INSIDE... Zoning Changes......3 Opinion ..................4 Obituaries ..............5 Pigskin Picks..........9
Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
Volume 79 • Issue 37 • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
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GCS test Video challenge offered for CRO results up By Alan Hodge
alan.bannernews@gmail.com
More students in Gaston County Schools are achieving proficiency and more schools are making academic growth on the READY state accountability model, according to information released today by the North Carolina State Board of Education. For the 2013-2014 year, GCS had 78 percent of schools (39 of 50) to meet or exceed academic growth. Last year, the district had 63 percent of schools to achieve growth. Gaston County had 91 percent of high schools to meet or exceed growth this year. Growth indicates whether students achieve a year’s worth of academic progress for a year’s worth of instruction. Growth is reported in one of three ways: Exceeded Growth, Met Growth or Did Not Meet Growth. The state introduced the READY testing and accountability program last year. Under the READY program, the state tests, which students take in the spring, are more challenging and the standards required to reach proficiency and academic growth are higher. Last year, a student had to score a Level III or IV on the more difficult state tests to achieve proficiency. As a result, school districts across the state had lower scores. This year, the state adjusted the scoring scale and added a fifth level. Now, a student must earn a Level III, IV or V score to be proficient at grade level. “The bar was set so high in the first year of the READY accountability program that it was extremely difficult for students to earn a proficiency score on the end-of-grade and end-of-course tests,” stated Superintendent of Schools W. Jeffrey Booker. “The state realized this and reevaluated the levels for See SCORES, 7
Wreck on I-85 claims two lives The Belmont Police Department is investigating a traffic accident that resulted in a pregnant woman dying and another woman receiving life threatening injuries. The wreck occurred at 1:28 a.m. Sunday on I-85 Exit 27, when the vehicle went off the road and crashed into the Exit 27 sign while exiting I-85 South. The sign was made of concrete and metal. A passenger in the vehicle, Heather D. Lockard 21, 120 Farmwood Dr., Kernersville N.C., received life threatening injuries. Lockard, who was 7 months pregnant, was transported to Caromont Regional Medical Center where she died. The baby also died. The driver of the vehicle, Brenda G. Parrish 55, 303 E. Maryland Ave. in Bessemer City was transported to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Parrish suffered serious injuries and is listed in critical condition. At the time of the accident two toddlers were in the back seat of the car. Both survived. The children were transported to Caromont Regional Medical Center. One child suffered facial trauma and a broken wrist. Both children were in car seats at the time of impact. At this time the cause of the wreck has not yet been determined. The Belmont Police Department is being assisted by the North Carolina Highway Patrol in its investigation.
Recently, former Mount Holly mayor Bobby Black had an idea of applying the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge principal to help get food for the Mount Holly Community Relief Organization (CRO). He sent out an email to several folks in town to do a little creative thinking to see what might gel. There were lots of good and varied ideas, so it was decided just to pick something and get it going. A group went to Food Lion manager Travis Speagle and asked if a shopping cart could be set up with signs for the CRO in the lobby. The CRO is right next door to Food Lion. Speagle readily agreed to help. He already gives food items regularly to the CRO but was very happy to expand his support. The cart is a win-win for everyone. He sells more food; the donor has an easy task of delivery to the CRO and the CRO gets more food every day. A video was made of Black making an appeal to his FaceBook friends (of which there are more than 1,000), asking Mount Holly folks to either make a food or monetary donation to the CRO to help fill their shelves. Folks were asked to drop off food at the CRO, at Food Lion or at Blacks insurance office in downtown Mount Holly. So far the results have been wonderful. There have been several hundred pounds of
Photo by Alan Hodge
Mount Holly Food Lion employees Katie Luttrell and Chad Parkman are seen with some of the food that will be donated to the CRO as a result of Bobby Black's ALS-type challenge.
See CHALLENGE, 7
Council hears proposal for Memorial Plaza By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
“A great idea, but show us more details.” That's basically what the Belmont City Council told Dot Martin and Carrol Trull last week when the pair presented a plan for what they described as a “Veterans Memorial Plaza” in Stowe Park. A conceptual drawing that Trull produced and gave copies of to the council showed a masonry wall starting at one end of the park near the Fighting Yank statue and snaking its way along to the other end near the concession stand. Lights, colonnades, flower pots on pedestals, a large
double set of stairs, and commemorative engraved brick pavers also appear on the rendering. A splash pool rounds out the rendering. Martin had presented the drawing to the Parks and Recreation Citizens Advisory Board on August 25, and that body recommended approval. The plaza would represent each of the five branches of service- Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Folks could purchase memorial bricks for installation at $150 each. Martin said about 5,000 bricks would need to be purchased to float the project which would be privately funded and not interfere with the Parks and
Recreation Dept.'s current Capital Improvement Program projects. Martin enthused to the council concerning the plaza. “This will make Belmont the envy of all the towns around here,” she said. Martin declared Trull had approached her several months ago about the idea of a memorial plaza and they had gone to see a similar set up in Charlotte on Kings Drive. "It was awesome,” Martin said. Trull's remarks to the council focused on the area of Stowe Park where the proposed wall would go- right against the steep embankment where the Main Street sidewalk butts up to the park. “The bank is wasted space,” Trull said. Ron Foulk,who was heavily
involved in the Fighting Yank relocation, cautioned Trull and Martin on the financial challenges of such a project. “This is a worthwhile project, but a big undertaking.” Foulk said. “We are still raising money for the Fighting Yank.” Martha Stowe asked for more details on what would become of memorial trees already in the park. “The plaza is wonderful in theory,” she said. “But one tree has already been destroyed.” Richard Turner basically summed it up. “I like this plan,” he said. “But we need more details.” Therefore, the council voted to set approval aside for now so Martin and Trull can come back at a later date with more structural or schematic drawings and review from Public Works and the City Engineer.
Contributed Photo
DOUSED FOR ALS! – Caravan Coffee owner Vince Hill got doused to benefit ALS at last week's Alive After Five event. He had accepted the challenge for the soaking from Montcross Chamber president Ted Hall who received a similar drenching the week before. Doing the honors were Christina Moose and Neil Brock.
Photo by Alan Hodge
Carrol Trull and Dot Martin presented plans last week to the Belmont City Council for a Veterans Memorial Plaza to be built in Stowe Park. Council members deferred action on the project until more details could be provided.
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