• A criminal case has surfaced in Mount Airy which involves a suspect storing and possessing automotive items valued at hundreds of dollars which had been stolen, according to city police reports.

The incident came to light Wednesday, when an outbuilding on Marshall Heights Street, owned by Pamela Reynolds of Plum Tree Trail, was discovered to have been broken into, causing $100 in damage to a door frame. Marshall Heights Street is located off Rockford Street behind Chick-fil-A.

Police records indicate that the outbuilding contained 12 vehicle rims/wheels, 30 alternators/starters/compressors, three vehicle headlight mechanisms, five radiators, two engine computers and a vehicle jump box.

Those items, owned by Combs Auto and Towing of Cana, Virginia, had been taken in a felonious manner and placed in the outbuilding sometime after Feb. 1. Police records contain no information as to where or how the theft occurred, with the incident still under investigation at last report.

• Five ladders with a total value of $1,000, owned by Jason Ramos Soto of the 300 block of Willow Street — an employee of Eagle Carports — were stolen at his home during the early morning hours Monday from a trailer of a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado pickup after ratchet straps were cut.

Included were four 11-foot silver and blue ladders and a 15-foot silver and orange ladder.

• The execution of a search warrant at a Worth Street home late on the night of Feb. 9 resulted in two residents there with similar last names being jailed under large secured bonds on felony drug charges.

Dashaun Akeem Bush, 20, and Norman Junior Busch III, 22, both of 515 Worth St., are each accused of possessing a Schedule I controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver; possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver; and possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, which are all felonies. Both also are charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

Busch additionally was found to be the subject of two outstanding orders for arrest for failing to appear in court in both Surry and Forsyth counties. He was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $31,500 secured bond and Bush, $30,000 secured. They are scheduled to be in District Court next Wednesday.

Five Surry wrestlers reach championship matches

First Lego League students at Gentry Middle have been working on their SuperPowered First Lego League missions and projects since the beginning of school. They have been researching alternative energy sources, developing project presentation ideas, and coding their designed robot to complete missions in the First Lego League Robot Game.

Students were excited when Caleb Lowe and Travis Bode from Surry Yadkin Electric Membership Cooperation visited the school to share some real life applications on how they are using alternative energy sources in their business.

“The team is excited to compete at the FLL Regional Qualifier in Dobson at Surry Community College on Nov. 19,” the school said.

Business and personal growth conferences are nothing new, even holding one in Surry County for local business folks is not necessarily a rare occurrence.

But one coming up next week is a first — a seminar for area businesswomen, led by businesswomen. At least, it’s a first-time event for the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce, according to the chamber’s Jordon Edwards, events director.

Taking the Lead, Businesswomen of Surry Conference is slated for Wednesday, featuring talks and panels by locally prominent businesswomen and internationally known speakers. The event will be taking place at The Barn at Heritage Farm in Dobson.

Edwards said a confluence of events and existing situations led to the first — and hopefully annual — event.

“Surry County is really interesting in that we have a lot of women business owners, CEOs, entrepreneurs, what I like to call Mompreneurs, with the emergence of that family-owned business coming from the mother,” she said. “We felt like we wanted to give them an opportunity to explore professional development and really create those connections locally. We hope that women can walk away finding mentors and finding a way to be a mentor to other women.”

She said timing in the busy chamber events calendar couldn’t have been better — when chamber officials were reviewing the events for 2022, they decided to drop one of the chamber’s fundraising golf tournaments.

“We needed another event, we needed an event that is not already being done, especially one that would cater to the business community.” After talking with several key businesswomen in the community, she said Taking the Lead, Businesswomen of Surry Conference was born.

The gathering will include several general sessions, with addresses from internationally known speakers along with local business leaders, combined with an afternoon panel discussion. The event will also include ten vendor slots “that are women-owned businesses set up showcasing what their business is, pitching it to the attendees of the conference.”

The conference is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m., with an address by internationally known motivational speaker Leigh Brown. The founder of Charlotte-based One Community Real Estate, Brown has more than 20 years experience in the real estate industry and is the author of three best-selling books.

“She has often been referred to as the female Zig Ziglar,” Edwards said, referencing the well-known motivational speaker.

The lunch-time keynote speaker is Cathy J. Pace, president and CEO of Allegacy Federal Credit Union. She has been with Allegacy for more than 40 years, and is credited as being instrumental in the credit union’s growth from 17,000 members and $50 million in assets in 1978 to more than 166,000 members and more than $2 billion in assets today.

Edwards said that Pace is also a Surry County native, having been born and raised in the county, graduating from East Surry High School.

She has won numerous awards, including Triad’s Most Admired CEOs, Triad’s Top 40 Most Influential People, Triad Power Player, Women in Business, and Business Leader’s Women Extraordinaire. She was named “Marketer of the Year” by the Credit Union Executives Society, “Woman of the Year” by YMCA of Forsyth County, and a 2016 recipient of the YWCA Women of Vision Community Catalyst award.

Others scheduled to speak or serve on an afternoon panel discussion include Emily Zimmerman, founder and CEO of the marketing firm Grace Communications; Brittney-Nichole Connor-Savarda, an author and editor-in-chief of Emotional intelligence Magazine; Surry Central High School alum Pam Smith, work management support supervisor-engineering at Duke Energy Corp.; Sue Brownfield, former director of marketing and product development process at General Motors and now working as president of YESurry – Young Entrepreneurs of Surry; and Sharon Joyner-Payne, Ph.D., executive vice president, corporate communications and great teams, Inmar.

While the chamber is sponsoring the event, Edwards said the program has really been put together by a committee under the leadership of local businesswomen Deirdre Rogers and Allison Johnson.

Edwards said organizers plan for the event to be a sell-out, but there might be a few spots left, along with sponsorships for local businesses wishing to support the conference. For more information, contact Edwards at the chamber by email at jordon@mtairyncchamber.org or by phone at 336-786-6116, ext. 204. The conference gets underway at 9 a.m., with check-in at 8 a.m., and lasts until 3 p.m. The Barn at Heritage Farm is located at 152 Heritage Farm Lane in Dobson.

Emily Venable-Schiff made a move over the summer when she exited her long-time role with the Surry County Economic Development Partnership to take a job with Surry County in the Office of Substance Abuse Recovery.

She has joined the team in a new role with the county as the Recovery to Work Business Advisor. In that job she is cultivating relationships between the county and local business with a goal of filling vacant jobs and removing impediments for those in recovery who are seeking employment.

Following the announcement of the millions of dollars that are heading to Surry County as part of opioid settlements that have been reached the county began laying out its plans for how to best use those funds.

Creating new positions such as that of the recovery to work advisor are part of the multifaceted efforts the county is using in areas of education, prevention, intervention, and recovery to attack substance use disorder from as many angles as possible.

After her twelve-year tenure at the economic development office Venable-Schiff said the connections made in that role will be beneficial in the quest to create paths to employment for those in recovery.

Having met so many of the players and having an idea of the needs of those employers will help her identify potential partners to join in the county’s fight. “It helps me with my new role because I already had great connections with local companies and community leaders.”

It is an interesting move for her to step over from a private sector job in business development into a public sector job that can utilize the talents she honed at the economic development office in a highly pinpointed area.

Already she has 22 local companies who have signed on to participate in the program. Some of the biggest employers in Surry County have signed on such as Wayne Farms, Acme Stone, Andrew Pearson Designs, Insteel Industries, Interlam, MVP Group International, New River Tire, and Renfro Brands, “Just to name a few,” she said.

In her role as recovery to work business advisor Venable-Schiff decided to use some of the tried-and-true tactics that have been used for years: encouragement and recognition for a job well done. “I started a perfect attendance incentive for the individuals I place,” she explained. “They have to have perfect attendance for four weeks in order to receive a gift card.”

Sophie Shelton of Hampton Inn is the first winner of the perfect attendance award and got both a certificate and gift card for her efforts. Some may scoff at the notion that four weeks perfect attendance should be something laudable, but for Venable-Schiff and the team at Office of Substance Abuse Recovery they know that could not be further from the case.

For many in recovery these may be their first steady job in some time, and they know creating new patterns of behavior for someone in early recovery can be exceedingly challenging.

A teacher or a coach along the way may have told you that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. A 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology tried to quantify that adage through research. They said it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit — quite a range. However, they averaged that to 66 days for a behavior to “become automatic.”

For those in recovery there can be a great benefit to creating and adhering to routines. Patterns need to be established that create distance from the patterns of the life one is trying to flee.

Over the course of four weeks to hear the alarm clock, jump into the shower, and punch the time clock on time may sound like absolutely nothing to someone with no experience with a person struggling with substance use disorder.

“One of the primary goals of the county is to support people in the recovery community who are seeking employment,” Office of Substance Abuse Recovery data analyst Jaime Edwards said. “One of the best ways to support community members in that is to understand the challenges and needs of local citizens to achieve success on the job.”

“This is why we are conducting community stakeholder interviews to help define future goals, improve communication, creating a shared vision and earning trust,” Edwards said. He is asking questions of employers and employees in long-term recovery about possible impediments that those in recovery may face when looking for a job.

It should be noted North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein informed local leaders last month that more opioid settlements are forthcoming, and North Carolina will be receiving even more funds from the companies who made, marketed, and sold the drugs that have so scarred the country.

From there the county can fund more initiatives and bring in more hands to aid in the heavy lifting like Venable-Schiff.

Settlement funds cannot undo the damage done, but those dirty dollars from opioid profits can be repurposed into the long-term funding for programs that are going to turn the tide.

Magnolia Wash Holdings, a premium express car wash operator headquartered in Charlotte, is maintaining heavy expansion efforts throughout the state including a location in Mount Airy.

The new Wave Car Wash and Whistle Express Car Wash outlets in North Carolina which are involved are both operated by Magnolia Wash Holdings.

The growth in its portfolio features Whistle Express Car Wash openings in both Mount Airy and Greensboro.

Magnolia Wash Holdings has launched four other new Wave Car Wash sites in Fayetteville and the greater Durham area.

The Mount Airy location is at 139 Kodiak Lane off U.S. 52, where the Rivers Edge Car Wash formerly operated, and involves a rebranding.

Wave Car Wash and Whistle Express Car Wash facilities are state-of-the-art, the company reports. offering eco-friendly treatments.

In less than 10 minutes, personnel are able to clean, shine and protect vehicles with a premium on-site experience, officials add. Top-quality equipment such as fresh towels, cleaning spray, high-powered vacuums and air nozzles are available to every customer.

All of the new express car washes also are dedicated to industry-leading, water-reclamation technology that reduces freshwater consumption and recycles 85% of the amount used per car wash.

“We’re excited to expand our portfolio of express car wash locations in thriving markets,” Andrew Agostini, vice president of operations at Magnolia Wash Holdings, said in a statement.

Since the start of the year, Magnolia has achieved tremendous development in the Southeast and is in the midst of aggressive expansion. Magnolia reportedly is on track to reach 100 opened locations by the end of 2022, with plans to continue this momentum by adding 100 units annually over the next five years.

Magnolia Wash Holdings, founded in 2014, now operates 83 express wash locations throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee.

“We are continually investing in the best equipment, training team members and delivering superior results that will truly showcase to our customers why we’re the best in the industry,” Agostini added in hailing the new locations including Mount Airy. “We look forward to serving these communities for many years to come.”

It is a tradition for Bannertown Baptist Church to collect shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child along with Samaritan’s Purse, the charitable ministry led by Franklin Graham.

Local resident Sarah Simpson said the collection has been going on for more than 20 years and as long as there are still children in need, Bannertown Baptist shows no sign of stopping.

Collection this year will take place from Nov. 14 to Nov. 21 at Bannertown Baptist Church, 1834 Westfield Rd, in Mount Airy.

Drop off times are from Monday, Nov. 14, through Thursday, Nov. 17, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

On Friday, Nov. 18, drop offs will be accepted from 1 – 5 p.m.

Shoeboxes will be accepted from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 1 – 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20. The final collection day will be Monday, Nov. 21 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Bannertown Baptist participates in order to spread joy and cheer during the holidays to those who are less fortunate. Graham and Samaritan’s Purse also use the campaign as an outreach method to spread their message to those who may not have heard it.

Donated shoeboxes will travel to Charlotte in early December, as will Simpson, where volunteers like her will go through the donated boxes. They are looking for the odd unapproved item that may not be able to travel on a plane or be received in another country before the shoeboxes are loaded up to be sent to needy children around the world.

Operation Christmas Child asks donors not to send items like candy, toy guns, or glass items. Instead suggested items may include personal care items such as toothbrushes, combs, or hair ties. Items for crafting such as coloring books, colored pencils, or stickers are recommended.

Given the rich history of hosiery in the area, a pair of socks is a suggested item as well. Organizers encourage those sending a shoebox to consider including a personalized note to send as well.

More information on restrictions and suggested items can be found at: http:///www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/what-goes-in-my-shoebox-suggestions

Simpson said the support from the community over the years has been substantial and in years past they have collected upwards of 4,000 shoeboxes from individuals and churches in the area.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 198 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories. Organizers said that after collecting 10.5 million shoeboxes in 2021 they hope to collect enough shoeboxes to reach 11 million children this year.

Surry Community College’s Law Enforcement program recently hosted the Colt M4/M16 Armorers course at the Center for Public Safety in Mount Airy.

Twenty-two law enforcement officers from all over the eastern part of the United States attended this certification course that focused on the M16 family of weapons and all its variants including the M4, the AR15 and 9mm SMG.

Colt Instructor Alan Offringa led the students during a 24-hour course over three days that involved hands-on classroom activity. The first day of class covered the history, nomenclature, theory of operation, complete field disassembly and parts identification. The second day focused on the removal and installation of barrel and front sight assembly, design changes and parts interchangeability, headspace and firing pin protrusion testing and fire control theory. On the third day, participants learned about maintenance, troubleshooting and then took a written test, a practical exam and received certifications upon graduation.

