to dispel any concerns about whether the proposed $400,000 grant was worthwhile.

"The money will flow back to the (community) through the art committee," he said, including companies and individuals in the construction phase and beyond.

"Plumbers, electricians, construction workers and engineers are all beneficiaries," Royster said.

Royster asserts that companies that have been positively influenced by the Surrey Arts Council venues over the years—such as the Andy Griffith Theater, Earl Theater, Andy Griffith Museum, and Blackmond Amphitheater—will receive More help from the New Art Center.

City officials were told that tourists will have new opportunities to inject funds into the local economic community, while also allowing art to continue.

An interested observer at the Thursday meeting was among the audience, Matt Edwards, the executive director of the Mount Airy Regional History Museum. He did not speak to the committee members.

Like art organizations, city officials’ long-term funding commitments to museums will also be cancelled in 2020.

Many regional institutions are very busy this holiday, carrying out displays, performances and exhibitions.

The Airy Mountain Regional History Museum is no exception. The museum plans to host three popular holiday traditions this month, one of which will begin on Sunday.

Today, December 5th, the museum will host a free holiday open day from 1pm to 4pm

On Sunday, visitors are free to visit the museum exhibits on the four-story building, watch the themed Christmas tree and buy holiday gifts. During the event, participants will also have the opportunity to meet with Calvin Vaughn, the author of "Main Life". Calvin will be able to answer questions, sign books and talk about Mayberry.

Although there are many other events this month, a special holiday party will be held at the end of the month.

On December 31, the museum will celebrate noon.

This is a New Year celebration held for young people earlier in the day and is open to children of all ages. The party will include dancing, balloon release and gift bags. The music will be provided by B-Dazzle Productions. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., free for museum members and $5 for non-members.

Later that night was the traditional New Year flag raising ceremony.

The courtyard gate will open at 11:30 in the evening, and the badge will rise at midnight. "The Red Hat Man" Calvin Vaughn will tell about the past year and lead the countdown to midnight. The flag raising ceremony will be broadcast live on Facebook and Instagram.

COVID-19 restrictions apply. A mask is required in the museum, and it is strongly recommended to use it outdoors.

To register for the noon celebration or for more information, please call the museum at 336-786-4478 or send an email to mamrh@northcarolinamuseum.org.

• According to a city police report, a Mount Airy woman will appear in court in Winston-Salem this Friday on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Karen Alisha Hart, 36, from 250 Teddy Bear Lane, recently received a subpoena from a Mount Airy official who filed a lawsuit in Forsyth County on October 25. The plaintiff was Casey Ryan O'Quin of Richlands.

• Lowes Foods in Mount Airy was the scene of the theft last Sunday. An unidentified suspect hid miscellaneous cooked food products in his clothes and left the store. The value of these items is $15.

• On November 27, an unidentified suspect stole various merchandise from Dollar General on North Renfro Street. He showed at least some holiday spirit.

The man escaped with Christmas decorations, deodorant, socks and five-piece lingerie, worth 24 dollars in total.

• The police learned on November 25 that a thief attacked an Aldi supermarket on State Street and took away laundry products, including Downy fragrance boosters, Gain and Tide detergent boxes, and Energizer AA/AAA batteries. The total value of these commodities is $26.

• Damage to municipal property was found in Riverside Park on November 23, and the door handle of the women's toilet was broken. The loss is set at $70. A "known" individual is listed as the person who caused the damage, but has not yet filed charges in the case that is still under investigation.

Similar incidents occurred in Riverside Park recently.

• Debbie Anise Lindley, 63, a Lexington resident, was charged with drunk driving on November 22 in a traffic accident at the Northern District Hospital.

According to police records, the 2009 Honda Accord run by Lindley crashed into a roadblock in the hospital parking lot.

She was released with a $2,500 unsecured bond and appeared in Surrey District Court on December 20.

A homeless person is accused of breaking in after a fire broke out in the Koozies building in front of Mount Airy.

On Monday night, 44-year-old Terry Conway Guynn met at the scene of the incident. This is a large commercial building that used to be a private club of the same name but is now vacant.

The fire did not cause personal injury or damage to the building, and it is estimated that only about $1,000 in property damage occurred.

The address of the property is 455 Franklin Street, but this huge facility is also adjacent to Pine Street and North South Street near the Mill Creek General Store.

On Monday night, about 30 firefighters responded to the side of Pine Street and found evidence of homeless occupation after ensuring the safety of the scene.

The cause of the fire was initially uncertain. But later this week, Mount Ally Fire Chief Zane Poindexter stated that it is believed that this was caused by some kind of fire in which Guyne started heating in freezing temperatures.

There is no electricity service in the building.

According to the records of the Mount Airy Police Department, after a brief investigation, Guynn was charged with intrusive and misdemeanor crimes.

According to an online legal source, the state’s misdemeanor break-in charge is different from the felony version of the crime and involves people who mistakenly “break into or enter” a building. This may involve any force, such as opening an unlocked door or window to enter without the owner's permission.

At the same time, felony intrusions include other circumstances, such as the intention to commit theft or other crimes internally to intimidate someone.

Guynn was released with $1,000 in unsecured bonds and is scheduled to appear in Surrey District Court on December 13.

Surrey County’s entire county band performed recently, and top musicians from the county’s schools will gather on November 23rd.

Some of these students are members of the North Surrey High School Band and work under the guidance of Blake McCraw.

The participating North Surrey band members include McKalei Mauldin, Kalei Mauldin, Beau Sizemore, Samantha McCarty, Sydni Martin, Davia Church, Ella Riggs, Skyler Harris, Emily Angel, Alex Lawson, Destiny Kelly, Destiny Kelly, Savannah Jones, Andrew Brooks, Francisco Rios, Catherine Isaac, Ty Richardson, Trevor Jones, Juan Cabrera, Connor Molding, Trey Radford, Holding Howe Er, Braden Hall, Sparrow Kranz, Colby Callaway, Blake Paul, Brady Gunter, Brooklyn Pruitt, Clayton Todd and Kalia · Reynolds.

Now, the community’s efforts to raise funds to support the park are doubling, and it has also received important corporate financial support.

Last week, Allegacy Federal Credit Union announced a donation of $10,000 to help restore and rebuild Pilot Mountain State Park. This is in addition to the food and beverage donations provided by the Credit Union to the Pilot Knob Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Donation to Allegacy of Friends of Sola Town Hill. The Friends of Soladun Mountain is made up of more than 200 friends from the local community. Each year, "US$10,000 is generated from our donations and fundraising activities to purchase education, protection, and trail maintenance that are not included in the budget." Debbie Varden said.

"As we advance the restoration and restoration of Pilot Mountain, these (Allegacy) funds will have a huge impact on the park," said Vaden, the chairman of Friends of the Soladun Mountains.

She knows the pain, fear and uncertainty that she has felt in this community in the past week. Some people with health conditions are ordered to stay at home, but the smell of smoke will be transmitted to the home anyway. Last week, the fire caused damage to everyone in this area.

"Everyone was destroyed by it," Vaden said of Grindstone Fire. "Looking at the photos, although it is a huge heartbreak, it doesn't seem to be as serious as imagined."

"It seems to burn the floor, as we saw during controlled burning. This is actually to cultivate seedlings and promote vegetation in the spring."

Truliant will set up a table in front of Pilot Mountain City Hall from 1pm to 5pm on December 4 for interested parties to complete DMV applications. Truliant bears the handling fee for applying for the Pilot license. Bring your vehicle registration certificate and driver's license to register for the Pilot license. If you are unable to participate in the Truliant face-to-face event, please send an email to Friends of Sauratown Mountain to email the registration form to you.

Officials in Mount Airy now hope to “freely” use the city’s $3.2 million Federal American Rescue Program (ARP) Act funding — approved earlier this year to respond to COVID-19 — for various infrastructure and other determinations Demand.

However, based on information submitted to the Mount Airy Committee at a recent meeting, any non-profit organization that requests the use of such funds may face more difficult challenges.

The passage of the American Rescue Program Act (ARP) provided $350 billion in financial assistance to all 50 states at the state and local level.

Mount Airy officials have been considering some uses of their expected US$3.2 million share, including a series of urban improvements. The city government has pledged to use US$295,000, hoping to use federal funds instead of city savings.

Until interim city manager Darren Lewis and financial director Pam Stone can brief experts elsewhere on its permitted uses and avoid Mount Airy having to repay any improperly spent funds, no firm decision has been made regarding the local ARP allocation.

"We have now held eight meetings," Lewis said of the education process in a recent briefing to the committee members, when he also reported that based on the latest developments he called "encouraging news," he could give Place more room for funding. . "

This involves the passage of a bipartisan "flexibility bill" by the U.S. Senate, which will also be reviewed by the House of Representatives for final approval.

"If this happens, the community's first $10 million will not be subject to all restrictions and guidelines," Lewis said of the restrictions he and Stone have understood so far.

When expanding the use of ARP funds, the bill will allow eligible government entities to use US$10 million or 30% of total financial relief funds for infrastructure, as well as additional new categories.

"This can be used for any purchase," Lewis said of Mount Airy's bottom-line impact, referring to expenditures such as wages. "We can consume freely."

