The Paper Media

07/26/2024

If you’ve ever wanted to see your artistic work presented to the public on a grand scale, now you have an opportunity.

TOSS, a local arts and education community organization affiliated with The Industrial Commons, will host a paint party in the gym at Forest Hill Elementary School on July 21. The school is at 304 Ann St., in Morganton. Locals can help create murals to be painted on area buildings this fall. The paint party will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

TOSS Creative Director Kathryn Ervin said the free event is open to the public and features paint-by-number stations. She said this event is a vital part of TOSS’ plan to create three new murals in Burke County.

“Our goal is to celebrate the contributions and achievements of local communities and really promote healthy dialogue around identity and belonging in our community,” Ervin said.

Read the full article in The Paper!

https://ecs.page.link/JZ8dM

TOSS

07/26/2024

Adam Hastings has loved sports from a young age, and although he didn’t play football until his junior year at East Burke High School, he has spent a lot of time on the gridiron over the last two and a half decades.

The Drexel native graduated from EB in 2001 before attending The Citadel on a football scholarship and then returning to the Cavaliers as an assistant football coach. Following two years at his alma mater, Hastings also served as an assistant coach at Ardrey Kell High School for one year and Providence Day School for two years.

A social studies teacher as well, Hastings has been a head football coach since 2010, beginning with five years at Ardrey Kell followed by five years at Providence Day, where he helped lead the Chargers to a North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II state championship in 2019.

This fall he will begin his fifth year at Indian Land High School in Lancaster, S.C., with a career head coaching record of 88-67, including a 22-18 mark at his current school.

Read the full Q&A with Hastings in The Paper!

https://ecs.page.link/FVy2W

07/25/2024

A Burke County native’s true-to-life replica of the Oval Office is turning into the smash hit of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis.

Jimmy Warlick, who owns a successful political memorabilia business and is one of the preeminent collectors of historical presidential items in the country, set up his spot-on reproduction of the famous office – decked out exactly as it appeared during the Reagan era – at the convention.

The faux Oval Office has attracted attention from major TV networks and politicians like U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who did an interview while seated behind the desk.

Warlick said he’s been pleasantly surprised with the reaction his display has garnered.

“The Oval Office has been a big hit,” Warlick said. “Everybody loves it, and that’s what I came for. It’s almost exactly the same size, and this one is outfitted the way it was when Reagan was President.”

Warlick owns five Oval Office replicas. He got the idea for constructing them from customers at his memorabilia store across the street from the White House.

Read the full article in The Paper for more details.

https://ecs.page.link/3MH5s

07/25/2024

A Bluegrass superstar, a Broadway show and a dazzling contemporary circus performance are coming to Morganton as part of CoMMA’s 2024-25 MainStage Series. The local performing arts center announced its upcoming season this week.

Dan Tyminski, a member of Alison Krauss’ band, Union Station, will appear on the CoMMA stage in January. Tyminski, who has won 14 Grammy Awards for his solo and collaborative projects, is known for his vocal performance of the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” in the 2000 movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou.” The song won the 2001 CMA award for best single as well as a Grammy Award for best Country Collaboration with Vocals.

Another highlight of the upcoming season includes a March performance of the Broadway musical “Come From Away,” which tells the remarkable true story of 7,000 airline passengers stranded in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the small Newfoundland town that welcomed them.

Read more about the new season at the Comma Performing Arts Center in The Paper!

https://ecs.page.link/eiwh1

07/24/2024

A Lambert is back coaching at Draughn High School.
Triniti Lambert, who was Triniti Bryant in her days as a DHS student, was recently named the Lady Wildcats’ fifth all-time volleyball head coach as she replaces Jamie Ward after five seasons.

Lambert after graduating from DHS in 2018 and from Appalachian State University in 2022 married Coy Lambert, the son of longtime former Wildcats football head coach Scott Lambert.

Lambert went to college for dentistry, but after leaving Boone, decided on a different career path. She instead got into teaching and coaching volleyball at Heritage Middle School last fall.

“I'm very excited,” said Lambert. “The whole time (in college) I wanted to be a volleyball coach. And while I was in high school, I actually helped volunteer coach at the Drexel league."

Read more about Lambert's return to Draughn as the head volleyball coach in The Paper!

https://ecs.page.link/ywBMg

J.C. Draughn High School

07/24/2024

Morganton Day School and other educational institutions are losing prospective students for the upcoming school year because The General Assembly concluded its summer session on June 30 without approving a budget agreement, leaving nearly $500 million for Opportunity Scholarships in limbo.