To graduate, students must demonstrate proficiency in the following areas – disassembly, reassembly, identification of mechanical deficiencies and corrective actions. Students must also attain a score of 70% or better on the written test. Graduates receive a three-year Colt Law Enforcement Rifle/Carbine/SMG Armorer certification.

Surry Community College offers a variety of law enforcement classes including Basic Law Enforcement, Detention Officer Certification, Telecommunicator Certification, Police Law Institute, RADAR Operator & Recertification, LIDAR Operator & Recertification, Crisis Intervention Training, Taser Initial & Recertification, Standard Field Sobriety, Intoxilyzer Operator & Recertification, Basic SWAT, Advanced SWAT, Surviving the First Three Seconds, and Human Behavior Analysis. You can see the current schedule of law enforcement training classes by going to surry.edu/Law.

SCC has provided training for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and the North Carolina Department of Safety along with police departments and sheriff’s departments across the Piedmont Triad region in North Carolina.

BLUEFIELD, VA – First Community Bankshares Inc. (NASDAQ: FCBC) this week reported earnings for the third quarter of the fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, were slightly ahead of earning for the same period a year earlier.

The company also declared a quarterly cash dividend to common shareholders of 29 cents per common share, an increase of 2 cents, or 7.41%, over the quarterly dividend declared in the same quarter of 2021. The quarterly dividend was payable to common shareholders of record on Nov. 4, and is expected to be paid on or about Nov. 18. This marks the 37th consecutive year of regular dividends to common shareholders.

The banking company reported net income of $13.35 million, or 81 cents per share, for the quarter, 5.8% higher than the $12.61 million recorded in the same quarter of 2021.

“The increase is primarily attributable to an increase in net interest income of $4.2 million and the branch sale gains of $1.66 million offset by an increase in the provision for credit losses of $2.08 million and an increase in salaries and employee benefits of $1.44 million compared to 2021,” the company said.

That sale of First Community Bank’s Emporia, Virginia, branch to Benchmark Community Bank, was completed Sept. 16.

First Community Bankshares Inc., a financial holding company headquartered in Bluefield, Virginia, provides banking products and services through its wholly owned subsidiary First Community Bank. First Community Bank operated 48 branch banking locations in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee as of Sept. 30. First Community Bank offers wealth management and investment advice and services through its Trust Division and through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Community Wealth Management, which collectively managed and administered $1.19 billion in combined assets as of Sept. 30.

For more information on the bank’s performance, visit www.firstcommunitybank.com

Below-average precipitation has been a dominant weather factor over the past two months in the Mount Airy area, based on reports covering that period issued by F.G. Doggett Water Plant.

While October’s rain input was higher than usual, this was not the case in September when the total was less than half the all-time local average for the ninth month of the year — 2.09 inches compared to 4.40.

Last month’s rebound, to a 3.69-inch total that bested the all-time Mount Airy average for October of 3.44 inches, is misleading due to most of that, 2.21 inches, being recorded for a single day, and on the first day of the month to boot. That means the rest of October experienced relative dryness.

But even with the overall two-month dry trend, the city’s annual precipitation, through Monday, has remained slightly above normal. The amount logged through that period, 43.73 inches, is 2.49 inches — or 6% — higher than what occurs by that time on average here, 41.24 inches.

Measurable rainfall occurred on only nine of September’s 30 days and seven of the 31 in October.

The largest amount measured for a single 24-hour period in September was .72 inches on the fifth day of the month.

Weather records have been kept in Mount Airy since 1924 and F.G. Doggett Water Plant is its official monitoring station.

The two months’ worth of reports also showed that the mercury was a bit on the chilly side.

This was most notable for October when temperatures averaged 53.9 degrees — more than three degrees below the October norm locally, 57.2.

The high for the month was 80 degrees on Oct. 8, while a frigid 27 degrees on both Oct. 20-21 took low-temperature honors.

In September the mercury averaged 67.2 degrees, a shade under the Mount Airy norm for that month of 68.4.

A balmy 89 degrees on Sept. 21 was the high for the month, and on the other end of the scale, a 37-degree temp on Sept. 29 was the low.

October had frost on five days and September, one.

Fog was observed on 12 days during September and three in October.

The N.C. State Board of Elections is investigating a complaint involving the Mount Airy municipal election — specifically alleged violations surrounding a mailout sent by a local political action committee promoting certain candidates.

Surry County Director of Elections Michella Huff confirmed Thursday afternoon that her office did receive a formal complaint levied against the Committee of Concerned Citizens for the Future of Mount Airy.

“We have forwarded that complaint on to NCSBE (the N.C. State Board of Elections) for an investigation,” Huff added.

The mailout material is said to have been received by city residents on Tuesday, the same day a statement of organization and other paperwork for the political action committee was filed with the county elections office in Dobson, late that afternoon.

Records show the group was formed on Oct. 28 and had raised $1,700 in political contributions, including from Ted Ashby, a prominent Mount Airy banker.

The mailer, apparently not received by all potential city voters based on a spot-check of multiple neighborhoods, contains a “sample ballot” listing all eight candidates for the four city council seats at stake, but with names of the committee’s favored office-seekers highlighted.

Those candidates are Mayor Ron Niland, Commissioner Steve Yokeley and two persons vying for commissioner slots, Chad Hutchens and Phil Thacker.

“The complaint is that the mailer in question did not include a statement reading ‘endorsed by: Ron Niland, candidate for mayor of Mount Airy, and Steve Yokeley, candidate for commissioner at-large of Mount Airy,’” Huff explained in reference to the usual terminology required.

It must accompany political advertisements published or broadcast, for campaign finance/public-disclosure purposes.

The county elections director advised that she did speak with the treasurer of the Committee of Concerned Citizens for the Future of Mount Airy, identified as Jerry Taylor, an unsuccessful candidate for city commissioner in 2015.

“And he states those (Niland and Yokeley) were the only two candidates that were aware of the mailer and had coordinated activity before the mailer was distributed,” Huff related.

“Candidates Phil Thacker and Chad Hutchens were not aware of the mailer prior to it being received in mailboxes.”

The person making the complaint was not identified, but a Mount Airy source close to the situation indicated that it was just an initial one to be followed by others to the Surry County Board of Elections.

“There’s probably going to be about 10 people filing the complaint,” the source said of the mailout issue.

On Friday, the associate general council of the N.C. State Board of Elections in Raleigh, Lindsey Wakely, acknowledged the receipt of the initial complaint.

Citing relevant general statutes the complaint claims have been violated, Wakely wrote that “it is the duty of the NCSBE to investigate alleged violations,” while indicating that other information gathered during the course of the probe will be limited.

“Campaign finance complaints are confidential.”

Wakely did mention that a public hearing could be scheduled on the matter, but a decision also might be made to close the case without further action.

Taylor, Yokeley and Niland did not respond to voice-mail messages Friday seeking their reaction to or comment on the investigation by the state board.

This coming Tuesday is Election Day, with early voting ending today (Saturday).

• A Mount Airy man was charged with injury to personal property Monday night after allegedly throwing a rock at the windshield of a moving vehicle, according to city police reports.

The alleged incident occurred at the residence of the person charged, William Waylon Russell Riley Jr., 45, of 241 Rockford St., involving a Chevrolet Malibu owned by Charles Edward Stanley of Elkin. The damage to the car was put at $500.

Riley was released on a $500 unsecured bond and is facing a Nov. 14 appearance in Surry District Court.

• A case of identity theft was reported Tuesday in which Alicia Wallace Henson of Daiquiri Road was victimized. The crime was perpetrated by an unknown suspect and involved a Chase credit card, but other details were not listed including any monetary loss resulting.

• Octnicholas O’Bryan Bowman, 31, of 838 White Dirt Road, Dobson, was jailed on an alleged domestic violence protective order violation on Oct. 10 after he was encountered by officers investigating reported drug activity at the Speedway convenience center on West Pine Street.

Bowman was found to have violated the domestic order, which typically occurs when someone is in the presence of a person it is aimed at protecting, although no details were provided to confirm this. He was jailed without privilege of bond, with the case set for the Nov. 14 District Court session.

• Zackery Park Mullins, 33, of Tobaccoville, was jailed without bond on an outstanding warrant for a charge of assault on a female on Oct. 5. The warrant had been issued in Stokes County, with Mullins arrested on Worth Street after a security officer at Northern Regional Hospital advised city police of his presence in the area.

He is facing a Nov. 22 court date in Stokes.

• Santana Yvonne Hiatt, 37, of 104 First St., was served on Oct. 5 with a warrant for a larceny charge filed in Stokes County after she was encountered by police at Walmart.

Hiatt was released on a $500 unsecured bond to appear in court in that county.

• Cody Matthew John Bowman, 27, of 707 Willow St., was charged with trespassing at Walmart on Oct. 5. Bowman is slated to be in District Court on Dec. 12.

• Damage to city property was reported on Oct. 3, involving an unspecified Granite Wall structure on West Oak Street, on which an unknown suspect drew graffiti. The damage was put at $20.

• Police were told on Oct. 2 that two vape bars with a total value of $43 had been stolen from Grab and Go Mart on West Pine Street. They were taken by an unknown party who left the store without paying.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction is seeking information on the whereabouts of the following individuals:

• James Warren Harrell Jr., 35, a white male wanted on probation violations who is on probation for felony possession of a firearm with domestic violence protective order, felony flee to elude arrest, felony possession methamphetamine, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, larceny, damage to property, carry concealed weapon and driving while license revoked;

• Candida Michelle Bowers Hopson, 42, a white female wanted on probation violations who is on probation for resisting a public officer and use/possession of drug paraphernalia;

• Richard Elijah Goodson, 36, a white male wanted on probation violations who is on probation for violation of a domestic violence protective order;

• Sandra Hardy Gage, 59, a white female wanted on probation violations who is on probation for level 1 driving while impaired.

View all probation absconders on the internet at http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi and click on absconders. Anyone with information on any probation absconders should contact Crime Stoppers at 786-4000, county probation at 719-2705 or the Mount Airy Police Department at 786-3535.

The thought of a cobra might be menacing, but a Surry County endeavor known as “Project Cobra” offers something positive rather than a venomous bite: plans for 35 new jobs.

That name refers to a economic-development project now in the works which involves a private local corporation that is exploring the consolidation of its warehouse/distribution operations.

Three locations are being considered for this, including Mount Airy, where the company has a facility engaged in those functions with more than 60 employees.

As part of those plans, incentive funds are being eyed from both the city government and that of Surry County, which will be the subject of upcoming public hearings by each.

“It will be tied to jobs,” Mount Airy Mayor Ron Niland said Thursday afternoon regarding the commitment of public funding and the addition of the 35 full-time or full-time-equivalent positions the community would benefit from in return.

City Attorney Hugh Campbell said the deal also is tied to the acquisition of equipment by the company.

The name of the private corporation has not been announced publicly, with Project Cobra the only identification being provided now, a code name used as part of efforts to keep it a secret until plans are finalized. The corporation is proposing a direct investment of $1.97 million within Surry County.

Such industrial development incentive projects have been undertaken by both the city and county in the past.

In Mount Airy’s case, the proposed incentive for Project Cobra involves a yearly cash grant not to exceed $36,341 over a five-year period based on additional taxes to be realized from the new capital investment of $1.97 million. The $36,341 figure is listed as the total possible incentive from the city.

The sum of the incentive is based on the property tax revenues the municipality anticipates receiving from the project and the expectation that the company will stimulate and diversify the local economy, promote business and provide employment opportunities for citizens.

City officials say the proposed incentive grant offers a “substantial public benefit” consistent with an applicable North Carolina general statute.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners discussed Project Cobra during a closed session at the end of a meeting Thursday afternoon.

It subsequently returned to open session and voted to schedule a public hearing on the incentive proposal for the board’s next regular meeting on Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. in the council chamber of the Municipal Building on South Main Street. That hearing is required due to the investment of taxpayer funds being considered.

Citizens also have the opportunity to weigh in on Project Cobra this coming Monday night at a public hearing during a meeting of the Surry County Board of Commissioners in Dobson.

The meeting is scheduled to convene at 6 p.m. in the commissioners meeting room in the Surry County Historic Courthouse at 114 W. Atkins St. The hearing is expected to start shortly thereafter to allow citizens to express their opinions on a proposed $36,224 appropriation by the county for industrial development.

A source of funding for the project is the county’s general fund reserves, officials say.

The public benefit to be derived from making such a commitment includes the expansion of Surry County’s tax base, creation of new jobs within the county and improvement of the general employment outlook locally.

County officials view Monday’s public hearing as a forum to hear citizen comment on the proposed project which will aid in the assessment of its value to Surry and its residents.

City Manager Stan Farmer said Friday that the Project Cobra name originated with the Surry County Economic Development Partnership and he does not know how it came about.

Previous efforts locally have been assigned such names as Project Glow, Project Boston, Project Ink, Project Velocity, Project Signup and others.

Seventeen Surry Community College workforce training students were recently awarded the SECU Bridge to Career Scholarship established by the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation to assist students across North Carolina in obtaining their educational goals.

Each student received a $500 check to be used for tuition, books, fees and transportation costs from the member-funded SECU Foundation.

EMT students receiving scholarships were Katelyn Gammons, James Madel, Breonna Marion, and Patrick Grenier of Surry County and Chelsea Broome Casey, Ryan Hemric and Landon Dowell, all of Yadkin County.

Paramedic students receiving scholarships were Courtney Easter, Madison Triplett and Zachary Wardle of Surry County and Paula Long of Alleghany County.

Truck Driver Training students receiving scholarships were Gregory Stonewall and James Partin of Wilkes County and Laura Callaway, Jesse Presnell, Enrique Sanchez-Olvera and James Alex Edwards of Surry County.

