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The Mount Airy News
Candidate filing for municipal seats wraps up
DOBSON — Candidate filing periods for elected offices across Surry County usually include some office-seekers waiting until the last minute to toss their hats into the ring. This can be done for strategic purposes — desiring to see who one would be running against before making the plunge. However, the just-completed sign-up period for eight seats in three Surry County towns wasn’t true to that script. ...
Rezoning request defeated, county may lose $10 million project
The potential investment of $10 million dollars by an Indiana company seeking to build a facility producing doors for carports hit another snag when the Surry County Board of Commissioners rejected the recommendation of the Planning Board to approve the request with conditions. Industrial Development LLC is seeking to rezone 27.04 acres off South McKinney Road, to the South of Interstate 74, from Rural Agricultural to Highway Business Conditional. The board voted 4-1 to deny the request but also voted to waive the one-year filing...
Marriages
The following marriage licenses were issued in Surry County: - Gary Stephen Pennell, 75, of Iredell County to Veronica Marie Krakovsky, 65, of Yadkin County. - Dwayne Andrew Burchette, 40, of Surry County to Courtney Taylor Ward, 31, of Surry County. - Ryan Colbey Owens, 31, of Forsyth County to Tiffany Ideth Calvillo Solis, 33, of Surry County. - Damein Lane Earls, 29, of Surry County to Maegan Elizabeth Hodges, 28, of Surry County. - Brogan Lee Bowman, 25, of Carroll County, Virginia, to Amy Jo Caviness, 23, of Carroll County. - Michael Aaron McKendree, 51, of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, to Elena Maria Brisson, 60, of Allegheny County.
City votes to acquire PART lot
The city of Mount Airy is acquiring one of the largest public parking lots in town: a former park-and-ride facility near Big Lots. This is occurring through a 5-0 vote by the city commissioners Thursday night to buy the site operated for about 10 years by the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) until being discontinued in July 2022. Mount Airy officials agreed to spend $145,000 for the 4.9-acre tract...
Event center rezoning approved; Harris eyes alcohol sales
The Surry County Board of Commissioners meeting Monday was a wide ranging affair lasting nearly six hours in total. Among items the board considered was a rezoning request to allow for the opening of an event center and venue. The board heard a request from Gersson Rodriguez to have 2.412 acres of a 3.41 acre parcel at 1304 U.S. Highway 52 South rezoned from Residential Agriculture to Community Business — Conditional for a venue for weddings, baby showers, and birthday parties. ...
Badgett, Mayfield take part in East-West All-Star game
GREENSBORO — Two local basketball standouts took part in the N.C. Coaches Association’s East-West All-Star game on July 15. North Surry High School’s Sadie Badgett suited up for the West as she competed in her final high school basketball game, and the West was coached by two-time State Champion Angela Mayfield of Mount Airy High School. The East All-Stars came away with the win 84-68. Northeastern High School’s Jasmine Felton,...
2-time State Champion coach Shane Slate announces retirement
Shane Slate recently announced the end of his legendary career after nearly three decades at North Surry High School. “Fifty-eight seasons, including 47 as a varsity coach, seems like a long time, but it flew by and I would do it all again,” Slate said. “The positive experiences far outweighed all the negatives associated with coaching, and I will miss the time I spent in the gym with our teams more than I can express.” ...
Northern Regional Hospital welcome new surgeon
Northern Regional Hospital this week announced the are pleased to welcome the addition of Dr. Carl Buchholz to their surgical team. Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Dr. Buchholz’s journey to becoming a general surgeon “marks a passion for medicine and a dedication to serving rural populations.” He completed his Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Bachelor of Science in Physiology at the University of Arizona before earning his...
Police reports
• A Mount Airy man has become a victim of fraud, according to city police reports. The incident, reported last Friday, resulted in an undisclosed sum of money being lost by James Monroe Johnson of Stewart Drive. Police records do not state how the crime involving the obtaining of property/money by false pretense was perpetrated. ...
