After the candidates' applications start in early December, the scene where the campaign logo dominated in the past will begin to surface again.

Dobson-This is not the election year for Mount Airy and Surry County, but 2021 will not be completely divorced from politics. The candidate application period will open early next month for various elections in 2022.

It started at noon on December 6 and ended at the same time at the Surrey County Election Commission office in Dobson on December 17.

This will lay the foundation for the primary elections that may be held in March, which will lay the foundation for the November 2022 general elections.

From a political point of view, next year will have additional significance for Mount Airy. The municipal vote in 2022 will be the first time in an even-numbered year after the state legislative action approves a locally initiated request to transfer city elections from odd-numbered elections.

That move added an extra 12 months to the terms of office holders elected to four-year terms in 2017, who otherwise would have faced voters in 2021.

In the upcoming municipal elections, the seat now held by the mayor Ron Niland and the three members of the Mount Airy committee is in jeopardy.

These include North District Commissioner Jon Cawley, South District Commissioner Steve Yokeley, and the city's general board member Joe Zakescik. Zalescik was recently appointed for the unexpired term of the post, and the last election will be held in 2019.

State law states that a person appointed to a vacant board of directors will serve until the next municipal election, in this case 2022, at which time he or she can seek a full four-year term.

Zalescik stated that he intends to apply to run for a full term.

As the name suggests, general committee seats are open to residents from all over the city, as is the position of mayor.

Teresa Lewis, a former general committee member, publicly ran for mayor, including placing campaign signs throughout the town.

Commissioner Cawley stated in June that he would run for mayor in 2022, and Niland is expected to also participate.

This will free up Cowley's seat in the North District, because he will not be able to seek the position of mayor and commissioner at the same time.

Residents must live in that ward to apply for a commissioner there.

In the last inspection, Commissioner Yorkley has not yet decided whether he will seek re-election in the Southern District, where candidates are also restricted by its borders.

According to a survey of local political insiders, the number of other job seekers may increase significantly in the coming weeks.

Those who throw their hats into the mayor’s ring must pay an application fee of US$113, while the commissioner’s seat pays US$96.

If three or more candidates apply for a specific seat in a non-partisan city election, a primary election is required, and the two with the most votes will be evenly divided in the general election in November next year.

A staff member of the election office said on Thursday that the preliminary election would be held on March 8 if necessary.

Along with parliamentary candidates, candidates for three seats on the Mount Airy Board of Education will submit applications in December, including District A and District B, and a general position.

The application period from December 6 to 17 also affects county government offices, including the office of Surrey Sheriff Steve Hiatt, who is now his first term.

Three seats on the Surrey County Council will also be part of the process, including the seat now held by Bill Gones in Mount Airy; Mark Marion in the Central District, who is the chairman of the board; and the Southern District Commissioner Eddie Harris.

The District 2, 3, and 4 seats of the Surrey County Board of Education also include the Surrey/Stokes District Attorney, the Court Clerk, and the three judges of Surrey and Stokes during the application period next month Seats are also included in the application period next month. The District 3 School Board Competition involves filling the unexpired term of the most recent vacancy caused by Early Coe's resignation.

The state offices involved include the local delegation to the North Carolina State Assembly, the 90th district seats in the House of Representatives, and the 36th district Senate seats.

Before November 5, Surrey had two House districts, including the 90th district served by Rep. Sarah Stevens and Stokes County Rep. Kyle Hall (Kyle Hall). District 91 of the Hall). According to the Surrey Election Commission, this is only changed to District 90, which includes all areas in Surrey County and parts of Wilkes.

In the Senate, the county was previously included in Districts 30 and 45, served by Phil Berger and Deanna Ballard, respectively, but has now been changed to cover only the 36 Districts in Surrey, Yadkin, Wilkes, and Alexandria counties.

Although other candidates will submit applications in Dobson, candidates for district attorneys and judges must submit applications at the state election headquarters in Raleigh.

Tom Joyce's contact information is 336-415-4693 or Twitter @Me_Reporter.

We know that anyone driving on U.S. Highway 52 is trapped behind a car with the Ohio label, and the speed is slowed to 35 miles per hour to get the iconic photo of Pilot Mountain. This photo is a passing ceremony for travelers on a North Carolina highway, similar to the "Barstow, California: 2,554 Miles" sign outside Wilmington, or the straw hat south of the border marked on I-95.

For the residents here, Pilot Mountain's knobs are not only proud of being seen because of the beauty in the well-known backyard. When the mountain caught fire on the weekend after Thanksgiving due to human negligence, the community felt a series of emotions that something so cherished and revered was in danger.

On the night of Saturday, November 27, someone called 911 because people noticed something that didn't seem to be right. "We're leaving the Mount Airy parade and going home. We happened to see a bright orange, just a bright orange sky," Keisha Worrell said of being on U.S. Route 52 that night. Said while driving nauseously.

In the extraordinary age of smartphones, social media spread the news of fire as quickly as the dry and windy conditions of the scene. Fearless citizen journalists post videos to Facebook groups and share images at a faster rate than regional TV stations.

For people living at the foot of the mountain, this feeling is direct and obvious, because the smell of smoke reveals what the eyes and ears cannot report on their own. A resident of Pilot Hill said via email, “The slightest breeze can cause fear. When the wind stops, smoke fills the air.”

As firefighters and the state team started fighting, and the local community raised supplies from Pilot Knob Volunteer Fire Department at such a speed, Mayor Evan Cockerham had to request a suspension of donations. The team on the mountain began a slow downhill battle, and they chased the fire towards the containment line.

On the western front, firefighters used portable pumps to deliver water to a temporary tank that was 3,300 feet uphill. Nearly 8,000 feet of hoses extended from the temporary water tank to various cleaning points within 100 feet of the fire.

When hearing 8,000 feet of hose being used, or 1,050 acres being destroyed by a fire that cost more than $500,000, some people may think of a desolate scene. When the disaster strikes and before the smoke dissipates, the mind can assume the worst. These figures paint an incomplete picture of the millstone fire.

As the trails at Pilot Mountain State Park reopen, those trails that return to the park first are sending positive reports. Signs of burning are visible, but trees and forests have proven to be as resilient as before.

There is a report of damage to the fence in the park, but due to the unremitting efforts of the North Carolina Forest Service, the State Park Service and the local fire department, the fire has always been contained in the park.

Last week, when the sky was clear, nature finally joined the battle, and much-needed rain fell on the area. This is exactly what is needed to lift the outdoor burning ban. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said: "We saw some much-needed rain over the weekend. Thankfully, this helped reduce the fire hazard and allowed us to lift the burning ban on a statewide scale."

"However, I will still remind residents to be vigilant about responsible and safe burning. Make sure you have a valid burning permit and contact your NCFS County Ranger for wildfire prevention and fire safety tips."

The burning ban was lifted in most parts of the state on December 8. When the statewide burning ban comes into effect, all previously issued outdoor burning permits have expired, so new permits will be required.

The investigation into the Grindstone Trail fire on Pilot Mountain continues. As we all know, the fire was caused by an escape campfire in an unspecified area. Jimmy Holt, ranger of the North Carolina Forest Service, said that it is unlikely to determine who caused the fire. Anyone responsible for setting a fire may have to bear any expenses related to fire fighting.

The message from Governor Roy Cooper to Pilot Mountain Mayor Evan Cockerham remains the same: Stay vigilant when it comes to fire safety. The embers of a bonfire, false New Year’s Eve fireworks, or nasty cigarette butts can all be the sparks that will set off the next grindstone fire.

• According to a report by the Mount Airy Police Department, an investigation into the Dollar General theft on North Renfro Street resulted in a homeless person being jailed on Saturday with a secured bond of $50,000.