The scholarship awards were presented by Melissa Atkinson, SECU advisory board member, Dobson; Brea Hull, SECU senior vice president, Mount Airy; Julie Edwards, SECU vice president, Dobson; Doug Underwood, SCC director of yadkin center/director of emergency medical program; Kenneth Vaught, SCC emergency medical program coordinator; and Scarlett Vogler, emergency medical services instructor, at a recent SCC Board of Trustees meeting.

SECU Foundation introduced the SECU Bridge to Career Program in 2018 to help students seeking to obtain careers with sustainable wages in their local communities. Administered by each college, the initiative focuses on assisting individuals with finding vocational and job placement opportunities through eligible training programs that lead to state-regulated or industry-recognized credentials. Scholarship funding will be applied to educational expenses and other expenditures associated with their program of study through a North Carolina Community College workforce development program.

“This scholarship program is an essential piece of SECU Foundation’s scholarship offerings, filling the gap with support for individuals seeking a job in a high-demand trade industry or enhancing their education with new skills to advance their career,” said foundation Executive Director Jama Campbell. “North Carolina has an excellent community college system, and we are proud to work together with state educators to help North Carolinians work toward a better future. On behalf of SECU Foundation, we offer our congratulations to these recipients.”

With the combined commitments for the SECU Bridge to Career and People Helping People Community College Scholarship programs, SECU Foundation funding for the NC Community College System totals more than $1.6 million annually.

Surry Community College’s Financial Aid Office assists many students with finding the funds necessary to pursue an education by helping them discover valuable scholarships like the SECU Bridge to Career Scholarship. Contact SCC’s Financial Aid Office at 336-386-3264 or financialaid@surry.edu or go to surry.edu for more information.

Insteel Industries Inc. (NYSE: IIIN) this week reported net earnings for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 were down a tick, but the company had recorded the best financial year in the firm’s history.

For the fourth quarter, which ended Oct. 1, Insteel recorded net earnings of $24.3 million, or $1.24 per share, compared to $25.2 million, or $1.28 per share, in the same period a year ago. Net sales increased 21.4% to $208 million from $171.3 million in the prior year quarter, while net earnings dropped 3.5%.

For the fiscal year, Insteel reported record revenue and net earnings. The firm said its net earnings nearly doubled, from $66.6 million, or $3.41 per share in the prior year, to $125 million, or $6.37 per share, this year. Net sales increased 40% to $826.8 million from $590.6 million in the prior year driven by a 51.9% increase in average selling prices offset by a 7.8% decrease in shipments.

“Insteel’s fourth quarter results benefited from widening spreads between selling prices and raw material costs due to a 26.1% increase in average selling prices from the prior year quarter, implemented to recover rising raw material and operating costs. Ongoing weakness in residential construction activity combined with the negative impact of inventory management measures implemented by many of our customers led to a 3.7% reduction in shipments,” the firm said in releasing the results.

“Fiscal 2022 was a record year of financial performance for Insteel, meaningfully exceeding our previous record achieved in fiscal 2021,” said President and CEO H.O. Woltz III. “Our financial results were particularly gratifying in view of the difficult operating conditions experienced at times over the last twelve months, including raw material shortfalls, labor availability challenges and residential construction market weakness. We appreciate the contributions of our dedicated employees who persevered through many challenges and our supplier base that supported the company, allowing us to deliver consistently for customers.”

“As we look ahead to fiscal 2023, we remain optimistic about demand in our non-residential construction markets, which represent a substantial majority of our sales,” he added. “Backlogs across our customer base remain solid and third-party non-residential construction indices point to continued expansion.”

For more information, visit https://insteel.com

Surry Online Magnet School elementary students and their families spent a recent dat day at The Farm in Dobson.

“Students were really excited to play on the playground equipment, barrel race their teachers, Misti Bartley and Melodie Ellis, and jump in the bouncy houses,” school officials said of the event.

“Some of the students also competed against their principal, Kristin Blake, in an axe throwing competition. The students took a short break from all of their adventures to watch a puppet show about how every pumpkin is unique and special, even square pumpkins. Each student was able to take home a little pumpkin.”

All through October stories have been chronicling the efforts related to national Red Ribbon Week and how drug education presentations were being taken into schools with the help of local law enforcement, community volunteers, and the Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery.

Since Red Ribbon Week and Prevention Month have ended, Surry County residents are being encouraged to not let up on the effort. Talking to kids about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco need to be a year round thing, experts say.

The winning Red Ribbon essay from Meadowview Magnet Middle School was by Sophia Easter. The judges of the essay contest were struck by the tone of hope that carried through the essay.

What the Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery has found in working with the community and their exhaustive interviews and surveys given is that there is still room for improvement in nearly all communities when it comes to demonizing those who have the disease of addiction.

To that end, Sophia offers that a positive mental outlook involving generous helpings of hope can help Surry County in its long-term fight against substance use disorder. She suggests community events to celebrate the good times can add to a sense of community. Also, a greater sense of understanding and compassion is needed so that those in need know they can turn to friends, loved ones, or even county based resources like those offered by SCOSAR in times of need.

Easter’s essay entitled “The Impacts of Substance Abuse” follows in its entirety:

Take a second and imagine what you think the world would be without substance abuse. You would probably see families with strong relationships and more population on earth. But because of substance abuse, that unfortunately is very rare to have. Substance Abuse is the excessive use of psychoactive drugs, such as alcohol, pain medications, or illegal drugs. People with Substance Abuse Disorder often have one or more health issues including lung or heart disease. Regardless of these negative consequences, people continue to make out that having or doing Substance Abuse is cool and is the new standard for Surry County.

This leads us to our first problem, Peer Pressure. Peer Pressure is the direct or indirect influence on peers. People all around Surry County have made having a Substance Abuse Disorder the new standard. Especially for young lives, they’re starting their addiction so young because of peer pressure from one another. They let their problems drag out into their important school life and their life continuously goes downhill from there. They don’t know how to reach out for help either because they’re just so young they don’t realize that they’re slowly shortening their lives for short periods of time to feel better.

Now let’s talk about our second problem, family relationships. Families are constantly torn apart by Substance Abuse. Children are constantly put into foster care and child homes because their guardians had a Substance Abuse Disorder. Even for the kids who don’t get put into foster care and have to deal with their parents having the disorder, do you really think it’s fair for them to live their childhood in all that trauma? As for the children who grew up in that kind of environment, as they grow up it’s common for them to develop the same Disorders and habits as their parents or guardians. People don’t realize the impact Substance Abuse could have on people around you.

Let’s wrap up the problems with this third problem and in my opinion the most important one, mental health. Substance Abuse is very dangerous and can lead to many ways of harm including physical, social, or emotional harm. You could get so addicted to it that you start to use it more, then twice a day, then 4 times a day, then you start to realize you can’t go without it. So you use it while you’re driving, working, or just simply anywhere. Then you start to depend on it when things get bad, it’s all you ever think about, and your mental health starts to go down and down and worse and worse. It starts to lead to you getting changes in the brain, including paranoia, depression, anxiety, hallucinations, and other problems. When this starts to happen you lose your hope, and you just stop caring.

Surry County needs hope, that’s our resolution to all of this. You need the hope that you can change for others and yourself. Even when you’re down and you feel like you can’t get up. Surry County needs a place where people can come and get hope and help without having to worry about paying for it. We need to build a trusted area where people can come and get the help they need. We need to increase community collaboration and decrease Substance Abuse by doing more celebrations and festivals in Surry County. We could put this plan into action by gathering a bunch of volunteers who want a change in Surry County as well and doing fundraisers to gather money and have more gatherings. This community needs to be closer because we only have one Surry County.

Substance Abuse is a major problem in Surry County and if we really want a change we are going to have to make it ourselves. If we want it to change, we need to quit talking and start doing. If we want families to be happy, fewer unemployed people, etc. We need to act now!

Trenches are dug deep during the first week of November which suffers an identity crisis. In one corner are fall purists clenching pumpkin spice flavored everything from toothpaste, candles, coffees, to scented 5w-30 motor oil. On one side of the demilitarized zone is the Christmas Brigade with cinnamon scented brooms, reindeer ears on their cars, Andy Williams tunes on repeat, and sleigh bells on places sleigh bells do not belong.

To complicate this turf battle, this weekend members of the Latino community are offering an alternative as the Mount Airy Día De Los Muertos will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History.

Tell Mrs. Claus she can relax a little longer because here in Mount Airy, it’s not time to make the transition to Christmas yet no matter what that one radio station blaring Christmas carols already says.

The Día De Los Muertos event is sponsored in part by and will be hosted at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. To make room for the festivities drivers and pedestrians alike need to be aware that portions of Virginia Street will be closed that day. The closure will allow for food trucks, vendors, a live band, face painting, raffle, children’s activities, and much more.

It could be easy to simply label this as a cousin to trick-or-treating and Halloween, but Día De Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) is considered a time of celebration when the spirits of those who have passed may comingle with their mortal loved one still on Earth. Its practice dates back more than 3,000 years, according to The Mexican Museum in association with The Smithsonian, rather than 2,000 years for the Celtic holiday from with Halloween derived.

Tradition is a key element to Día De Los Muertos celebrations so of course there will be a dance performance. The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History in conjunction with Ballet Folklorico del Museo de Mount Airy held Mexican dance bootcamps throughout October to prepare for this event.

Their rehearsals will culminate in traditional dancing during the event.

On display in the museum will be the Ofrenda that members of the community made contributions to. Orfendas are usually created by the family members of a person who has died and are intended to welcome the deceased to the altar setting.

The Día De Los Muertos celebration will be ongoing throughout Saturday starting at 10 a.m. and running until 5 p.m.

The band will get started at 1 p.m. and dancing will run from 2:30 -4 p.m. Admission is free.

Organizers invite the community to take in the sites, the dancing, the food, and even get a photo at the photo booth station. The event will take place rain or shine.

Questions about any of the Dia de los Muertos events, reach out by phone at 336-786-4478.

First the good news: An annual community Thanksgiving meal is planned this year in Mount Airy, but just like everything else these days involving consumer goods, inflation has added a sour taste to the occasion.

“The stuffing price that I’m seeing is about double from what it was last year,” said Daris Wilkins — also known as the “Turkey Lady” — chief organizer for the free Thanksgiving feast offered at First Baptist Church, now in its 26th year.

Costs for the main commodity served up on the holiday dating to its first observance involving settlers and Native Americans — turkey — also have increased by about the same alarming rate.

“Right now I’ve been shopping for bargains,” Wilkins added Wednesday in issuing a special appeal for the public to help.

“Donations are needed and welcomed,” she stressed in reference to the inflated expense involved with providing the food. “We need all the donations we can get.”

The free Thanksgiving Day dinner is spearheaded by Friends of a Brighter Community. Wilkins is a member of that group and has been involved with the meal since it began.

Its purpose was to provide a holiday feast with all the trimmings for everyone. As longtime key organizer Melva Houston, a late local singer, once observed: “I’ll feed the man who’s under the bridge and I’ll feed the man who owns the bridge.”

This year the community event is scheduled for Nov. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church at 714 N. Main St.

In 2020, the Thanksgiving event was hampered by the coronavirus. It returned last year, but with a major change that involved serving the meal on a drive-through basis at the church rather than in its fellowship hall which had long been the case.

“We have decided to have a drive-through event again this year due to the rise in COVID and flu numbers,” Wilkins advised. “We’re hoping one day to have our dinners back inside the fellowship hall.”

The drive-through format resulted in 489 meals being distributed at the church on Thanksgiving 2021, with others delivered to persons at group-housing locations for a total of about 550.

In addition to the meals given out at First Baptist this coming Thanksgiving, “we will have limited delivery to shut-ins and elderly that cannot drive to the church,” Wilkins mentioned.

She indicated that the success of the Thanksgiving feast is dependent on multiple forces in the community coming together. “We rely strictly on donations, volunteers and lots of prayers.”

“I think we had about 24 people last year,” Wilkins said of those who devoted time from their holiday to provide the meals on-site, along with others who donated and cooked turkeys.

Fifty or more volunteers have been on hand for occasions when the food is served in the fellowship hall.

As for the financial part of the equation, Wilkins can be contacted at 336-756-6778 for more information on how to get involved, in addition to First Baptist Church at 336-786-5185.

She says a dream of hers is to broaden the non-profit scope of Friends of a Brighter Community so it can hold other events for those in need.

• A coin-laundry business on Merita Street off U.S. 52-North was the scene of a break-in that was discovered last Friday, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

The crime involved a storage building being entered, which netted the theft of a Vizio television set, security camera and surge protector, for which the total monetary value was not provided. The victim of record is Coin Laundry Inc.

• Tamara Lynn Kallay, 44, of 121 Joyce St., was charged with resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer and second-degree trespassing on Oct. 26.

The charges stem from a civil disturbance officers responded to on Edgewood Place Lane, where Kalley was found to be trespassing and also resisted arrest, police records state.

She is free on a written promise to appear in Surry District Court on Nov. 14.

• A known female is suspected in the Oct. 25 theft of a pug beanie hat valued at $18 from the Quality Mart convenience store on Holly Springs Road. The woman is said to have concealed that item on her person and left the business without paying.

No charges had been filed in the case at last report.

• An Apple 8 Plus iPhone, black in color and valued at $170, was stolen on Oct. 9 by two unknown suspects from the Carolina Court residence of the cell phone’s owner, Brandy Michelle Collins.

• Larry Dwayne Bouldin, 51, listed as a homeless Mount Airy resident, was arrested on a second-degree trespassing charge on Oct. 8, for which no details were given.

Bouldin, who was taken into custody on Rockford Street near South South Street, was released on a written promise to appear in District Court on Nov. 14.

Coming up this weekend author Leah Weiss will be speaking at the Mount Airy Public Library on Saturday at 2 p.m.

A North Carolina native who was raised in the foothills of Virginia, she has written two novels “If the Creek Don’t Rise” and her latest “All the Little Hopes.” Both books take place in the Old North State, one set during the 1970s in the mountains and other in the 1940s during WWII.

