At a special meeting of Morganton City Council Thursday, Council discussed and voted on two separate motions to amend the employment contracts of City Manager Sally Sandy and City Attorney Louis Vinay. In the first motion City Council voted 4 to 1 to raise the City manager's salary by about $10,000 a year and modify her 401k and family health-care packages. Mayor-elect Ronnie Thompson opposed the arrangement questioning where the funds to pay for the salary increase would come from and when the changes would take effect. In the second motion, Morganton City Council voted and unanimously agreed to increase the City Attorney's salary by $3000 per year. City Council will meet in regular session Monday night, where Mayor-elect Ronnie Thompson will be sworn into office.

A fourth person has been charged in a robbery at an Old Fort home, two suspects are being sought. The McDowell County Sheriff's Office Thursday, charged 47 year old Houston Allen Burnette with multiple offense. A trio of others have been charged in this case, 17 year old Daniel Colton Freeman, 28 year old Nathaniel Allen Penley and 40 year old Matthew Lynn Goldsmith, all of Old Fort. The robbery occurred April 13th at the residence of Robert and Patricia Freeman on Conner Ridge Road. Two suspects, 30 year old Bobby Willam Penley and 40 year old Wendy Spring Lintz are being south. Penley, whose last known address was 114 Edwards Loop Old Fort, is described as a white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, about 155 pounds, with red hair and brown eyes. Lintz, whose last known address was 65 Frances Avenue Black Mountain, is described as a white female 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs approximately 95 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Billie Brown at 652-2237 or Crimestoppers at 65-CRIME(652-7463). A cash reward is offered for information that leads to the whereabouts of Penley and Lintz.