According to Lewis’ exchanges with city council members questioning these possibilities, this also applies to major equipment and building-related needs, such as trucks and HVAC upgrades.

Lewis said of such expenditures: “This will require a large part of the funding requirements,” and in January it was expected to reach US$11.6 million in the next five years.

"Approved Government Procurement"

There will be some restrictions on how ARP funds can be used under the Act, and the interim city manager explained that this must involve "approved government purchases," in line with unified state and federal spending guidelines.

For many years, municipal governments have been accustomed to deal with such rules by receiving federal/state grants and other assistance.

However, non-profit organizations seeking local ARP funding may see the threshold lifted.

"They must also follow these unified guidelines," Lewis said, which may be stricter than the guidelines of foundations, charities or other entities that tend to support these groups.

After announcing ARP funding for Mount Airy, a supporter of the Sandy Level Community Committee, a non-profit organization, asked city officials in August to allocate US$200,000 for a renovation project on the site of the historic Satterfield house.

Located on the corner of North Franklin Road and West Virginia Street, it was the first African-American house in Surrey County.

The city council project that owns this house aims to make it a thriving activity center after more than 35 years of planning. A Rosenwald school built in the early 20th century to provide services to African-American students also existed on this four-acre piece of land.

Other ARP fund uses that the city government is concerned about include upgrading the communication capabilities of the municipal building — mainly for rooms where the city council meets — with a total price of about $100,000.

It may include possible additional features such as multiple projectors, large wall-mounted and drop-down displays, new microphones with integrated speakers, digital mixing equipment, ceiling speakers, new camera equipment, video-audio transmitter/receiver器等。

In a demonstration earlier this fall, the cost data of similar technologies added in other parts of the municipal building was shown, including meeting rooms and upstairs and downstairs lobby areas. The latter will allow citizens there to monitor what is happening in the parliament chamber during the meeting, thereby attracting a large crowd.

Even before the recent flexibility surfaced, Mount Airy officials were happy to use ARP funds to upgrade communications in accordance with the guidelines to add the required components to better inform citizens about conference activities in the pandemic era.

Lewis added that it is expected that the "flexible" use of federal funds will be finally approved by the end of this year, and Commissioner Tom Koch said this will be "worth the wait."

If the Thanksgiving holiday and the following shopping Saturday are not enough to show that Christmas has come, then the event held in downtown Elgin today should clearly show that Christmas has come.

The annual Light Up Elkin Christmas celebration will be held today from 4 to 9 pm

Elgin Avenue Manager Laura Gaylord said: "The historic downtown Elgin will be decorated with beautiful window displays, shops will be open until late, and some shops will have live music performances and fun. Some of the activities offer cider, hot chocolate or sweets." "Some stores even hold special holiday visitors for children from Mrs. Claus to the Grinch."

Participating shops are located on Main, Bridge and Standard streets and some shops on Market Street.

There will be children's crafts in the Elgin Library at 4:30 pm. As a treat, the waterfall next to the library and the bridge on West Street will be lit.

After 5:15pm, there will be free hay carts on Main Street, food trucks—duck donuts and corn pot Korn, and possibly even earlier—and ponies and carriages at Farmers. People 5 dollar market shelter.

There will also be a “pruning trees for charity” event in the heritage center’s exhibition, which includes more than 20 decorated trees-participants can vote for their favorite tree as a way to raise funds for charities Way.

In Candy Cane Lane, Elkin Antiques & Collectibles shopping center, you will have the opportunity to take holiday photos. Crafts suppliers will be set up in Rock Facade Park and provide holiday gifts, and Belvia's on Main will provide face painting and fairy hair.

Gaylord said: "We are also very happy to host a live Nativity event this year on Market Street provided by the Elgin Valley Baptist Church."

Hay trucks lined up in the Lifestore parking lot on W Main Street will drive along Main Street and Market Street, and there will be several pick-up and drop-off points. If the rider wishes to get off and visit, the activities on Market Street will be included along the Hay Route. After 6 pm, the route goes to the foothills art committee to participate in the activity starting at 6:30 pm

The second type of transportation is the Elkin Vine Line, which is convenient for older tourists or those who prefer a van shuttle (with heating). At the Crossroads of Bridge Street on Main Street and Market Street and the Foothill Arts Center, there will also be police officers assisting pedestrians and hay riding.

The Foothills Art Center at 321 E Main St. will also hold a grand celebration.

Food trucks including Mermaid's Seafood, Dirty Joe's Coffee and Billy Macs Macarons will be set up by 5 pm, and you will find children’s performances-Elkin High School Band, Pamela Wurdeman dancers, carolers and others-point Light up the entire Christmas tree ceremony and Santa brought the children to visit. After the children's entertainment activities, there will be live music performances by Joe Thrift and friends, and a holiday market with more than 30 artisans.

The Reeves Theatre will also have a free night of magical music, hosting the Elkin Big Band with Teresa Jasper and special guest Martha Bassett to celebrate the festival on jazz and swing nights. Those who wish to attend with large crowds may wish to reserve seats in advance.

Gaylord said: "During the lighting up of Elgin, you must fill in the registration form in the downtown retail store to get exquisite prizes from downtown businesses." The draw will be held on December 8, "So be sure to Fill in your contact information clearly."

For more details and time, please visit the facebook page of Elkin Main Street and find the Light up Night event page under the event. There is also a separate website, www.Lightupelkin.com.

"We look forward to sharing the fun of the holiday with you, so be sure to come down and stay overnight," Gaylord said.

• According to the city police report, a theft occurred at Lowes Foods in Mount Airy on Sunday.

The case involved an unidentified suspect hiding miscellaneous cooked food in his clothes and leaving the store. The value of these items is $15.

• Last Saturday, an unidentified suspect stole various merchandise from Dollar General on North Renfro Street. The suspect displayed at least some holiday spirit.

The man escaped with Christmas decorations, deodorant, socks and five-piece lingerie, worth 24 dollars in total.

Similar incidents occurred in Riverside Park recently.

• Debbie Anise Lindley, 63, a Lexington resident, was charged with drunk driving on November 22 in a traffic accident at the Northern District Hospital.

According to police records, the 2009 Honda Accord run by Lindley crashed into a roadblock in the hospital parking lot.

She was released with a $2,500 unsecured bond and appeared in Surrey District Court on December 20.

Ron Niland has been Mayor of Mount Airy for about a year — and officially announced on Thursday afternoon that he hopes to keep this job for the foreseeable future.

"At this time I want to announce that I will apply for the mayor's seat and hope to continue the great work that has already started," Niland said at the Mount Airy Committee meeting.

"This is a period of change in our city's history," he added while reading a prepared statement.

Niland's announcement was made four days before the candidate's application period for elected positions in Mount Airy and elsewhere in Surrey County began on Monday.

As far as the city is concerned, the positions now held by Niland and commissioners Jon Cawley, Steve Yokeley, and Joe Zalescik are at risk in the 2022 municipal elections.

Former Mayor David Rowe was re-elected as mayor in 2017, joining Cawley and Yokeley in their respective northern and southern council seats. However, the shift to an even-numbered year election schedule increased their four-year term by 12 months and resulted in the participation of these offices in next year's elections.

Mayor Rowe resigned in October 2020 due to health reasons and Niland — who had been elected as Mount Airy's at-large commissioner in 2019 and also was serving as mayor pro tem — was tapped to fill that seat on an interim basis soon after.

Niland, 65, is a Maryland native who has lived in North Carolina since 1973.

He completed his undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University and a master's degree in political science from Appalachian State University.

Niland served as the interim mayor and general commissioner until May 20 of this year, when other city officials appointed him mayor, resulting in Zalescik being appointed as an open commissioner's seat in September.

According to state law, the person who fills the vacancy on the board will serve until the next municipal election, in this case 2022, when he or she can seek a full four-year term, and Zalescik said he intends to do so.

"A great new era"

Niland is also the former city manager of Mount Airy, and he made his intentions clear on Thursday afternoon.

There are signs that Nilande will seek a full four-year term as mayor next year, but this announcement marks his official entry into a field that has become crowded.

Commissioner Cawley revealed in June that he plans to run for mayor in 2022 instead of seeking re-election to his parliamentary seat, and Teresa Lewis, a retired local businesswoman and former general commissioner, also publicly ran for mayor.

Nilan announced the news at the end of the meeting on Thursday, when city officials made random comments.

"I am very happy to be your mayor for about a year," he said. "It's great to work with so many talented employees and great community leaders."

Nilan also praised other city officials when announcing the news: "Working with these outstanding commissioners makes me grateful for everything needed to become a civil servant."

One of the hallmarks of Niland's tenure as mayor relates to the vision committee initiative he launched in December last year, in which four groups led by commissioners and four groups including citizens identified local needs in key areas.

These are economic development, community development/connectivity, downtown/small business development, and municipal partnerships with non-profit organizations, county governments, and schools.

"I have a bright future vision," he said at the meeting on Thursday. "I have the energy and enthusiasm to work with our citizens, employees and the board of directors to get the project through-I believe these efforts will have a lasting impact on our communities."

Niland, who also has been a consultant to various local government units around the state in recent years, said he has sought to serve this community “with integrity and compassion” during his tenure in elected office.