Rana Southern of the Mount Airy Public Library said that name may sound familiar to some readers. “We have read her book “If the Creek Don’t Rise” in our Community Book Club and we will also be discussing the book in The Plaid Cloth Book Club,” which meets at the museum each month.

Weiss was born in Williamston, in Martin County, she said because it had what her hometown of Robersonville did not — a hospital. Artists often take some inspiration from places they are familiar with, so in her newest novel “All the Little Hopes,” Williamston has been re-imagined as the fictionalized town of Riverton.

Some of her earliest writings were inspired by her mother’s humble life and those tales she transformed in short stories that appeared in publications such as Deep South Magazine, Serving House Journal and a Simple Life Magazine.

“I was 58 when I was inspired to interview my mom and gather family stories that would leave with her,” she said, echoing an increasingly common concern because of America’s aging population.

“She was one of 15 children born on a tobacco farm with no running water or electricity. I loved that Mama never saw her family as poor because there was love and good food and music,” Weiss recalled.

Her family’s story and the those of her mother were not all idyllic tales of farm life. Instead, “All the Little Hopes” had darker origins. Weiss explained that book, “Came from my mother’s memory of a German POW Camp.”

Some authors come into their craft later in life and Weiss is no exception. “If you do the math, you know I was 70 when that happened and those were impossible odds.” Upon retiring from nearly a quarter of century as headmaster’s assistant at Virginia Episcopal School Weiss started her current chapter as an author in earnest.

Her first published novel “If the Creek Don’t Rise” was released in August 2017. It received recognition right away and was selected as a Library Reads, Indie Next and SIBA Okra Pick. It was also honored as a 2018 finalist for the Library of Virginia’s Literary Fiction and People’s Choice Awards.

From creation to publication was a dream come true for Weiss. “That the first book became a bestseller was a surprise.”

“I had written an earlier novel that never found an agent and I wasn’t interested in self-publishing it. I trusted the process that my first novel wasn’t good enough to make it in the book world,” she said of those earlier attempts.

“I accepted that novel was my ‘practice novel’ – something no writer likes to hear. But those next years (and the next book) were much better because I stayed a student. Writing a book is about a three-to-four-year process for me. I don’t know how to write fast.”

Weiss has returned with another story set in North Carolina, “All the Little Hopes” that was released late last year. It was also selected for Library Reads, Books-a-Million’s December 2021 book club choice, and named a Best Book for Fall 2021 by Country Living Magazine. It was again a finalist for the Library of Virginia’s People’s Choice Award.

If the Stephen Kings and Danielle Steeles of the literary world are cranking out a couple books year after year, that is simply fine for them because Weiss reminds amateur writers hoping their story may be the next bestseller, “My advice is this: Don’t rush the process. Be patient but set the bar high.”

“Find someone who will legitimately critique your work – not your spouse or sister who thinks your writing is fabulous,” she said, because dishonest or incomplete critiques do the writer little good. “In the beginning it isn’t fabulous. So, seek the truth and grow from it.”

There are more chapters to be written both by and in the Book of Weiss, these days she is hard at work on her third novel but still finds time to enjoy participation in book clubs. She finds pleasure in speaking about the rewards of becoming a bestselling author in later life.

DOBSON — The death of a town council candidate in Dobson has put a damper on the campaign season in Surry County.

Sharon Gates-Hodges died last Friday at age 65, just 11 days before the Nov. 8 general election.

Gates-Hodges, a resident of Freeman Street in the county seat, was a political newcomer seeking to win a spot on the Dobson Board of Commissioners. She and John Jonczak, also a first-time office-seeker, were in a race for two town commissioner seats now held by J. Wayne Atkins and Walter White, who are both seeking re-election.

The Dobson woman was described as actively involved in the town, including being a regular attendee of council meetings there.

“And we met Thursday night,” longtime Mayor Ricky Draughn said of a session on Oct. 27, when the absence of Gates-Hodges was a glaring one.

“I noticed it was unusual that she wasn’t there,” Draughn added Wednesday, with Gates-Hodges’ death occurring one day after that meeting. “I was surprised and shocked.”

Another person who reacted to Gates-Hodges’ passing was Jonczak, the fellow commissioner candidate, who expressed dismay over that development and the lost opportunity it represents.

He said her death, especially coming before the holiday season, “brings much sadness to her community, family and friends.” A daughter, grandchildren and siblings are among the candidate’s survivors.

Jonczak also lamented the death of Gates-Hodges from the perspective of what the office-seeker potentially offered the town had she lived and been elected to the Dobson Board of Commissioners.

When filing for office in July, she expressed a desire to provide more programs and activities to help prolong the lives of senior citizens in town along with listening to and working for the betterment of all Dobson citizens.

“I guess my main motivation was, I’m a lifetime resident and a retired engineer and I have time and I just want to make a positive difference in our town,” Gates-Hodges said at that time in listing her reasons for seeking public office.

“It was Sharon’s desire to make an impact on our town,” Jonczak said Wednesday, by bringing much-needed change to the community.

He hopes her ideas can still become reality.

Based on the format for Dobson municipal elections, the four council candidates were vying for the pair of seats at stake this year, which the two top vote-getters when the smoke clears next Tuesday night will win.

Gates-Hodges’ name has been a fixture on the town ballot for some time, including the absentee-by-mail process that began in early September and the start of early voting on Oct. 20.

Surry County Director of Elections Michella Huff has consulted state statutes regarding municipalities, and passages in the Dobson town charter, for those that apply to what she termed Wednesday as “the unfortunate passing of the candidate.”

“If there is not enough time to reprint the ballots, and should (a) deceased or disqualified candidate receive enough votes to be elected, the (county) Board of Elections shall declare the office vacant, and it shall be filled as provided by law,” says North Carolina General Statute 163-294.1.

Meanwhile, the town charter states that “in the event a vacancy occurs in the office of mayor or commissioner, the (town) board shall by majority vote appoint some qualified person to fill the same for the remainder of the unexpired term.”

“So, if Ms. Gates-Hodges wins, which is still a possibility because obviously she cannot be taken off of the ballot, the town of Dobson board will appoint someone to fill the four-year term,” Huff explained Wednesday.

“Our Board of Elections would deem the seat vacant first,” in order for that appointment to occur.

Mayor Draughn could not recall any similar situation ever occurring in Dobson.

Mother Nature had other pressing plans that caused a performance of The Wood Family Tradition last month to be cancelled due to Hurricane Ian. Even though the Atlantic Hurricane season does not wrap until the end of November, Surry County residents are ready to try again.

Coming up this Friday the Dobson Tourism Development Authority and the Surry County TDA presents a rescheduled concert from Sept. 30 featuring the Wood Family Tradition.

The tourism authority’s Travis Frye said he got off the phone with Mother Nature and was told, “The weather looks perfect, and we will have delicious food trucks including Shikora Express Japanese Grill, Mermaids On The Go, BJs Fry Shack, and Station 1978 Firehouse Peanuts.”

He reminds everyone that this is a free concert that takes place at the Surry County Farmers Market, 903 E. Atkins Street, Dobson. Organizers say take a lawn chair and the family out to this event.

Food Trucks will be set up and ready to serve by 6 p.m. with music to follow from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Special thanks to have been offered by Frye to sponsors who have supported both the Dobson & Surry County TDA throughout this series: Surry Communications, Frontier Natural Gas Company, and Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation. Additional support from WPAQ 740 AM 106.7 FM The Voice of the Blue Ridge, The Mount Airy News, and Our State magazine.

A lot of folks around these parts are already familiar with the Wood Family Tradition. Put all the years of picking, grinning, singing, and entertaining it a whopping 150+ years of experience for the Wood family.

The Wood family says that family values, legacy, faith, and humor are just a few things that Wood Family Tradition bring to the stage. Music, however, is nothing new to this family.

Stemming from the legacy of hard driving, traditional, and original bluegrass music that the legendary banjoist/singer/songwriter Al Wood began in the ’60s, Mike, Bobby, Jason, and Brian were raised on a strict diet of bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music.

Members of Wood Family Tradition are Mike Wood on guitar and vocals, Bobby Wood on bass and vocals, Jason Wood on mandolin and vocals, Mackenzie Wood on vocals, and Brian Aldridge on the banjo and vocals.

Shoals Elementary School recently held its fifth grade student council elections. Students prepared posters and gave speeches asking for votes from the third, fourth and fifth graders.

“We are very proud of each student for showing confidence and leadership,” school officials said of the candidates.

The fourth and fifth grade classes also elected student representatives from each class. These students will work along side the student council.

RALEIGH — Sometimes one’s first choice doesn’t turn out to be the best one and that was the case for a Surry County woman who recently won a $100,000 prize in the North Carolina lottery.

After Dana Pruitt of Pilot Mountain couldn’t buy the scratch-off ticket she wanted, she chose a Fabulous Fortune one instead — which led to that unexpected result.

“When I scratched it I about had a heart attack,” Pruitt said. “It shocked me.”

Though the winner hails from Pilot Mountain, Mount Airy also can share in the glory since Pruitt, 62, bought her lucky $30 ticket from Mayberry Mart on East Pine Street.

“The odd thing is the ticket I purchased was not even the one I was looking for,” Pruitt stressed regarding the ironic circumstances involved. “They were sold out of my first choice.”

After settling for her second one, she scratched the ticket right outside the store and uncovered the $100,000 surprise.

“This is the best win I’ve ever had,” Pruitt disclosed. “I’m still in shock to be honest with you.”

Pruitt collected her prize at the North Carolina lottery headquarters last week and after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,019.

The winner plans to save most of the money for retirement, but added that she might use some to travel to New England.

The Fabulous Fortune instant-win scratch-off game debuted in July with six $3 million prizes and 18 $100,000 prizes. At last report, three $3 million top prizes and 11 in the $100,000 category were still to be claimed.

Surry Community College is partnering with The Institute of Study Abroad Ireland to provide an opportunity to study abroad in Donegal, Ireland in the summer of 2023.

The trip will take place from June 6-14. Students will take HUM-180, International Cultural Exploration, through SCC while on the trip. This course allows students to visit, examine and analyze a country or region outside of the United States to learn about the place and people.

Students will learn about Irish history, literature, culture and meet with locals from Dublin to the famous surf town of Bundoran, as well as Northern Ireland.

The program fee is $2,985 and includes roundtrip airfare, seven nights of accommodation, daily breakfast at the hotel, daily dinner at local restaurants, ground transportation, historical and cultural walking tours, full-time guidance and assistance and travelers’ insurance. To secure a spot on the trip, a $200 down payment is required.

This trip is open to all students, staff, faculty and community members. For further information about the program and applications, contact Sarah Wright at 336-386-3439 or wrights@surry.edu.

The replacement of a dehumidification system for the indoor swimming pool at Reeves Community Center, costing nearly $400,000, is in the works — but only after Mount Airy officials dove into a deep debate over the issue.

“It’s needed,” Assistant City Manager Darren Lewis said of the project, one that has existed long before Lewis took that position in February after serving as Mount Airy parks and recreation director and witnessing it firsthand.

“Indoor pools are humid areas,” he explained regarding the need for dehumidification to ensure good air quality as a result. “It’s a required facility need.”

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners recently approved the project in a 5-0 vote, but not without concerns being raised by one of its members, Commissioner Jon Cawley.

While supporting that measure — and eventually making the motion for its passage — Cawley believed the matter had not received sufficient public discussion given that such a large financial outlay was involved.

“I think it’s a good expenditure,” he added, but “when you spend that kind of money, it ought to be discussed publicly.”

Cawley raised his concerns during a council meeting in October. This included asking to have the dehumidification matter removed from a consent agenda — containing items approved with a single rubber-stamp vote without discussion — to the regular agenda to allow debate.

Stanley Heating and Air Conditioning, based in Elkin, subsequently was awarded the contract for the job, due to being the lowest bidder submitting proposals.

The projected cost will be $389,000 for the job, which has an estimated completion date of February 2023, according to City Manager Stan Farmer.

Although he agreed the project is something the city should do in support of its recreation program, Cawley said the public should have been better informed about the issue that he argued received little open discussion based on his recollections.

He asked at the meeting when the project was approved for evidence to be provided of that during a latter session.

Before that occasion rolled around, examples of the dehumidification/ventilation project at Reeves Community Center having been discussed at meetings were retrieved from board minutes and made available to commissioners ahead of that.

“It was actually discussed six different times in public meetings,” Commissioner Steve Yokeley said. “I had hoped it would be voted on a couple of years ago.”

One of the last times the matter arose was earlier this year when various municipal projects were recommended for funding using Mount Airy’s federal COVID-relief allocation of $3.2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

At that time, $400,000 for the indoor pool HVAC/air system at Reeves Community Center was the biggest single expense proposed on a city government to-do list using American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The project at Reeves also had been mentioned publicly on other occasions, according to the minutes retrieved, including in 2019 when Yokeley inquired about the need to include the pool dehumidification among capital improvement requests.

Those items relate to major building- and equipment-related needs for municipal facilities or departments.

“That is just an example of the one of the things that don’t need to be put off,” Yokeley stated in 2019, referring to projects such as the RCC dehumidification that city officials have tended to delay from year to year.

Former City Manager Barbara Jones also included equipment at the center’s indoor pool as a budget priority in June 2021 — which wasn’t actually funded during the next fiscal year that began soon after on July 1.

“It’s actually been in the capital budget for many, many years,” Lewis said.

Cawley responded during the most recent meeting that his main concern was ensuring that the project had received proper public discourse. He seemed to imply this had not occurred with situations in which it received casual mention at meetings or was included among pages of requested capital projects on a long-range bases taking up many pages.

“If you see that as discussion, just consider me wrong and I’m fine with that,” Cawley commented.

“My issue was the public did not know about it,” he said.

