HE WAS HURT IN CRASH AS DEPUTIES TRIED TO SERVE A WARRANT
Friday, September 29, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities continued searching for a Lenoir man who signed himself out of a Winston-Salem hospital Tuesday after he was injured in a Saturday crash while deputies tried to serve him with a warrant.
Jeremy David Greene, 30, was injured Saturday after Caldwell County sheriff's deputies approached him with a warrant charging him with misdemeanor larceny and failing to pay child support, said Capt. David Anderson.
The deputies confronted Greene on foot, Anderson said, and Greene then ran to his pickup truck and drove away. Within moments, he crashed into a Lexus SUV, which then struck a Sheriff's Office patrol car, Anderson said.
Greene, who suffered broken ribs and head injuries in the wreck, was taken to Caldwell Memorial Hospital before being airlifted to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, Anderson said.
He was listed in critical condition but signed himself out of the hospital on Tuesday against the advice of hospital staff, Anderson said.
Anderson said hospital security and local police in Winston-Salem were told to notify the Sheriff's Office when Greene was released.
"Somehow, it slipped through the cracks," Anderson said.
Greene's sister, Anderson said, picked him up at the hospital and briefly took him to his parents' home in Lenoir before dropping him off in the city's Piney community.
Greene's family said they have not heard from him since Tuesday, Anderson said. Authorities worry that Greene is still critically injured and is not receiving medical treatment.
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and may not be republished without permission.
9/27/06
Lenoir -- Where sculpture reigns
CALDWELL COUNTY IS DOTTED WITH NEARLY 50 OUTDOOR WORKS OF ART
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
New York. Paris. Lenoir?
Major cities boasting public art collections have a rival in Caldwell County, now officially one of the nation's premier areas for public outdoor sculpture.
Nearly 50 works of art, including Mike Roig's prominent West Wind Sentinel on U.S. 321, are scattered around the county, putting it among the largest outdoor public sculpture collections, per capita, in the U.S.
Residents of Caldwell County knew the collection was one of the nation's most extensive, said Caldwell Arts Council executive director Carol Lee Giduz, but it was something the arts council had never officially confirmed.
The Smithsonian in Washington, however, had been tracking the county's collection as part of its Save Outdoor Sculpture initiative, said art council member Norma Suddreth.
"They (told us) that we had a large number of sculpture for a town our size," she said, "but the number they credited us with was lower than what we actually had."
A study by the mathematics department of Appalachian State University and graduate student Jane Robertson confirmed that the county ranked No. 1 for communities its size, and in the top 2 percent in the U.S.
"No one of a similar population even came close to the collection size," Robertson said.
The statistics were confirmed by the N.C. secretary of cultural resources.
Said Giduz: "There's sculpture gardens and sculpture parks, but we have a sculpture county."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
New York. Paris. Lenoir?
Major cities boasting public art collections have a rival in Caldwell County, now officially one of the nation's premier areas for public outdoor sculpture.
Nearly 50 works of art, including Mike Roig's prominent West Wind Sentinel on U.S. 321, are scattered around the county, putting it among the largest outdoor public sculpture collections, per capita, in the U.S.
Residents of Caldwell County knew the collection was one of the nation's most extensive, said Caldwell Arts Council executive director Carol Lee Giduz, but it was something the arts council had never officially confirmed.
The Smithsonian in Washington, however, had been tracking the county's collection as part of its Save Outdoor Sculpture initiative, said art council member Norma Suddreth.
"They (told us) that we had a large number of sculpture for a town our size," she said, "but the number they credited us with was lower than what we actually had."
A study by the mathematics department of Appalachian State University and graduate student Jane Robertson confirmed that the county ranked No. 1 for communities its size, and in the top 2 percent in the U.S.
"No one of a similar population even came close to the collection size," Robertson said.
The statistics were confirmed by the N.C. secretary of cultural resources.
Said Giduz: "There's sculpture gardens and sculpture parks, but we have a sculpture county."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
9/26/06
Sheriff's Office says rash of cigarette thefts possibly related
Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
A rash of thefts of cigarettes in the Catawba Valley have authorities wondering how many of the incidents are connected.
Investigators for several agencies have responded to seven reports of cigarette thefts with breaking and entering during the last two weeks. Since Friday, more than $3,400 in cigarettes - about 120 cartons - were taken from three retailers in Hickory and Conover, according to police reports.
Catawba County Sheriff's Office Maj. Coy Reid said at least three of the five larcenies in the county are connected. One suspect, who authorities believe is a woman, appears in the security videos from three thefts, Reid said.
Hickory Police Department officers responded to similar calls on Friday and Saturday, but police administrative assistant Libby Grigg said city officers are unsure if the incidents were related.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
A rash of thefts of cigarettes in the Catawba Valley have authorities wondering how many of the incidents are connected.
