Burke County Public Schools announces graduation schedules

The district’s high schools schedule is between May 21^st and May 29^th. 

The plans are conditional and contingent on the state of COVID-19 in

Burke County over the next three weeks. To participate, graduates and

their family members who attend will be required to wear masks.

The ceremonies will take place indoors and include seniors in their

caps and gowns walking across a stage to Pomp and Circumstance

with family members present to witness graduates accepting their

diplomas. Here is breakdown of each school’s date, time and location:

Burke Middle College-Thursday,May 21^st from 4-8:30 p.m. in the

Leviton Auditorium on the WPCC campus

Hallyburton Academy-Friday May 22^nd at 3 p.m.in the auditorium of

Heritage Middle School

Both Draughn High and Patton High graduations will take place on

Tuesday May 26th, from 4-9 p.m. in each school’s auditoriums

North Liberty-Wednesday May 27^th, at 12:30 p.m. in the school gym

East Burke High-Thursday May 28^th, from 1-7 p.m.in the school gym

Freedom High-Friday May 29^th, 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. in the school gym

Graduates’ specific times will be broken down based on alphabetical

order and will be released by the schools.


Hickory Homicide Investigation

Hickory Police are investigating a double homicide that occurred around 10:40

p.m. Sunday evening.  Police say two males were shot while they were in the

backseat of a silver 2008 Chevrolet Malibu as it was parked outside the Save

More Convenience Store at 1665 1^st Avenue Southwest in Hickory.  Catawba EMS

pronounced 16 year old Damarion Isaiah Sharpe dead on the scene and

transported 20 year old Xzavion Rashawn Watts to Frye Regional Medical Center,

where he later died as a result of the wounds.  Police say the suspect was

apparently familiar with the victims and targeted them.  The suspect is an African

American male last seen heading away from the scene with a handgun.  Any

information on the shooting should be directed to the Hickory Police Department.


Catawba County Budget Recommendation

Catawba County Manager Mick Berry has recommended a budget of 2 hundred

42 million dollars for Fiscal Year 2021, which maintains the current property tax

rate of .57 and a half cents per one hundred dollars of valuation.  The

recommendation represents a 4.1 percent decrease in the total budget and 3.3

million dollars less revenue than anticipated.  Due to the impact of COVID-19 on

revenues from sales tax, property tax and building services, revenue projections

have been downsized but still reflect modest growth.


Facebook Grant to McDowell County Schools

McDowell County Schools recently received fifty thousand dollars from Facebook

that will help feed the needs of students.  The tech company reached out to area

school systems early on during the COVID-19 pandemic and asked how they could

help.  A short while after the school system’s request the monies were received. 

The money will be used for the school system’s Backpack Program, which provide

weekend food that goes home in backpacks for students every Friday.  Funding

will also help the school system partner with other local organizations and make

bulk purchases for chicken or other food products that will help both entities feed

families in need.

Missing McDowell County teenager

The McDowell County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 17-year-old

Alexus Sierra Whitson, a runaway,last seen about midnight Monday at

her residence on Major Conley Road in Marion. She is described as a

white female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 115 pounds and has long

straight sandy hair, hazel eyes and a hoop nose ring. Anyone with

information concerning Whitson’s whereabouts  is asked to call the

McDowell County Sheriff’s Office at 652-2235 or the McDowell 911

Communications Center at 652-4000.


COVID-19 News Updates

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

reports this morning that 15,346 people in the state have tested

positive for COVID-19, with 475 current hospitalizations and there

have 577 deaths.

To help families access food during the COVID-19 pandemic, the

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is

Temporarily increasing benefits for May 2020 to current Food and

Nutrition Services recipients in the state. All families that receive

FNS will receive the maximum amount for this month for their

Household size. About 360,000 households will begin receiving

The temporary increased benefit on EBT card on May 22^nd.

FEMA has granted North Carolina’s request to extend its

Non-congregate sheltering program for COVID-19 through June 6^th.

The program provides housing alternatives, such as hotels, motels,

And dormitories, for North Carolinians with unstable housing who

May need to quarantine in response to or are at high-risk for

Severe illness from COVID-19. Si