"I have always tried to make all voices heard, even when we disagree, I must cultivate the expectation of teamwork," Nilande continued.

"For our city, we are on the verge of a great new era-a city that cherishes our heritage and embraces the future," his statement concluded.

"I want to be part of this vision."

On the sixth day, they asked to hear good news, which was delivered by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler at the North Carolina Forest Service’s Greenstone Fire Incident Command Post. As of Thursday morning, he announced that the fire in Pilot Mountain State Park had been 80% under control.

Through the hard work of nearly 100 firefighters working in shifts by the North Carolina Forest Service and North Carolina State Parks, the Grindstone fire is still within the established control range.

"The firefighters did a great job. Of course, the people were tired, but they rested and ate well," suggested Eric Southern of the Surrey County Emergency Management Department.

“The pilot wildfire is controlled by about 80%. It may actually be closer to 100% inclusion, but the definition of inclusion and the manageable content are different, so we call it about 80% inclusion,” Troxler said.

"Dry conditions without rainfall will only continue to increase the risk of fires throughout the county," Nanfang said. Firefighters are making sure to thoroughly check all items for hot spots or obstructions. Obstacles are dead or weakened trees that pose a danger to firefighters because they may fall without warning.

Officials said in a press release that the fire named Grindstone Fire was determined to be a campfire that occurred in an "undesignated area." The “escaped campfire” went out of control and led to the Sola Town fire that occurred in mid-November. It was a similar judgment.

Just last weekend, North Carolina Forest Service officials stated that they saw a "small area" re-burning after Sauratown Mountain was deemed to be under control. Such emergencies highlight the remaining dangerous conditions and the need to continue to prohibit outdoor burning.

Southern Reports stated that the Surrey County Sheriff’s Office, the Fire Chief’s Office and the Forest Service must investigate and manage the increase in burning incidents. Some are illegal materials that have been burned, but most are plant materials that people are trying to remove, such as leaves.

The state continues to implement an outdoor burning ban, and officials ask everyone not to burn anything during this period because the conditions for the fire are still ripe. The South warned: "It won't take much time to start another fire."

"We would love to see a heavy rain," Troxler said, echoing residents of North Carolina. However, the commissioner pointed out that there will be no rain in the long-term forecast before the middle of next week.

"I'm from Piedmont. Of course, Pilot Mountain is an iconic attraction all over Piedmont," Troxler said. "When you see a picture of Pilot Mountain on fire, it makes a lot of people feel very uneasy. But the good news is that the North Carolina Forest Service is always prepared for such a situation."

He said: "These fires are not only expensive to extinguish, but also very dangerous for firefighters, especially in rugged terrain like ours at the foot of a mountain." "When these fires are out of control, many bad things may happen. ..... All it takes is a spark, or a mistake, and then we will have wildfire."

Wildfires have attracted people's attention due to their scope and size, and the images of smoke have brought uncertainty and fear to people around the scene. However, when the smoke dissipates, the fire will have a necessary effect on the park and the ecosystem it supports.

Chris Brandon of Blanton Forestry in Dobson said that the park's future well-being may be improved by burning. "This may contribute to the health of the forest. Next spring, more understory and herbaceous plants for wild animals will grow."

"In any case, many of the tree species there are fire-resistant, such as chestnut oak," he continued. "So, depending on the actual intensity of the fire, it may not kill so many trees."

For people who crave outdoor time and clean air hikes in Pilot Mountain State Park, this can be an icy comfort. Residents in Watauga County faced similar feelings after experiencing the Horton Wildfire in 2016, or those facing McDowell County are currently dealing with the growing Bog Mountain Fire.

"Every time such an incident occurs, it brings back memories of 2016," Troxler recalled. "At that time, it seemed that all the mountains in North Carolina were on fire. We had personnel from 30 states to put out the fire. "

"So please be careful not to burn, and report any suspicious smoke or fires to local fire officials or the North Carolina Forest Service...So, we can quickly put out these fires before they spread to 1,000 acres, just Have been fighting at Pilot Mountain as we have already seen."

Kids, it’s time to collect letters for Santa Claus. Happy One this year once again authorized the establishment of a special mailbox in Dobson City Hall. He wanted to hear about the Christmas wishes of local children.

There are so many letters sent to Santa Claus every year that it is difficult for him to keep up with all the letters. This is why a box is specially set up for this area so that the elves who send back the mail from Santa Claus know where to go.

When you write a letter to Santa Claus and deliver it to the dedicated mailbox of Dobson City Hall before December 17, you will receive a reply letter from Santa Claus. For young people, it would be expensive to put enough stamps to contact Santa Claus, so they do not need to stamp these special letters sent to the North Pole.

If Santa does not know where the children live, he cannot reply, so he must write his name and return address on the envelope. This is true: he may know who is good and who is bad, but Santa does not know street addresses and zip codes.

Parents and children, put your letters together, because Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus are very happy to hear from you.

A delegation of 18 North Carolina 4-H youth and three adults representing 15 counties (including Yadkin County) attended the 100th Annual National 4-H Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

The North Carolina delegation returned home five days later, and more than 800 youth and adults representing the nation’s 4-H program gathered to participate in education, service, and entertainment opportunities.

Sydney Tucker represents Yadkin County at the meeting on November 26-30, 2021. This year’s theme is "A Century of Empowering Youth", including workshops aimed at cultivating 4-H'ers leadership skills, plenary sessions of outstanding speakers and entertainers, as well as the service learning experience of representatives participating in practical service projects and the whole Tourism and recreation opportunities in the city.

The National 4-H Convention is a 100-year 4-H tradition and was originally designed to recognize state and national winners. As the 4-H plan has changed to meet the needs of today's youth, the National 4-H Congress has also changed. This year's event, like previous events, recognizes excellence and provides educational opportunities for 4-H youth.

For more information about the 4-H program in Yadkin County, please contact 4-H Youth Development Promotion Agency Madaline Jones at 336-849-7908 or email to madaline_jones@ncsu.edu.

4-H is the largest youth development organization in North Carolina, providing 260,000 young people with the skills to succeed and improve the world around them every year. The 4-H plan and camp encourage young people to "learn by doing" and help them develop into active and contributing citizens. NC State Expansion and NC A&T State University’s cooperative expansion plan coordinated the 4-H program statewide

NC State Extension is a local and statewide outreach provider for North Carolina State University, North Carolina's outstanding research company. NC State Extension translates research knowledge in the fields of agriculture, food and nutrition, and 4-H youth development into everyday solutions to create economic, intellectual, and social prosperity for North Carolina.

Hannah Dudley is an outstanding children's teacher at Rockford Elementary School and was recently awarded the Surry County Schools EC Educator of Excellence at the North Carolina Department of Public Education's Outstanding Children Conference.

Washington (Associated Press)-Former Facebook employee and whistleblower Francis Haogen urged lawmakers on Wednesday to avoid the usual congressional deadlock as they weighed proposals to curb social media platform abuse by restricting company freedom of speech and protection from legal liability.

"Facebook wants you to be involved in a long, protracted debate about the details of different legislative methods. Please don't fall into that trap," Hogan testified at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee. "Time is life. There are many stakes here. You have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to set new rules for our online world. I took a huge personal risk to come forward because I believe we still have time to act. But we are now Action must be taken."

After Haugen presented a case in October, lawmakers made a proposal that Facebook’s system amplifies online hatred and extremism and fails to protect young users from harmful content.

Her previous disclosures inspired legislative and regulatory efforts aimed at cracking down on large technology companies around the world, and she recently made a series of appearances in front of European legislators and officials who set the rules for social media companies.

Haugen is a data scientist who worked as a product manager in Facebook's Citizen Integrity Department. She used a large number of internal company documents secretly copied and provided to federal securities regulators and Congress to support her assertion.

When she made her first public appearance this fall, she gave a profound condemnation of the social networking giant before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee. She shared how she believed that Facebook's platform could be made safer and provided Congress with action Prescription. She rejected the idea of breaking up the tech giant called by many lawmakers, and instead supported targeted legislative remedies.

Most notably, they include new restrictions on long-term legal protection of speech posted on social media platforms. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for the cancellation of some of the protections granted by a clause in a 25-year-old law (often referred to as Section 230) that protects Internet companies from liability for user-published content responsibility.

"Let us work together on bipartisan legislation because we can't wait any longer," said Democratic Rep. Mike Doyle, chairman of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee. He said that what the tech giants want is nothing more than partisanship and hesitation on legislation.

Facebook and other social media companies use computer algorithms to rank and recommend content. They manage the content displayed on the user's news feed. Haugen's idea is to remove protection when algorithm-driven dominant content is conducive to large-scale user participation rather than public safety.

"Until the incentives change, Facebook will not change," Hogan told the House of Representatives panel. "I hope you will take action because our children deserve better."

This is the idea behind the Anti-Malicious Algorithmic Justice Act, which was introduced by senior Democratic members of the House of Representatives about a week after Hoogen testified to the Senate panel in October. The bill will require social media companies to take responsibility for removing the protection they provide tailored recommendations to users deemed to have caused harm under Section 230. If a platform “intentionally or recklessly” promotes harmful content, it loses immunity.