The encounter with 41-year-old Kyle William Gwyn was classified as a homeless Virginia resident, and it turned out that Gwyn’s name had been entered into the National Crime Database because of the crime Wanted for an unspecified matter.

Subsequently, in addition to being charged with theft at Dollar General, he was also arrested as a fugitive. The goods allegedly stolen from the store were not confirmed in the police records. Gwen was originally scheduled to appear in Dobson today.

• The police learned last Thursday that Cloud Zone Smoke and Vape, a company on North Renfro Street, had suffered theft. It involved six containers of MIT 45 vape liquid, valued at US$612, which were stolen by an unidentified suspect.

• Jesse Paul Hensley, 31, living in 928 N. South St., was charged with two felonies, the theft of a motor vehicle, and possession of stolen property on December 1.

This stemmed from the theft of the 1996 Ford Explorer owned by Nathaniel Kyle Sawyers of McBride Road. The car was found to have been stolen from a location on Woodland Drive on November 15 under safe conditions at the time.

Hensley was sentenced to jail for a deposit of $2,000 and is scheduled to appear in Surrey District Court on January 18.

• On November 24, a traffic stop in the 500 block of Riverside Drive resulted in the arrest of two men on felony drug charges involving methamphetamine.

Danny Jay McCraw, 62, from 143 E. Crosswinds Court, was accused of possessing Schedule II controlled substances with intent to sell or deliver, and 44-year-old Michael Dean Myers, from 1220 Banley St., was accused of possessing Schedules II Controlled substance, felony.

The two were also charged with misdemeanor of possession of drug paraphernalia. McGraw was released with a $5,000 unsecured bond, and Myers was detained at the Surrey County Jail with a $5,000 secured bond. The two are scheduled to appear in the District Court on January 31.

More than 300 participants-some of them wearing holiday-themed costumes-participated in a brisk and wet 5K at Greenway on Saturday.

The annual Rosy Cheeks Toy Drive 5K running event is hosted by Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, Reeves Community Center Foundation and Mount Airy Police Department. It attracts participants, everyone wants a fun run and has the opportunity to donate to them Toys and money. The annual Christmas toy car.

This is the 14th game-last year a virtual event due to the coronavirus pandemic-309 people officially participated in the game. This is more than 300 parks, and Rec Director Darren Lewis stated in late November that this is the goal of 5K this year.

In the 3.1-mile race along the Ararat River Greenway, all participants ran onto the sidewalk at the beginning. The average completion time of participants was 38:13, but this does not indicate how fast some runners are.

Cayden Dalton of Stewart, Virginia topped the overall score with a score of 17:39 or an average of 5:40 per mile.

Jack Badger of Knoxville, Tennessee ranked second, and Charles Walker of State Road ranked third.

Brooke Hull of Winston-Salem ranked first among female runners with a time of 20 minutes and 25 seconds, followed by Bailey Reuginger of Clemmons and Abigail Hemric of Danbury.

For the second year in a row, the Christmas tree display highlights the humble traffic cones — 78 of them to be precise — providing Airy Mountain with a unique holiday spirit.

Traffic cones are often used by street workers in urban public works departments to close roads or designate work areas.

Each traffic cone is a simple study of orange and white. However, nearly 80 people put it into use to create an 18-foot-tall Christmas tree, which shows that even such ordinary objects can be turned into beautiful and festive things for passersby to appreciate.

"They stop to take pictures almost every day," Public Works Director Mitch Williams (Mitch Williams) said of the tree erected outside his department headquarters, located at 440 E. Pine St. (NC 103) , Near the Ararat River Bridge near Binjiang Park.

Last Christmas, this particular tree first decorated the place. This idea was born from another tree that Williams found on the Internet. It was placed outside the building of a company that produces traffic cones.

Williams added on Tuesday that the local tree was formed during the 2020 coronavirus panic, hoping that the cone display — lit at night — will at least bring some joy to the community.

With the pandemic still raging, public works workers are seeking to inspire the same response this Christmas season.

Williams said of the exhibition: "After we took it down last year, someone immediately asked if we planned to put it on again next year."

The original tree took about half a day for the public works staff to complete, but the way it did so allows it to be disassembled, stored and reinstalled like other decorations for future Christmas use.

Except for the traffic cone, it is composed of old pallets, plywood and 4×4 wood chips.

Although it is intended to be a festive holiday display, the prevalent orange hue of the cone tree also provides a subtle reminder of the need for attention and safety during the Christmas season—actually throughout the year.

The top of the tree is not a traditional star, but a small circular sign with "slow" on one side and "stop" on the other side, which further enhances this.

Williams said the plan is to make cone trees a local annual holiday tradition.

"As long as people like it, we will stick to it," the director of public works assured.

"So we hope it can bring people some smiles and Christmas cheers-something a little different."

After dealing with delays related to COVID-19 and other factors, a date for opening a new facility in Mount Airy was determined to better address the homelessness problem.

"We just had a meeting last night," Jana Elliott, executive director of the Shepherd’s House, said Tuesday of the Homeless Shelter Management Committee, which decided to set aside a decision on January 11. A ribbon-cutting event will be arranged every day to celebrate the major expansion project.

"Our goal is to move ourselves and (and) the residents into the shelter after the ribbon is cut," Elliott added when talking about the staff office and the people receiving services.

More detailed information about this milestone will be released in the coming weeks.

It represents the planning of the Shepherd’s House officials over the years to more effectively solve the growing homelessness problem in the Mount Airy area, which includes having to refuse those who need help due to space constraints. For example, in 2019, this happened to 80% of people seeking help, which translated into more than 400 people.

The current shelter was opened at 227 Rockford Street in 2003 to provide temporary emergency housing for 18 people.

The new facility will accommodate more people, and the new facility will be located on Spring Street behind the existing shelter.

"We will have 64 beds," said Elliott, who has been the executive director of Shepherd's House since last spring-"a big improvement from where we are now."

The expansion project held a groundbreaking ceremony in October 2019-just before the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic-and similar to many other aspects of society, COVID-19 has affected the construction of new facilities.

In July, it was reported that the shelter will open on October 1, but was affected by various delays.

"All of the above," Elliott said of issues such as having problems obtaining certain materials for the project and sometimes not being fully equipped for construction personnel due to the COVID agreement. "One little thing after another."

However, Elliott stated that the shelter officials are satisfied with the overall progress of the project.

"Contractor, he did a great job," she said of the local JG Coram construction company that handled the work.

Elliott said that now only "some finishing touches" need to be completed.

She also mentioned that as another preliminary step in the opening of the shelter, Airy Mountain City issued a certificate of occupancy.

In addition to affecting buildings, the COVID-19 crisis has also exacerbated the already serious homelessness problem in the area.

In addition to providing temporary housing, residents of the Shepherd’s House also participate in programs designed to help them obtain employment and self-sufficiency.

In addition to the COVID, another factor that extended the construction schedule involves design-related decisions to develop a commercial kitchen in a new location, not just a residential kitchen that meets the needs of shelter occupants.

Officials said that commercial kitchens will allow valuable teaching content to be included in the program, giving residents the opportunity to learn cooking skills that can be transformed into workplaces, and hopefully end the cycle of homelessness.

Pilot Mountain’s Cox-Needham Funeral Home will host its second annual commemorative event on Friday, December 17.

This event allows those who have lost their loved ones to visit and celebrate the lives of those who have passed away.

The staff of the funeral home will set up a table of hot cocoa and biscuits outside. Everyone who comes will receive these refreshments and an ornament with the name of the person they lost last year.