Investigators for several agencies have responded to seven reports of cigarette thefts with breaking and entering during the last two weeks. Since Friday, more than $3,400 in cigarettes - about 120 cartons - were taken from three retailers in Hickory and Conover, according to police reports.
Catawba County Sheriff's Office Maj. Coy Reid said at least three of the five larcenies in the county are connected. One suspect, who authorities believe is a woman, appears in the security videos from three thefts, Reid said.
Hickory Police Department officers responded to similar calls on Friday and Saturday, but police administrative assistant Libby Grigg said city officers are unsure if the incidents were related.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
9/24/06
Orchestra putting string quartets through tryouts
Sunday, September 24, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
It's a string quartet Battle of the Bands.
For its upcoming season, the Western Piedmont Symphony is mixing things up by inviting four string quartets from around the nation to audition for a three-year stint with the orchestra.
The Degas Quartet, which joined the symphony after a similar tryout, completed its residency last season.
Conductor John Gordon Ross said he's both excited and a little nervous about bringing in a new principle string group, with four new musicians.
"Having those people in those front chairs will change the sound of the orchestra," Ross said. "(But) this is the best four groups we've had come to town in a single year. I think maybe this takes us a step up."
The quartets auditioning are LaCatrina from Kent State University, Kailas from Rice University, Hyperion from San Diego State University the Vega String Quartet from Emory University.
The musicians in those quartets are from all over the world, symphony Executive Director John Brown said, including Mexico, Great Britain and Japan.
"The fact that we have the four quartets challenging each other and bringing different backgrounds and cultural emphasis to the community is important," Brown said.
Each quartet will have two main performances in its audition - one with the orchestra in the Masterworks series and one in the Friends of the Quartet Chamber Classics Series.
Ross said each quartet will keep busy while here. Their itineraries include performances at schools, community centers and retirement homes, formal dinners and B-flat concerts.
At the end of the season, Ross and a committee of symphony board members, members of the community and orchestra musicians will select one of the quartets to join the symphony for the 2007-08 season.
It isn't just the auditioning quartets that make the upcoming season unique, Brown said. The Masterworks Series will hold its first performance at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. Previously all concerts have been held at First Baptist Church in Hickory.
"We've become more of the western Piedmont, which we are," Brown said. "We're not the Hickory Symphony."
As in past years, the symphony will host a 6 p.m. dinner before each performance. Masterworks dinners will be held at Michael's on Fourth, and Chamber Classics dinners will take place in the north lobby of the SALT Block. Each costs $30.
Ross said he's looking forward to the season.
"I've been here 15 years, and it's always very interesting," he said. "There's a little bit of excitement and well-directed anxiety, and that makes it kind of fun."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
It's a string quartet Battle of the Bands.
For its upcoming season, the Western Piedmont Symphony is mixing things up by inviting four string quartets from around the nation to audition for a three-year stint with the orchestra.
The Degas Quartet, which joined the symphony after a similar tryout, completed its residency last season.
Conductor John Gordon Ross said he's both excited and a little nervous about bringing in a new principle string group, with four new musicians.
"Having those people in those front chairs will change the sound of the orchestra," Ross said. "(But) this is the best four groups we've had come to town in a single year. I think maybe this takes us a step up."
The quartets auditioning are LaCatrina from Kent State University, Kailas from Rice University, Hyperion from San Diego State University the Vega String Quartet from Emory University.
The musicians in those quartets are from all over the world, symphony Executive Director John Brown said, including Mexico, Great Britain and Japan.
"The fact that we have the four quartets challenging each other and bringing different backgrounds and cultural emphasis to the community is important," Brown said.
Each quartet will have two main performances in its audition - one with the orchestra in the Masterworks series and one in the Friends of the Quartet Chamber Classics Series.
Ross said each quartet will keep busy while here. Their itineraries include performances at schools, community centers and retirement homes, formal dinners and B-flat concerts.
At the end of the season, Ross and a committee of symphony board members, members of the community and orchestra musicians will select one of the quartets to join the symphony for the 2007-08 season.
It isn't just the auditioning quartets that make the upcoming season unique, Brown said. The Masterworks Series will hold its first performance at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. Previously all concerts have been held at First Baptist Church in Hickory.
"We've become more of the western Piedmont, which we are," Brown said. "We're not the Hickory Symphony."
As in past years, the symphony will host a 6 p.m. dinner before each performance. Masterworks dinners will be held at Michael's on Fourth, and Chamber Classics dinners will take place in the north lobby of the SALT Block. Each costs $30.
Ross said he's looking forward to the season.
