Union County
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Serving Indian Trail, Marvin, Stallings, Waxhaw, Weddington and Wesley Chapel
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Volume 9, Number 46 • Nov. 13 to 19, 2014
Warbirds over Monroe Veterans honored in Monroe with daring exhibitions of flight
Photos by Ryan Pitkin by Ryan Pitkin ryan@unioncountyweekly.com
MONROE - The seventh annual Warbirds Over Monroe Air Show exploded into Union County the weekend preceding Veteran’s Day, with planes designed for past wars buzzing over the heads of tens of thousands of veterans, families and other onlookers in attendance over the course of the two-day exhibition. Planes flown by American pilots from World War I up to the Cold War were shown in action on Saturday while
narrator Hugh Oldham educated the crowd about each plane. “Warbirds” weren’t the only ones on display, as Sam Albrecht wowed the crowd by walking the wings of a bi-plane and attaching herself to the plane’s roof as the pilot performed death-defying stunts. The show also included war battle reenactments, both on the ground and in the air. At one point, a “battle” broke out between German and American soldiers on opposite sides of the airstrip and kids gasped at the automatic fire coming from
machine gun turrets on the back of World War II-era Jeeps. More explosions were to come, however, as the headlining act, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” took off just before the sun set on Saturday. The exhibition featured a recreation of the Pearl Harbor attacks, as eight Japanese planes dive-bombed the runway while pyrotechnics on the ground simulated bombs and torpedoes. For more photos of the day’s events, visit page 4…
Four newly elected members ready to revamp Board of Education by Ryan Pitkin ryan@unioncountyweekly.com
Following a turbulent year during which lawsuits and redistricting caused a divide between many parents and board members, voters elected four new members to the Union County Board of Education (BOE) on Nov. 4. Newcomers Gary Sides and Sharon Harrell unseated two incumbents, chairperson Richard Yercheck and District 1 representative Jim Bention Sr., respectively. Yercheck, a backer of the controversial redistricting plan that passed a surprise vote in March and later staved off a lawsuit filed by parents, was beaten by a 2-to-1 margin, receiving only 33 percent of the vote. Bention had served on the board only since May, when he filled John Crowder’s spot after Crowder died in March, just one week after the redistricting vote. Some believed Bention was in a tough position, as he was not given much of a chance to prove his worth to the board. “He hadn’t had the exposure that some of us had in the community for years,” Marce Savage, District 6 representative, said of her friend Bention. “A lot of people had no clue he was currently serving.” Savage was the only incumbent to keep her seat in the November election. Two other incumbent representatives, District 4 representative Rick Pigg and at-large representative Sherry Hodges, decided not to seek re-election. Their seats were won by Melissa Merrell and Leslie Boyd, respectively. Savage wished Bention well, but said she met with his replacement and all of the board’s newcomers, and is excited (see Board of Education on page 12)
INDEX: News Briefs, 6; Crime Blotter, 7; Scores, 8; Education, 10; Honor Roll, 13; Faith, 15; Calendar, 18; Sports, 22; Classifieds, 27