Local man makes rounds at RNC
MILWAUKEE — It’s been a whirlwind week for local resident A.J. Daoud as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, which has included rubbing elbows with what arguably is a who’s who list of top party notables. Daoud, the owner of Cox-Needham Funeral Home in Pilot Mountain and a longtime GOP insider, not only has frequented the convention hall while former President Donald Trump and vice president pick JD Vance were present; he has been right in the thick of other events this week as...
Leaked chicken waste paints smelly path to landfill
A truck hauling waste for Wayne Farms on its way to the Surry County landfill Monday had a near miss collision with another vehicle on Old U.S. 52 that caused it to spill out, and continue to leak, its smelly cargo over the roadway. Bobby Koehler said it was one of his Ultimate Environmental haulers that was en route to the landfill with a load of wet chicken feed mixed with bad eggs on Monday when his truck was nearly run off the road by...
Seven new Assistant Principals named at county schools
As the 2024-2025 school year approaches, Surry County Schools released a statement this week expressing their excitement to welcome new assistant principals at seven schools. The school district said the changes reflect the district’s commitment to leadership development and educational excellence. Gentry Middle School assistant principal Amanda Adams leads the move with her transition to Cedar Ridge Elementary School. Adams is being replaced with Hanna Holder, who had previously served...
Police reports
• A man fired from a local business Sunday who refused to leave afterward was charged with second-degree trespassing, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports. Markus Zachary Stone, 24, of 288 Maple Drive, was encountered by officers responding to a civil disturbance at Pizza Hut, which he refused to leave after being terminated. When police arrived on the scene, Stone still refused to depart despite being told to do...
tom talks history
A local writer whose recent book focuses on early residents of Patrick County will be giving a talk later this month at the Ararat, Virginia, Ruritan Club. Beverly Belcher Woody, a writer for Patrick County’s The Enterprise and author of “Patrick Pioneers Part One,” will be talking about people and places in the Ararat area from her book. The event is part of Tom Talks History Series sponsored by the...
Elkin mayor calling it quits
DOBSON — As the candidate field continues to grow for 2024 municipal elections across Surry County, one top official confirmed Thursday that he is stepping down. “This is my last term,” Elkin Mayor Sam Bishop said. “I’ve decided after eight years, I’ve accomplished what I wanted to accomplish,” added Bishop, whose present four-year term ends late this year. ...
Unique experiences will guide recovery coaches
Fifteen area residents took part last week in the first sessions of a new Recovery Coach training program meant to create more support for those in recovery from substance use disorder. The training was offered at no charge by Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery, Recovery Friendly Workplace Program and Piedmont Triad Workforce Development Board. Substance Abuse Recovery Director Jaime Edwards said the goal “Is to increase community knowledge...
Surry Old-Time Fiddlers Convention scrapped
DOBSON — An annual event that had the goal of helping to preserve the traditional music of this region has itself become history. The Surry Old-Time Fiddlers Convention held in Dobson no longer will be a showcase for the lively style of fiddle and banjo sounds popularized by string bands in the southern U.S. before the 1940s. “Unfortunately,” said local tourism official Travis Frye, “it will not be taking place...
Yadkin Schools counselor resigns following Trump comments
Words have power, as a former Yadkin County Schools counselor can attest this week. Comments she made on social media drew all the wrong sorts of attention after being shared on TikTok and garnering millions of views. Former Boonville Elementary School guidance counselor Amanda Brewer took to social media following the attempt on Donald Trump’s life at a weekend rally in Pennsylvania. Her comments were shared widely on social media...
DOT driving local road repairs
Road-resurfacing crews are becoming a greater presence in the Mount Airy area due to various projects planned over the next few weeks. Both daytime and nighttime work shifts will be involved, according to City Manager Darren Lewis, relaying updated scheduling details from the N.C. Department of Transportation. While Mount Airy maintains roadways that are on the municipal street system, major routes locally are under the purview of the DOT, including...
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Established in 1880, The Mt. Airy News serves Surry County, North Carolina, and surrounding areas.
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