Representative Frank Palon of DN.J., who is in charge of the entire Energy and Commerce Committee, said that the proposal of Kathy McMorris Rogers, a senior Republican and Washington Rep. is different from the Democratic bill, but represents a good start. Potential compromise.

"Tech giants should not be the arbiter of truth," Rogers said, reiterating conservative assertions about social media platforms censoring these views. Rogers’ proposal would allow conservatives to challenge the content decisions of the platform.

All legislative proposals are under heavy pressure for the final approval of Congress.

Some experts who support stricter supervision of social media say that the Democratic Party’s written legislation may have unintended consequences. They suggest that it is not sufficiently clear about which specific algorithmic behaviors will lead to the loss of liability protection, which makes it difficult to see how it works in practice and leads to widespread disagreements that may actually arise.

Meta Platforms, the new name of Facebook's parent company, declined to comment on specific legislative proposals. The company stated that it has been advocating for updated regulations for a long time.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) proposed some changes, that is, only if the Internet platform can prove that its system of identifying illegal content meets the requirements, it can provide legal protection for the Internet platform. However, for smaller technology companies and startups, this requirement may be more difficult to satisfy, leading critics to accuse it of favoring Facebook in the end.

Other social media companies urge caution regarding any legislative changes to Section 230.

Washington (Associated Press)-In its new HIV/AIDS strategy, the Biden administration calls racism "a public health threat", which must be fully recognized while the world hopes to end the epidemic .

The strategy released on Wednesday to commemorate World AIDS Day each year is intended to serve as a framework for how the government intends to formulate its policies, research, projects, and plans in the next three years.

The new strategy asserts that, for generations, “structural inequality has led to serious, far-reaching, and unacceptable differences in racial and ethnic health.”

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2015 to 2019, the rate of new HIV infections in the United States dropped by about 8%, but black and Latino communities—especially gay and bisexual men in these groups -Continue to be disproportionately affected.

African Americans account for approximately 13% of the U.S. population, but account for more than 40% of new infections. The Latino population accounts for nearly 25% of new infections, but approximately 18.5% of the U.S. population.

Historically, gay and bisexual men are the most severely affected groups. According to the CDC, although they account for only 2% of the population, they account for approximately 66% of new HIV infections. In 2019, 26% of new HIV infections were black gay and bisexual men, 23% were Latino gay and bisexual men, and 45% were gay and bisexual men under 35.

To reduce disparities, the strategy calls for paying attention to the needs of affected people, supporting racial justice, combating HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and providing leadership and employment opportunities for people living with HIV or at risk of infection.

In addition to addressing the impact of racism on Americans fighting the virus or at risk of contracting the virus, the new strategy also places greater emphasis on harm reduction and injection service programs, and encourages reform of state laws to criminalize the behavior of people living with HIV. And increase the need to pay attention to the growing number of aging HIV-infected people.

Since the AIDS epidemic more than 40 years ago, more than 36 million people worldwide have died from AIDS-related diseases, including 700,000 in the United States. Nearly 38 million people are infected with HIV, of which 1.2 million are in the United States

President Joe Biden plans to deliver a speech to commemorate World AIDS Day. His government recently announced that it will host a supplementary meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS next year. The United States has donated approximately US$17 billion to the fund, accounting for approximately one-third of all donor contributions.

New York (Associated Press)-As stocks, oil and bond yields climbed in midday trading on Wednesday to recover most of the previous day's plunge, Wall Street's latest roll-coaster ride is back.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 1.6% after US economic data was better than expected. This is the latest dizzying move in the Wall Street benchmark index, which fell 2.3% on Friday, the largest drop since February, followed by a 1.3% rise and then a 1.9% decline.

Part of the reason for the volatility is how much damage investors will do to the economy in their efforts to stop the latest variant of the coronavirus. Since there are few specific answers about omicron, investors have been exploring and pushing the market back and forth with the loss of small clues.

Liz Young, SoFi’s chief investment strategist, said: “Investors will have to get used to the idea that this will not be the last variant.” To manage growth from a different perspective."

Another weight on Wall Street fell on Tuesday, when the chairman of the Federal Reserve stated that in the context of persistently high inflation sweeping the world, it may end its huge support for financial markets sooner than expected.

However, since the first wave of COVID-19 triggered the crash in early 2020, a sign of the stock market's strong operation is that investors who bought on dips are still willing to buy after prices have fallen. According to the Standard & Poor's Dow Jones Indices, this enduring habit helped the S&P 500 index to hit 66 all-time highs so far in 2021, the second highest in a year.

As of 12:24 pm Eastern time, this also helped the Dow Jones Industrial Average rise by 399 points, or 1.2%, to 34,886 points. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 1.3%.

Due to concerns about slowing economic growth, longer-term Treasury yields have also recovered some of their declines from the previous day.

The 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield rose to 1.46% from 1.44% late Tuesday, when it was 1.52%.

Some better-than-expected economic data helped. A report from the Institute of Supply Management showed that the US manufacturing industry grew faster than economists had expected last month.

A separate report from the payroll processing agency ADP stated that the number of non-government employers hired in November exceeded economists' expectations. This may raise expectations for a more comprehensive employment report from the US government on Friday, although the ADP report does not have a perfect forecast record.

A stronger economy will consume more fuel, and crude oil prices have recovered some of the recent decline. After briefly falling below US$65 the day before, benchmark US crude oil rose 2.1% to US$67.58 per barrel. International standard Brent crude oil rose 2.3%.

This helped power and energy stocks rise 2.2%. Exxon Mobil rose 2.5%, and Marathon Petroleum rose 3.9%.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals rose 7.8%, the largest single gain in the S&P 500 after the company released encouraging data on its investigational treatment of kidney disease. It led a broad rally, with nearly 90% of the S&P 500 stocks rising.

Due to the continuing uncertainty about how much the impact of European and American light will be, European and Asian stock markets have also risen.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.4%, despite the country's further tightening of restrictions, requiring international airlines to stop accepting all new bookings for flights to Japan before the end of the year.

South Korea's Kospi index rose 2.1%, while Germany's DAX index rose 2.5%.

Panic on Wall Street has also eased, with a drop of more than 15%. However, VIX shows that the level of investor concern about the upcoming fall of the S&P 500 index is still much higher than the level before European and American light hit the global market after Thanksgiving.

The possibility that the Fed will help the market diminish continues to hang over Wall Street. Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday that the central bank will consider an early suspension of monthly bond purchases, which are designed to stimulate the economy by keeping interest rates on mortgages and other long-term loans low.

This will open the door for the Fed to raise short-term interest rates, which is one of the main reasons why the S&P 500 has more than doubled since late March 2020. Low interest rates encourage investors to pay higher prices for stocks and help shift criticism that the market has become too expensive. Therefore, a faster rise in short-term interest rates poses a threat to the stock market, but analysts said that this may also be an encouraging signal that shows the Fed’s confidence in the strength of the economy.

Analysts also warned that the market may remain volatile until the final impact of OMEGA light becomes clearer. There is currently no answer as to the effectiveness of the vaccine against this variant. I can only guess whether the government will restore strict restrictions and whether people are afraid that companies or inflation will worsen.

Raleigh, North Carolina (Associated Press)-On Tuesday, an appeals court in North Carolina blocked the execution of part of the trial judge’s recent order, which required $1.75 billion to be spent without clear legislative approval. State taxpayer funds to address inequality in public education.

The majority of the three-judge panel supported the request of the State Comptroller Linda Combs (Linda Combs) to block the execution of the High Court Judge David Lee's order. It agreed that Lee had crossed the line through funding-most people said that the work was entirely up to the General Assembly.

Combs leader Lee directed the transfer of funds from the treasury to one of the three state offices of the Education and Health Agency to implement what Lee said was a partial remedial plan that would resolve long-standing school funding lawsuits. The remedial plan was supported by the administration of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper (Roy Cooper), but Republican legislative leaders said Lee lacked the power to act.

Combs’ lawyers wrote that she and her staff were worried that if they implemented Lee’s November 10th order, they might violate the state constitution.

Court of Appeal Judges Chris Dillon and Jefferson Griffin announced on Tuesday that Lee had mistakenly pointed out that part of the right to education in the Constitution was equivalent to "continuous constitutional appropriations."

"The reasoning of the court of first instance will lead to a series of continuous constitutional appropriations, which can be enforced through court orders. This will undermine the clear separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches, and may undermine our well-designed checks and balances. Our genius. The government system," read the order.

If the majority of judges agree to hear Tuesday’s ruling, they can appeal to the 15-member court of appeal or the state supreme court.

Judge John Arrowood disagreed that he would only vote to postpone the order temporarily, and Lee had postponed its execution until December 10. Arrowood criticized his colleague for unnecessarily shortening the time that others in the case can execute in response to Combs’s motion last week until Tuesday morning.

Arrowood wrote: "This is a classic case of using the court's shadow file to determine the merits of the case." Dillon and Griffin were elected to the state's intermediate level appeals court in 2020 as Republicans. Arrowood is a Democrat.

The ruling added another level to the "Leandro" lawsuit filed by one of the original student plaintiffs when the lawsuit was first filed in 1994. By 2004, the state Supreme Court ruled that although children in North Carolina have the basic right to "opportunity" to receive a good basic education," the state has not fulfilled that task.