“We want to respect others while also allowing people to move on and make good memories,” said Teresa Simpson, office manager.

The event was once held indoors, but due to the impact of COVID, it has been moved to outdoor events for the second year in a row.

"Due to COVID-19, we chose a safer method. We will initially do it indoors, but we want to be safer," Simpson said.

They hope that there will be carols in the event.

The event will be held at the Cox-Needham Funeral Home at 822 West Main Street, Pilot Mountain.

The activity time is from 6 pm to 8 pm

Each family will get a free decoration, and additional decorations will be purchased for $12.

Reply by calling 336-368-2233 or email to CoxNeedham@afpfuneral.com no later than Wednesday, December 15

The first-year students of Copeland Elementary School recently hosted a Community Assistant Day event. Special guests include representatives from the Surrey County Sheriff’s Office, operators from the Suryad King Power Member Company, members of the North Carolina Employee Credit Union, and local farmer Chaslow.

COVID-19 interrupted the meeting schedule of local groups, but this did not weaken their determination to do good for the community.

Due to the pandemic, members of Surrey County Retirement School Staff (SCRSP) recently held their first meeting in nearly two years. But the gathering at Cross Creek Country Club in Mount Airy reminds people that it is very active.

Some community businesses are benefiting from it.

For example, every September, SCRSP sponsors the Red Cross blood donation and collects donations for the Salvation Army on Christmas Day.

During the usual quarterly meetings, members donate food, which is distributed to Dobson’s Foothill Food Pantry, Airy Mountain’s Yokefellow Food Bank, and SEAMS, which provide these services at Pilot Mountain.

In addition, paper products were collected for the Shepherd’s Home Homeless Shelter in Mount Airy.

The Surrey County branch of the North Carolina Retirement School Personnel Organization has approximately 160 members.

SCRSP's biggest project is to provide annual scholarships to help local students go to college.

"We are very proud of the $1,200 scholarship awarded to Surrey Community College and hope to promote this scholarship," suggested Jane Bell, president of the group.

Winners for 2022 will be selected from applications received from public high schools in Mount Airy, Surrey County, and Elgin.

In addition to planning to participate in SCC, the selection criteria also include personality, scholarship, academic prospects, financial needs, career potential, and suggestions.

Applications are available at the counseling office of the high school, and the deadline for submission is March 31, 2022.

Local musician Darrius Flowers received a $5,000 grant for emerging artists from the North Carolina Arts Council.

Tanya B. Jones, executive director of the Surrey Arts Council, advised Flowers to apply for this funding.

Although they didn't start playing music until February 2017, Flowers will play violin, guitar, mandolin, banjo and bass. He can also sing and dance flat feet.

"God has given me the ability to learn music quickly. Although I am mainly self-study, I have taken courses through the TAPS program. This is how I participate in the Surrey Arts Council. When I set up workshops through the Surry Arts Council, I learned from these lecturers I took courses there and it helped me to make progress in music," Flowers said. TAPS is the abbreviation of Traditional Art Course, which is a series of free music courses provided by the committee for regional youth.

Flowers was also a recipient of the Wayne Henderson Scholarship, which allowed him to take private lessons from local musician TAPS teacher Jim Wipperman.

Hua'er has always liked music. It has always been a part of him.

"I have fallen in love with music. I don't remember the day when I didn't listen to music. I can't tell what made me want to start. I just know I want to. Flowers said, "Let's try to play the violin. Right," as they said, the rest is history.

Flowers had already participated in various live performances at the age of 18. He has been performing live performances intermittently for about three years. He played with many different bands at the Autumn Leaf Festival and performed in other festivals many times. He is also active in his church, playing and singing every Sunday.

"I want to have my own recording studio, make albums for myself and others, and write my own songs. I also want to start touring and playing music all over the world," Flowers said.

The grant was given because of Flowers’ musical talent, but Flowers thanked the Surrey Art Committee for helping him discover it.

"I am very grateful to the Art Committee for reaching out to young people to learn how to play and inherit local traditional music. They also help young people realize their dreams and are willing to help and encourage them along the way," Flowers said.

For Flowers, applying for this grant is not an easy task, because he has to go through multiple stages and meet multiple different requirements.

"I submitted three different songs that I recorded. In one of the songs, I played all the five instruments mentioned above, and sang the lead vocal and backing vocals," Flowers said. "I have to answer a lengthy questionnaire that details my musical background and future goals. I have received funding to help develop my songwriting and music production skills."

Flowers hopes to use the grant he received and his own radio station to open his own recording studio.

He continues to be an important member of the Surrey Arts Council and continues to perform and produce music.

"I would like to personally thank the TAPS project and everything they have done for me. I hope that more children will take advantage of the great opportunities provided by the Surrey Arts Council," said Flowers.

The staff of Dr. John L. Gravitte of DDS recently donated boxes of toys that people there collected for the annual Toys for Tots event.

The staff there added something new to the Toys for Tots event-dental gift bags filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and other age-specific dental hygiene products.

In total, the staff filled three large boxes with toys, including nearly 400 dental gift bags.

A specific term gradually entered the vocabulary to describe the seemingly evolving criminal activity: porch pirates.

Although traditional "pirates" are often romanticized in books and movies about brave individuals adventuring on the high seas, pirates on land will sneak out on porches and doorways in the dark or at other times when no one is noticing.

Their eponymous partner on the ship may be looking for buried treasure, but the goal of the porch pirates is to deliver packages to their homes-sadly, they are most active during Christmas and are ready for the long-awaited gifts.

"It's the season now," Mount Airy Police Chief Dale Watson said when discussing the problems that his department often encounters.

"This is the Grinch season, that's for sure," Watson said of the fictional character, who despised Christmas and stole gifts from nearby villagers in an attempt to stifle their holiday spirit.

"It's very common," he added when talking about piracy in the porch of the city. "We expect to see more this year than in previous years."

Online shopping is increasing, where the products ordered by consumers are shipped to them by one of the delivery services or the post office.

This year's well-known supply chain issues have raised concerns about the unavailability or delivery of goods to buyers before Christmas. Coupled with the threat of porch pirates stealing the gifts they received, this threat is also on the rise locally and elsewhere.

In a recent national study, 43% of respondents stated that packages were stolen—up from 36% the year before.

"Now is the season of dedication," the police chief mused, saying that this does not guarantee a happy moment in the theft.

"Some people are short."

The Chief of Police of Mount Airy provided some advice to the public to help reduce the chance of becoming a victim of porch piracy by combining modern technology with old-fashioned human interaction.

One thing he readily suggested is called a ring camera or camera, which will alert the homeowner if someone approaches the door or enters the range of the security camera.

The homeowner can then view the person's video stream and use two-way audio communication to talk to him or her, even from a remote location.

A surveillance system that records activities around the home is still an option, and it helped solve the "Grinch" case that occurred in Mount Airy during Christmas last year.

After the family’s gifts were stolen when they were delivered to the front porch of Orchard Street, the photos taken led to the suspect being identified by the police and prosecuted. This is due to posting a picture of the man on Facebook.

The other tricks provided by Chief Watson do not require paying cash for fancy technical equipment.

"Know your neighbors," he said of a common-sense approach, because they can serve as an extra pair of eyes, investigating what is happening in the home when the owner is away, and become valuable witnesses.

It is also a good idea to arrange for the package to be delivered when the recipient is at home, and specify that this will not happen unless the buyer is present to sign for it.

When discussing past porch thieves who had left unattended packages, the police chief said that some people spare no effort to identify potential easy targets, including tracking delivery vehicles to different locations.

Consumers can also use the tracking systems of major courier companies and the U.S. Postal Service to let them know when the package is placed on the truck and receive an update on the arrival time.