Morganton Day School is a Morganton-based private school with an enrollment of 120 students, beginning at age 3, junior kindergarten to eighth grade.

“We had several families apply to our school whose children would have been a wonderful addition to our school call and say their children could not attend when the Opportunity Scholarship ran out of money,” said Morganton Day School’s Head of School, Dr. Melanie Mikusa.

Opportunity scholarships, also known as private school vouchers, help parents pay tuition and fees for private schools with North Carolina public tax dollars for children K-12.

Read the full article in The Paper for more information!

https://ecs.page.link/XSnN7

Morganton Day School

07/24/2024

A health systems leader from Arkansas has been tabbed to be the new President and CEO of UNC Health Blue Ridge.

Gary Paxson will assume his new duties on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the day after Labor Day. He will replace the retiring Kathy Bailey, who has been with UNC Health Blue Ridge for nearly 19 years.

Announcement of Paxson’s selection as the new hospital chief was made this morning by Mac McCrary, chairman of the UNC Health Blue Ridge Board of Directors.

Read more about the announcement by following the link below. Additional details about Paxson’s appointment are expected later today.

https://www.thepaper.media/news/arkansas-exec-named-new-head-of-unc-health-blue-ridge/article_9b33ef8a-492c-11ef-8583-a7c396f43377.html

A health systems leader from Arkansas, Gary Paxson, has been appointed as the new President and CEO of UNC Health Blue Ridge, replacing the retiring Kathy Bailey. Paxson's diverse healthcare

07/23/2024

Logan Hanchett is thrilled about his new City Planner role in Morganton, starting on Aug. 12.

Logan Hanchett, a recent graduate from Cornell University Class of 2024, is eagerly anticipating his new role as a City Planner in Morganton.With experience in social media campaigns, writing, and

07/23/2024

When the words “lithium-ion battery” and “Lake James” are used in the same sentence, some folks in western Burke County will no doubt be up in arms.

But they needn’t worry: The lithium-ion battery storage facility Duke Energy is building on N.C. 126 near the lake has nothing to do with the controversy surrounding the proposed Great Meadows megasite, which opponents suspect is the future home of a lithium battery plant.

It’s simply a way to store energy in order to supplement the power grid as a whole and to provide energy when power is out in the area.

Use of such storage sites is common across the U.S., and they are generally considered safe for the environment.

Read the full story including more details about this product on the full article in The Paper.

https://ecs.page.link/BSVW1

07/23/2024

As soon as students began their summer break, crews at Burke County Public Schools began $583,000 in capital improvements and repairs districtwide.

The summer 2024 projects are the last batch of updates and repairs funded by Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER). ESSER funds are allocated through a federal legislative act to help schools safely reopen and address the impacts of COVID-19.

“We have to make sure students have clean air, efficient systems, and quality air to breathe,” said Bob Acord, director of auxiliary services.

Projects are normally assessed one year in advance to ensure the necessary parts are ordered in time for work to begin in the summer, according to Acord. Principals are sent a capital needs assessment, and a list is compiled between December and February.

Read the full article in The Paper.

https://ecs.page.link/eVfdd

Burke County Public Schools

07/22/2024

Two years into a project to turn an old junior high school in downtown Morganton into a 41-unit apartment complex, developer Dante Broadway isn’t sure he’d do it all over again.

After all, he bought the building when interest rates were much lower and before inflation drove up the cost of some building materials to virtually unprecedented levels.

“I don’t know that I would do it, knowing what I know now and how interest rates went up,” Broadway said with a slight grin.

“Once you pull the trigger, man, you can’t stop. So, here we are.”

Broadway remains optimistic about the future of the project he and son-in-law Matt Conley are working on, but his dilemma is one encountered often by builders in the county. Rising construction costs make it harder than ever to reap a lucrative profit from developments, so building has slowed.

Read more from the "Housing in Burke" series in The Paper!

https://ecs.page.link/RPPgN

07/22/2024

The Paper has launched a new website!

The images below are instructions for reactivating your account with our new website and for new subscribers who want to create an account.

If you have any difficulty or questions please do not hesitate to call Lilly in our office, 828-445-8595, or email, [email protected].

Thank you for your support of The Paper and its commitment to Burke County’s local news.

The Paper - All Local. All the Time.

07/22/2024

The Paper launched a new website!

As you hopefully noticed, The Paper launched today a new website. It offers improved speed, functionality, readability, and integration with social media. We are continuing to migrate data from the old site to the new and discover areas to be adjusted. Thank you for your patience while we complete the process.

The web address remains the same, www.ThePaper.media.