When Lee started monitoring the state’s response to the ruling, interest in the case began to rise, and a consultant report released in 2019 stated that the state was still far behind in meeting the 2004 standards. The remedial plan based on the report and comments from Cooper and the State Board of Education requires at least $5.6 billion in new education funding by 2028. This US$1.75 billion will be used to settle the funding required by the middle of 2023.

Li said that he has no choice but to act now, because other departments of the state government have failed to resolve the inequality issue given every opportunity.

Rockingham County Republican Senate leader Phil Berger praised Tuesday's decision. Berger said at the press conference: "Judge Lee, the Education Special Interest Group, and the Cooper Administration formulated this unconstitutional plan to inject $1.7 billion in additional funds into the failed education bureaucracy." "This court correctly called. Lost them."

E-mails seeking comment from Cooper and Every Child NC did not return immediately, and the organization supported full funding for the remediation program.

Oxford Township, Michigan (Associated Press) - Authorities say the fourth student, a 17-year-old boy, died on Wednesday when a sophomore was shot at a high school in Michigan.

The other deceased included a 16-year-old boy who died in the deputy's patrol car on the way to the hospital. Eight people were injured, some of them seriously, including a 14-year-old girl who was placed on a ventilator after the operation.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said investigators are still working to determine the motive for the shooting at Oxford High School on Tuesday, which is located in a community of about 22,000 people about 30 miles north of Detroit.

"The most insightful and motivated person can't speak," he said at a press conference later on Tuesday.

Around lunch time, the delegates rushed to the school as more than 100 calls flooded into the 911 dispatcher to report the gunman. They arrested the student in the corridor a few minutes after they arrived. Bouchard said that when the delegates approached, he raised his hands in the air.

Bouchard said the boy's father bought the 9mm Sig Sauer used in the filming on Friday. Bouchard said that he did not know why this man bought a semi-automatic pistol. His son has been posting photos and practicing shooting.

The authorities did not immediately announce the boy's name.

The four students killed were 16-year-old Tate Myre, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling who died on Wednesday.

Bouchard said Mayer died in a patrol car when a deputy tried to take him to the emergency room.

He said a teacher with a bruised shoulder left the hospital, but seven students between the ages of 14 and 17 were hospitalized overnight with gunshot wounds.

Bouchard said there were still seven bullets in the gun that the boy carried when he surrendered.

Deputy Sheriff Mike McCabe said that the parents of the students advised their son not to talk to investigators. He added that the police must obtain permission from the teenagers’ parents or guardians to talk to them.

Oakland County Attorney Karen MacDonald said in a statement that her office expects to file charges quickly and will provide an update on Wednesday.

The authorities were informed of posts on social media that the school with approximately 1,700 students had been threatened with shooting, but Bouchard said they did not learn about these rumors until after the attack.

He emphasized how important it is to send such reminders to the authorities, and also cautioned against spreading social media rumors before a full investigation.

McCabe also downplayed the importance of the situation where a deer head was dropped from the school roof in early November, which he said was "completely unrelated" to the shooting. The vandalism prompted school administrators to send two letters to parents on the school website stating that they were responding to rumors that the school was threatened, but they could not be found.

Bouchard said that the detained student had not clashed with his department before, and he was not aware of any disciplinary history at the school.

"This is part of our investigation to determine what happened before this incident and whether certain signs were missed, how they were missed and why they were missed," he said.

The school was sealed off during the attack, and some children were hiding in locked classrooms. They were taken to a nearby Meijer grocery store and picked up by their parents.

The district said in a statement that all its schools will be closed for the rest of the week.

Isabel Flores, a 15-year-old ninth grade student, told WJBK-TV that she and other students heard gunshots and saw another student bleeding from the face. She said, and then they ran from the area to the back of the school.

Authorities said they are searching the suspect’s cell phone, school videos and social media posts to find any evidence of possible motives.

In November last year, school administrators posted two letters to parents on the school website saying they were responding to rumors that the school was threatened after a strange vandalism incident.

According to a letter written by the principal Steve Wolfe on November 4, someone threw a deer head from the school roof into the courtyard, painted several windows with red acrylic paint on the roof, and The same paint was used on the concrete near the school building. Morning time. Without mentioning that incident specifically, the second post on November 12 assured that "Neither our building nor our students were threatened."

Both the Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff emphasized that Tuesday’s shooting had nothing to do with Lutou or any previous investigation by their office.

"It was a different event, a different student," McCabe said.

A worried parent, Robin Redding, said her son Treshan Bryant (Treshan Bryant), a 12th grade student at the school, stayed at home on Tuesday. Reading said her son heard threats that there might be a shooting.

"It can't just be random," she said.

Bryant said he texted several cousins in the morning, and they said they didn't want to go to school, and he had a bad feeling. He asked his mother if he could complete his homework online.

Bryant said he had heard vague threats about the shooting plan for "a long time."

During a vigil held at LakePoint Community Church on Tuesday night, Leeann Dersa choked with tears as he hugged friends and neighbors. Desa spent almost all of her 73 years in Oxford. Her grandchildren go to high school.

"Let us all be afraid of something terrible. It's terrible," Desa said of the shooting.

Pastor Jesse Holt said that news of the shooting flooded into his and his wife’s ears, including text messages from some of the 400 congregations of 20 to 25 students.

"Some people were very scared, hiding under their tables and texting us,'We are safe, we are fine. We heard gunfire, but we were okay. They tried to calm us down, at least it felt like this at the time. ,"He said.

Riga, Latvia (Associated Press)-US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken warned on Wednesday that if President Putin has an excuse to invade Ukraine, he can quickly order an invasion of Ukraine, but if this happens, NATO allies are ready to impose severe measures on the Russian economy. Sanctions. .

The tension surrounding Russia’s build-up of troops on the Ukrainian border has been the focus of Brinken’s week-long trip to Europe, and was the top agenda for his meeting with Latvia’s NATO counterparts on Wednesday. The Ukrainian government is seeking alliances with NATO and the West.

"We don't know whether President Putin made the decision to invade. We do know that if he makes a decision, he will be able to do so in the short term," Brinken told reporters in Riga, Latvia. "We must prepare for all emergencies."

"We also urge Ukraine to continue to exercise restraint, because once again, the Russian script claims to provocation what they have been planning to do," he said.

Brinken said that the United States "has made it clear to the Kremlin that we will respond firmly, including a series of high-impact economic measures that we have avoided in the past." If Russia does invade Ukraine, he did not elaborate on what is being considered. Such "high impact" sanctions.

The European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution in April that would cut off Russia’s connection with the so-called SWIFT international payment system if Russian troops enter Ukraine.

This move will greatly help prevent Russian companies from entering the global financial system. According to reports, Western allies considered such steps in 2014 and 2015, when tensions in Ukraine led by Russia escalated earlier. At the time, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (Dmitry Medvedev) stated at the time that Russia's response to this fiscal paralysis would be "unlimited."

In addition to imposing sanctions against Russia, Brinken also stated that “NATO is ready to strengthen its defenses on the east wing.” He did not elaborate. The military organization has deployed troops in the Baltic countries-Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania-and Poland.

Brin will definitely meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Sweden on Thursday. He stated that he would encourage Russia's top diplomat to return to the "Normandy" model and hold talks with France and Germany.

"There is a diplomatic way forward. Of course we are not looking for conflict," Brinken said.

The 2015 peace agreement facilitated by France and Germany helped put an end to the large-scale fighting in eastern Ukraine that followed Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula the previous year. But efforts to reach a political settlement have failed, and sporadic skirmishes continue on the tense lines of contact.

While in Stockholm on Thursday, Brinken also plans to hold talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba during the Ministerial Meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The Grindstone Trail fire at Pilot Mountain State Park placed a heavy burden on the residents of Yadkin Valley. With air quality warnings issued by the triad and smog entering Virginia, people’s mouths and thoughts ignited blazing fires.

Officials said that the fire has burned more than 1,050 acres on Pilot Mountain, and currently controls about 20%, and only burns in the park. The North Carolina Forest Service said Tuesday that there were lines of control around the fire, some of which date back to 2012, when another wildfire nearly burned "the exact same footprint."

According to Jimmy Holt, ranger of the Guildford County Forest Service, the fire at this time appeared to be caused by human activity. Despite other reports, it has not been determined that the fire was deliberate arson. "It may be as simple as a cigarette butt," Pilot Mountain Mayor Even Cockerham said.

As local residents know, November is exceptionally dry, with only three tenths of an inch of rainfall. The average rainfall in the area in November should be around 3 inches. Unfortunately, there is no rainfall in the forecast, which can help firefighters.

These dry conditions are not unique to the region, as the latest drought monitoring map from North Carolina proves this. Currently, 49 counties out of 100 counties in North Carolina are in a state of "moderate drought" and 29 counties are in a state of "abnormal drought".

This year is expected to be the first year in the total number of wildfires and burning area in the state since 2020. Last year, 2,302 wildfires destroyed 7,800 acres, and so far, 2,801 fires have destroyed 8,400 acres.

Due to the start of a new fire on Tuesday in Pog Mountain, just outside Marion, the total for 2021 is regrettably incomplete. The rugged terrain awaits the arrival of the firefighters of the new 50-acre Pogue fire, just like this area-Marion predicts that there will be no rain.

