A Connelly Springs man is charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine in Caldwell County. The Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that 53-year-old Jeffrey Brent Church had been the focus of an undercover drug investigation and was arrested on April 27th and charged with Trafficking Meth. Church posted bonds for pending drug charges in Caldwell and Catawba Counties and was released from custody. On Tuesday the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office ICE Unit arrested Church after a traffic stop in Sawmills. He was found to be in possession of about 56 grams of meth, two pistols and over $4600 in cash. More charges are expected. Bond was set at $100,000 with a Lenoir District Court appearance scheduled for today.

Assault and Weapon charges are filed on a McDowell County man. The Sheriff's Office on Wednesday charged 46-year-old Gary Harrison Bartlett,Jr of Marion. He was charged with Assault on a Female, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Possession of a Weapon of Mass Destruction and Carrying a Concealed Weapon. The charges were on Tuesday after a domestic dispute where shots were fired, but no one was seriously injured.

The public is invited to the Etta Baker Sculpture Dedication this afternoon at COMMA beginning at 5:30. The dedication ceremony is free to attend. The sculpture of Baker was installed earlier this week and is the final piece of a project to honor one of Morganton's most legendary musicians. Baker was one of the creators of the Piedmont Blues.

A recent report shows hospitals and health care systems are a vital force in North Carolina. According to the report, the state's health care sector generated $22.4 billion in labor income, and $37.8 billion in gross domestic product last year. Hospitals directly or indirectly support nearly 400,000 jobs; amounting to 8.7% of total employment across the state. Community hospitals are among the top 10 employers in at least 72 NC counties. The report indicates in most rural counties, the hospital is one of the top two or three employers. Conducted by the NC Hospital Association, the report further examines the multiple ways health care influences local economic development and educating the future work force.