The security of our website ensures that your passwords and credit card information is confidential. This protection means that this information did not move with the migration to the new website platform.

Consequently, we ask existing subscribers to reenter this information by following these steps:

- Click on the Log In link at the top left of the website homepage. A pop-up window will appear.
- Click on Need an account? Sign up in the bottom right of that pop-up window.
- Follow the instructions to create a new password. You must use the same email address used to create your account on the old system.

If you have any difficulty or questions please do not hesitate to call Lilly in our office, 828-445-8595, or email, [email protected].

Thank you for your support of The Paper and its commitment to Burke County’s local news.

The Paper - All Local. All the Time.

07/22/2024

There are currently 167 real estate agents working in Burke County competing to sell approximately 128 homes to an estimated 300 buyers in the market, according to the Burke Board of Realtors.

It's a competitive market, to be sure. Given the math, it’s understandable some real estate professionals are concerned.
“I can remember when we had several hundred houses for sale, and we’ve been between 100 and 200 houses for sale for two or three years now,” said Polly Leadbetter of Engel & Völkers Foothills Lake James “Inventory stays pretty low.”

And it will likely be that way for years to come.

The county commissioned an exhaustive housing needs assessment released in March that confirmed what many in the real estate world already knew: Burke County is facing a serious housing shortage that only promises to get worse.

Few occupations have as vested an interest in that trend as the agents whose job it is to help people buy and sell their homes.

Read the full article in The Paper by following the link below.

https://ecs.page.link/xVfRo

07/21/2024

Burke County residents took advantage of a meeting in their own backyard to voice their concerns about Charlotte’s request to nearly double the amount of water it siphons from the Catawba River Basin every day.

But it will likely be several years before the matter is settled.
Charlotte Water hosted a meeting at the CoMMA (City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium) Monday night to hear from the public.

Hundreds of people turned out, many of them expressing their opposition to the Queen City’s request to nearly double the amount of water it draws from the Catawba River system.

Nearly all of those who spoke against the increase drew boisterous cheers from the crowd.

Virtually every county and municipality along the Catawba chain, including Burke County Government, City of Morganton, NC Government, Town of Valdese, and Town of Rutherford College, has passed a resolution opposing the request. A number of elected city and county officials were on hand Monday, including Sen. Warren Daniel and Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson.

Learn more about the recent meeting discussing Charlotte's request for an increase in water from the Catawba River Basin in The Paper.

https://ecs.page.link/CQZ5b

07/21/2024

The American Dream is rooted in the idea that, with hard work, everyone can succeed. What success looks like is different for everyone, but a foundational benchmark has long been owning a home.

Today, homeownership remains a fantasy for many in Burke County. A collision of high home prices, high interest rates, and low wages keeps the keys out of their hands. The gap between the costs of buying a home and take-home pay is too great a divide.

In the pages of The Paper this week and next, we examine the past, present, and future of Burke County real estate and its impact on local residents and the economy. The graphic accompanying this series features a magnifying glass. That’s because our reporting goes beyond what is easily visible.

The stories represent months of planning, research, and interviewing — all to draw a fuller picture of the housing landscape and examine possible solutions.

Read more about the Burke housing market and its effects on residents in The Paper.

https://ecs.page.link/dNxfy

07/20/2024

Burke County Manager Brian Epley is exploring stripping the authority of the independent boards that govern the Departments of Health and Social Services and bringing both departments under the control of the board of commissioners.

The move would change the boards of both departments from administrative to advisory roles, and would mean Health Director Danny Scalise and Social Services Director Korey Fisher-Wellman would report to the county manager and the Burke Board of Commissioners like other Burke County department heads already do.

Both department heads currently report to their respective boards.

County Manager Brian Epley said the move is in the discussion phase, and nothing has been decided yet.

“It’s something that’s been talked about here for a while, and I think it’s a healthy discussion about how we want to be organized, what’s most efficient, most effective, what promotes communication, all of those things,” Epley said.

Read the full article with more info regarding this potential change in The Paper.

Burke County Government
Burke County Health Department

07/20/2024

A recent national survey measuring education ranked the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton region near the bottom of the 150 metropolitan statistical areas studied.

That said, local community and education leaders balk at the inclusion of Burke County as among the least educated in the country, while others say the designation reflects an unbalanced emphasis on skipping four-year higher education institutions.

Alan Wood, president and CEO of Burke Development, Inc., said the rating is unsurprising given the area’s priorities. Burke County leans toward technical programs and certifications that support the local manufacturing industry.

“This study slants more toward areas with colleges and universities. Our area is high in manufacturing with more technical programs and certifications,” Wood said. “Our community college does a great job providing opportunities for students.”

