Hickory City Council met Tuesday, with a presentation of the Catawba County Strategic Plan . A member of Catawba County government outlined growth and projections for the future, as people move into Catawba County as well as needed infrastructure resulting from growth and change in Catawba County and cities and towns including Hickory, the largest city in Catawba County.

A Catawba County resident and Caldwell County resident face charges of Trafficking in Methamphetamine. Hickory Police Tuesday, arrested 51-year-old Kenneth Otto Jones of Hickory and 56-year-old Michael Ray Klaus of Hudson. Bond was set $300,000 on Jones and $150,000 on Klaus.

A Marion man has been sentenced to at least 12 years in prison after shooting and killing his neighbor in 2014. 25-year-old Roger Tully Keith Frady was found guilty of second-degree murder last week in McDowell Superior Court. Reports state in August 2014, McDowell officers were called to Frady;s residence in regard to a gunshot wound. There they found 41-year-old Ronnie Eugene Lewis suffering from a single wound from a 40-caliber handgun. Lewis was pronounced dead at McDowell Hospital. Frady was also found guilty of two counts of felony child abuse after two children were reportedly found to have drugs in their system.

Caldwell County Emergency Services has announced that the Mill Pond Bridge on Falls Avenue in Granite Falls is closed until further notice. Engineers with DOT are evaluating the structure of the bridge. Travelers are advised to find alternate routes around the bridge until further notice.