Tens of millions of cars have passed over a pair of bridges on I-40 in Burke County since the mid 1950's. DOT will begin replacing the two bridges over Berea Church Road by Monday, when NHM Constructors of Asheville will begin a two-year process to replace the eastbound and westbound bridges, built in 1956 and 1958 respectively. A local detour has been established for Berea Church Road to help accelerate construction. NHM will construct an on-site detour to allow I-40 traffic to flow in all four lanes.The Berea Church Road detour directs westbound traffic to Burke Boulevard, then to U.S.70, then to Knobs Landing Road, then back to Berea Church Road. The opposite applies to eastbound vehicles on Berea Church Road.

The June umemployment rate for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area was 4%, in Asheville 3.4%. Those figures released Wednesday by the N.C.Department of Commerce. Area county rates include Alexander at 3.5%, Avery, Burke, and Catawba at 4%, Caldwell 4.2 %, McDowell 3.8% and Lincoln County at 3.7%. Buncombe County had the states's lowest unemployment rate in June at 3.2% while Scotland County had the highest at 7.6%.

McDowell County investigators are looking for a local man believed to have broken into a church last month. 26-year-old Adam Keith Rumfelt, who is reportedly homeless, has been charged with breaking and entering a place of worship, larceny after breaking and entering, and obtaining property by false pretense. The Sheriff's Office reports someone entered West Marion Baptist on Stroud Street in Marion taking food items, a blanket, and an electric keyboard valued at more than $200. Rumfelt was then observed on surveillance pawning the keyboard. He is described as a white male, 6'3", weighing about 260 pounds, with short brown hair and green eyes. Anyone having information regarding Rumfelt's location should contact the Sheriff's Office at 652-2237.