A long list of equipment and tasks is included in the bid proposal from Stanley Heating and Air Conditioning, headed by a three-compressor dehumidifier with three stages of control.

• A Galax, Virginia, woman was charged with larceny and possession of stolen property last Thursday after an incident at the Tractor Supply store on Rockford Street, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

Brittany Nicole Tiller, 30, is accused of taking Ariat jeans valued at $70 from the business, which she had in her possession when encountered by officers in the parking lot and admitted to stealing, police records state.

Tiller is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on Nov. 14, with the property returned to the owner intact.

• Hershel V. Cresong, 53, of Winston-Salem, was arrested at Northern Regional Hospital Thursday on charges of injury to personal property and possession of a Schedule III controlled substance, identified as a Suboxone strip.

No details were listed regarding the property allegedly damaged, with the drug found during a routine search as part of the arrest process.

Cresong was held in the Surry County Jail under a $1,000 secured bond and was scheduled to be in District Court on Monday.

• Police were told last Wednesday that a moped valued at $1,000 had been stolen from the residence of its owner, Michael D. Ramey, on Newsome Street.

The 2017 TaoTao Blizzard moped, blue and white in color, was bearing license tag number MA-65049 when taken by an unknown party.

• Money was discovered stolen on Oct. 24 from a donation box at 218 Rockford St., the address for the Andy Griffith Museum. The container was broken into by an unknown party and damaged to enable the theft of $75, with the Surry Arts Council listed as the victim of the crime.

Students across Surry County participated in education and outreach programs last week as part of national Red Ribbon Week.

For almost 40 years since the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Enrique Camerena at the hands of Mexican drug cartels, Red Ribbon week has been the country’s single largest drug prevention program that according to the DEA reaches an estimated 80 million Americans a year.

The theme for this year’s Red Ribbon Week was, “Celebrate Life. Live Drug Free.” Many schools in Surry County had their students participate in an essay writing contest about substance use disorder and its effects not only on the person suffering but also those caught in the whirlwinds that surround the deadly disease.

From Mount Airy Middle School, the winning essay entitled “Substance Use as a Social Problem” was written by Samuel Nicolas Garcia Barrios. He looks at peer pressure and what the long-term effects of substance abuse can be on physical, mental health, and one’s future plans. His essay follows in its entirety:

Substance use is considered a social problem these days because today it is being used a lot especially by teens and they use it as a coping method for when someone is feeling stressed, depressed or has too much anxiety that they go to smoking tobacco or vaping to deal with it and the results of it are affecting their body in several negative ways. People have been unemployed from their jobs just because they have been caught using substances they weren’t supposed to at work to deal with their stress or depression or anxiety, but many have been abusing the use of these drugs and some have died or have gotten in serious situations where they could get injured or have gotten injured.

All of these things are reasons it’s been considered a social problem these days also it has led people to push their families away and be less social with people and even their own friends and loved ones which have made it for those people really difficult to give up doing those things and have led many to suicidal situations where they can’t deal with all the weight that they have on their shoulders just because they used one drug to help them deal with their stress or depression that it lead them to be alone and even more depressed and stressed.

The way social problems relate to substance use is when someone is not being included or being pressured to vape or take a drug to fit in all of these things make it a way of social problem as a way of substance use because first you are being peer pressured to do something you don’t want to do just to fit in. Also, these social problems lead them to misuse of the substance and makes them addicted to it which then leads to the situations I’ve stated before. This means those kids are more likely to experience depression or stress or even anxiety which is what turns them to substance use and affects them in many negative ways.

The way it can be strengthened is by understanding how substance abuse develops like seeking out intoxication every time you use and understanding the abusing prescription medication. Other ways are avoiding temptation and peer pressure, instead develop healthy friendships and relationships by avoiding friends or family members who pressure you to use substances because it’s often said, “we become most like those we surround ourselves by.” So if you surround yourself with people who abuse drugs and alcohol you are most likely to as well especially peer pressure since it’s a major part of life for teens and adults if anyone you know is trying to stay drug free or even yourself is trying to stay drug free then you should develop a good way to just say no or maybe by preparing a good excuse. You could also seek help for mental illness since substance use and mental illness are often related and you are suffering from mental illnesses like depression,

Anxiety or even stress you should seek professional help from a licensed therapist or counselor because they will provide you with healthy manageable skills to relieve your symptoms without turning to drugs and alcohol. One of the best ways could be keeping a well-balanced life since people often turn to drugs and alcohol when something in their life is missing or is not working. By practicing stress management skills, it can help you to overcome all these life stressors and will help you live a balanced and healthy life.

You could develop goals and dreams for your future, plan ahead, and focus on achieving them. Then you’ll realize that drugs and alcohol will simply get in the way and hold you back from achieving your goals. The benefits of when it is strengthened are to heal broken relationships, usually drug and alcohol can cause trust issues with family and friends and when you take the steps to sobriety, family therapy and counseling it’s a good way to heal relationships, It increases job productivity when living with an addiction to drugs and alcohol you can have a hard time staying employed like having frequent absences, tardiness and could decline in job productivity that results in job loss and if you take on a life on sobriety it would allow more prompt, reliable and productive work for you.

Physical health and addiction of these substances can lead to physical health issues. The brain and other organs are affected and by using these substances it can cause an early death too, but these health issues can be preventable with sober living which benefits you with a healthier and longer life. Mental health: most substances have negative effects on mental health, some heighten depression, anxiety, fear, paranoia, and insomnia but living substance free allows a medical professional to treat any underlying psychological issues benefiting you by letting you live free with any mental health issues. Last but not least enjoying life by living substance free is more enjoyable. Also, a healthy sober mind changes a person’s perspective because life is short, and you should enjoy it to the fullest substance free by not harming yourself with drugs and alcohol.

The last of the area Red Ribbon Week activities may have wound down Saturday with a gathering at Riverside Park in Mount Airy, but at least one local official said she hopes this is just the beginning of stepped-up public drug abuse prevention efforts and support for those suffering from drug abuse.

“We’ve reached a tremendous amount of people, but we need to keep the momentum going,” said Charlotte Reeves, substance abuse community outreach specialist with the Surry County Opioid Response Team.

She made her comments Saturday, in the midst of the Red Ribbon Community Event sponsored by her office and the Rotary Club of Mount Airy. The day featured games, face painting, a drug and pill drop-off station, and plenty of opportunities for folks to visit with nearly two dozen local agencies. The idea, according to Reeves, was to show people there are plenty of agencies, and people who care, who can help individuals and families struggling with drug abuse, or with issues that sometimes lead to drug abuse.

Throughout October, the response team has worked with other organizations to reach area youth with messages about the dangers of drug use. This effort is not the simple “Just Say No” slogan of years gone-by, but a more candid look at what drug use can do.

One person working with the group has shared her story multiple times in recent weeks with area school students and with those gathered at the park on Saturday.

“If you decide to use or experiment with drugs, please know that you are not only destroying your own life, but you are destroying the lives of the people who love you,” said Melissa Mundy, a volunteer with Surry County Opioid Response Team. She took that message to the students in area schools, and to those listening Saturday.

She knows firsthand how tragic drug use can be.

On Halloween in 2021, Mundy said her 34-year-old son, Jeremy Collins, lost his life to a drug overdose. She said his story is not unlike that of many who get involved with drugs. In his case, that began with “experimenting” with drugs when he was 20.

“He was an awesome student,” she said of his growing up and high school years. “He played football, basketball, baseball…he was so funny.”

But a couple of years after high school the trouble began.

“He and a group of friends decided to experiment with pills, to have fun, I guess,” she recalled. “They all ended up hooked on pills.”

That led to more drug use: “Fentanyl, meth, anything he could get.” His friends followed a similar path. All six, and their families, have suffered.

“Three are dead, one is on dialysis and will be the rest of his life. And one is still here, but he has a very active addiction.”

Only one of the group eventually made it out of his drug addiction, she said. “He lives out of state now, he’s mostly clean, but he still has struggles.”

While the Surry County Opioid Response Team has concentrated many of its efforts in recent years on finding help for those already ensnared in drug use and addiction, it’s Mundy’s message — the potential consequences that await those who experiment with drugs and alcohol — the organization hopes will stop new drugs users before they get started.

“It’s hard to talk about,” Mundy said. “It’s horrible…I hope telling his story will help somebody avoid the same (fate).”

Reeves said on Saturday that her group had reached more than 10,000 local children in one way or another with their efforts in October, though not all of those were reached directly.

In some of the elementary schools, she said, school officials took literature and hand-outs from the group and distributed them to the school children

Many of the middle schools, however, allowed them to speak directly to the students — in some cases, just eighth graders, in other cases the entire student body. Reeves estimated they reached 2,400 students in this manner.

The high schools were different — she said they used students and student groups as much as possible to reach out.

Reeves said the students have been open, even enthusiastic, about the meetings and message, but they have questioned her group about one aspect of the local effort: What took so long?

“I keep hearing from the kids, ‘Is this the first time you’ve done this? If it’s that bad, why haven’t we been doing this before?”

While she doesn’t necessarily have an answer to that question, she does hope last week’s activities will help steer youth away from drugs, and she has high hopes this sort of effort will become more routine in Surry County — not just in October, but year-round.

The Special Olympics of Surry County recently hosted its annual Halloween party at Fisher River Park. It was a night of fun with a party that featured games, food, s’mores, dancing and hayrides for all those who came out to enjoy a spooky good time.

When athletes arrived, they each received a bag and were then ready to get down to the business of the evening — trick or treating. There were booths with games set up and every game played yielded yet another chance to come away with more candy.

While trick or treating athletes were treated to cotton candy, popcorn, and many other delicious sweets, athletes could also take advantage of the opportunity to get their face painted or paint rocks at the arts and crafts tables.

Later in the evening Parks and Rec Director Daniel White began taking athletes on hayrides through the park as the sun began to give way to night. Once it was dark, everyone came under the shelter to continue the fun and cut a rug with some dancing.

Surry County Parks and Recreation Program Coordinator Bradley Key started the dancing off with a game of limbo. In line with the Halloween themed events participants also had the chance to play “Toilet Paper Mummy” where teams of two would do their best to wrap toilet paper around their partner to create the best mummy. The Halloween party was concluded with a best dressed costume contest.

Organizers said it was a great event for all the Special Olympics athletes to come together and have fun on a beautiful evening at Fisher River Park. Many of the athletes who will be going to the Fall Tournament State Finals in Charlotte later this month were able to take some time away from practicing to attend the special Halloween event and visit with some of their fellow athletes.

Surry County Parks and Rec and Surry County Special Olympics offered thanks to volunteers from the Boy Scouts, Surry Community College’s Softball team, and many other organizations who all came together to help put on and event they said they look forward to each year.

More information on Special Olympics of North Carolina can be found at http://sonc.net.

A roadside plaque was unveiled last week during a ceremony to recognize the site of the Sandy Level Rosenwald School that was built and operated in Mount Airy from 1918-1953.

That comes as one of two goals taken on in April of 2021 by Mount Airy’s Historic Preservation Task Force. Those were to complete the Historic Satterfield House and to recognize the former Sandy Level Rosenwald School. Fundraising efforts led by the task force received donations from the Mount Airy Rotary Club, Trinity Episcopal Church, The Mount Airy Kiwanis Club, and First Presbyterian Church, which hosted the unveiling event.

During reconstruction after the Civil War, segregation was mandated by law. African Americans had to provide land, labor, and materials to build their own schools. Booker T. Washington engaged the help of philanthropist Julius Rosenwald to help build what became known as Rosenwald Schools.

Guests at the unveiling included Dana Chandler, archivist and associate professor at Tuskegee University; Brittany Webb, United States Park pepresentative from Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy, Virginia; Joshua Washington, musician and historian; State Senator Ted Alexander, western regional director of Preservation North Carolina.

The plaque was unveiled by Mount Airy City Mayor Ron Niland and members of the Sandy Level Community Council. A date will be announced regarding the placement of the marker on the Rosenwald School property.

The text of the plaque reads:

Site of Sandy Level Rosenwald School 1918-1953

Built in 1918, the Sandy Level Rosenwald School was the first Rosenwald School built in Surry County. It was one of 5,357 Rosenwald Schools built across the rural south from 1918-1932. These schools were conceived by brilliant educator Booker T. Washington, President of Tuskegee Institute and funded by philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears Roebuck. Rosenwald Schools were constructed at a crucial time when segregation, mandated by law during the Jim Crow era, prevented children of color from attending school. In 1953-56 Brown vs. The Board of Education outlawed segregation and desegregation followed. We honor the great work of these two heroes.

Unlike the ghosts, skeletons and zombies from the Land of the Dead who appeared on the holiday, Halloween is very much alive and well — even on a rainy Monday afternoon in Mount Airy, North Carolina.

Those creatures and more were in abundance then downtown, where a large section of North Main Street was closed off to allow trick-or-treating at various locations along the way as part of an annual Halloween event.

It’s been reported that the Oct. 31 holiday has been increasing in popularity so much that it now is second to only Christmas in terms of total consumer retail spending, counting costumes, decorations and candy.

And this was certainly evident here Monday afternoon, even as raindrops pelted festive crowds of people who filled the sidewalks in some locations. Ah, but Halloween is not for the faint-heartened, and many of those present seemed to revel in the gloomy, misty weather that was perfect for the occasion and brought out all forms of costumed characters.

“It’s a good way to bond with your family,” Sabrina Taylor of Mount Airy said while attending with a group of six people altogether, including her 6-year-old goddaughter Laya, 3, who was dressed as a unicorn.

Of course, the lure of free candy was a big draw Monday, Taylor and others agreed. Yet there was another element involved, given that in addition to children, many adults were appearing as different characters to fulfill something other than a sweet tooth.

“Getting to dress up and be somebody you’re not usually,” Robin Portis of Mount Airy said of Halloween’s appeal in between doling out goodies to eager recipients, an observation shared by another person attending, Barbara France.