Pilot Mountain State Park will continue to be closed until further notice. Drivers along the 52 states in the United States are still encouraged to proceed with caution, turning on their headlights and reducing speed when necessary.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture announced Monday night that the North Carolina Forest Service banned all open burning statewide and cancelled all burning permits. The ban took effect at 5 pm on Monday and will continue until further notice. The ban covers existing burn licenses.

More updates will be provided as they become available.

In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in the area, but at least one local healthcare professional said that there does not seem to be another new wave of infections in the area.

"We are starting to see a slight increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases," said Maggie Simmons, assistant health director of the Surrey County Health and Nutrition Center. "Surrey County has a positive rate of 11%, which seems to have risen slightly. Although our numbers are slowly climbing, we cannot assume that we are going through another wave," she said on Monday.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Surrey County has reported 154 new cases in the past 7 days. This makes the daily average slightly above 22.

In the past 14 days, there have been 373 new cases in the county, or nearly 27 cases per day. On Tuesday, only 10 new cases were reported. Overall, 237 people have died of the disease in Surrey County since the pandemic began.

Although this number hasn't risen sharply—it may even show a downward trend in recent days—the cases that require more advanced medical intervention keep officials in the northern region hospitals busy.

As of Monday, the hospital's 10-bed intensive care unit and its 12-bed degraded ward are full, and the conditions of these patients are usually not as serious as ICU patients. Robin Hodgin, Senior Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer, said that 8 of the ICU beds are for coronavirus patients and 3 of them are degraded beds.

Hawking said in an email that there are no flu patients in either ward.

"In the past few weeks, we have an average of 26 COVID inpatients, and the number of people during the Thanksgiving holiday has declined," she said. On Monday, the hospital had 20 COVID patients. She said that 70% of people who need to be hospitalized have not been vaccinated against the virus.

She added that the emergency department of the hospital is still very busy and the waiting time for patients who need to see a doctor is longer than usual. People admitted to the hospital may find themselves in the emergency department longer than ideal.

"It often happens when the patient census rate is high, not only in our facilities, but also in tertiary facilities on the road. Some patients receive longer care in our emergency room while they wait for the appropriate level of care in the north. Beds are available, or, if patients require a higher level of care, they may have to wait for the beds to open in one of the larger medical centers," she said.

Simmons from the Nutrition Center said that the advice for those who wish to avoid COVID is the same as the advice for months.

"Vaccination is still our first line of defense against COVID-19," she said. Simmons said 49% of the population in Surrey County was vaccinated and 52% had at least one dose. "The Surrey County Health and Nutrition Center has received 38,543 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, of which approximately 4,000 doses are boosters," she said. Her department does not count the number of local cases among vaccinated or unvaccinated patients.

"We once again encourage residents of Surrey County to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Surrey County Health and Nutrition Center provides all three brands of vaccines and boosters to eligible people. We accept Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4: pm: There is no appointment for 30, but those who wish to make an appointment can call 336-401-8400 to make an appointment," she said.

She said that there are some simple steps to slow the spread of the virus:

– Protect people who are not yet eligible for vaccination by vaccinating themselves and other eligible people around them, such as young children;

– If you are in a public indoor environment, wear a well-fitting mask on your nose and mouth. Even those who are fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks until Surrey County no longer experiences large-scale community transmission;

– Avoid crowded and poorly ventilated spaces;

-If you are sick or have symptoms, please do not hold or attend a party;

– If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient, get tested.

Keith Snow's seventh grade social studies class is learning the age of exploration.

Students learn about famous explorers such as Columbus and Zheng He in the unit. His students are working on a project that shows the routes of eight different explorers on a world map.

A total of US$300,000 in state funds have been allocated to Surry Medical Ministries in Mount Airy, which is expected to help the expansion plan of the clinic, which provides free medical services to people without health insurance.

"It's great — I'm so excited that I can't imagine it," Nancy Dixon, chair of the facility's board of directors, said Tuesday of the funds contained in the state budget approved earlier this month.

Representative Sarah Stevens of Mount Airy represented Surrey County at the North Carolina State Assembly, where she held the top leadership position of the Speaker Pro Temporary of the House of Representatives, seeking $500,000 in state assistance for the clinic in recent years.

"But it was rejected," Stevens added, adding that she had ongoing budget conflicts in Raleigh with other Republican lawmakers and Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

Local legislators stated that the long-awaited national budget was approved on November 18 and included $300,000 for the Surry Medical Ministries clinic, which Stevens believed represented a wise use of taxpayer funds.

She said it provides services to the working poor who have not purchased insurance through employer or government plans and cannot afford adequate insurance due to low income.

"They serve people who have nothing," Stevens said of the mission of the Surrey Medical Department Clinic, which operates as a non-profit foundation.

It can be traced back to the early 1990s, when it was determined that 8,000 people in the target population of Surrey and neighboring counties were unable to access adequate medical services-even before the North American Free Trade Agreement when local industry was booming.

A group led by concerned local doctors and others worked hard to organize a free clinic that opened in October 1993.

Now, it operates on a limited two days a week through a network of local doctors, pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants, and other voluntary contributions of time and expertise to provide services to those in need.

"They have been doing their best," Stevens said, and Dixon revealed on Tuesday that the annual budget is only about $100,000.

At the same time, the demand for clinic services continues to grow.

According to information provided by Dixon on Tuesday, the number of unique patients in the Surrey Medical Department has doubled since this time in 2020, and has more than doubled since this time in 2019.

She pointed out that during a given three-hour clinic meeting, the number of patients treated by the Surrey Medical Department was the same or more patients seen by medical providers throughout the day in private clinics.

The Surrey Medical Department provides primary health care to a large number of uninsured patients in Surrey County — “We need to do more,” Dixon said.

By 2021, the number of patient visits (calculated every time someone comes to the clinic to receive services) has increased to nearly 5,000. Since the facility is mainly operated by volunteers and there are only two 3-hour clinics per week, restrictions are set.

"Therefore-the demand has exceeded capacity several times," Dixon said, mentioning that in the current situation, new patients must wait an average of 3.5 weeks before seeing a healthcare provider. "It doesn't help keep people away from the emergency room."

Rep. Stevens said that one use of state funding is to make the clinic a full-time operation and may help provide a new building to replace its existing facility on Rockford Street across from the Northern District Hospital.

Dixon said the operation was hampered by the lack of space in its nearly 70-year-old building.

She acknowledged that while it is “good for us,” the increased demand for medical, dental and other services is putting a burden on the facility’s capacity, especially considering the need to maintain social distance between patients with viral problems.

The turnover rate of the examination room is not fast enough to allow patients to pass through the clinic effectively to reduce waiting time and congestion.

The new building to accommodate the clinic’s expansion is expected to cost at least US$4 million.

Dixon said: "This is a multi-year proposal that requires the partnership of everyone in our community to resolve."

"We are grateful that Rep. Stevens has begun to vigorously carry out this work."

• According to the city police report, a phone break in Mount Airy earlier on Monday resulted in the imprisonment of a Westfield man.

Arlando Thomas Smith, 52, from 5174 NC Highway 89, met the police at Justin Dominic Smith’s residence in the 1400 Park Avenue neighborhood, and allegedly Arlando Thomas Smith shot the glass from the outside door there. The loss is set at $100.

Smith, listed as the father of the victim, was accused of injuring personal property and was detained in Surrey County Jail with a security deposit of $300. He is scheduled to appear in the district court on December 20.

• Last Wednesday, an unidentified suspect was found breaking in and trying to steal a car on Welch Road near Snow Mountain Road.

This involves a 2000 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck, owned by Michael Wayne Broughman Jr. of Dalsher Avenue in Pilot Mountain, when the pickup truck was fixed. The damage caused by the fire is estimated to be US$200.

• In an incident on November 22, $560 worth of property in the Harbour Freight store on Carter Street was stolen when tools and other items were removed from the store through an emergency exit door.

Includes Pittsburgh 130-piece tool kit, Bauer 15-amp portable planer, Pittsburgh 225-piece tool kit, and Bunker RF detector. The detector and the 225-piece tool set were listed as recovered without any explanation.

• Randell Jackson Bennett, 64, a resident of Taylorsville, employed by a business in Ararat, was charged with driving with a disability on November 19, after he was involved in an incident on US 601 near Edgewood Drive. Was arrested by the police for the investigation of a traffic accident. He ran the 2008 Toyota pickup truck.

Bennett received a written undertaking to appear in Surrey District Court on December 20.

The Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce is ready to kick off the celebration season with festive events and online auctions.

In the past few years, the holiday party has been held at a location in Cross Creek Country Club. However, last year, COVID-19 had other ideas on how to manage the evening. In order to avoid face-to-face gatherings, the Chamber of Commerce decided to do the next best thing and conduct an online auction.

In the case of lemonade made from lemons, “the results were better than we expected,” said Travis Frye, director of projects and events at the Airy Mountain Chamber of Commerce, of the online event.

“After the auction, it’s clear that it’s much easier to put the items in place and put them on the Internet than to bring them to the country club. We were able to let more people see these items instead of in one room, in fact , Last year we raised more funds with fewer items, not last year."

