COVID Update

The increase in new COVID-19 cases hasn’t taken a break for the holidays –

According to the latest figures from Burke County’s online dashboard, there have been an additional 85 cases since this time last week for a total of 17-thousand-67.

255 cases are reported to be active, while 9 Burke residents remain hospitalized.

McDowell County reports 62 new COVID cases since Friday and one additional virus-related death.

183 people in McDowell are quarantined.

McDowell is currently at a 6-point-8 percent positivity rate, with a total of 9-thousand-303 cases since the pandemic began.

Marion New Years 

One of the southeast’s most unique New Year’s Eve celebrations takes place in downtown Marion.

At midnight, a gold nugget descends from the sky into a pot of gold to ring in 2022.

The City of Marion began its annual nugget drop in 2007 in recognition of McDowell County’s gold heritage.

Other events Friday evening include an urban hike through several downtown Marion neighborhoods, highlighting the city’s iconic homes and stories of former owners.

The hike starts at 7 pm and is expected to last about 2 hours, and participants are urged to wear comfortable walking shoes.

No advanced registration is required.

Then at 7:30 and 10:30 pm, the McDowell Historical Society will host a Ghost Walk. Tickets are 12-dollars for adults and 8-dollars for kids 12 to 18; while those under 12 are free.

The walks should last about an hour and 15 minutes.

The event also features kid’s games, a costume contest, scavenger hunt, and carriage rides.

For more about the New Year’s Eve event checkout Marion Rotary’s Facebook page.

Shelby Sex Charge

A Shelby man will spend decades in prison followed by a lifetime on the sex offender registry for having sexual encounters with an out-of-state teen through a messenger app.

35-year-old Kenneth Ricky Ingle Jr. was sentenced to a prison term of 20 years, and supervised release following his release from custody.

Court documents indicate Ingle used the Kik messenger app in August 2020 to engage in sexual communications with a 14-year-old girl in Florida.

He was then arrested the following October and charged with four counts of using a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

Ingle reportedly accepted a plea offer earlier this year and was sentenced last week.

He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to a federal prison facility once one is designated.