Columbus
The Mount Airy News
MAHS seniors set to tackle life
References to WWE wrestling and delivering a punch to the gut figured prominently during Mount Airy High School’s graduation program — with speakers not advocating violence through those remarks, but using them to make important points about life. Experiences involving siblings were the basis for such comments by Senior Class President Ian Gallimore and Valedictorian Kinlee Reece during their respective addresses for Saturday morning’s commencement exercises at Wallace Shelton Stadium. ...
Museum’s Junior Historians show out at state competition
The Jesse Franklin Pioneers, the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History’s chapter of the Tar Heel Junior Historians, recently brought home nearly a half-dozen awards for their work displayed at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh as part of the Junior Historians state conference. In the Video Documentary contest the Intermediate Group, consisting of Rickie Caudill, Adah Huff, Kylie Jones, Madilyn Kassen, Paytin Key, and Solomon Shipley, brought home first place for their “Home Town Homicides” video. This documentary covered the Lawson Family...
Booksmarts
New Library Service Hpopla Digital. Enjoy audiobooks, eBooks, comics and manga, music, movies, TV, and more—all with no waiting. Sign up for Hoopla with your Northwestern Regional Library card at hoopladigital.com or download the hoopla app from your device’s app store. Special Events An Afternoon With the Author — Join us Saturday, May 25 at...
Memorial Day to alter sanitation routes
Next week’s observance of Memorial Day has prompted changes in sanitation schedules for Mount Airy. This will include no yard waste collection in the city on Monday. The next such pickups are to occur a week later on June 3. Also, the commercial garbage routes normally run on Monday will be serviced on Tuesday instead. This same Monday-to-Tuesday shift is in store for the city’s industrial roll-off route. Municipal offices will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day.
Date set for Ground Steak Festival
DOBSON — The dessert dish known as the sonker isn’t the only food item with roots firmly “grounded” in Surry County. There is also the ground steak sandwich that will be celebrated at an upcoming event. “It really is a Surry County thing,” Coordinator Travis Frye of the Dobson Tourism Development Authority is fond of saying. The unique sandwich will be the focus of the second-annual North Carolina Ground Steak...
City schools name new assistant superintendent
Mount Airy City Schools has a new assistant superintendent — but it is a familiar face and name to many in the city school system. Dr. Olivia Sikes has been named Assistant Superintendent of the city school system, filling the post left vacant when Dr. Phillip Brown was named superintendent of the district, who in turn replaced the retiring Dr. Kim Morrison. Sikes brings 21 years of experience to the...
Local book to be featured at national book festival
RALEIGH —Two books have been chosen to represent North Carolina in the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival, and one of those has local ties. Bountiful Red Acres: Two Farms, Two Families, and a Year on the Land written by Eileen Heyes and illustrated by Dare Coulter, is a book aimed at young readers in the age range of 8 to 11. The story is designed to let those readers get a taste of farm life in the North Carolina Piedmont through Bountiful Red...
Hawks wins Triple Jump State Championship
GREENSBORO — Mount Airy’s Blake Hawks won the ultimate prize in his fourth and final trip to Marcus T. Johnson Track and Field. The senior UNC-Asheville-commit qualified for the 1A State Championship Meet all four years of outdoor track, as well as all three seasons of indoor track; his freshman indoor season was cancelled due to COVID. Hawks entered this year’s meet with six state medals in jumping events. He...
Granite City Gladiators force Game 3
ASHEBORO — The 1A West Regional Championship is headed back to the Granite City. Two days after suffering just its second loss of the season, Mount Airy got its revenge against Uwharrie Charter with a 1-0 road victory on May 23. Uwharrie, the defending 1A State Champion, suffered its first shut out loss against a 1A team since 2018. The loss also broke a 19-game win streak for the Eagles. ...
Police reports
• A Mount Airy man was jailed Tuesday under a $7,500 secured bond on a felony drug charge and for providing a false name during his arrest, according to city police reports. Auston Alexander DeLuca, 22, of 123 Effie Lane, operating a 2014-model moped, was encountered by officers during a traffic stop in the vicinity of Papa John’s Pizza on Rockford Street. DeLuca was charged with possession of a Schedule...
SCC instructor uses research, community service to inspire students
Research often conjures images of hours over dusty reference books, or just as much time scrolling through e-files online. One local instructor found a way to make research fun for her students, and connect their work to community service. For students in Dr. Kathleen Fowler’s Writing and Research in the Disciplines (ENG 112) courses at Surry Community College’s Pilot Center, writing became a lesson in using research to make a...
