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Volume 85 • Issue 16
News from a neighbor!
Thursday, April 18, 2019
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Thursday, April 18, 2019
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Lucy Young of Stanley was born to fly By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Birds were meant to fly and so was Lucy Young of Stanley. Young, 65, first took to the air as a student in 1976 at Purdue University and never looked back, or down, since. In fact, she’s been a pilot for 43 years now and still loves every minute of it. Young, a native of Rocks-
bury, Connecticut, started out as a private pilot. “I paid for lessons from my babysitting money,” she said. At Purdue, she entered the Navy ROTC program and and the aviation opportunities it afforded. “In May, 1976, I was one of four women chosen to start Navy flight training,” Young said. “I got my wings in October, 1977.”
Young flew a variety of aircraft in the Navy. When she was stationed in Hawaii, it was the A-4 Skyhawk jet. “Women weren’t allowed to fly combat so I flew in a fleet support role including towing targets, practice dogfights with Hawaii Air Nation Guard pilots, and dropping practice bombs,” she said. In addition to Hawaii, Young also flew for the Navy
in Texas. She also took part in the Gulf War flying big C-9 transport jets. After five years as a Navy pilot, Young moved to the civilian side of flying by taking an FAA testing pilot job in Atlanta. Next, she went work as a commercial pilot for Piedmont Airlines. Currently, she flies Boeing 767 airliners for American Airlines. See YOUNG, Page 3 Lucy Young of Stanley was one of the first female pilots in the U.S. Navy. She says she was inspired by the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASP) WWII group made up of women fliers like those in the picture she’s holding. Photo by Alan Hodge
Mt. Holly holds Arbor Day event By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The City of Mt. Holly recognized Arbor Day last week with an event on April 12 that saw a good-sized group of folks learn about the importance of trees, and for those so inclined, take home some free loblolly pine saplings. It was the first annual Arbor Day event for Mt. Holly. The program was held in the Municipal Complex which was just as well since liquid sunshine fell all day. Anyway, in addition to city employees and officials, Beth Plummer from the NC Forest Service was on hand to give out trees and tell folks what good they do for the environment. “The loblolly trees we are giving out today come from our nursery in Goldsboro,” Plummer said. “The saplings are one year old and were started from pine cones. Trees have many benefits. They produce oxygen, provide nesting places for birds, and decrease air pollution. They are also important to the economy in the form of pulp, lumber, and paper.”
Light rail to connect Belmont, Charlotte By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Joe and Therese Kummer showed up at Mt. Holly’s Arbor Day event and got some free trees. They are seen with Mt. Holly employee Shannon Horton and MC Forest Service employee Beth Plummer. Photo by Alan Hodge Plummer was pleased at the Arbor Day turnout. “There were people waiting on me when I got here at 10am.” she said.
Mt. Holly’s city landscape technician, Shannon Horton, explained how the city is on the ball as far as tree planting goes.
FOOTHILLS
FESTIVAL
“We have been planting tree at the new Public Works facility and North Fire Station” Horton said. “Trees are See ARBOR DAY, Page 4
Every work day morning thousands of commuters head eastward drive the US74/ Wilkinson Blvd. bridge over the Catawba River to their jobs in Mecklenburg County. Every work day evening that same horde repeats the process heading westward back into Gaston County. Estimates are that 25,000 folks a day bet this path. However, relief from that situation could be coming in the form of light rail based in the Queen City. The Metropolitan Transit Commission recently approved Charlotte Area Transit System’s recommendations for updates to the 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan. In a unanimous vote of support, the board directed CATS to update the West and North
TWO BIG
DAYS!
corridors, which will increase connectivity and mobility options and encourage sustainable economic environments in the Charlotte region. “Citizens have affirmed how important transit is to the community and to the growth of the Charlotte region,” said John Lewis, CATS CEO. “The MTC’s affirmation continues to fulfill the transit vision established decades ago allowing the region to move forward with a transit plan that addresses today’s and tomorrow’s landscape,” he said. The MTC approved light rail as the locally preferred alternative in the West Corridor. The corridor will become the western part of the LYNX Silver Line with a terminus in Belmont. See LIGHT RAIL, Page 8
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Saturday, S t d A April il 27th ~ 11am until 9pm Sunday, April 28th ~ 1pm until 7pm SHELBY CITY PARK