Read more about what Burke leaders think about these statistics in The Paper.

https://ecs.page.link/A4jXB

07/20/2024

Responding to questions from the Rutherford College Town Council, the N.C. Department of Transportation has provided more details about its plan to replace the current Castle Bridge with a new bridge.

That project, now in its right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation stage, is expected to be put out for bid about a year from now. No timetable has been set for completion of the $23 million construction project.

The bridge, which spans Lake Rhodhiss and connects Burke and Caldwell counties, is one of the busier bridges in the area.

The route is utilized by many southern Caldwell County residents as the quickest route to Interstate 40 while many central Burke County residents cross the bridge enroute to the Ingle’s supermarket in Baton or to Lenoir.

Read the full story in The Paper by following the link below.

https://www.thepaper.media/news/rutherford_college/bridge-replacement-to-be-built-next-to-castle-bridge-marina/article_9acc05dc-3fb3-11ef-b0eb-db012ec6f077.html

07/19/2024

Kathryn Bailey and Jason Whisnant have a lot in common. They worked together at Morganton’s old Masterpiece Art and Frame decades ago before it closed in 1988.

They both thrive on working with people and delight in providing the very best of customer service.

And, perhaps most importantly, they agree on Bailey’s belief that, “Custom framing is not just a profession, it is a passion. When it’s done correctly, and the customer is delighted, that is a very special, very fulfilling experience.”

Beginning at some point in August, the pair will be working together again.

Bailey will be closing her shop, Kathryn’s Custom Framing, located in the heart of downtown Morganton at 132 W. Union St. She has already stopped taking new orders but does have a bit of a backlog to finish.

When that is accomplished, she will join the retail staff at the Morganton location of International Moulding – which a lot of local folks still refer to as G. and G. Framed Art – where Whisnant serves as general manager.

Read more about these local businesses in The Paper!

https://www.thepaper.media/business/custom-framer-kathryn-bailey-joins-international-moulding/article_96aaea04-3bb7-11ef-beee-d3ac2492ecc7.html

International Moulding - Morganton, NC

07/19/2024

Valdese Police Department relocates to Valdese Town Hall

The Valdese Police Department's office is temporarily relocating to Valdese Town Hall, located at 102 Massel Ave. SW on Friday, July 26, due to adverse safety conditions.

07/19/2024

Nothing tastes better on a sultry Southern summer day than a big bowl of homemade ice cream. And nothing adds to a family gathering like joining forces to create a batch of the frozen confection right on your back porch.

Can’t you just hear the churn motor, pushing the frosted metal container round and round through the ice inside the wooden bucket? The ice begins to melt down. It’s time to add more, then sprinkle a generous layer of rock salt on top to speed the freezing process. The kids get restless. “Is it ready yet? How long does this take, anyway?”

It takes about 30 minutes in most ice cream makers, 30 minutes of watching, icing, and anticipating that first bite of heavenly goodness. Finally, you hear a distinctive change in the motor’s voice. It’s beginning to slow, starting to work harder. That’s the sound you’ve been waiting to hear. The homemade ice cream is ready.

Read more about southern homemade ice cream in The Paper!

https://www.thepaper.media/arts_and_entertainment/churn-up-sweet-memories/article_352be466-3e2f-11ef-be9a-0778e4c0ee84.html

07/18/2024

For the first time in three years, the Burke County Open golf tournament returns to its 54-hole format featuring rounds at both Mimosa Hills Gold Club and Silver Creek Golf Club.

The annual event – which dates back to the late 1960s, when famed amateur Billy Joe Patton won the first two titles – will be contested from July 26-28.

Day one features a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start at Mimosa Hills, which was not part of last year’s tournament for the first time in around 20 years. (Last year’s tournament was also contested at just 36 holes for the first time since at least 2008.)

The event moves to Silver Creek for both weekend rounds, starting with a 9 a.m. shotgun start on day two. Tee times will be used for the final round, beginning with the highest scores at 10 a.m.

In addition to senior and super senior (which made its debut last year), divisions include championship and open. All championship competitors will play the back tees the first two days, with the championship ‘A’ flight moving back to the silo tees on day three. The open division is intended for those ages 54 and under who prefer to play the white tees each day.

Read more about this upcoming event in The Paper!

https://www.thepaper.media/sports/burke-county-open-golf-tournament-dates-details-set/article_25558e50-3fb7-11ef-a873-471f991df271.html

07/18/2024

It's all about the data.

NCSSM-Morganton gathered teachers from across the country this week for a workshop aimed at incorporating data science into classrooms.