Chief Watson said there is no harm in establishing rapport with delivery drivers who frequent nearby.

Delivering packages to the workplace is another option.

In any case, avoid the situation where the package is left unattended on the front porch for several hours and attracts thieves.

Watson said that in addition to contacting the courier company, victims of porch piracy should also report to law enforcement officials to be on the safe side.

Surrey County has issued the following marriage certificates:

– Nathaniel Edward Murphy, 30, of Surrey County, to Sabra Linda Ann Lowe, 30, of Surrey County.

– Kenneth Alex Pack, 30, of Patrick County, Virginia, and Sarah Beth Franklin, 21, of Surrey County.

– Kelsey Gabriel Banks, 46, from Forsyth County, Alice Virginia Cockerham, 45, from Surry County.

– Abraham Mojica Arredondo, 45, from Surrey County, Martha Idalia Meja Acosta, 53, from Surrey County .

– Armando Guarneros Garcia Sr., 36, Surrey County, and Laura Alicia Pena Martinez, 50, Surrey County.

– Ethan Phillip Bryant, 19 years old, from Surry County, to Tess Snow Harbour, 20 years old, from Forsyth County.

– Ivan Shawn Wilson, 49 years old, from Wilkes County, Lisa Gail Goad, 56 years old, from Surrey County.

– Ruben Garcia Arellano Jr., 24, Patrick County, and Abbagail Grace McCann, 22, Surrey County.

– Sparrell Jack Akers Jr., 60 years old, from West County, Tammy Michelle Taylor, from Surrey County, 50 years old.

– Reese Bryant Savoie, 60, Surrey County, and Marie Busick Paynter, 53, Surrey County.

• According to a report from the city police, a Mount Airy man who was found sleeping in the driveway was eventually detained in jail with a deposit of $50,000 because he was a wanted fugitive in a neighboring state.

36-year-old Victor Shaun Hawks was listed as homeless. When he received a call from a suspicious person on Banner Street last Sunday, he ran into the police while he was lying in his residence. Driveway.

Hawkes was found wanted in Patrick County, Virginia, for unknown reasons, leading to his imprisonment in Surrey County Jail. He will appear in Dobson District Court on December 20.

• On Wednesday, a car was stolen from a 2009 Chevrolet Impala owned by Robert Earl Barr. The car was not secured when it entered Barr's home in the 1700 block of Fancy Gap Road.

The CPX-2 9mm pistol of the SCCY brand is worth $200 and is orange in color.

• Kendall Shane Ziglar, 34, lives at 237 Jones School Road and was sentenced to jail on Wednesday without bail privileges on charges of breaking into and entering and violating a domestic violence protection order.

Ziglar allegedly broke the window and entered the home of 61-year-old Mary Ziglar. The police record did not indicate her relationship with the defendant. When this happened, the protection order was effective against Kendall Shane Ziglar, who was not granted bail because the accusation was of a domestic nature.

He is scheduled to appear in Surrey District Court on Monday. Ziglar was accused of violating a protection order on December 2, involving the same victims and locations, and was sentenced to jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on the matter on January 31.

• Tyler John Taylor, 27, lives at 136 West End Drive. After an incident occurred on November 29, he was involved in theft of merchants, felony and resistance, delaying or obstructing public officials, and shoplifting/hidden goods. Arrested for a misdemeanor. Tractor supply on Rockford Street.

According to police records, Taylor met the officer conducting welfare inspections in the fitting room there and was found to have hidden goods worth 159 dollars. In addition, he also removed a safety device from Carhartt's coat. According to police records, The case requires compensation.

He allegedly tried to resist arrest by strengthening his arms and refusing to obey police orders. Taylor was detained in the county jail with a deposit of $1,000 and is scheduled to appear in the district court on February 21.

• On November 26, a theft occurred in Dollar General on North Renfro Street, when a known suspect took the razor and deodorant, and apparently did not charge him immediately after the incident.

Photos-Guests of all ages like to take photos with The Nutcracker, who sits in front of the Andy Griffith Theater before the Sunday afternoon performance.

SURRY ARTS COUNCIL dance students dance with the company in selected scenes.

When children want to visit and take photos during the holidays, Santa Claus is usually Big Kahuna, but recently this happy old elf ran away for his money.

On December 5th, when the young audience ballet performed the festival favorites, guests of all ages were very happy to take photos with the Nutcracker. Before the performance, the Nutcracker himself stayed in the hall for a while, visited people and asked them to take pictures.

More than 500 people attended the performance at the Andy Griffith Theater. On Monday, another 750 students from around Surrey County were sent to the show.

Tanya Jones, Executive Director of the Arts Committee, said: “This is the first time since the pandemic that students have taken a school bus to the Andy Griffith Theater. It’s great to see the school bus crowded the parking lot and the students crowded the auditorium.”

About seven years ago, the sharpening wheel broke when the young James Easter was sharpening the knife, and the fragments of the grinding wheel flew away-one of them pierced his chest.

Easter believed that he was about to die, which prompted him to assure God that if he survived, he would correct his rude ways and take straight and narrow paths.

He survived-this allowed James and his brothers Russell and Ed to embark on a 64-year career in gospel music, which made the trio a household name in most parts of the country.

The last surviving member of the trio, James Easter, died late Friday night after being hospitalized for COVID-19 less than two weeks. He was born on April 24, 1933.

He is the second of the three brothers and sisters who make up the Easter Brotherhood. All three were born and raised in Mount Airy, and eventually got together as a music group in Danville, Virginia, and they moved to work at the Dan River Cotton Mill.

Before the three of them gave their lives to God, they had a background that could be called unruly, which was more troublesome than theirs. James was even arrested and eventually sentenced to 15 years in prison. After serving five years in prison, he was released, but continued to live brutally until the sharpening wheel accident.

He kept his promise to God and established the Easter Brotherhood with his brothers in 1953. In the early days, as many other musicians and singers joined and withdrew, they were called the Green Valley Quartet, but they were eventually called the Easter Brothers.

The trio recorded a few singles and then an album, and gained followers while continuing to work full-time until 1979 when they decided to work full-time in music. At that time, the trio had a regular WPAQ show in Mount Airy, and their performance schedule eventually took them to Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Smithsonian Institution and Sydney Opera House.

Nevertheless, it was a difficult career choice, and the three had to spend a lot of time traveling to spread their music and continue to build a following.

"A lot of people don't know that we were born and raised in Mount Airy, because we have not left," said Easter at Jack A. Mount Airy's Loftis Square in May.

"It is an honour for Airy Mountain Town to let us do this today," he said during the dedication.

The three have composed and performed more than 400 songs during their careers, and many of their descendants are engaged in gospel, bluegrass and western music careers, including husband and wife duo Jeff and Sheri Easter. Jeff is the son of James.

In addition to the followers of the majority of fans, the Easter Brothers have also been recognized by their peers in the music industry. The trio was twice named the Gospel Bluegrass Band of the Year by the American Bluegrass Music Conservation Association; twice was selected as the Best Traditional Bluegrass Band of the Year; in 2001, the band's CD "Heart and Soul" was nominated for the Pigeon Award by the Gospel Conservatory of Music ; One year later, the band won the Bluegrass Song of the Year Award for "Thank God for my blessing".

Ed, the youngest of the three, died in 2019 at the age of 85, while the oldest Russell died in the fall of 2020 at the age of 90.

When looking at the raw data of North Carolina and comparing Surrey County with its neighbors, the truth of the matter is clear: With COVID-19, no one has been out of the predicament.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services have been posting regular updates on the Internet, which contain a large amount of data on the pandemic, including hospitalization rates and vaccinations.

