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Volume 116 • Issue 3
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
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City gets great news on financial audit for fiscal year June 2021 Also votes to annex property known as Stroup Acres by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
At Monday night’s Jan. 10 regular Cherryville City Council session, Council members heard the audit report from Butler and Stowe about the city’s audit, ending June 30, 2021, from Mr. Robert Adams, who is one of the managing partners with that firm. Mr. Adams noted his firm met with the audit committee members on Thursday, Jan. 6 to review the audited financial statements for the year ending with the aforementioned date. Wrote Mr. Adams in a brief handed to Council members, “Our opinion on the financial statements for
Retired CFD Fire Chief and former City Manager Jeff Cash and his wife, Cynthia, were at last Monday night’s regular session Council meeting for Mr. Cash to receive a plaque from the City Council, thanking him for his many years of community service and work for his hometown.
the year end was a clean opinion, which means: (a.) the City has met the audit requirements of the North Carolina General Statutes, and (b.) the financial statements represent the financial status of the City at June 30, 2021.” Adams also noted some of the financial highlights are as follows: “… (a.) the City ended the year with combined assets exceeding the liabilities by $20,361,000; (b.) the City received funding of the voter-approved bonds and recorded the receipt of $3,653,000 in the General Fund and $5,944,000 in the Water and Sewer Fund; (c.) the unassigned fund balance of the General Fund was $1,080,621. This represents funds available to the Council without restriction. This is an increase of $298,000 over the prior year; (and)
(d.) the two enterprise funds, Electric and Water & Sewer, had a combined income of $524,027 for the year ended June 30, 2021.” Adams spoke to the audit committee – comprised of chairman Jon Abernethy, Mayor H.L. Beam, staff members Brian Dalton (City Manager) and (Finance Director) Dixie Wall and volunteers Pam Harris and Scott Harrill – about future challenges and opportunities for the city and the Council going forward into the coming fiscal year, which include, among other things, budgeting and cash flowing the debt service for the bonds. He noted, in closing his remarks in his brief, that, “…the improvements to the City’s infrastructure and other funding opportunities made possible by the Cares Act and American Rescue
Plan will provide the city and the City Council with great opportunities to improve the city and enhance the lives of its citizens.” City Manager Brian Dalton said of the report by the auditors that it was a “very good” report for Cherryville. Council approved the 2021-2022 Budget Amendment items brought up by Dixie Wall then considered the appointments to the Architectural Review Board, approving the recommendations as read. The Council then heard an update on Piedmont Lithium’s progress from Mayor Beam as well as an update by City Manager Dalton on the City’s purchasing cards that have been issued to the department heads. Mr. Dalton noted that perhaps the biggest news of See CITY, Page 2
Gaston County EMS mourns loss of Lt. Melanie Massagee According to a media release from Gaston County officials, on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022 Gaston County EMS suffered a devastating loss of one of their valued team members, Lt. Melanie Massagee. Ms. Massagee began her service, noted the media release, in Gaston County with the Bessemer City Rescue Squad in 1978. She later joined Gaston County EMS as a volunteer Auxiliary member and later, in 2007, joined full time. Melanie was currently assigned to B-Shift as the Lieutenant on that shift. Melanie was known for her giving personality, dedication to ensuring no one was left unheard or went without. Melanie was a friend to all who knew her.
In this provided image, the late Carl C. “Boozie” Dellinger’s grandkids and great-grandkids, stood at the Rudisill Stadium shoot as their loved one was recognized by the CNYSI group. (photo provided)
GASTON COUNTY EMS LT. MELANIE MASSAGEE (photo courtesy: J Scott Photography – 2021) Melanie lived a life of service and commitment to her faith, family, friends, and the patients she served. Melanie had been battling COVID 19 since just before Christmas. She was See MELANIE, Page 2
2021-2022 CNYSI stadium shot honors memory of “Boozie” Dellinger Rusty Wise: “Having his red coat and hat hanging in the press box was pretty emotional.” by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
Cherryville New Year’s Shooter Secretary Rusty Wise said the last “shoot” of the 2021-2022 New Year’s Shooter’s event for them was a poignant one, held in memory of their long-time member and President, the late Carl C.
“Boozie” Dellinger. The unusually warm weather made it easy for many to come out and fill up the venerable stadium, site of so many past shots of the group as they say good-bye to the old years and welcome in the new
ones. Said Rusty, “Having his red coat and hat hanging in the press box was pretty emotional. I held it together best I could as I was the PA announcer. Also having his picture on our member ID See BOOZIE, Page 4
Unanimous 3-judge panel upholds NC election maps, appeal likely by MITCH KOKAI Carolina Journal
A unanimous three-judge panel has upheld North Carolina’s new congressional and legislative election maps. The panel of two Republican Superior Court judges and one Democratic colleague rejected critics’ arguments that mapmakers engaged in unconstitutional
partisan and racial gerrymandering. The 260-page order also grants the State Board of Elections’ request to resume candidate filing for 2022 elections on Feb. 24. Filing for all state and local offices will restart on that date and last through noon March 4. “These consolidated cases present this Court with the unique challenge of balancing the competing interests of fairness, the role of the judiciary, statutory and constitutional construction, the interpretation of prior
NC Superior Court Judges, from left, Nathaniel Poovey, Graham Shirley, and Dawn Layton oversee a trial addressing N.C. election maps. (Image from WRAL.com pool video) court rulings, and good old fashion common sense,” ac-
cording to the opinion from Judges Graham Shirley and
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Nathaniel Poovey, both Republicans, and Dawn Layton, a Democrat. “Sometimes, courts are required to make decisions that are not popular, but because judges take an oath to uphold the law, those rulings are mandated,” they added. “And sometimes, redress of a perceived wrong does not lie with the judiciary, but rather, with one of the other co-equal branches of government.” “All of Plaintiffs’ claims in these lawsuits, in essence, stem from the basic argu-
ment that the 2021 redistricting maps passed by the North Carolina General Assembly are unconstitutional under the North Carolina Constitution,” the judges wrote. “We have taken great lengths to examine that document. At the end of the day, after carefully and fully conducting our analysis, it is clear that Plaintiffs’ claims must fail. Judges, just like many of the citizens they serve, do not always like the results they reach. That fact notwithstanding, judges See 3-JUDGE, Page 2