Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
January 4, 2007 issue
Year in Review – November 2006
NEW NAME: We changed the name of the paper from High Country News to High Country Press with the November 2 issue.
FINALLY: The Watauga County tag office opened on King Street across from the courthouse on November 16.
DOG MATTERS: Watauga County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on proposed changes to the county’s animal ordinance and several speakers objected to the implication in the ordinance that certain breeds have a tendency to exhibit dangerous tendencies. The board deferred action and did not address the question of a mandatory spay/neuter provision.
SCHOOLS: Seven Watauga County elementary schools dropped one rank from their designation last year in the state’s ABCs accountability results for the 2005-06 school year.
ELECTION 2006: The mid-term election was a clean sweep for Democrats in Watauga County, with Democratic candidates coming out on top in all of the partisan races. L.D. Hagaman defeated incumbent sheriff Mark Shook. Mary Moretz defeated incumbent commissioner Keith Honeycutt. Billy Ralph Winkler maintained his commissioner seat despite a challenge from James Coffey, and John Cooper defeated David Triplett for the seat vacated by David Blust. Blust lost his bid to become state senator by losing to Steve Goss. Cullie Tarleton defeated incumbent Gene Wilson for a seat in the state house. And in Watauga County, Roger Sharpe received more votes than Virginia Foxx in the race for the U.S. House of Representatives. Foxx won the race districtwide.
ELECTION 2006: In the nonpartisan school board race In Watauga County, voters returned incumbents Lowell Younce and Lee Warren to the board and elected newcomer Ron Henries over Alan Utter, Allen Trivette and Al Wheeler.
PEACE: Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi, spoke at Lees-McRae about the lessons he learned from his grandfather.
TRADITION: Watauga County Cooperative Extension held its 51st annual Farm-City Banquet.
DEVELOPMENT: The Ginn Company sold 240 lots valued at $150 million during a one-day sales event on November 11.
FINAL NUMBER: Relay for Life announced a fundraising total of $286,553 in Watauga County for the 2006 campaign.
CLOSED: The board of High Country Amigos announced that the organization will close at the end of 2006.
KUDOS: The North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation Board recognized the Appalachian District Health Department as one of the first local health departments to be accredited in the state.
MONEY: The Watauga County Community Foundation announced the John and Ruth Blue Scholarship, a new $5,000 annual award that will go to a Watauga County student for postsecondary education. The first scholarship will be awarded in spring 2007.
WITHDRAWN: Developer Doug Gale abandoned plans to develop a mixed-use complex on West King Street when he could not negotiate a purchase agreement with the property owners.
REPAIRED: Repairs on four of the condemned homes in the White Laurel subdivision, undermined by slope failure in 2004, were completed.
WAR: The Red Cross and the Family Readiness Group provided the means for families and friends of the soldiers of the 1451st transportation unit to film video greetings to send to Iraq.
APPROVED: The Caldwell County Board of Commissioners approved a zoning change for a 603-acre property located off Old John’s River Road south of Blowing Rock that would allow the construction of planned unit development called Backbone Ridge, consisting of 300 single-family homes, a 50-unit hotel/condo complex and commercial facilities. A group of Blowing Rock residents opposed the zoning change.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Watauga County Chapter of the American Red Cross marks its 89th anniversary on November 28.