The pandemic has forced many changes in traditional ways of doing things. The chamber of commerce turned to online meetings and held award ceremonies in a virtual way. The auction will continue online this year. Fry pointed out that other organizations in Airy Hill, such as the Shepherd’s House and the Surrey Arts Council, have also switched to online auctions.

Since the donated items come from chamber of commerce members and non-members, online auctions provide local businesses with the opportunity to auction their donated items. Frye believes that the new format of online auctions will help suppliers, because savvy Internet searchers may find these auction items that they would not otherwise own. "In addition to gaining exposure, this is a great way to promote their products," Frye said.

Marty Adams of Mayberry Antique Mall is helping to promote the Chamber of Commerce auctions. These items will be listed on https://mayberryonlineauction.bidwrangler.com/ for interested parties to view.

The winning bidder’s money will be returned to the Chamber of Commerce for programming in 2022. Fry pointed out that the Chamber of Commerce can only raise funds through membership dues and evening parties.

The online auction will start this Friday (December 3) at 10 am and will continue until December 10 (Friday) at 8 pm. It will provide assistance to those who have difficulties on the party’s online portal .

The holiday party at Cross Creek Country Club from 6:30 pm to 9 pm on December 10th was the climax of the event. Frye mentioned that many years ago, his goal for holding this party was to create a family-oriented holiday party and provide something for everyone.

This year’s event will host a buffet dinner and cash bar to suit the taste of the season, but there will also be special events for kids of all ages. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus have made an appointment to be present to take pictures. Dr. Gravitte DDS and Sarah’s Sweets sponsored a children’s craft station. If this is not enough, Sarah's Sweets also hosted a cookie decoration station.

Maria’s face painting will also be there to design holiday designs for adults and children. Frye reminds everyone that there are cake walks. "That's really a southern thing. I don't know how many places are still making cake walks. There are many great bakers in our area."

This year's new project will provide some expanded entertainment for adults. This year, the conference hall will include Tony Dalton on the agenda, and he will play classic Christmas songs on the piano for long hours of singing or just for listening. This year they also joined the American Caroline Company in Raleigh. They will send three singers dressed in classic costumes from the Deakin era. They will stay on the stage for an hour during the party.

For information about online auctions and holiday parties, please visit: https://www.mtairyncchamber.org/.

A fire caused minor damage to the former Koozies building in Mount Airy, which was related to homelessness.

Shortly before 6:45 pm on Monday, firefighters were dispatched to the scene to concentrate on handling part of the structure on West Pine Street across the diagonal from the Mill Creek General Store.

"We rushed to the scene and found flames and smoke coming from the side of Pine Street," Mount Airy Fire Chief Zane Poindexter said Tuesday of the large facility at 455 Franklin Street, which also borders Pine Street and North South Street. .

"They launched an attack and quickly knocked it down," Poindexter added. Firefighters' efforts included deploying a ladder truck to prevent the fire from infiltrating the roof.

Of the 30 or so firefighters who responded, no one was injured, including members of the Mount Airy Fire Station and volunteers from outside the city.

The cause of the fire on Tuesday is still under investigation.

Poindexter said this is believed to have been caused by one or more homeless persons who have been living in the building.

"There is a man at the scene," the fire chief said. "He is actually occupying this building." When the fire started, the man was able to evacuate.

It was not clear on Tuesday whether the incident was caused by some kind of bonfire or similar reasons. Poindexter stated that there is no electricity service in the building.

Except for the effects of smoke, no real structural damage occurred, and there were concrete floors and slabs in the fire area.

Only the content was damaged, and the loss figure was approximately $1,000.

The building used to be the seat of a private club called Koozies, which closed a few years ago and has recently been a concern for Mount Airy officials.

In 2015, it became the focus of urban redevelopment around the former Spencer textile mill complex nearby.

The former Koozies property was once part of Quality Mills' manufacturing operations in Mount Airy.

According to Surrey County tax records, it is now classified as a suite owned by a holding company in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

In addition to firefighters, Surrey County EMS, Mount Airy Rescue Squad and Mount Airy Police Department also responded to the incident on Monday night.

The Surrey County Genealogy Association will hold a meeting at Mount Airy Public Library on December 6, with a speech by Calvin Vaughn, who will give a speech on his book "The Main Life", Mount Airy, North Carolina

Vaughan grew up in the area and moved away for a few years, then retired and returned and actively participated in local tourism work and local institutions such as the Airy Mountain Regional Museum.

In announcing his upcoming speech, the association said: “He saw a lot of things happen and started to understand the old and the new. Soon he decided to write a book so that other people could be in Airy Mountain, North Carolina. Follow him in the diary on the street.".

The book will be on sale at the conference starting at 5 pm, and those who purchase the book can get their signatures. Anyone with questions can contact Esther Johnson, President of the Association at EPDJ1@triad.rr.com

As the pilot mountain fire enters its fourth day, the anxiety level of residents around the mountain remains high. The wind has been preventing the smoke from settling, but it still caused the conditions on the mountain to fuel the fire.

The Red Incident Management Team of the North Carolina Forest Service will hold a virtual community meeting at 7pm on Tuesday to provide the latest information about the Grindstone fire.

The fire that started on Saturday has made progress. "Everything is tied together and the containment line has been set up. Eric Southern of the Surrey County Emergency Management Department said of the fire protection work in the state park.

Officials predict that the entire Linghang Mountain itself, more than 900 acres, will be affected by the fire. The total area of Pilot Mountain State Park exceeds 3,800 acres, and containment has become a local strategy.

On Monday, firefighters started burning in a controlled manner, trying to direct the fire from the mountain to the fire line. "Our goal is to control the fire on the state park site," Pilot Mountain Mayor Even Cockerham said. "They did a very heroic job to ensure that there is a line of fire around the foot of the mountain to prevent it from spreading to our community."

Cokerham went on to describe the complex emotions caused by the wind. He said: “The wind has always been like this. It is a blessing and a curse because it blows the smoke away from the mountain. But, of course, it makes the fire right now. It’s even more dangerous for the firefighters who extinguished the fire there."

On Tuesday morning, it was reported that there was smoke on the north side of Pilot Mountain, and observers reported that the south side appeared to be smoke-free. The forecast wind from the southwest will continue to blow the smog from the area to the northeast.

The mayor said on Tuesday that the fire has encircled the mountain and burned more than 400 acres of Pilot Mountain State Park so far, which is likely to be the cause of the man-made fire. Whether the fire was human negligence or other more evil reasons remains to be determined.

But it is clear that as the dry and windy conditions continue, there is still a risk of more fires. The North Carolina Forest Service has issued a ban on all outdoor burning and has cancelled all burning permits statewide until further notice.

"It is the autumn wildfire season in North Carolina, and we are seeing increased wildfire activity due to dry conditions," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. "Under these ongoing conditions, it is necessary to ban burning statewide to reduce the risk of fire occurrence and rapid spread. Our first priority is always to protect life, property and woodland throughout the state."

According to North Carolina law, the ban prohibits all open burning in affected counties, regardless of whether a permit has been previously issued. Anyone who violates the burning ban will face a fine of $100 and a court fee of $183.

"Of course, don't burn anything now, but if you have a campfire in the future-make sure it goes out," Cockham added. Anyone responsible for setting a fire may have to bear any expenses related to fire fighting.

The local fire department and law enforcement officers are assisting the North Carolina Forest Service in enforcing the burning ban.

As the fire continues, the Forsyth County Environmental Assistance and Protection Office will continue to monitor the smoke. They issued a statement on Monday stating, “As wildfire smoke rotates in the triad, particle pollution levels will rise. Although unhealthy particle pollution levels are not expected, during this period, people suffering from asthma and/or other health problems May wish to restrict outdoor activities."

9-year-old Cameron Asher McHone wants to grow up to become a farmer and own an agricultural product business-and this young man is on his way.

Cameron and his grandmother have taken care of their garden for several years.

Lorraine Heath. This year, he expanded the scale.

"This is another challenging year, but I continue my gardening work every year," he said. "I made a garden in Me Ma Lucy's house and another in the house where I lived with my mom Kelly and my dad Brandon.

"This year I sold some sugar peas and gave a lot of things to friends and neighbors. This year I planted my first Halloween pumpkin. I also planted a lot of my special Teddy Bear Sunflower."

Cameron also extended his growing season, planting cauliflower, mixed vegetables and broccoli this fall.

He said that he was determined to become a farmer when he grew up.

"I think I have learned enough in the past five years. With the support and help of my mother Lucy, this will happen."

"He knows his gardening," his grandmother added. "I am proud of Cameron."

East Surrey High School is hosting a series of donation season events.

This work began on November 22, and East Surrey Interactive sponsored the first competition between teachers on who can collect the most cans. The competition will last until December 13, and the winning class will attend a breakfast party on December 14.

On December 1, during the basketball game at home against West Stokes High School, the admission fee was 5 canned food or $7.

The school is also hosting the Deborah Voight Memorial Blood Drive, and the East Surrey HOSA Club is accepting donations of Thanksgiving care kits. Care Kit items include hygiene products, non-perishable food, clothing, and donations. Care Kit items will be donated to the Bethesda Homeless Center.