With nearly 70 educators in attendance, the week-long summer workshop's mission is to catalyze the adoption of data science and data literacy as an integrated component of K-12 education by 2030.

Instructor of the Zarek Drozda compared knowledge and data science to wealth in ‘The State of Data Science’ session.

“Wealth in the 19th and 20th centuries was in the form of physical products,” Drozda said. “And in the 21st century, knowledge is the new wealth. Data science is the new oil.” According to Drozda, 17 states have added some sort of data science education course to their K-12 offerings.

Read the full story in The Paper.

https://ecs.page.link/htMCV

07/17/2024

Alek Thomas is back in Major League Baseball after an extended stay on the shelf and in the minors after suffering a hamstring injury during the opening week of the regular season.

Thomas — who grew up in Morganton, and whose father, Allen, is a Freedom High School graduate who was a long-time strength and conditioning coach for the Chicago White Sox — on July 2 was recalled to the Arizona Diamondbacks following a span of just north of three months off the big-league roster.

Thomas enjoyed a four-game hitting streak from July 4-8 and had two straight games in that span with at least one extra-base hit. That included a grand slam to right-center field, his second home run of the season, to get Arizona within 6-5 down of the San Diego Padres late in the D-Backs’ only loss in the National League West Division rivals’ recent three-game set.

Read more about Thomas in The Paper!

https://www.thepaper.media/sports/thomas-finally-back-up-with-diamondbacks/article_9a0a8ebc-3fb2-11ef-a447-ab5d42fe0aad.html

07/17/2024

A lucky group of 15 Morganton residents will soon get an insider look into Public Safety’s operations.

Through the Citizens Public Safety Academy, attendees learn about an array of topics through classroom and hands-on activities. The weekly sessions occur over 12 weeks at Morganton Public Safety headquarters, 304 S. College St. Participants have been selected for the next session, which begins Aug. 1.

Most people’s law enforcement knowledge is limited to what they read or see in the news. This educational experience broadens their understanding by revealing the behind-the-scenes within the department.

One of the head organizers, Lt. Tayler Alexander, gave the run-down of what the Academy will entail this year and the purpose behind it.

Learn more about what the Citizens Public Safety Academy has in store this year in The Paper!

https://www.thepaper.media/news/courts_and_crime/morgantons-12-week-citizens-public-safety-academy-offers-series-of-immersive-classes/article_a836b54c-3e09-11ef-9e35-af0a0a94ee06.html

Morganton Public Safety

07/16/2024

In his younger days, Morganton native Taylor Sharp enjoyed attending sporting events at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a camera in his hands, hoping to capture exciting plays that he could post on YouTube.

Little did he know that he was getting an early start on his future career.

Sharp turned 30 in June, and he has a camera in his hands all the time these days. The co-founder of Blue Cup Productions, an independent production company that he started alongside fellow UNC alumnus Holland Randolph Gallagher in 2019, he now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he is heavily involved in filmmaking.

“From the very beginning I was an obsessed UNC fan and I was fortunate enough that my two older brothers both went to UNC, which meant that my family would go down on Saturdays to watch a football game or I would go down to stay with my brothers,” said Sharp, a 2012 Patton High School graduate who later became a Tar Heel himself.

“So that was a dream for a young kid like me to kind of start my Chapel Hill experience many years before I would get there as a student. By the time I got there, I’d already had relationships with some of the UNC football and basketball players who I had photographed or featured in a video, so that was fun to arrive at UNC already with some connections on that front.

Read the full story in The Paper!

https://ecs.page.link/qPkDL

07/16/2024

Opioid usage isn’t slowing down in Burke, but deaths caused by opioid overdose have.

Burke Recovery paired with the Burke County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday to host three training sessions for naloxone, a medication used to immediately reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Opioids are drugs used in medical settings as pain relievers, but they’re also used recreationally for relaxing and euphoric effects. Common opioids are he**in, morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. Fentanyl is a synthetic form of an opioid and is the No. 1 cause of opioid deaths, according to Winebarger.

Naloxone, also known under the brand name Narcan, comes in the form of a nasal spray and injection. Joe Winebarger, adolescent prevention specialist at Burke Recovery, demonstrated the proper way to administer the naloxone nasal spray.

“In Burke County, the number of monthly deaths due to opioid overdoses has decreased from 60 to around 20 monthly,” Winebarger said.

Read more about the positive and negative effects of easier access to Naloxone in Burke County in The Paper.

https://ecs.page.link/2NxJV

Burke Recovery

07/15/2024

If you only read a couple of things .... -