“People enjoy the costumes,” Portis added.

Along with the usual witches, ghouls, vampires, animals and superhero characters such as Spider-Man, many of the get-ups spotted downtown Monday were creative in an off-the-beaten-path way.

For example, two persons giving out candy were portraying a ketchup bottle and mustard bottle, while one girl even showed up dressed as a bucket of chicken. A person in a tyrannarausus rex costume also was seen roaming downtown, as if seeking out Godzilla.

In addition to trunk-or-treating by various businesses and agencies manning the streets and candy distribution by participating merchants, a costume contest at the Historic Earle Theatre was among Monday’s festivities.

Local radio personality Brack Lllewellyn was adding to the atmosphere at that location by playing songs such as the Warren Zevon classic, “Werewolves of London.”

DOBSON — Persons interested in area history are invited to an upcoming event at which a representative of Old Salem will be the special speaker.

This is planned during the annual meeting of the Surry County Historical Society on Nov. 10 at 6 p.m.

The meeting, open to everyone, will be conducted in a new venue this year, the Surry County Service Center at 915 E. Atkins St. in Dobson, adjacent to the town farmers market.

It will include dinner, a silent auction and the program by Johanna M. Brown, curator of Moravian decorative arts at Old Salem Museums and Gardens.

Reservations are required by this Thursday and can be done by mail, or by telephone with Surry Historical Society Treasurer Mary Cowles at 336-352-3429 or Historical Society President Dr. Annette Ayers at 336-325-2161.

Those using the mail method are asked to include the number of people in the party to attend and a check payable to the historical group for the $15-per-person cost.

These should be sent to Surry County Historical Society, P.O. Box 469, Mount Airy, NC, 27030, by Thursday.

The topic of Brown’s presentation centers on the Moravians, Surry’s earliest settlers, who made a special mark in a village nearby.

It will explore Moravian life and arts from 1750 to 1830 and the way in which Salem became a scene of vibrant industry within such a small place.

Eighteenth- and 19th-century visitors to the Moravian town in North Carolina often remarked on the physical and cultural distinctiveness of this isolated back-country community.

The Moravian craftsmen fascinated outsiders who were allowed to visit and shop – but not live or work — within the carefully controlled religious community.

Those craftsmen produced furniture, pottery, silver, textiles, paintings and countless other decorative objects with what has been described as a distinct “neat and simple elegance.”

Mount Airy Mayor Ron Niland has repeatedly said he wants to keep his re-election bid positive — without attacks on his opponent, City Commissioner Jon Cawley — and focused more on issues and on what he feels like he brings to the table as a leader.

Recent statements by Cawley, however, have brought Niland to the point where he said he believes he has to respond. Cawley has lobbed several attacks at Niland, other city commissioners, and openly opposed a downtown comprehensive plan in recent weeks, leading up to the Nov. 8 election.

Niland said despite the attacks and what he termed “misinformation” spread by Cawley, he has held his tongue. “I let it go because I thought it was best to be positive, to run a positive campaign.”

The mayor said Cawley crossed a line earlier this week when he asserted that much of the controversy and uncertainty over the downtown comprehensive plan can be laid at the feet of the mayor.

“If I had been the mayor, I would have publicly corrected the misinformation that was being spread and avoided the unnecessary vote by the commissioners after the public hearing,” he said. “Our mayor’s silence has only exasperated the issue.”

That plan is a loose guide for potential development downtown and has city leaders looking at ways to help present business grow, attract new business, and make improvements to the area.

That was the final straw for Niland, particularly after a statement in the spring in which Cawley questioned the mayor’s honesty.

“He called me incompetent and deceitful,” the mayor said, referring to that earlier statement. “Calling me incompetent is not my objection,” he said, explaining that competence or incompetence is often in the eye of the beholder. “What I object to is being called deceitful. That goes to character. That’s not right, it’s not true,” Niland said.

“I have taken pride in my positive campaign and wholeheartedly believe that all public servants should run on their own merits instead of attacking their opponent. Unfortunately, Commissioner Cawley has repeatedly chosen to campaign by creating grievances and making personal attacks on me, city staff, and community leaders,” the mayor said.

After months of “turning the other cheek,” he feels Mount Airy residents and voters are owed “my response to the accusations made against me.”

“Commissioner Cawley claims I have not tried to correct misinformation on the Downtown Master Plan. I made multiple public statements about the plan at council meetings and instructed our staff to put together the FAQ (frequently asked questions) fact sheet to help citizens better understand the contents of the downtown plan. I have been going door-to-door to the downtown businesses and households in the community to listen and talk about the plan.”

He then questioned Cawley’s role in spreading misinformation, and in sowing discord among city residents rather than exhibiting leadership to find common ground.

“Our city commissioners have the same responsibility to bring the truth to the citizens with their public platform. Instead, my opponent chose to protest the plan and plant fear in the minds of Mount Airy citizens…He said it’s not his job as a city commissioner to correct disinformation. Well, what is his job?”

While Niland contends that Cawley has exhibited these characteristics for a long while, he believes Cawley has seized on the city’s work toward developing that comprehensive plan for the city as an excuse to intensify attacks on Niland and others.

The plan is a working guide of potential development, not a blueprint carved in stone, and is not just for Main Street — it is for the “eight or ten blocks around Main Street.”

“It is an aspirational plan,” Niland said. “It is not a plan that will be adopted in full.”

Most cities have comprehensive plans — Mount Airy already has one in effect, and this could be considered a partial update. Oftentimes, such plans are required for applying for development grants, and can serve as a guide to combine projects, saving money.

For instance, Niland said the city is plagued with an aging water and sewer system, particularly in the downtown area.

“Some (pipes) are over a hundred years old. We’re going to have to deal with them…some probably in the next five to seven years.”

It only makes sense, he believes, to have a plan in place for what the downtown area might become before digging up those lines.

“While you have to dig up and make the disruption, while you’re doing that, it makes sense to think about what you put back. I have no preconceived notions about what that might be…we might just put back the sidewalk like it was.”

But, he said, if ideas of moving power and utility lines underground are something to be considered, it should be part of the plan ahead of time, to be done as the water and sewer pipes are replaced, to save money and time.

That plan, he said, was put together slowly, over time, with input from city residents, business owners, and city leaders — with the exception of one commissioner, Cawley. Instead, he believes Cawley has mostly sat on the sidelines, protesting and making accusations that are not true, rather than be part of the process.

“After voting against the plan, Commissioner Cawley marched in the downtown protest along with about 50 individuals. He is the only Mount Airy elected official who did not participate in the nine-month planning process. The commissioners and I were given an opportunity to be interviewed as stakeholders and to attend three public workshops. Commissioner Cawley had the same opportunities to steer the process but chose not to participate.”

That, he believes, has become par for the course. While information packets regarding upcoming meetings are sent to the commissioners, with documents and background information on agenda items, Niland believes Cawley rarely avails himself of those packets to be ready for the meetings.

“He exhibits a pattern of being unprepared for meetings and a lack of understanding of important city issues, including the budget,” the mayor said. “While other officials do their homework, he makes accusations of not receiving the same information accessible to all of us. He has convenient amnesia when it serves to gain headlines. His willingness to divide the citizens for potential gain is regrettable.

“Leadership is not attacking others. Leadership is the expectation that you can use your voice for good. That you can make the world a better place by encouraging others to do their best and accomplish goals that help build a community. That’s what I believe.”

Friday marked the last day of in-person events at schools in Surry County related to Red Ribbon Week 2022.

Members of the county’s office of substance abuse recovery have teamed all week long with the Rotary Club of Mount Airy, Interact clubs, and law enforcement representatives from Mount Airy police, Surry County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration to make presentations to students on substance use disorder.

Some of the schools took part in an essay writing contest, and there were several stand out entries from Pilot Middle School. Below is the winning essay from eighth grader Vivian Lin who has some ideas on how to improve counseling, therapy, and rehabilitation centers that would make patients more comfortable and thereby increase participation in treatment of substance use disorder.

Her essay entitled “Substance Use as a Social Problem: Why is this happening and how do we fix it” follows in its entirety:

Substance use is something many people know about, so why aren’t we doing more about it? Even though people are trying to recover from something as terrible as addiction, people ignore this. They do not bother to try and make a change in society. However, there is no blame to be given here; most people have been under-informed regarding substance abuse and recovery from these disorders. Information that most have been fed from the moment they first learned about this refers to it as something that only people with problems or a desire to belong indulge in. But were you ever taught what you could do if you fell into addiction? Substance use is a common social problem; many areas of the communities where substance users dwell are affected, and the user’s families are some of the most affected.

In current rehabilitation programs, the clients have to pay for therapy sessions, and they sometimes have to drive far to get there. Along with commute and prices, some therapists create an unsafe environment because proper monitoring is not practiced. Making more comfortable client experiences can be easily achieved with some minor changes. The location of centers, cleanliness, and monitoring of employees will help solved these problems. Every one of these solutions will create a more comfortable and productive environment for client and employees alike.

Accessibility is one of the significant changes to implement when making substance rehab more common. Welcoming space in convenient places is what we should strive for; main streets, public parks, and other facilities that aim to help are all placements that should be considered. These centers should offer free services as non-profit organizations. Substance use disorders often cause tension with relationships and jobs, which results in many substance users becoming homeless and without a job. By providing free services, we give another chance to people who are less fortunate than others. Substance users should get an opportunity to choose between one-on-one or group rehab sessions; this way, they will be more comfortable with their situation no matter their choice. Rehab should not feel forced on someone; when recovering, it is best for someone to feel welcome and like their therapist wants to help them. Thorough background checks should be done on all rehab therapists; actions should be monitored and checked often to ensure the safety and comfort of clients. Finally, comfort should be a top priority in these centers. Comfortable seating and a clean environment are contributing factors to recovering from substance use disorders.

Accessibility will help many people get the rehabilitation that they need; placing these centers in easy to get to spots will increase attendance and success. Not needing to spend money on the program or as much gas to commute means that people are less likely to have a money problem as a reason to quit the rehab process. In addition to accessibility, inner comfort in these centers help create a sense of relaxation and focus. Cleaner meeting rooms paired with more comfortable seating and conversation create an environment for productivity and focus. More people that attend rehab means fewer substance users are straining relationships and harming society, which lessens the social problem as a whole. Giving a choice between group or individual rehabilitation meetings means comfort and allowing someone to make a choice that will help them grow as a person. All of these combined means a comfortable, welcoming environment with people who want to help others get better. Making sure that the therapists hired have a thorough background check and that their actions are monitored means that the chance of a therapist causing a negative experience for a client is significantly reduced. Making these changes will better the experiences shared between clients and employees, along with ensuring that a safe environment is created for many.

In conclusion, we should improve out rehabilitation centers to lessen the negative effects of substance use on society. Making rehab centers more accessible and comfortable for clients and employees means more success in rehab. Making the rehab centers a non-profit organization allows people less fortunate that others to attend the rehabilitation they need to better their lives; making services accessible gives people a chance to use that money for other things such as rent and food. Improving things about rehabilitation centers that seem so small can make a difference in people’s lives, so making these few changes can better the problem of substance use when it comes to all portions of society.

Less than two months ago, the Koozies building at 455 Franklin St. in Mount Airy stood as a hulking reminder to its past prominence — reduced to a crumbling safety hazard that posed ongoing headaches to city officials.

Today, however, an empty lot graces the site that also borders North South and West Pine streets, thanks to the efforts of one man: Bobby Koehler, whom those officials have honored for going above and beyond to benefit the community.

This included a city government resolution of recognition being prepared citing Koehler for his accomplishments in not only buying the former Koozies property in August but having the structure razed.

“Within days of the purchase, demolition began to remove the dilapidated and unsafe building,” Mayor Ron Niland said in reciting the wording of the resolution when it was presented last week during a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners.

Koehler, who owns and operates Ultimate Towing and Recovery, was unable to attend that meeting, with Shannon Phipps, an employee of the local business, on hand to accept the document on his behalf.

The structure in question once housed a thriving Quality Mills facility in its heyday and more recently a private club called Koozies — the name it came to be known by in later years.

With that entity long since vacating the premises, the building deteriorated over time — its condition neglected by a firm in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, which became its owner. Eventually the facility was condemned by the city government as unfit for occupancy due to its unsafe condition.

“The building was vacant and in total disrepair,” the resolution states.

In February, the city commissioners issued a 90-day ultimatum to the owner to either correct the code violations or have the building torn down. After that date, it faced the possibility of the municipality then doing so and seizing the land left behind to help pay the cost of that.

As things were coming to a head in that regard, Koehler stepped in and acquired the site, the mayor said further in reciting the resolution of recognition for the local business owner which refers to “his invaluable contribution” to the community.

Koehler demonstrated leadership in a way that enhanced the community and brought a positive change “over and above what is normally expected,” Niland said in relaying its wording.

The Ultimate Towing and Recovery owner, who had heavy equipment at the site for weeks, not only performed a valuable public service that is appreciated by citizens and visitors to Mount Airy alike.

“He also saved the city a bunch of money in terms of trying to do it ourselves,” the mayor said of the demolition.

“It took the board to enforce that action,” Niland said, “and he stepped up when needed.”

With the 1.34-acre site now cleared, its future use seems to be an open book.

“The next step is in Bobby’s hands,” the mayor said Friday of the property.

“He has the option to try to develop that — or he could sell it,” Niland added.

Housing is one of the possibilities that has been mentioned. “That would be up to Bobby,” the mayor said.

Niland pointed out that it is his understanding the property presently is zoned to accommodate a variety of new uses, not only residential, but retail, office and other commercial activities.

MOUNT AIRY — Surrey Bancorp, (Pink Sheets: SRYB), the holding company for Surrey Bank & Trust last week reported net income for the third quarter was up more than 150% from the same period a year ago.