As firefighting operations on the mountain continued until the third day, Pilot Mountain State Park remained closed. According to Eric Southern of the Surrey County Emergency Services Center, the fire was first reported at around 5 pm on Saturday, and it has been confirmed that the fire has burned about 400 acres.

No one was injured or damaged, and the fire is currently on land in the state park. Jimmy Holt, a ranger in Guilford County, North Carolina Forest Service, said he hopes the fire can be contained within the park.

Dry and windy conditions made the situation more difficult, and Monday’s forecast did not show any interruption in weather that would help firefighters. Residents are encouraged to refrain from all outdoor burning before the end of the drying cycle.

Helicopters and fixed-wing assets will fly over Pilot Hill on Monday to determine the location of the fire, the growth at night, and the direction of movement. Then a fire protection plan will be designed and implemented by the Department of Forestry, North Carolina Parks and local fire officials. The Park Service will provide updates.

The Surrey Arts Council prepared something for everyone during the holidays-and used event tickets in time as holiday gifts.

The celebration started with John Floyd's Comedy Night at Earl at 7pm on Thursday, December 2nd, as part of his upcoming Comedy Night series.

Next is the Nutcracker Age performed by the New York Ballet at the Andy Griffith Theater on Sunday, December 5th at 2 pm and 4 pm for young audiences.

Clara's classic story, she is a young girl on the margins of women, her dreams are both childlike and romantic. Two other performances will be held on Monday, December 6th for more than 700 district school children.

Earle has a full month of vacation movies. Disney Encanto will be screened from Friday, December 3 to Sunday, December 5; Elves, December 10-12; Clifford, the red dog, December 17-19 (Saturday and Sunday, the show at 3 pm will be Have the opportunity to take a photo with the big red dog); and sing from December 2nd to January 2nd. 2. For all performance times, please call the Earle Information Hotline 336-786-2222. The film Polar Express will be shown free to more than 1,400 students at the historic Earl Theater from December 14th to 16th. Watch more new versions in Earle in the new year.

Shelby Coleman will host the annual Gingercookie seminar for Special Friends at 3:30 pm on Friday, December 10th, followed by a seminar for children of all ages, and Madeline Matanick will host the weekly art on Tuesday night course. The youth class will be held from 5 pm to 6 pm, and the youth and adult classes will be held from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. These workshop works are great gifts for family and friends.

"Sky Rider: Christmas at Cowboy Road" will make its first appearance at Mount Airy at the historic Earl Theater at 7:30 PM on Saturday, December 11. These award-winning four-part Harmony Cowboys will wear sequined Christmas costumes to delight people of all ages. The show will feature their unique denim humorous brand, accompanied by original songs. They even invite the audience to sing a few traditional festival classics with them.

They are members of The Grand Ole Opry and won Grammy Awards for their main film creation and performance songs, including "Woody's Roundup: From Toy Story 2" and so on.

On Thursday, December 16, the Surrey Arts Council welcomed Embers back to the Andy Griffith Theater to participate in their annual performance "Embers Christmas". The show features the most popular holiday classics. The show starts at 7:30 pm and includes the appearance of Santa Claus.

The Surrey Arts Council will host a favorite Christmas pageant of all time at the Andy Griffith Theater on Saturday, December 18th at 3 pm and Sunday, December 19th at 3 pm. Amanda Barnard will direct the show. The terrible herders appeared in the audition to eat snacks, took over the Christmas performance, and finally won everyone's hearts when they first heard the Christmas story. In addition to public performances, the Arts Committee will host two performances for more than 700 district students on Friday, December 17.

On Saturday, January 4th, the band "Backstep" will use their version of Breaking Up Christmas to entertain local bluegrass music and old fans. The show will be held at the historic Earl Theatre, with music and dancing starting at 7pm

More holiday gift opportunities for the New Year’s show include Balsam Range, Sam Bush, Dailey and Vincent and Lonesome River Band.

For more information or to purchase tickets or register for these events, please email rj@surryarts.org, call 336-786-7998 or visit www.surryarts.org.

Given the Veterans’ Day on November 9, 2021,

Earlier this month, to commemorate Veterans Day, Flat Rock Elementary School welcomed an important visitor.

Doug Joyner, the commander of the local US Army Corps, visited the school in order to retire the school's American flag. After receiving the retired flag, he presented a new flag to the school's fifth-grade flag team for use by the school.

North Carolina Forest Service Guildford County Ranger Jimmy Holt (Jimmy Holt) said the situation on the smoky Pilot Mountain on Sunday night did not improve, and the fire made “significant progress” overnight. According to Eric Southern of the Surrey County Emergency Services Center, the burned area was reported to be extensive, but it was confirmed on Monday morning that the area was more than 400 acres.

On Monday morning, the plane took off again to assess the location of the fire. These reconnaissance missions are to detect fires from the air in order to formulate an actionable firefighting plan, which will be implemented on Tuesday. There were no plans to drip water in the fire on Monday.

On the ground, the fire fighting strategy is still containment. The Park Service and the North Carolina Forest Service are on-site managing the scene, and the South said they have controlled the fire. State officials and local agencies have expanded their teams to approximately 60 people to fight the pilot mountain fire. The Southern Report stated that there have been no reports of injuries.

Windy and dry weather will not help, Holt pointed out that today will be the worst day. Fire site management is transitioning from regional incident events to Type II operations. Due to the size and possibilities of the structure that may be affected, Holt explained that the fire needs to be reclassified in order to bring in additional funds and resources.

Currently, the fire has been contained on state-owned land, and Holt is satisfied with maintaining the status quo. The public can assist firefighting operations by staying away from Pilot Mountain State Park, which is closed until further notice. Although no report has been made yet, drone pilots have been asked not to take aerial photographs of the area.

Ranger Holt wanted to let the public know that the staff who extinguished these fires at the scene were well taken care of. They thanked all the prayers and blessings. The community quickly responded to a large number of online support and assistance requests.

From Pilot Mountain Town:

"Our community has received tremendous support by donating water, drinks and snacks! Thank you! Currently, our fire chief and rescue chief only ask for donations. Donations will be donated to Pilot Knob Vol. Fire Department, Pilot Mountain Rescue and EMS, yes Do it in person at the city hall with cash, cheque or card."

Although Thanksgiving has long been the traditional start of Christmas, for some local residents, the beginning of the season will not be another week-when the annual Rockford Candlelight Christmas occurs.

Hannah Holyfield, president of the Rockford Conservation Society, said: "This is what many people told me at the end." "Now I can start my Christmas. I've been to candlelight Christmas."

This year’s two-night event-Thursday, December 2 and Friday, December 3-marked the 31st Christmas concert at the Rockford Methodist Church in Rockford Village, although it will be the first in two years Face-to-face meeting.

"Last year, our 30th place must be virtual," she said. As was the case with most traditional public gatherings in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the event’s performers and fans from gathering—but Holyfield said the holiday traditions still exist.

“We let everyone who perform normally send their music, they record it and send it to us, and we put it on our Facebook page and our website,” she said. "Even if we can't watch it in person, they can electronically watch the music they were going to play. This is something... we can't live without it."

Although the pandemic continues, the reduction in cases driven by vaccines and social distancing policies has allowed the resumption of many public events, including this year's Rockford holiday gathering.

Holyfield said: "We will be able to unite again. This is just a relief." "This is important to Rockford, and it is also important to people year after year. A lot of people missed it last year... We are very Unfortunately, it has to be cancelled. This year we are very happy that we will be able to do this."

Dr. Gena Poovey, a music professor at Limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina, will perform again for two nights. Poovey is a part of tradition as well as candles and the 107-year-old church, and is the only singer or musician to perform at the event every year. She played an important role in helping to start the candlelight Christmas tradition that has become Rockford.

Holyfield explained that the late Evelyn Holyfield-her husband's aunt and founder of the Rockford Conservation Society-lived with Purvey in Rockford and worked as a visiting artist at Surrey Community College. When organized the first such holiday party.

Hannah Holyfield said: “They got together and decided to make a plan and do it on the first Friday of December.” They continued to hold this service every year until 1999. It was obvious that one service was no longer available. Enough again.

"It's so popular," she said. "It (church) is packed with people... People line up in a row, people stand on the sidewalk outside and listen. In 2000, we decided to stay for two nights because it was too crowded."

"I don't know what it will be this year. There may be many people because everyone is ready to go out and come back, or some may be reluctant. If they are more comfortable wearing masks, we will definitely provide masks for anyone at the door. We Hope it is safe, but we want to return to normal. We are looking forward to it, looking forward to hearing all the performances and the candlelight atmosphere in this small church. This is the best way to start Christmas."

On Thursday night, Poovey will sing accompanied by Amey King. Wendy and Johnny Dearmin will also perform, as will Marshall Brothers and High Road and the Surry Central High School choir directed by Angie Smith.

On Friday, Poovey will be accompanied by Adam Rudisill. Other performers include Judy Taylor, Wendy and Johnny Dearmin, and Jade Kiger and Friends.

The service starts at 7 o'clock every evening. The church’s parking spaces are limited, but the shuttle service provided by YVEDDI will be available in the parking lot of Rockford Baptist Church from 6 pm, and refreshments will be provided after each show.

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