Analysis of the numbers revealed repetitive patterns, such as a two-week lag after a social gathering. About two weeks after Halloween, and again after Thanksgiving, the COVID numbers in the area got worse.

Surrey County had an average daily COVID infection rate of 15 cases per day in the week before Halloween, and then reached a stable level about two weeks after 32 cases of infection per day.

After Thanksgiving, the bumps after Halloween were reflected again. Starting next Monday, the daily infection rate has soared to 51 cases in one day, and Surrey County has only dropped below 20 cases once. The state had 4,274 people on that Monday, compared to 1,592 the day before, indicating that demographic and county exposures may have increased at the same time.

When the state health department released the data on its dashboard on Friday, it represented the lagging and ambiguous end of the 14-day incubation period after Thanksgiving. The average value displayed during the period after the holiday is the same, with only more than 32 cases per day.

The Northern District Hospital reported that their number of COVID cases has remained stable, with an average of 25 cases per day, but the overall positive rate has increased. The 14-day positive rate in Surrey County was 10.8%, which pales in comparison to 15% in Yadkin County or 15.4% in Stokes County. Although lower than the positive rate reported here last time, a small increase in the 14-day trend has been seen in the most recent update.

Robin Hodgin, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer of Patient Services at Northern Hospital, said: “The ICU and the downgrading ward are full, and there are 9 COVID patients between the two wards.” “The rest of the COVID patients are in our internal medical operating room.” She also estimated that the number of unvaccinated patients was 77%.

Hawking said there have been very few flu cases at this time. However, bed space in the area is still a problem, and some hospitals cannot accept patient transfer due to lack of available beds. The northern hospital continues to impose restrictions on visits.

Looking at the entire region, Allegheny County stands out for the wrong reasons. In the past week, the county has seen 682 new COVID cases and 1,086 new virus cases in the past two weeks. Surrey County has 712 people and Yadkin County has 884 people. In contrast, Forsyth County has 396 people in the same two weeks, which is a much larger population base.

Surrey County's vaccination rate is lower than the state and national average in all categories. The most vulnerable people, those 65 years and older, have the highest vaccination rates, with 83% of people in Surrey fully vaccinated. Among all age groups, the proportions of the first dose of vaccine were 53% and 49%, respectively.

Vaccination rates across the state are rising for all age groups. In late October, there was a surge in vaccination across the state, with the first dose of vaccination surpassing the second dose for the first time in a few months. The increase in vaccination rates at the time was due to Pfizer's approval of vaccination for children aged 5-11. When this vaccination age group is available, many North Carolina families use this opportunity to improve protection.

Pfizer also received authorization to administer booster injections to eligible 16- and 17-year-olds late last week. The Pfizer booster is currently the only booster authorized for this age group. According to NCDHHS, across the country, 25% of eligible people received boosters, and more than 50% of older people received boosters.

The outgoing head of state in response to the pandemic is an early supporter of vaccinating children, including her own. NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, MD, said: “Giving your child a COVID-19 booster shot will help strengthen and expand their protection against the COVID-19 virus, especially the protection of new variants. , I encourage everyone 16 years and older to be vaccinated as we enter the holidays, boosters."

Immunizations and boosters are still the best choice for the general public to fight the COVID-19 virus. Unfortunately, starting vaccination now will not produce immunity before Christmas. In the next round of gatherings and celebrations, CDC reiterated their own holiday wish list to the public, which included the following tips:

· Get ​​the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Looking for a vaccine.

· Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth to help protect yourself and others.

· Keep a distance of 6 feet from other people who do not live with you.

· Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.

· Test to prevent spread to others.

· Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer.

Last summer, Carr Norris from Pilot Mountain participated in a unique academic and professional development experience with elementary school students from across the state, namely the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) in Greensboro: The Path to STEM.

NYLF Pathways to STEM is one of the Envision by WorldStrides program series (www.envisionexperience.com) that enables students to explore their interests and experience learning outside the classroom. Carr was nominated by his third grade teacher, Denise Phillips of Pilot Mountain Elementary School. Due to COVID-19, he will not be able to participate in the summer of 2020. However, he was able to transfer his courses to the summer of 2021.

In addition to studying at school, Carl is also passionate about piano and plays football in the spring and autumn. He is active in his church and is always looking for opportunities to help others and take responsibility. For more than two years, he has also successfully operated a garbage and recycling route for urban residents living near him. Although he is very young, he has a dream of working in the field of computer science. When Carl was informed of this opportunity, he decided to seek help to fund the project. Thanks to the generosity of many companies, family and friends, he was able to achieve this goal.

Carr was able to participate in intensive and engaging hands-on seminars with other young students from all over the country, focusing on self-management, time management, communication, collaboration, and goal setting.

Carr explored three STEM career paths: medicine, engineering, and CSI (crime scene investigation). Some of the activities he can do include building and programming robots, dissecting the heart of a calf, creating model lungs, diagnosing snake bites, learning emergency first aid, blood drop analysis and copying, fingerprint analysis, and building bridges.

“As an alumnus of Envision, I am very happy that Carr Norris can meet, work and collaborate with like-minded students from other cities and schools,” said Amanda Freitag Thomas of Envision.

"Undoubtedly, my favorite part of participating in the Envision program is being with motivated students in an environment designed to help us challenge assumptions, meet new people, and grow," Carl said. "Creating the same learning environment is the core focus of all our projects. In the NYLF Pathways to STEM course, students build the confidence and skills needed to achieve excellent results in the classroom while being exposed to STEM fields and concepts. They learn how to adapt to the new environment. , New challenges and communicating with new people, given that the world is changing so fast due to technology and innovation, this is the basic skill for success," he said.

For more than 35 years, Envision by WorldStrides has enabled students to become the best of themselves through programs that allow students to discover their passions, explore careers, and have a positive impact on their world. In 2018, Envision became a member of the WorldStrides family. WorldStrides is the largest educational travel and experience provider in the United States, working with more than 50,000 educators every year to help more than 550,000 students see the world and themselves in a new way.

The new members are appointed as members of the local group, which plays a key role in one of the most important local industries, tourism.

The recent action involving the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority (TDA) stemmed from its two members, Jennie Lowry and Nick Patel, who were not eligible for Re-elected.

At the city council meeting on December 2nd, Chad Tidd and Jatin Patel were appointed to replace them, and commissioner Joe Zalescik was appointed as a representative of the city government to join the organization.

The Tourism Board is composed of people from different sectors of the local tourism industry who have experience or participate in promotion.

Established by the North Carolina State Assembly, the Airy Mountain Tourism Development Board decides how to use the occupancy income generated by local accommodations to promote travel and tourism in the city.

It is also part of the Surrey County Tourism Partnership and is responsible for managing marketing plans across the county.

The Mount Airy Group has a total of eight members, of which six members are limited to two consecutive terms. The other two are representatives of the city government, including commissioner Zalescik and Mount Airy Chief Financial Officer Pam Stone, who serve a one-year term. Stone is a non-voting member.

Chad Tidd is related to Chick-fil-A of Mount Airy and has worked in the Tourism Bureau in the past, as is Jatin Patel. The latter resigned due to the term limit rule, and Tidd resigned directly.

Both Jatin and Nick Patel represent category 1 of the TDA membership component, which includes the owner/operator of taxable tourist accommodation in the city.

Both Tidd and Jatin Patel are appointed by the City Council for a three-year term that will expire on January 15, 2025.

Both Zalescik and Stone will serve for one year, ending on January 15, 2023.

"Thank you for your appointment," Zalescik said at a recent committee meeting when the TDA membership action was approved.