For the quarter ending Sept. 30, net income totaled $2,118,976 or 51 cents per fully diluted share, compared to $842,609, or 20 cents per common share, earned during the third quarter of 2021.

“The increase in earnings results from an increase in the net interest income and the recapture of the provision for loan losses,” the bank said in a statement announcing the results.

Net income for the nine months ending Sept. 30 were also up, though not quite as dramatically. Net income for the period stood at $5,164,161, or $1.24 per share, compared to $3,923,768 or 94 cents per share, for the same period in 2021. The bank cited the same factors — an increase in net interest income and the recapture of loan loss reserves — as the reason beyond the nine-month increase.

Net interest income increased from $2,872,567 in the third quarter of 2021 to $4,396,963 in the third quarter of 2022. Interest income increased from $2,978,081 in the third quarter of 2021 to $4,510,525 in the third quarter of 2022.

“The increase is primarily due to the general increase in interest rates,” the bank’s statement said. “As a result, the overall yield on interest earning assets increased from 2.72% to 3.84% between the third quarter of 2021 and the third quarter of 2022. The cost of funds increased from 0.10% in the third quarter of 2021 to 0.11% in 2022. Interest expense increased from $105,514 in the third quarter of 2021 to $113,562 in the third quarter of 2022.”

The provision for loan losses decreased from $208,145 in the third quarter of 2021 to a provision recapture of $37,348 in 2022, a $245,493 decrease.

Net interest income for the full nine months increased from $9,535,410 in 2021 to $11,053,950 in 2022. The provision for loan losses decreased from $325,931 in 2021 to a provision recapture of $1,114,885 in 2022, a $1,440,816 decrease.

Surrey Bancorp is located at 145 North Renfro Street in Mount Airy. The bank operates full-service branch offices at 145 North Renfro Street, and 2050 Rockford Street and a limited-service branch at 1280 West Pine Street in Mount Airy. Full-service branch offices are also located at 653 South Key Street in Pilot Mountain, 393 CC Camp Road in Elkin and 1096 Main Street in North Wilkesboro, and 940 Woodland Drive in Stuart, Virginia.

The Saturday before Halloween isn’t just a time to make plans for that — a GospelFest also is scheduled today to aid a local African-American preservation project.

Today’s (Saturday’s) concert will he held at Miss Angel’s Farm and Orchard at 252 Heart Lane (formerly Quarter Horse Lane), which is west of Mount Airy near Interstate 77, off N.C. 89. It is planned from 2 to 5 p.m. as part of an ongoing series of events at that venue to aid non-profit organizations.

Multiple performers are slated for the concert fundraiser, including The New Dynamic Voices of Praise, Leon Shuff and Friends, Sister Roxanne Beamer, Debra Shultz and Colonias King, along with Leslie Allen, evangelist.

All proceeds from the event will support preservation efforts at the Historic Satterfield House in Mount Airy and the nearby site of a former Rosenwald school, which are headed by the Sandy Level Community Council.

Rosenwald refers to the thousands of campuses built primarily for the African-American population in the early 20th century through a fund created by Julius Rosenwald. The Satterfield House sits on the first property deeded to an African-American in Surry County in the late 1800s.

Admission for today’s concert will cost $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 4-12, with those 3 and younger to be admitted free.

Advance tickets can be obtained at the Miss Angel’s Heavenly Pies store at 153 N. Main St. in downtown Mount Airy or online at missangelsheavenlypies.com, in addition to being sold at the door.

Miss Angel’s chicken stew will be available for purchase during the gathering along with other food and beverage items.

Those attending may bring lawn chairs and blankets.

“We hope you’ll join us to support this great (Sandy Level Community Council) organization and for gospel music from several great acts,” an event spokesperson commented in urging folks to attend.

• A man listed as homeless was jailed under a large bond Wednesday after he allegedly assaulted a nurse at Northern Regional Hospital, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

Larry Dwayne Bouldin, 52, was arrested after officers responded to a trespassing call at the hospital. He was found to have allegedly assaulted the nurse when asked to leave the premises after treatment, arrest records state. Bouldin also had been banned from the facility in March 2011 by a hospital security officer.

After being charged Wednesday with assault on medical personnel and second-degree trespassing, he was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $10,000 secured bond and slated for an appearance in District Court this coming Monday.

• A case of forgery/counterfeiting which targeted a local woman was reported Tuesday. It involved an unknown party writing a fraudulent check and then cashing it while posing as the victim of the crime, Anita Rae John of Franklin Street.

No loss figure was given.

• Amanda Jo Escobedo, 43, of Wytheville, Virginia, was charged with larceny and possession of stolen goods after an incident at Walmart on Oct. 3. She allegedly stole miscellaneous items from the store with a total value of $620, including a vacuum cleaner, dog crate, socket set, dog food and men’s clothing.

Escobedo is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on Nov. 21.

• Police were told on Oct. 2 that an unknown suspect had called Phyllis Ann Miller, a resident of the 600 block of Willow Street, and represented himself as a law enforcement officer in an attempt to obtain currency.

Records indicate that money was lost as a result of the false-pretense crime, with the sum involved not listed.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein was in Elkin Wednesday as part of a statewide listening tour regarding opioid settlement funds that will aid the state’s fight against substance use disorder.

Stein aggressively targeted the drug companies, manufacturers, and those involved in the marketing tactics that led to the ongoing opioid crisis in America. He led the coalition that reached a $26 billion settlement from those companies which he noted was the second largest state Attorney General settlement ever.

Leaders from Elkin, Yadkin and Wilkes counties, along with officials from Surry County including the Office of Substance Abuse Recovery, emergency management, sheriff’s office, and county commissioners met with Stein so he could hear from local leaders about what the plans were for utilizing the nearly $25 million that will reach this area as part of the settlement.

“I’ve been travelling the state to hear what works and what doesn’t and how communities are going to spend the money,” he said.

Stein noted North Carolina was managing its settlement funds in a different fashion than other states, “We made a conscious decision that we wanted this money to make the biggest impact and save the most lives possible.”

“We concluded that you as the counties were the best vehicle to do that because this is a problem born at the local level, but it’s also addressed at the local level with your police, your EMS, your Department of Social Services, and your jail.”

“You’re on the front line of developing strategies, so we decided 85% will go to local governments. That was a decision that I don’t think any other state in the country made but it’s because we know the good work you all do and the confidence, we have in your using the funds.”

Mark Willis of the county’s substance abuse recovery office shared the lengthy process his office went through to collect data and input from Surry residents on what they felt was needed in terms of combating drugs and alcohol. They prioritized that list and are using that as the road map for spending settlement funds tailored to the needs of Surry County.

In speaking about what is working, Eric Southern of Surry County Emergency Management noted collected information from overdose patients had led to more and better referrals into treatment. He said deployment of NARCAN had led to more successful overdose saves from law enforcement who often arrive before his crews can.

Chief Deputy Larry Lowe mentioned the Surry County Sheriff’s Office had used money from the office of substance abuse recovery to purchase software for data collection from smart phones, which has made a big difference in investigating overdoses. With a dedicated detective looking into overdose deaths, the county has prosecuted three on second degree murder charges and has opened more than 40 such investigations that try to link the death to the source of the drugs.

Wilkes County Commissioner Eddie Sutton heaped praise on Mark Willis, the Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery, and the initiatives Surry County has taken in terms of substance abuse like peer support specialists saying, “Governor Cooper can look at Surry County and point to them as a model.”

Surry County Commissioner Eddie Harris reminded the group no two communities are alike and said that the road map for Surry County may not be the same. Stein agreed with Harris that the plans need to be “particularized. The end goal can be the same but the path to get there can be very different.”

Stein said North Carolina has been hit hard by “an absolutely devastating public health crisis.”

“We are in the midst of the deadliest drug epidemic in American history, and we are at the deadliest moment of this epidemic,” the Attorney General said. He cited 107,000 overdose deaths nationally in 2021 calling that total, “A number we’ve never seen. We’ve never crossed that threshold.”

That total was up 15% from the 2020 total, and Stein noted with some urgency the 2020 number was up 40% from 2019 – the trend is continuing to move the wrong way.

“That’s just how fast and devastating this crisis is and of course North Carolina is not immune. Something like 3,600 North Carolinians died of overdose in 2020 and your region is not immune. Y’all have been ground zero for some time which and I think for that reason you’re probably ahead of a lot of other areas because you’ve been dealing with it — at an intense level — for a long time.”

Stein asked the assembled leaders of law enforcement, emergency management, and county/municipal officials, “How did we get here? It was greed. Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family, and other companies told the medical community that opioids were the most effective way to treat pain and that they are not addictive.”

Lawsuits did not stop after the settlement and another $8 billion in settlements have been reached in principle with other cases either in investigation, litigation or negotiation that Stein said, “We hope will generate even more resources” to aid in the fight.

A settlement with McKinsey & Company yielded $19 million to the state for their role, “In consulting Purdue on how to turbocharge the sales of their pills. So, we held them accountable for what they did to create this problem.”

The purpose of talking with these leaders was to hear their plans so other leaders can have insight into what ideas and concepts are being tried in other counties. Stein identified a need to grow medically assisted treatment programs such as methadone to more communities and into detention centers as the incarcerated are at a dramatically higher risk of relapse.

Areas for growth Stein noted would be syringe services, criminal justice diversion programs, and drug courts all of which would be permissible uses for opioid settlement monies.

He also noted that so many fighting substance use disorder have no insurance and expansion of Medicaid would be a way to combat that. With Republican opposition to Medicaid expansion in Raleigh seemingly vanished of late, he said the time is right to move ahead.

“We put all this energy into getting people treated to overcome their addiction, but we also need to invest in supporting them in recovery so they succeed and they don’t relapse,” he said. Transportation, housing, and job placement plans he said are needed and he was told they have been created already in Surry County.

Stein said that with settlement funds coming to the state for 18 years, collaboration between counties would yield greater results. It could also help identify tactics that are not working, “It isn’t about “gotcha” this is about changing horses over the course of 18 years of funding is stuff is not working.”

“More people are going to be alive and healthy in this area than otherwise would have been but for the work you’re about to embark on.” He said the settlement funds would only amplify those efforts, “When we do that, it is going to be a better state,” Stein said.

Witches, wizards, ghosts, skeletons, superheroes and more are expected to invade downtown Mount Airy Monday afternoon, but don’t worry — they’ll all be part of an annual Halloween celebration there.

From 3 to 5 p.m., North Main Street in the central business district is to be transformed into a kind of trick-or-treat pedestrian mall. Later Monday, at 5 p.m., a costume contest is planned.

The event will observe a traditional format in which participating downtown businesses give out Halloween treats at stores.

At least 30 merchants are expected to do so this year, according to Jenny Smith of Mount Airy Visitors Center.

In addition to those in the downtown community, it is anticipated that about 10 other businesses and agencies from outside its confines are to be involved in trunk-or-treating on an on-street basis.

These include the Blue Bear Bus of Mount Airy City Schools, Mount Airy Pediatric Dentistry and other entities whose representatives will be giving out candy.

A new element is part of this year’s Halloween observance downtown which will include the offering of non-candy treat bags by the Downtown Business Association, another group that organizes the event.

Smith explained that this addresses a growing problem of food allergies among children. It has been reported that one in 13 kids suffers from an allergy commonly found in Halloween candy.

In response, the Downtown Business Association has assembled bags containing items such as coloring books, stickers and more. These will be available at Mount Airy Visitors Center, where trick-or-treaters also can exchange bags of candy for the alternative ones.

The costume contest scheduled for 5 p.m. had to be shifted to a new location this year due to the collapse of the Main-Oak Building near where it usually is held.

Instead, the contest station will be set up in front of the Historic Earle Theatre.

The costume event is being spearheaded by local radio station WSYD under the added sponsorship of Dr. John L. Gravitte.

It will include age group categories for children and families along with pets. Prizes await the winners.

The annual Halloween gathering returned to its usual downtown setting last year after being moved to Mount Airy High School for a drive-in format in 2020 due to COVID-19.

In 2021, the heavily attended downtown event seemed to pick right up where it left off even amid lingering coronavirus concerns.

“I don’t think COVID affected it at all,” Smith said of that gathering held on a Sunday when some downtown stores were closed but others opened especially for the celebration.

She added that Monday’s event “will go on rain or shine.”

Oak Crest Cottage Farm will be holding its third annual fall festival this weekend, with proceeds from the event going toward the Alzheimer’s Association.

The two-day festival got underway on Friday, and will do so again on Saturday, from 6 to 10 p.m. each day.

The event will include a spooky hayride, a bounce house, axe throwing, a bonfire, cornhole, and other activities. Food on hand will include hot dogs, barbeque sandwiches, s’mores and other selections.

“We try to have everyone’s fall favorite activities and favorite foods. We encourage folks to come out in groups. Groups compete with each other and usually have an awesome time,” said organizer Tammy Inman.

This year a representative from the local foundation will be setting up an informational tent. “

”I will be bringing awareness and information about the Western Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and representing my local team, The A Team, with different fundraising items,” said RT Portis, the association representative scheduled to be on site.

The cost is $10, with those age 5 and younger admitted free. The farm is at 173 Can Rd., Mount Airy. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10221771478508302&set=a.10205543539099959

We had our first official frost of the season this past week. It actually looked like a snow in the front yard of my house. Hope all the farmers were able to get their crops in before the cold. I remember priming tobacco when Daddy was afraid it was going to frost. We would prime it and lay it down in the field and then go back the next morning and pick it up. If it had frosted, the outer layer would sometimes be bitten but underneath was fine. It was a hard life but a good life.

I’m sure by now everyone knows about the remains of Sarah Hill that were found underneath the floor boards of a house in the quiet little community of Asbury. I pray that justice will prevail and that her family finds closure…so sad.

