The SBI is investigating an officer-involved shhoting that occurred just before 10pm Wednesday. Caldwell Communications received a 911 call from 75-year-old Donald Marcus, Sr. of Hudson. Smith made suicidal statements to dispatchers and said he had a handgun. Caldwell deputies responded and spoke to Smith trying to de-escalate the situation. However, Smith raised his right hand and fired a single gunshot. One deputy, seeing Smith raise his gun, fired two rounds from his patrol rifle. Smith, who was pronounced dead at the scene, had an apparent self-inflected gunshot wound to the head and two wounds to the torso. A small caliber handgun was retrieved from Smith's right hand. The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office called the SBI to investigate.

A Granite Falls man is sentenced to prison following a guilty plea to multiple drug offenses. 35-year-old Patrick David Hollar plead guilty to manufacturing meth, attempted trafficking in meth by possession, and possession of heroin. Reports say a concerned citizen in Caldwell County told authorities in November 2015 that the defendant was manufacturing meth at his residence. During a search of his home, Caldwell County Sheriff's officers and SBI agents located the meth lab; finding items consistent with the manufacture of meth and also doscovering heroin. Hollar reportedly admitted to investigators that he made the meth for his personal use, and traded some in order to obtain supplies to make more. Hollar is sentenced to serve up to six years.

A Hickory man was given an active prison term of six to eight years following his guilty plea, Wednesday, to trafficking opium by possession during Catawba County Superior Court. 49-year-old James Arthur Kendrick was also imposed a mandatory fine of $50,000.

The City of Morganton Parks and Recreation Department is holding a public input meeting for the new Parks and Recreation Master Plan at 6 o'clock, tonight, at Mountain View Recreation Center, 645 First Street. The Public Input Meeting is an opportunity for residents to share their ideas and let the consultants and staff know what kinds of programs and amenities they want to see in Morganton now, and in the next 15 to 20 years.

A McDowell County man was killed Wednesday morning in a tractor accident. 76-year-old Jack Merill Davis of Old Fort was pushing a downed tree in area off Pine Cove Road
when the accident occurred. A spokesperson with the McDowell County Sheriff's Office states the tree came loose from the front of the tractor, fell back into the cab and pinned Davis. He was pronounced dead at the scene. McDowell EMS and Rescue, Crooked Creek Fire Department, and the McDowell County Sheriff's Office responded to the accident scene.

Methamphetamine Traffickers were sentenced this week in Statesville. 16 defendants were handed sentences according to the U.S.Attorney's Office Western District of NC. Among the 16 sentenced:
James Edward Russell III of Hudson
Teddy Dwane McGee of Hickory
Larry Chad Roberts of Taylorsville
Davey Yang of Conover
Troy Lynn Bell of Taylorsville
Wendy Michelle Pennington of Hickory
Ritchie Allen Shook of Granite Falls
Shana Elyse Teague of Taylorsville
The defendants were reportedly involved in drug trafficking organizations that have trafficked meth worth millions of dollars.

A Marion man is taken into custody after leading authorities on a chase. Just before 8:30am Tuesday, two McDowell County Sheriff's Office detectives began a chase of a pickup truck on Joe Branch. After the chase, an arrest was made of 40-year-old Ben Lee Capps. He was charged with fleeing to elude arrest, no operators license and damage to real property, with a forthcoming charge of possession of methamphetamine.

Hickory City Council heard a special presentation Tuesday night detailing the University Mill District. It passed, followed by a unanimous vote to approve an 11-item consent agenda. A public hearing outlined the proposed 2017-2018 fiscal budget. Highlights include a budget of $95,696,964 keeping the current tax rate of .5665 cents per $100 valuation, but increasing the property tax revenue within the rate about $1 million dollars. Solid waste fees will increase in this budget, and changes to health care for city employees will allow a choice in insurance benefits. The complete budget is available on the City of Hickory website.

There will be a public presentation tonight of the Downtown Morganton Master Plan Draft. A reception at COMMA will start at 5:30, with the presentation at 6:15. The event will present artist renderings of some future projects along with demographic information. The seven key goals are to restore two way operations to the streets, maximize the Courthouse Square as a more flexible public space, focus activity into the core, diversify and expand housing, connect to the community, embed art into everything, and have fun and experiment.

Sex charges are filed on two Burke County men in separate arrests after an undercover operation by the Burke County Criminal Investigations Division. The Burke County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, reported the arrests of 33-year-old Ricky Lee Lackey, Jr. of Morganton and 30-year-old Joshua Leon Barnes of Connelly Springs. Lackey was charged with Solicitation of Minor by Electronic Device while Barnes was charged with Sex Offender Use of Social Media. They were placed in the Burke Catawba District Confinement Facility under secured bonds of $25,000 each. Valdese Police assisted the Sheriff's Office in the Lackey case.

The proposed budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year was proposed and there was a consideration of removing a vehicle tax during Monday night's regular Morganton City Council meeting. City Manager Sally Sandy presented the proposed budget that would include changes in rates, and increases from the current $72.6 million dollars to $73 million. The budget also calls for a change in rates in sewer, solid waste and COMPAS Cable in the general fund. A public hearing for the proposed budget was called for Monday, June 19 at 6pm. In the last regular City Council meeting, council considered removing the $20 vehicle tax that was adopted last year as a way to provide revenue source to replace the loss of the privilege license tax. The vote to remove the tax during Monday night's meeting did not pass due to a 2-2 vote.