"I am honored to serve on this committee," adds Zalescik, who owns a company called Station 1978 Firehouse Peanuts.

On September 16, he was appointed as commissioner by members of the city council to fill his vacant general seat.

As the power outage affected approximately 3,000 Duke Energy residential and commercial customers in the area, many Pilot Mountain businesses had to temporarily shut down on Saturday morning.

It is not clear what caused the power outage, but Duke Energy stated that approximately 3,000 customers were affected. Although the company stated that it hopes to restore power before 4 pm on Saturday, most customers will restore power before 1 pm about 3 hours after the power outage. At that time, about 20 customers in the town had no electricity.

Some people have also reported cell phone outages, although it is unclear how common this situation is.

The local church called on higher authorities to work hard to extend the city's water and sewer services to the property it seeks to relocate: Mount Airy Commission.

However, depending on the history of the location in question, some type of sacred intervention may be required to achieve this goal without paying a huge price—whether for the refuge city church or the city government.

It is located on the northbound portion of South Andy Griffith Parkway west of Newsome Street and can be described as a "no man's land" for utility connection purposes.

According to county tax records, Refuge City Church, also known as Refuge Ministry Inc., owns 4.18 acres of land there.

"It was donated," said Andrew Bullins, co-pastor of the church with about 100 members. It is now renting a small shopping mall at 1130 S. Main St., which also has a Subway branch.

"We will build a new facility," said Brings. In addition to his pastor duties, he also works as an intensive care nurse at the Northern District Hospital.

The larger structure covering 4.18 acres will allow Refuge to expand its presence in the community, including providing space for youth ministry and other components.

Although people associated with the Refuge City Church are excited about the project, plans regarding the availability of municipal water and sewer services at the site have been shelved.

Brins said that when investigating the matter at the city staff level, he was told that the church had to pay about $130,000 to extend the line there.

His understanding is that public utilities can access property within the city without having to pay such fees.

Brings was advised to refer the matter to the commissioners for possible relief, and did so in the public forum at the last meeting on December 2.

"I ask the city government to solve this problem," he said at the time of the obvious problem of the city providing utility lines for the Refugee Department's property lines without incurring huge costs to the church.

City Public Works Director Mitch Williams was assigned to study this issue during the meeting.

"There is no terrain prohibiting the installation of water and sewers for it," Williams later explained when asked to detail the status of the property owned by the Refugee Department-which is not uncommon in Mount Airy.

"I do know that there are dozens of lots around the city in the same situation," the public works director and long-term city engineer acknowledged the issue of the accessibility of existing utilities.

"I don't know the exact history of this plot, or why there is no water and sewers," Williams added, and he did mention that the same property was the subject of similar investigations conducted by Airy Mountain officials during the summer. 2016.

It involved a company that planned to build at the site and then be owned by local businessman Gary Harold, but was derailed due to barriers to utility connections.

As there is no municipal water supply or sewer pipeline nearby to connect, the unnamed company is faced with paying for the expansion project to obtain the utility services needed for its operations.

The estimated value at the time was US$195,000.

According to a discussion by officials in August 2016, according to the city's public utility policy, private real estate developers-not the local government-must pay all costs related to water supply and sewer extension lines to serve the relevant areas.

In most cases, this is not the main obstacle, but the property involved in the current request is far away from the existing line.

The tone of the discussion in 2016 was that due to high costs, the city government has no incentive to pay for such expansions of commercial or residential land—even if these areas are within municipal boundaries.

At the time, someone pointed out that this may mean that it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide services for a house, which is not feasible.

Williams said on Wednesday that he plans to prepare a report for the committee's next meeting.

This weekend plans to host a holiday open day in one of the oldest houses in Mount Airy to benefit the Salvation Army.

It is scheduled to be available at Cousin Emma's Bed and Breakfast from 1pm to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Located at 501 S. Main St., this historic residence is said to be part of the Underground Railroad System in the 1800s and was designed to help those who escaped the shackles.

Those who participate in this weekend’s activities can visit the original single-room slave huts and manor houses on site.

Emma Suzanne Brown is the owner of this house dating back to the mid-1850s. She purchased the South Street property in 2015 and refurbished it into a new role as a bed and breakfast.

Brown launched a holiday plan in 2019 as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army, which provided assistance to youth camps and other activities. Due to the pandemic, no tour was held last year.

Visitors to this house can see a rich variety of buildings, furniture, pictures and other objects from the past-as well as additional elements of Christmas decorations.

The vintage clothing guide is part of the 2019 tour, which introduces the items Brown collected during his global travels.

The antiques of Cousin Emma's Bed and Breakfast include a country lawyer sofa before the Civil War, two chairs and a clockwork wall clock of 1823 in the living room; a huge brass gas chandelier from the formal dining room of the Pinehurst Hotel ballroom; and 87 different types used by monks Wardrobe made of beautiful wood.

There is also a restored original iron claw foot bathtub with custom-made faucets and hand-held showers, as well as original maple cabinets and chestnut panelling on the walls and ceiling of the large kitchen.

The tour fee is US$10 for adults and US$8 for seniors. All proceeds will be donated to the Salvation Army. Cash or cheque will be accepted.

Dobson-The "Early Bird" candidate threw his hat into the ring this week before the court ordered a suspension of political applications, and is now waiting for the next step in the process.

After 14 people formally announced their intention to look for various local offices on the first day of their application on Monday, others did so later this week—but an order from the North Carolina Supreme Court suspended the process.

Due to concerns about the reclassification issue, it temporarily suspended all applications for the 2022 election cycle.

The Surrey County Election Commission released an updated list of candidates late Wednesday afternoon, which included all candidates submitted before the afternoon deadline on the day the order took effect.

It shows that no other Mount Airy residents have applied for the city’s threatened mayor and three commissioner seats.

So far, candidates for mayor include the current mayor Ron Nilan, commissioner Jon Cowley and Teresa Lewis.

Two people have applied to run for Cawley's North District Commissioner seat, which was opened due to the candidacy of mayor, Will Pfitzner and Joanna Refvem. But Pfitzner later stated that he would withdraw from the competition because he didn't know that a respected family friend Reevem was also seeking the position, and he thought he would do better.

A notable county seat application submitted later this week was Teresa O'Dell from Mount Airy, before she was replaced by Dobson's Neil Brendle in 2018 , Served as a court clerk in Surry for one term.

Brundle applied for re-election on Monday, and the election also included Dobson's Melissa Marion Welch.

All three of them are Republicans, and now they need to hold a primary election in May next year, and the winner will become the Republican candidate in the November general election.

At the same time, Eddie Harris of State Road applied for re-election to the Southern District seat on the Surrey County Committee this week. ).

Walter D. Harris has applied for a seat in the Mount Airy area of ​​the Surrey County Council, which is now the first incumbent Republican, Bill Goins, who has not yet done so Do.

No one has applied for a seat in the central district of the county council, which is now occupied by Mark Marion, and next year is also in jeopardy.

Other new documents not previously reported include Tony L. Hutchens from Mount Airy, who joined the competition for a seat on the Surrey Board of Education as a Republican member.

Previous applicants for the seat include current Democratic Mamie M. Sutphin and Republican Brent Long.

Tim Matthews, in Filee later this week, is seeking to re-elect his large seat to Yu Education Mountain as the Democratic Party.

The filing process will reopen at some point.

"As soon as we receive the new date for the application period, we will immediately notify everyone," Surrey County election director Michelahev announced Thursday afternoon.

Just in time for Christmas, a Mount Airy man received a considerable sum of money-not through Santa Claus, but through the North Carolina Education Lottery.

