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NSHTurf
A drone shows the new turf field at North Surry High School. Area high schools are getting track repairs and turf fields, and school systems are saving money by combining projects on several campuses into one concerted construction effort. (Thanks to D. Goss: eternalestatesmediallc@gmail.com)
Quick work made of track and field renovations
Sometimes an offer comes along that sounds too good to refuse. Often a sentence like that is the precursor to a letdown as realty fails to meet promise, but such is not the case when it comes to a package deal that Surry County Schools entered into with neighboring counties to maximize the impact of state funding. When it comes to the multi-million dollar project across three counties to lay down new artificial turf fields and conduct repairs to running tracks, Surry County is sitting...
County budget crosses historic threshold
Passage of the Surry County fiscal year 2024-2025 budget occurred Monday evening as the board of commissioners unanimously voted to approve the final recommended total of over $103 million. This marks the first time the county budget has crossed the one hundred million dollar mark. Surry County Manager Chris Knopf advised, “On June 11 the board held a work session to go over the recommended budget and make a number...
Fate of 'Cube' sealed
The shape of things to come in Mount Airy apparently won’t include “The Cube.” City council members voted 5-0 Thursday night to award a demolition contract targeting that iconic building on the former Spencer’s industrial property located downtown. The contract also calls for razing what is known as The Cube Annex and Dye House there. ...
Music under the stars with Summer Concert Series
As the sun started to go down and the hot temperatures of the weekend ebbed ever so slightly, folks gathered for the Summer Concert Series at the Blackmon Amphitheatre in downtown Mount Airy Saturday evening. There was room to relax as some people opted to find a spot under a willow tree, while others sat on the patio at the Arts Center looking down on the stage, and others decided to shake a leg right down in front of the band. ...
Surry Early College, Yadkin Early College high schools honored
Surry Early College High School and Yadkin Early College High School have been recognized for their achievements for the 2022-2023 academic year. Yadkin Early College High School had a 100% graduation rate which surpassed the state average of 87%. Yadkin Early College High School was awarded with a letter grade of “A” by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. To receive this letter grade, Yadkin Early College High School met the highest level of overall performance, had academic growth, and met federal performance requirements ...
Franklin Elementary names Student Leaders
Each month, teachers and staff members at Franklin Elementary School focus on teaching a specific attribute students can learn and use to grow. In May, that attribute was being communicative. The students selected for being communicative were recently recognized and awarded a certificate. Those students were, from left, front row, Aniyah Smith, Bram Snow, Emeilia Hermes, Sophie Seal, Keagan Wagner and Wyatt Yarbrough; second row, Tyson Simmons, Cesar Reyes-Cartagena, Storm Campbell, Casen Marshall, Joel Perez-Cruz, and Anayeli Avila; third row, Luke Fleming, Lily Hawks, Laila Chandler, Aubree Soileau, Sebastion Dobson, and Corbin Sumner; back row, Wrenzo Freeman, Hayden Hodge, Natalie Rincon, Brooks Senter, Trinity King, and Carter Dotterweich. Not pictured is Maci Payne.
Local youths capture state history awards
Mount Airy was well-represented during the recent Tar Heel Junior Historian Association (THJHA) Annual Convention in Raleigh, including bringing home individual and group awards. The day-long gathering at the North Carolina Museum of History featured dynamic learning experiences to help young people appreciate and understand North Carolina’s rich history. The event also was a time to recognize junior historians for their impactful historical work on a wide array of projects. ...
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Pilot Moutain Town Manager Michael Boaz announces staffing changes at the police department last November following an investigation. Boaz presented the 2024-2025 budget for approval at the Pilot Mountain Board of Commissioner meeting June 10 which was approved.
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Pilot Mountain Police Chief Adrian Tillotson addressed the media in November. Town leaders opted to defund the School Resource Office at Pilot Elementary as they focused on getting the police department “whole again” following charges and terminations stemming from an SBI investigation into fraud.
Police reports
• A Mount Airy woman is facing a felony drug charge stemming from a traffic stop, according to city police reports. Latavia Shuntell Aberg, 22, of 246 Spring St., was encountered by officers at a restaurant in the 2100 block of Rockford Street on June 11. Aberg subsequently was charged with possession of methamphetamine and confined in the Surry County Jail under a $1,000 secured bond. ...
Pilot Mountain eliminates SRO funding
The Town of Pilot Mountain recently passed a budget for the upcoming fiscal year with an estimated total of $4,645,240 — but that new budget includes the elimination of the town’s school resource officer in a move related to a still-ongoing state probe into the town’s police department. Revenues in the budget are expected to match expenditures and the town will require no transfers from the general fund to balance the budget. ...
City schools make administrative changes
District Announces Administrative Changes Press Release — June 19, 2024 With the recent selection of Dr. Phillip Brown as Mount Airy City Schools superintendent and Dr. Olivia Sikes as assistant superintendent, several openings were created with their promotions and subsequent shifting in other administrator roles. That has resulted in four local officials being named to...
Local JROTC cadets saluted by DAR
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is focused on a period of history when America gained its independence from the British, and annually honors modern examples of that same spirit. This has included the local Jonathan Hunt Chapter of the DAR announcing cadets who have received the Junior ROTC Medal Award from the group for the most recent academic year. The award goes to an 11th grader or senior...
Fiddlers convention winners announced
Winners have been announced for the recent Mount Airy Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddlers Convention, which organizers said will go down as one of the best in its 52-year history. “We had a fabulous crowd this year,” one organizer, Judy Joyner, summed-up Wednesday regarding the convention held earlier this month at Veterans Memorial Park. “Everyone had a great time,” Joyner added. ...
Elkin Schools find savings on repairs
The Surry County Board of Commissioners on Monday heard of two recent renovation projects that surprisingly both came in under their projection. Elkin City Schools Superintendent Dr. Steve Hall made a request to the commissioners to reallocate unused funds for another project and was approved. During a time when construction and material costs continue to rise, the system found savings on a walk-in cooler project at Elkin Elementary. The project...
PMES Student Council
Student Council officers of Pilot Mountain Elementary School posed for a photo last fall. In the upcoming budget for the town, funding has been eliminated for the School Resource Officer at the school but Commissioner Donna Kiger said they are working on a federal grant to fund the position.
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