COVID Update

COVID-19 numbers continue to remain low as Burke County Public Health on Friday reported 13 new cases since Tuesday.

Burke’s total now stands at 10-thousand-309, with 109 cases reported to be active and 6 residents hospitalized.

McDowell County reported 6 new cases last week for a total of 5-thousand-159.

19 people in McDowell remain quarantined.

Catawba County Friday reported 16 new cases of the virus for a total of 19-thousand-264.

8 Catawba residents are in the hospital.

Caldwell County saw 5 new cases for a total now of 9-thousand-538.

2 people in Caldwell remain hospitalized.

Freedom Park Work

Contractors with the City of Morganton will be completing resurfacing work at the entryway to Freedom Park from Independence Boulevard in the coming weeks beginning tomorrow.

The first two parking lots closest to the Independence Boulevard entrance will be closed Monday.

The park will remain open; however, anyone going to the park during the contracted work should plan to park in an alternative parking lot.

A speed bump will be installed in the area once paving is complete.

The park will be closed the day of the installation – the City of Morganton will announce the closing on their Facebook page.

Lincoln Sentence

A Lincoln County man has been sentenced to serve more than 20 years in prison following a guilty plea in Lincoln Superior Court last week.

24-year-old Nicholas Benjamin Lynch of Lincolnton received a sentence of a minimum of 192 months to a maximum of 243 months.

Lynch pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the February 2018 stabbing death of his father 59-year-old Oswald Bryan Lynch.

Lynch has been transferred from the Harven A. Crouse Detention Center to the state prison system to begin serving his sentence.