Mitchell Urquiza said earlier this week that he was still shocked after a $20 scratch-off lottery ticket turned into a $100,000 victory.

The 31-year-old deliveryman stopped at the Quick Stop store on North Franklin Road in Mount Airy to buy tickets for the Grand Money lottery game.

Urquiza told the staff at the Raleigh State Lottery Office that he did not immediately scratch the lottery because he likes to spend time trying his luck throughout the day instead of announcing the results all at once.

"In the beginning I really didn't believe it," Urquiza said of the final award. "I always thought it must be a mistake."

Urquiza said that once he realized he was a big winner, he called his wife and told her what had happened.

"She doesn't believe it either," Urquiza told the lottery representative. "She let me go home so she can make sure I read it right."

Urquiza arrived at the lottery headquarters on Tuesday to collect the prize. Because of the requirement for federal and state tax withholding, he brought back $70,756.

After paying off some of the bills with his bonus, Urquiza said he wanted to help several family members and possibly buy a house for his wife and two children.

The Grand Money game he participated in was launched in September, with four top prizes of US$2 million and six prizes of US$100,000. Three prizes of USD 2 million and three prizes of USD 100,000 are still to be claimed.

Urquiza's lottery luck represents the first reported win in the area since a woman in Cana, Virginia bought a ticket to a $1,000,000 Bankroll game at the Speedway convenience store on Rockford Street in June.

She won $1 million, but chose to pay $600,000 in a lump sum and brought back $424,503 after federal and state withholding taxes.

Recently, 15 students graduated from the crisis intervention team training of Surry Community College and Partners Health Management.

Graduates include Andrew Goins, Kody Hudson, Logan Jessup, and Dustin Johnson from the Surrey County Sheriff’s Office; Hunter Blose, Chandler Bodenhamer, Dustin Bowman, Katie Cooper, Bubba Killgo, Zack Murphy, and Cecilia Thoppil from the Surrey County Emergency Medical Services Center ; Will Blackburn, James Brooks, Jessica Cave and Brian Nelson of the Elgin Police Department;

The course lasted 40 hours in five days. Topics covered by students include adult and child mental health, substance abuse disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, dementia and Alzheimer's, homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder/substitution for veterans Trauma, demotion strategy, NC harm reduction plan, officer self-care, and involuntary commitment process. They also received suicide prevention training and were introduced to the mental health assistance program, which is an alternative to prisons or unnecessary use of the local emergency department.

The first responders all gained practical learning through different experiences, such as the feeling of certain daily functions when experiencing auditory hallucinations, listening to recordings played by MP3 players, similar to the experience of patients with mental illness. They also listened to first-hand stories of survivors with mental health problems or substance abuse disorders, and visited the Ark and Children's Center in northwestern North Carolina.

Partners Health Management aims to provide officials and EMS personnel with tools they can use to better help people who are experiencing a mental health crisis through this crisis intervention team training. This is intended to be an additional resource and tool for them to help them pay attention to and recognize behavior patterns, thereby helping people obtain beneficial treatments and resources.

Partners has become part of the Surry community and was formed in 2012 through a merger with Crossroads Behavioral Healthcare. Mental health, intellectual/developmental disability, and substance use disorder (MH/IDD/SUD) services are needed in central and western North Carolina.

For more information about the SCC Basic Law Enforcement Training Program, please contact James “Jim” McHone, Director of Law Enforcement Training at 336-386-3292 or email to mchonej@surry.edu.

For more information about the SCC Emergency Medical Plan, please contact Dr. Doug Underwood at 336-386-3584 or email underwoodd@surry.edu.

Late Wednesday, the state Supreme Court suspended all applications for candidates for the North Carolina elections in 2022, and the spring primaries moved from March 8 to May 17.

This move is in response to two lawsuits that challenge the new boundary between seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives and seats in the state assembly, all of which are redrawn using 2020 census data.

These lawsuits were filed by a group called the Coalition for the Protection of Voters of North Carolina and another group of individuals to overthrow the new districts and force them to redraw. The plaintiff claimed that these areas were "extremely" partisan, and divided the state by ensuring that the Republican Party won 10 of the 14 congressional seats and a majority of the two houses of the convention.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court outlined a series of steps that both parties must follow in an effort to complete the litigation once and for all in the May primary election, followed by the regularly scheduled November 8 general election.

Wednesday’s ruling also put aside the normal appeal rules to speed up the Supreme Court’s ability to resolve cases before the election.

According to Wednesday’s ruling, the court has:

• Suspend the submission of candidate applications to all offices, "until a final judgment is made on the merits of the plaintiff’s claim (including any appeals) and remedial measures (if necessary) have been ordered:"

• Prevent the Election Committee from holding the primary elections originally scheduled for March 8, and instead hold the primary elections on May 17. The order authorizes the court to order a shortening of the submission period when necessary;

• Order the court of first instance to issue a ruling before January 11;

• It is required that “any party” who wishes to appeal the ruling of the court of first instance submit a notice of appeal within two working days after the ruling, and “expected to start an expedited briefing and hearing in this court immediately thereafter”.

The order stated that candidates who have been accepted by their respective local election committees are deemed to have been submitted correctly and will become part of the election unless they withdraw their candidacy.

Wednesday’s Supreme Court lawsuit was filed after two rulings made by the North Carolina Court of Appeals earlier this week, one of which suspended applications for candidates for seats in the state Congress and the General Assembly, and subsequently ordered the reopening of the application period. .

Last week, the plaintiffs provided their own reasons for the postponement of the application until the court of first instance can rule on their lawsuit seeking to force a re-division of the state. On Monday, a three-judge panel in the Court of Appeal approved the suspension for this purpose.

On Tuesday, the full appellate court cancelled the suspension, but all documents were postponed due to Wednesday's lawsuit.

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 Travis Manion Foundation, one of the leading senior service organizations in the United States, recently partnered with Surry Early College to organize a food collection event for the community.

Students from Surry Early College High School Interact Club and Run-Ruck Club collected non-perishable food and donated it to Dobson Food Pantry. Class teachers race to see how many pounds of food they can collect. Every week, Interact student volunteers weigh food and record all donations. Finally, the club members sorted all the donated food and packed them into backpacks. Students from the Run-Ruck Club transported the food in the backpacks two miles to the local food storage room and restocked them in time before the holiday.

The students collected 411 pounds of food to donate.

Operation Legacy Service Projects brings together veterans, families of fallen heroes, and foundation supporters through local service projects. During the "Legacy Action", the Travis Manion Foundation united the community through a common cause. The volunteers adhered to the spirit of "If it wasn't me, then who..." While paying tribute to the hero's sacrifice, lead a movement with personality, leadership and selfless service.

Residents of Surrey County will have the opportunity to learn more about the children’s COVID-19 vaccine next week. At that time, the Surrey County Health and Nutrition Center will collaborate with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to host a live event on the topic Zoom activity.

"Understanding COVID-19 and Vaccinating Your Child" will be broadcast live on Monday, December 13th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

"Like millions of adults and adolescents, children aged 5-11 can now receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine," the Health and Nutrition Center said when announcing the Zoom meeting. "The Food and Drug Administration has approved lower doses of Pfizer's BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children of this age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children aged 5-11 be vaccinated to prevent serious diseases and help them stay healthy. ."

Dr. John Morrow, the medical director of the Surrey County Health and Nutrition Center, will host the virtual presentation, which will give residents more opportunities to learn more about the recently approved Pfizer vaccine for children (5-11 years old), as well as current Medical guidance. The interactive presentation will also provide viewers with an opportunity to use the best available science to answer questions about vaccines for children, adolescents and adults.

