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Volume 115 • Issue 11
75¢
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Golf Carts now allowed to operate on City streets Must be driven by licensed drivers; some restrictions still apply by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
Chief of Police Cam Jenks said that golf carts with a licensed driver are now allowed to operate on City streets with speed limits of 35mph or less. Additionally they are also allowed
to cross Highways 150 and 274 at a traffic light, being careful to watch for oncoming traffic and knowing they have the right-of-way. The City Council voted on and approved the new golf cart usage ordinance on Feb. 23, 2021 at the Council’s work session, said Chief Jenks, who presented the new ordinance. A golf cart, by definition on the ordinance, is described as “a vehicle designed and manufactured for operation on a golf course for sporting or recreational purposes and that is not capable of exceeding See GOLF CARTS, Page 6
At the Monday, March 8, regular City Council meeting Cherryville Police Department Administrative Assistant Kim Lancaster proudly receives her Certificate of Recognition of 20 years of service to the City of Cherryville from Mayor H.L. Beam, III. (photos provided)
Council recognizes dedicated employees at March 8 meeting Also gets good audit report from fiscal year 2020 by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
Proper usage and being a responsible, licensed driver can ensure much fun and enjoyment for golf cart operators who, thanks to Cherryville’s new ordinance for the vehicle, can now drive their carts on the City streets. (photo provided)
Legislature to delay city elections, method yet unknown Late Census data has created problems for election schedules, but agreement on the best solution remains elusive by JORDAN WILKIE Carolina Public Press
Data from the U.S. census will not be available in time for many municipalities in North Carolina, including the state’s largest cities, to run their elections in the fall. As it stands, candidate filing for municipal elections is scheduled for July, but the U.S. Census Bureau announced Feb. 12, that the data cities and towns need to draw their districts will not be ready until the end of September, about six months later than usual. Then, it takes another two months to process that data, according to Karen Brinson Bell, the director of
the N.C. State Board of Elections. There seems to be consensus among legislators, city attorneys and experts that at least 62 municipalities across 33 counties will have to delay their 2021 elections, which are currently scheduled across September, October and November. But the stakeholders do not yet agree on a solution, and the biggest debate is whether to delay elections across all 552 municipalities in the state or to simply target changes to those local governments that rely on districts or wards for candidate filing or electing candidates. “The key question for everybody in this, whether it’s people at the state level or at the local level, is what solutions offer the least disruption and confusion for voters,” said Scott Mooneyham, the director of political communication and coordination for the N.C. League of Municipalities, which represents cities and towns around the state. On Feb. 23, Brinson Bell See DELAY, Page 2
Retired CFD Driver/Engineer Barry Heavner smiles as Cherryville Mayor H.L. Beam, III presents him with his Certificate of Recognition of Retirement after 27 years of dedicated service to the City of Cherryville. Mr. Heavner was recognized at the Monday, March 8, regular City Council meeting.
In last Monday night’s March 8, regular City Council session, City Manager Jeff Cash noted the
first order of business was to vote on approving the last meeting’s agendas and minutes. Mr. Cash said the Council voted on and unanimously approved the agenda and the minutes, adding there were no “Citizen’s to Be Heard.” “There were none and no one called in,” he said.
There were two City employees recognized by Mayor H.L. Beam and the Council, one for her long years of service to the City, and one upon his retirement from the City’s Fire Department. Cherryville City Police Administrative Assistant Kim Lancaster received a certificate for her 20 years
of service to the City of Cherryville and her work with the Cherryville Police Department. Retired CFD Driver/Engineer Barry Heavner was presented with a certificate upon his retirement for his 27 years of dedicated service. His certificate read, in See COUNCIL, Page 10
WBB’s Falcon Radio Club helps students connect with the world by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
Principal Todd Dellinger and Guidance Counselor Mark Reep, of W. Blaine Beam Intermediate, are helping their students get in touch with the world. Literally! The two men are what is known in regular parlance as “ham” operators, and no, that has nothing to do with pork bellies or being bacon lovers! It has everything to do, however, with amateur radios and the usage of them to reach out to other radio operators from such far-away places like the Canary Islands, Brazil, or even into outer space, say, like the International Space Station, or ISS, as it is more commonly called. The 15 or so WBBI students who are members of the fledgling Falcon Radio Club – call sign (CQ), N2FRC, or “November 2 Foxtrot Romeo (or Radio) Charlie”, along with their trustees, or adult licensed members, Mr. Dellinger and Mr. Reep – are excited to be able to reach out to the world at large and beyond as part of their teaching and learning experience. The club takes its name from the school’s mascot. Mr. Reep said the group’s
first-ever radio contact was from the Canary Islands, with other far-away locales like Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, Paraguay, and the U.S. Virgin Islands listed, just to name a few. In a media release prepared for the Eagle, Mr. Dellinger and Mr. Reep said The Falcon Radio Club, or N2FRC, as it is known by its “call sign”, “…was created to promote an interest in the amateur radio hobby among students and community members.” Reep, whose call sign is KI4RBI, has been a ham radio operator for 14 years. He noted it took him four months to achieve his Tech license status, then three more to get his General Class license. Dellinger, whose call sign is KO4DQB, got his Tech license in May of last year, then his General Class license on May 21. “I have been interested in amateur radio since my days working with the Boy Scouts,” he said. Both men are trustees for the station, they said, adding they have support from outside the school as well in the operations and running of the station. Reep said the club and See RADIO, Page 4
WBBI Principal Todd Beam, sitting in the Falcon Radio Club’s small, on-campus base, dials in a contact on the school’s base set. (photos by MEP/The Eagle/CF Media)
WBBI fourth graders Alexis Dobson and Lauren Bell are just two of the Falcon Radio Club’s members who are learning about the world at large through ham radio operations.
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