There are many churches in the area that are participating in Trunk or Treat this year at Halloween, which will be Monday night. The Francisco Auxiliary will be handing out treats to all ghosts, goblins, dinosaurs, and princesses and whatever may pay us a visit to the Francisco Fire Department from 5-7 pm Monday night. This will be fun!

We still have vendor spots available for the Francisco Auxiliary Christmas Bazaar which is scheduled for Saturday, December 3. Tables are $15 each or 2 for $25. If interested please call Amanda Bryant at 336-528-5188 to reserve a spot.

Please be in prayer for the Thomas Stevens family. Thomas had been dealing with health issues for a while. Please pray for comfort and peace for his wife, Betty and his sister, Frankie Martin.

Mount Airy Middle School hosted Red Ribbon Week events Wednesday morning with members of the Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery, Rotary Club, Mount Airy Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration all on hand to enlighten the future leaders.

Agent Brian Bridgeford from Greensboro’s field office of the Drug Enforcement Administration was the special guest, and he opened his presentation with a bang – a flashbang, albeit it in a video. Filled with agents conducting a raid and then posing with stacks of drugs, cash, and guns the video illustrated how interdiction measures in the Southeast are impacting traffickers.

He wasted little time broaching serious topics with the students about how drugs are being marketed to younger people. Fentanyl was an unknown to the parents of these children when they were their age, now it is a word on the tip of tongues and the students were aware of the talk of it may be made to look like candy or any other drug the traffickers think they can sell.

Bridgeford talked to kids about the trends in overdose death rate from 1999 to 2020 and he asked the students why there was such a large spike in overdose deaths. “Last year, there were 107,000 overdose deaths. Way more than any gun deaths in the U.S., more than twice the amount of gun deaths. But we’re not really talking about it, are we?”

Drugs are coming into communities across the country being disguised as other drugs, he identified as one of the reasons for the spike. The students were told that Xanax or Oxycodone could be among pills counterfeiters are making at home with no regard to the chemistry behind it.

“They’re not saying here take this fentanyl pill… they make it look like Xanax, so you see it and you think it’s from a pharmacy and it must be ok,” he said of fake pills. “Is it Xanax? You don’t know. You’re looking at it and you don’t know. Let’s be honest; should you take it?”

It may sound like a silly question but when a slide showing four sets of pills was shown, the room was evenly divided when Bridgeford asked which the fake pills were meaning kids and adults alike can be fooled. A bag with five pills in it could have four of the real things but one cut with a lethal dose of fentanyl and sadly it only takes one pill to kill.

He reminded the students this is strictly business for the dealers and traffickers, and they are only adding fentanyl to make the drugs stronger and thereby increase the rate of addiction. “The guy that’s making this fake stuff, is this a real scientist? Is he a real pharmacist? No,” Bridgeford said.

“You don’t know what you’re getting. The guy who is making it is not measuring it out. He’s just throwing stuff together and putting it into a pill press and cranking it out as fast as he can to get them on the street to sell them.”

The pandemic was identified as another reason for the spike in overdose deaths as prolonged time indoor and often in isolation led to depression. “We’re humans, we’re social creatures… What happens when you stay home and can’t go out? You get sad, bored, depressed and that could contribute to (the overdose spike).”

The Mount Airy Police duo of Sgt. Barry Robertson and K-9 Sultan were in attendance and were a hit with the students as they played hide and seek to show off the dog’s detection skills. He told them just as the football players in uniform at the assembly, 4-year-old Sultan needs practice too. To be an asset to the force in detection of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine takes practice. “Lather, rinse, repeat,” Robertson joked of the repetitive training process.

He spoke to the students about a “snowball effect” that can start with one peer pressure decision gone wrong to petty theft and on down that can wreak havoc on relationship with family and friends. The students were reminded of the resources they have available to them in their schools and what resources the county has available to help with decision making, refusal skills, safe drug disposal, and outreach programs for those in need. Find more information at: www.SurryCountyCares.com.

Tamara Veit of Surry Friends of Youth casually observed as the students were leaving that when D.A.R.E. first launched it may have been a taboo to even say the word “joint” in schools. It is a different world now as kids are discussing heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine without batting an eye at any of it.

Those leading the Red Ribbon efforts believe using logic about the future health dangers of substance use may be one of the best ways to stop it before it begins, which is why students are being reminded during Red Ribbon Week about the dangers of substance use disorder on their developing body and brain.

CRITZ, Va — Virginia Tech’s Reynolds Homestead will hold its annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 12.

This longstanding tradition at the Reynolds Homestead offers artists and crafters an opportunity to set up vending space in the Community Engagement Center, interact and make connections with local buyers, and help community members shop local for the holidays.

This year’s event will feature a wide variety of items, including handmade soaps, fused glass art, wooden jewelry and other accessories, children’s books, wreaths, clothing, essential oil products, candles, local honey, fruit wines, and more. In addition to the wide variety of wares available, Reynolds Homestead volunteers and staff will be offering snacks and refreshments for purchase.

Vendor applications are still open, but space is running out. For more information, visit reynoldshomestead.vt.edu/specialevents or call 276-694-7181. To find out more about the vendors who will be participating in the show, follow the Reynolds Homestead on Instagram or Facebook.

Surry Community College will be hosting a Veterans Luncheon event on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event, in honor of Veterans Day, will be held in the Grand Hall of the Shelton-Badgett North Carolina Center for Viticulture & Enology on Surry’s campus in Dobson. This lunch is free to all veterans and spouses. Food will be served at 11:30 a.m., with a presentation of flags and entertainment to follow.

“On behalf of Surry Community College, we would like to thank all veterans for serving our country and protecting our freedom,” Joseph McDougal, veterans affairs and financial aid specialist, said.

Surry Community College was selected as a Military Friendly School for 2022-2023. This is the eleventh year the college has received this honor from VIQTORY, a marketing company which works to connect businesses and schools with potential veteran customers.

Surry Community College also offers a Veteran’s Center, where veterans have the opportunity to take advantage of educational benefits. These benefits vary based on the chapter, and eligibility is determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

For more information, contact McDougal, at 336-386-3245

Dobson Elementary students and staff recently had a treat ielebration of Hispanic Heritage Month — they had visitors from the Mount Airy Museum Ballet Folklorico Group.

The group — made up of Carmen Munguia, Cecilia Guillen, Tonia Bueno, Jossy Bueno, Luz Maria Alvarez, Rosalba Guillen, Catherine Chaire, Ava McPeak, Camila Chaire and Nicole Sanchez — performed traditional dances from Mexico. Songs danced during the assembly were El Pavido Navido, Las Alazanas, El Principio and Jarabe Tapatio.

In 1957 a tiny spacecraft known as Sputnik became the first artificial satellite launched into space, the Braves (then in Milwaukee) slipped by the mighty Yanks 4-3 in the World Series, “The Cat in the Hat” was published, “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best” were in the midst of their television runs, while “Wake Up Little Susie” and “Jailhouse Rock” were blaring from radios.

That same year, a small business opened on what was then the outskirts of downtown Mount Airy.

Today, 65 years and three generations later, Scenic Motors is not only still around, but the business which started as a Ford dealership has grown to become the local dealer for Subaru, GM, Lincoln, and operate a full-service collision center.

The company will be marking its anniversary on Friday, with what officials there are calling a customer appreciation day, with some food vendors, a band, and give-aways for those coming around.

“Porky’s (BBQ) will be there with hot dogs, we’ll have raffles…65th anniversary t-shirts, Kona Ice….it’s just a celebration,” said Brooke Johnson, marketing director. “It’s not tied in with a sale, if people want to buy a car that’s great, but this is just a customer appreciation day. We’ll have t-shirts, hat give-aways, cupcakes.”

“This will be one of our first gatherings…since COVID,” added Justin Gough, owner and dealer. “We used to have an annual celebration, since COVID has pushed out a lot of our gatherings we haven’t been able to do that.”

The festivities will be taking place at two of the three business’ locations — Scenic Ford-Lincoln at 1992 Rockford St. and Scenic Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Scenic Subaru at 2300 Rockford St.

“They’ll start in the morning and move from one place to the other throughout the day,” Johnson said. “If you can’t find them at one location they’ll be at another.”

At the Ford dealership, the band True Miles Unknown will be playing from noon until 3 p.m.; and at the Subaru dealership she said there will be a pet adoption from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

“We love our community and we would love to have everyone come on out and celebrate with us,” Johnson said.

The celebration marks the autumn opening of the original Scenic Ford dealership 65 years ago.

D.A. Gough and his brother Claude Gough, along with three “silent investors,” started the company then, on North Main Street in Mount Airy, according to D.A. Gough’s daughter, Sheree Gough-Beasley.

Gough-Beasley said she was far too young to recall much about those early days, other than to know her dad and family moved from Yadkinville to Mount Airy to open the business at the site of where Robby’s is located now.

As is the case with all businesses, those early years had their challenges, but she said her father was always about treating customers and employees right — and that spurred both the early and long-term success of the company.

A year after opening the firm, she said her dad moved the business to Highway 601, the present location of Mount Airy Collision, where the firm was located until 1965. The move coincided with Ford contacting her father about expanding to include the Mercury and Lincoln auto lines.

Along the way, as car nameplates and company names changed, Scenic Motors sometimes changed the make of car it was selling, but she said it has been all she’s known as a worker, owner and principal during her adult years.

“We’ve always had a good steady business,” she said, adding that despite economic ups and downs, overall the dealership has remained steady in its sales and its ability to keep a workforce employed. The key to that success?

“How my Dad started it and how he ran the business until his death in 1991,” she said. “The way he would run a business, the way we would run a business…we were trustworthy.”

Justin Gough, who took over in 2007 with the unexpected death of his father, Ricky Gough, said the people who make up the workforce in the business have been vital to its success. A workforce of 117 individuals, with little turnover through the years.

“We do our best to be a good place to work,” Gough said of the reason many employees stay there for years — some for their entire careers. “We educate ourselves, stay ahead of the curve. We care about our customers, we care about our employees. We try to treat this like it’s a family, because it is.”

He said that translates not only to a workforce which stays a long time, but does an excellent job while working.

“The have a desire to come in and do a good job every day. It feels good to walk in the door every day, I think customers can feel that.”

“We just really want to thank all of our customers over the past 65 years,” Gough-Beasley said of this week’s anniversary celebration. “Without them we wouldn’t be here.”

Her nephew echoed that statement.

“The Gough family and everybody at Scenic really appreciate the 65 years, it’s not something we take for granted.”

It has been nearly three years since the Mount Airy Citizens Police Academy last got underway — but that’s about to change.

Applicants are being sought for the next, 2023 edition of the program that allows local residents a behind-the-scenes look at all facets of local law enforcement operations.

The Citizens Police Academy hasn’t been conducted since early 2020.

“And we didn’t even get to finish it,” recalled Sgt. Stacy Inman of the Mount Airy Police Department’s Community Services Division, who has been involved with the academy since it started, including leading individual class sessions.

The program was “arrested” in 2020 — its 20th year — by the same culprit handcuffing many other public gatherings at that time.

“The COVID hit and we had to discontinue it,” Inman said of a scenario that included the Citizens Police Academy being forced to a halt after six of its 10 scheduled class sessions were completed.

Inman and other department members are excited that the program is slated to make its return in 2023.

The first class session is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 23, with a total of 10 again planned in successive weeks afterward at the police station. Each is to last from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Topics typically include patrol techniques, crime prevention, narcotics, community policing and others. A spring graduation ceremony is held for the class during a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners, when participants tend to speak positively about their experiences.

Although the next Citizens Police Academy will not start until late January, those interested in attending the Monday night sessions are urged to apply soon due to the lead time needed to begin the processing of applications, which includes background checks.

They can call the police station at 336-786-3535 to obtain program materials or stop by the station on Rockford Street. Applicants also can visit the Mount Airy Police Department Facebook page, Inman said.

The application deadline is Dec. 16. Based on previous rules, participants must be at least 18 years old.

Inman extended a special invitation for Citizens Police Academy students whose time was cut short by the coronavirus in 2020 to apply for the upcoming edition.

Before the 2020 program got under way, a total of 413 people had completed the Citizens Police Academy during its first 19 years of existence, with 15 signing up for that last installment which was halted.

The announcement of the program’s return comes on the heels of the recent launching of a Citizens Academy that is allowing local residents to learn about city government operations in general. The healthy response to it led to that program being expanded to 25 people from 15 originally.

The Dobson Spooktacular is being held at Dobson Square Park located at 110 South Crutchfield St., Dobson, on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

This spooky good time will feature carnival rides, costume contests, and trick or treating. The age brackets for the contest are 3 years and younger, 4 – 8 years, and 9 – 12 years. Adults are welcome to come in costume but will only be observing the kids’ costume contest.

The costume contests will be at noon and then again at 4 p.m. and the trick-or-treating will get underway from 5 – 8 p.m.

Dobson Spooktacular will have rides including a fun house, Ferris wheel, roller coaster, the Paratrooper, Tubs of Fun, and the Sidewinder. There are some height requirements for the rides, and information can be found on restrictions on the Dobson Square Park Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Dobson-Square-Park-404859476387800

Wristbands can be purchased for $10 that will yield a full day of unlimited rides at the Spooktacular. For those who do not love waiting in lines, wristbands can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/444705505137.

There will be a dedicated pick-up area at the event for those who have ordered in advance to get their wristbands and get right to the fun. Children aged 3 and younger will be admitted at no charge.

There will be craft vendors and food on site. Organizers have whetted appetites by announcing participation from Liz’s Taco, T’s Treats, Mermaid’s on the Go, Jus Chillin Frozen Treats, BJ’s Fry Shack, Lakeside Drinks, Grounded Coffee Co., Churreria Las Delicias de Magdalena, Solid Rock Bible Believing Baptist Church, and La Rancherita. Options will be aplenty meaning the only decision to make is whether to fill the face with carnival treats before or after the rides.

With an all-day ride band, event organizers hope you will do both.

© 2018 The Mount Airy News