Burke County receives a $300,000 grant from the EPA. The grant will assist with the assessment and cleanup of local contaminated properties - commonly referred to as brownfield sites. The funds will be used to determine the extent of site contamination, remove environmental uncertainities, and clean-up contaminated properties as needed - all in order to revive local industrial sites for future use and employment. According to the EPA, residential values near brownfield sites that are cleaned up increased between 5 and 15 percent. The funds will focus on areas in Morganton, Glen Alpine, Drexel, Valdese, Rutherford College and Hildebran. Burke Development Inc. and amany of the county's municipalities assisted with the grant application.

Alexander County authorities are looking for a Statesville man in connection with a stabbing. Officers responded Sunday night to a residence on Highway 90 East in Stony Point about 10:15 and found 66-year-old Steven Anderson of Stony Point with multiple stab wounds. The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Shawn Donnell Whren, Jr., who is known to frequent Iredell County. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Whren is asked to contact Alexander County Crimestoppers at 828-632-8555. The suspect may still be armed.

The City of Morganton 2017-2018 budget is expected to be presented tonight at the City Council Meeting at City Hall. The proposed budget of $73,062,657 is a half of a percent increase over the actual fiscal year 2016/17 budget. The proposed budget does not call for an increase in the tax rate for property owners, or for the special downtown business district. The budget includes increases for residents in solid waste fees and sewer fees, while holding the same rates on electric service and water. The proposed also decreases the bundling discount of COMPAS TV, telephone and internet by 50% with a total elimination of the discount by next year. It does not change residential internet rates or telephone rates, but does raise commercial telephone rates. Effective January 1st COMPAS Cable will raise broadcast basic cable service to $30.40 per month, with basic cable service going from $76.63 to $82.63. City Council is expected to call a public hearing on the budget at 6pm June 19th.

A Catawba County jury found a Hickory man guilty of indecent exposure following a three-day trial. 46-year-old Neil Wayne Hoyle faces up to 21 months in prison following last week's verdict. Hoyle reportedly stopped at a Hickory residence in March 2016 as a female was unloading groceries from her vehicle. The defendant told her the home looked like it needed remodeling and inquired if he could give her his business card. Reports say as she approached him, she saw that Hoyle had exposed himself. She then went inside and called law enforcement. Hoyle had previously served a prison term in Kansas for a rape conviction; and was further convicted in 2014 in Catawba County for failure to register as a sex offender.

Another name added Friday to Burke County's Most Wanted. 39-year-old Ryan Patrick Denning of Newton is wanted on Felony charges of Breaking & Entering, Larceny After Breaking & Entering alon with Possession of Stolen Goods. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Burke County Sheriff's Office at 828-438-5500 or you can leave an anonymous tip with Morganton-Burke Crime Stoppers at 437-3333.

Authorities are investigating a theft that occurred at a McDowell County campground. Ralph Godbee of Girard, Georgia told deputies he took his gold dredge to the Lucky Strike Campground and Goldmine to look for gold in the campground's creek. Godbee told officers he took the dredge to the bridge near Rhom Town Road; where he placed it in the water and secured it to a tree. Whenever he returned several days later, the dredge was missing. The dredge is described as a silver 4-inch Keene mini; with a Honda engine valued at $5,000. Anyone with information about the theft or possible suspects is urged to call McDowell Crime Stoppers at 652-7463.

A Morganton man is charged with felony breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering and possession of stolen goods. The Burke County Sheriff's Office Thursday reported the charges on 71-year-old Joseph Oswald Civitello, in reference to a larceny at a residence on Narrow Way in Morganton. Civitello's next court date is June 14th and the investigation is ongoing with additional charges pending.

Hickory Fire Battalion Chief Todd Frizsell has retired. He began his employment with the City in 1989 and has served in various positions, including sinci 2013, as Captain and Battalion Chief over the training division. In his retirement Frizsell plans to continue serving as a volunteer firefighter with the Grace Chapel Fire Department.

Shelby Yang of Claremont has won Congressman Patrick McHenry's 10th District Art Competition. Yang's work, "Luminous Soul" was selected by a panel of judges from across the 10th District. Yang is a junior at Bunker High where she studies art under teacher Jana Farris. Congressman McHenry hosted a reception for her Tuesday at his Hickory office, where Yang's parents, Lee and Charlie Yang joined her. Yang's work will be displayed in the U.S.Capitol in Washington D.C. along with pieces from each of the Congressional Districts from across the country.

The April unemployment rate in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area was 3.9%. Area county rates include Alexander at 3.4%, Avery 4.4, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba Counties at 4%, Lincoln 3.7, McDowell 3.9 and Watauga 3.8%. According to the NC Department of Commerce, unemployment rates in April decreased in 97 of the the state's 100 counties. Buncombe County had the lowest unemployment rate at 3.2 %, while Hyde County had the highest at 8.8%.

McDowell Sheriff's Investigators are looking for a stolen four-wheeler. The Green Yamaha ATV was taken last week at a residence on Smith Hill Road in Marion. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Billie Brown at 652-2237 or McDowell Crime Stoppers at 652-7463.

Jury selection began this week for a Spindale church minister accused of assaulting a former church member. Brooke Covington - longtime minister at Word of Faith Fellowship is one of five church members to face trial in the case. She is accused of beating a man at a 2013 prayer service to expel him of homosexual demons. Covington has pleaded not gulty to the charges; but faces up to two years in prison if convicted. An investigation revealed that congregants were ordered by church members to lie to authorities looking into reports of abuse - the investigation further stating two assistant district attorneys and a veteran social worker were among thos who coached congregants and their children on what to say to officials. Former Assistant Attorneys Frank Webster and Chris Back of Burke County are no longer employed by 25th District Attorney David Learner's office.