"We are very pleased to be able to provide this presentation to parents in Surrey County because they are faced with the decision to vaccinate their children," said Surrey County Health Director Samantha Angie. "This is a unique opportunity to delve into the science and data that proves the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine for all ages."

To register for this webinar, please visit https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__uSOAYjKS7-cQSjY8oJZGw.

For more information, please call (336) 401-8400 or visit the health center's Facebook page.

After four years of absenteeism, Republican Shirley Landman is seeking to return to the North Carolina Senate.

Landman applied for the newly formed 36th District Senate on Tuesday and announced plans to seek the office. The seats include some or all of Surrey, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Alexandria counties.

The longtime Republican made subjects familiar to conservatives her top priority.

In her statement announcing her candidacy, she said: "School safety is the top priority. We must demand an end to our most precious resource-our children's indoctrination, including the teaching of'critical racial theory'." "I am right. The unborn child has taken a strong stand and is committed to enacting various anti-abortion legislation. As the Supreme Court considers the possible overturn of the Roe v. Wade case, strong and experienced leadership is needed to resolve North Carolina’s outdated abortion laws .

"I wholeheartedly support our Second Amendment to the Constitution, and I sponsor the legal castle doctrine in North Carolina," she continued. "This legislation protects our Second Amendment’s right to retain and carry weapons, allowing us to protect ourselves, our families and our property. The Second Amendment continues to be attacked, and legislators must be proactive, not reactive. ."

"Castleism" means that a person has the legal right to use lethal force in his home, vehicle or workplace to defend himself without first trying to retreat. In states that do not recognize this doctrine, legally, a person must attempt to retreat before using lethal force.

Landman spent six years in the state Senate. When current Senator Don East died less than two weeks before being re-elected in 2012, she was appointed to the position for the first time. On the weekend before the election, the Republicans let Landman replace East.

After that, she easily won two re-elections until 2018, when the re-election included her and the current Republican President Dianna Ballard in the same newly created 45th Senate district. Ballard won the primaries that spring and continued to win seats in the Senate.

Although Landman lost the primary election, she was still very popular among voters in Wilkes and Surrey counties and easily surpassed Ballard in the primary elections in these two counties. However, her advantages in her hometown are not enough to overcome Ballard's advantages in his hometown, Watoga County, and nearby Ash and Allegheny counties.

Before she entered the Senate, Landman served in the North Carolina House of Representatives for four years. Prior to this, she was the long-term clerk of the Wilkes County Courthouse.

When Landman announced the news this week, she also talked about the needs of the elderly, the recovery of the pandemic, and other issues that she considers high priority.

"Our seniors are going through difficult times, and I have been working hard to ensure that North Carolina does not tax their Social Security benefits," she said. "In addition, I also initiated and promulgated the Elder Abuse Law to prosecute those who use our elderly...

"We must continue to work to restore the post-pandemic economy. With job opportunities, we need to get people back to work. Infrastructure needs are critical to economic development and the creation and retention of jobs. Agribusiness is important to our states and counties. It is very important that we must pass legislation to support and protect our farmers. For example, I helped Senator Brent Jackson pass the "agricultural rights" legislation.

"We must support and do what is necessary to help our public safety officials and medical staff. We want to thank our veterans and those currently serving in our armed forces. We created the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs , But there is more demand at the state and federal levels.

"Drugs and substance abuse are a problem in all communities and are destroying our families and communities. I was able to get 1.4 million US dollars from the General Assembly for a facility-based crisis center that has been built and opened in Wilkes County To meet the mental health and substance abuse needs of Wilkes and surrounding counties."

"During these difficult times, I am honored to be able to serve on the North Carolina Senate. This is an amazing responsibility and I did not take it lightly. In my efforts to improve the efficiency of the government, I have created opportunities for working families, creating jobs and Raising wages is very important to me."

The general election will be held on November 8. If the Republican Party nominates more than one candidate for the seat, the primary election will be held on March 8. As of Tuesday night, no one else has applied for or announced to run for a seat in the 36th District Senate.

Dobson-From 4 to 7 pm on Saturday, the Dobson area will have the opportunity to experience local historical landmarks while celebrating the festival.

This will involve the second holiday trip to Capps Mill Estate. This is an open event for the public with unique decorations, vendors including various artisans, refreshments such as biscuits and hot chocolate, and enjoy a simple Christmas of previous years in a specific environment.

The core of the site is a large mill on the Mitchell River, which dates back to 1827, and there is also a house built in the late 19th century nearby.

"We want to share history," said Christine Blydenburgh, who bought the property in recent years with her husband Joe after looking for a historic home. They now operate Kapps Mill Estate Guest House and Event Center there, a lodging place also provides space for different gatherings.

It is located at 962 Kapps Mill Road off Zephyr Road, west of Dobson.

Blydenburgh said that even though the coronavirus was raging during the first holiday tour last year, more than 200 people participated, many of whom were from Mount Airy.

She added that the owners hope to host a bigger event on Saturday.

"They can visit the house and the factory," Bradenburg said of waiting for the opportunity for attendees.

"There is something new to see," the co-owner added, who explained that some parts that were closed during the 2020 event are now open. "We added a photo display in the pavilion", she mentioned a new attraction.

"This is a free event," Bradenburg emphasized when talking about the Capsmere Manor holiday trip, encouraging visitors to come on Saturdays. "Unless they buy something from a supplier, no money is involved." Most of them are located in old mills.

Various craftsmen will provide what the organizer calls "unique gifts" for purchase.

The original plan called for biscuits and hot chocolate to be enjoyed by the fire pit, but the burning ban imposed across the state due to dry conditions in recent days would prohibit this.

Bledenburg said that during the holiday tourism activities, the warmth of the Christmas season will still be adequately supplied.

John M. Kapp bought the factory around 1843, and its ownership remained in the Kapp family until the middle of the 20th century.

In October 2018, the picturesque waterfall and dam of Caps Mills were frequently visited, but in October 2018 they became victims of Hurricane Michael and were washed away by floods.

Blydenburgh said that this historic site still has a lot to offer.

• According to a report from the city police, a gun was found stolen in a residence in Mount Airy last Friday.

This was caused by breaking into the Wendy Gal Scott home on Austin Avenue, which was not secured at the time. A 637 Smith and Wesson .38 Special pistol, gray, stolen. Its value is US$520.

• Amanda Lee Messick, 39, lives at 212 Bluemont Road, was arrested on felony drug charges last Wednesday and possesses Schedule II controlled substances.

The case was filed through the Surrey County Sheriff’s Office on November 15, when Messick was also accused of possessing drug paraphernalia.

She was detained in the county jail with a security deposit of $500 and is scheduled to appear in the Surrey District Court on January 26.

• Catherine Tiffin Spainhour, 32, from 286 Brewster Lane, was charged with theft and possession of stolen goods after an accident at the local Dollar General store on November 30. The address of the store is not listed.

Spanish Hour admitted in the investigation that she opened a package of feminine hygiene products and stole an item from it. She is scheduled to appear in the district court next Monday.

The Surrey County Committee held its last regular meeting of the year on Monday, which was a changing of the 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 with the practice of this committee, there is a rotating schedule of officials, in which the person who does not have the chairperson is selected as the chairperson, and the vice-chairperson is deleted 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 took a seat 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 the 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 “extreme partisan” district, which allowed the Republican Party to sit in the state’s House of Representatives. 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 Claus 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 the Mountain in Sola Town. 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, spearheaded 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 commemorating 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 have 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.

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 beverage donations provided by the Credit Union to the Pilot Knob 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 the Mountain in Sola Town. The Friends of Sola Town Hill 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.

"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 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."

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 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.

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

© 2018 Airy Mountain News