Officials restrict use of city seal
In an era when logos of sports teams, consumer products, pop culture characters and various organizations appear on everything from T-shirts and caps to coffee mugs, officials are trying to prevent unauthorized use of Mount Airy’s defining symbol. That is the official city seal, a venerable image containing a cluster of four panels depicting traditional local industries: furniture, granite, textiles and tobacco. While the glory of these has faded to...
SCC secures fire and rescue training trailer
Surry Community College’s Yadkin Center is unveiling a new training trailer. The trailer will allow students involved in the college’s firefighting and rescue classes to practice exercises in search and rescue while in a confined space. The trailer can also provide training in rooftop ventilation activities and limited forcible entry. The training trailer also features both vertical and horizontal entryways at various elevations which will challenge students to think of creative means of entry. The trailer houses approximately 100 feet of horizontal passages which contain multiple obstacles, changing levels, and tight turns. Ian Keith Harrell, director of fire and rescue programs at SCC, said, “With all of the resources being housed in a single unit, these activities can be combined to create realistic training scenarios for our emergency responders who are frequently called upon to respond to these types of situations in order to save lives and property.”
Westfield Elementary learns of summer library program
Westfield Elementary had a very special guest come to our school on May 6, Caroline Freeman, from Charles H. Stone Memorial Library in Pilot Mountain, recently visited Westfield Elementary School. “She came to our library to introduce students to their summer programs,” Westfield school officials said. “Carrie Bruce, our school librarian, encouraged our students to take the information given by Caroline home to see if they can attend and increase...
Police reports
• A Sunday incident at a local grocery store resulted in a Mount Airy woman being jailed for allegedly assaulting a male acquaintance and inflicting serious injury, according to city police reports. In addition to that charge, Pamila Lynn Reece, 51, of 407 Bluemont Road, is accused of disorderly conduct by fighting and communicating threats at the ALDI store on State Street. Rusty Leigh Queen, 47, of Brim Road, is...
Project provides beds for needy kids
Local Rotary Club members can never be accused of lying down on the job — even when engaged in a project to supply beds to local kids lacking a means of getting a good night’s sleep. That has proven true with an effort whereby both the Rotary Club of Mount Airy and the Sunrise Rotary Club took part in the non-profit A Bed and a Book program operated by a foundation in Winston-Salem. ...
CPR, truck driving, dealer license classes on tap
Surry Community College is offering a CPR certification class that will meet in Room 122 at The Center for Public Safety, at 1220 State St. in Mount Airy. The class will be held on Friday, May 24, from noon to 4 p.m. and will certify students with Healthcare Provider-level CPR as it meets the American Heart Association guidelines for such. For more information and to register, contact Dr. Doug Underwood,...
SCC’s Math Club places third in competition
Five students from Surry Community College’s Math Club recently traveled with their club advisor and SCC instructor, Christian Payne, to the University of North Georgia to compete in two separate math competitions — taking third in both, as well as finishing third in the overall combined score. Payne said, “I count it a privilege to support such an amazing group of students. These talented students worked so hard to prepare for this competition. We studied mathematical concepts, organized a fundraiser, and made long-lasting memories. I...
Cadet of the Semester named at East Surry
Every year East Surry High School JROTC holds the Cadet of the Semester competition. The competition is a required activity so there were nearly 50 cadets competing this year, with Cadet Katie Seal coming out on top. She was recognized for her academic success in passing a set of questions posed by a board, but the honor comes with a promotion to the next rank and an Arc — a type of recognition to be worn on the uniform. ...
Early College Interact Club helps in Rotary service project
Surry Early College High School of Design’s Interact Club recently participated in a Rotary-sponsored Day of Service at Helping Hands Foundation in Mount Airy. Interact students organized a canned soup drive before the event. On the day of the event, they delivered soup collected by Early College students to the food pantry and spent the day at Helping Hands Foundation. Students supported in various ways at this event, including cleaning and organizing the food pantry, organizing supplies, planting flowers, and participating in the soup kitchen. Helping Hands Foundation works to provide food items and assistance to members of tje community. Surry Early College High School of Design students spent the day promoting Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self” and learned much about the structure and services featured by the Helping Hands Foundation.
The Mount Airy News
2K+
Posts
5M+
Views
Established in 1880, The Mt. Airy News serves Surry County, North Carolina, and surrounding areas.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.