"I've been here 15 years, and it's always very interesting," he said. "There's a little bit of excitement and well-directed anxiety, and that makes it kind of fun."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
9/23/06
Officer kills man after woman reports assault
RAMPAGE, ATTACK ON GIRLFRIEND END WITH CLOSE-RANGE SHOOTING
Saturday, September 23, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
HICKORY -- The girlfriend of a man killed by a Hickory police officer praised the officer Friday for protecting her and her baby.
Officer Melissa Hildebrand killed Garry Wayne McCloud, 51, Thursday night after responding to a call at Ridgeview apartment complex in southeast Hickory, police said.
Hildebrand, who has worked as an officer since April, is on administrative leave with pay until the State Bureau of Investigation and Hickory Police Department complete their investigations, police said.
Linda Andrews, 31, told the Observer she was holding her baby Thursday night when McCloud, her boyfriend of two years, kicked through a window. Andrews said McCloud threw a chair at her, and she had to lift her arm to protect their 1-year-old daughter. She said she handed her child to a friend just in time.
"(He) knocked me down from behind," Andrews said, "and starting hitting my head on the ground."
Andrews said she called police about 6 p.m., as McCloud was thrashing through the living room, kitchen and upstairs bedroom of her apartment. By the time Hildebrand got there eight minutes later, Maj. Tom Adkins said, McCloud had left.
Andrews said Hildebrand, 33, had been at her apartment for only a couple of minutes when McCloud returned. He rounded the corner of the complex's parking lot in his pickup truck and smashed into Andrews' 1996 Buick.
McCloud then got out of the truck, Andrews said, and began yelling and walking toward them. Andrew's friend Maresia Covington, who was with Andrews when she called police, said McCloud was visibly agitated and hostile.
"The way it looked to me, he wanted to take the gun from the officer and kill (Andrews)," Covington said.
Hildebrand told McCloud to stop approaching, Adkins said. Covington and Andrews said McCloud stopped only briefly before coming toward the group again.
Then, they said, Hildebrand forcefully told McCloud to lay on the ground, pulling out the 9 mm semi-automatic handgun from her holster. McCloud continued to walk toward Hildebrand. Covington recalls Hildebrand backing up and repeatedly yelling, "Sir, I don't want to have to shoot you."
McCloud was within five feet of Hildebrand when the officer pulled the trigger, Adkins said.
Andrews said she heard two shots before McCloud fell to the ground. Andrews ran around the corner of the apartment and said she recalls hearing three more shots.
Adkins would not say how many shots were fired or where the bullets penetrated McCloud's body.
Adkins said Hickory police officers are trained to "defend themselves reasonably." They do not have specific guidelines saying an officer must first see a weapon, where to aim or when to shoot, he said. Officers carry a baton and pepper spray in addition to a gun, he said.
"The key is to take the force necessary to stop the threat, whatever that might be," Adkins said. "Every situation is different. Every person is different. You can't say `aim here.' "
Backup officers were on the way to the apartment when McCloud was shot, Adkins said.
Court records show McCloud had been arrested twice for assault on a female, and he appeared in court Monday for striking Andrews in July. The district judge released him on a 60-day suspended sentence and two years' probation.
Police would not say whether McCloud was armed, but Andrews said her boyfriend didn't carry a weapon. Still, Andrews said, she was worried McCloud, who did not live at the apartment, would kill her and hurt her children.
Andrews and Covington said they are collecting money from other residents to send Hildebrand flowers as a thank-you.
"(Hildebrand) saved our lives," Andrews said. "She saved me and my babies."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
HICKORY -- The girlfriend of a man killed by a Hickory police officer praised the officer Friday for protecting her and her baby.
Officer Melissa Hildebrand killed Garry Wayne McCloud, 51, Thursday night after responding to a call at Ridgeview apartment complex in southeast Hickory, police said.
Hildebrand, who has worked as an officer since April, is on administrative leave with pay until the State Bureau of Investigation and Hickory Police Department complete their investigations, police said.
Linda Andrews, 31, told the Observer she was holding her baby Thursday night when McCloud, her boyfriend of two years, kicked through a window. Andrews said McCloud threw a chair at her, and she had to lift her arm to protect their 1-year-old daughter. She said she handed her child to a friend just in time.
"(He) knocked me down from behind," Andrews said, "and starting hitting my head on the ground."
Andrews said she called police about 6 p.m., as McCloud was thrashing through the living room, kitchen and upstairs bedroom of her apartment. By the time Hildebrand got there eight minutes later, Maj. Tom Adkins said, McCloud had left.
Andrews said Hildebrand, 33, had been at her apartment for only a couple of minutes when McCloud returned. He rounded the corner of the complex's parking lot in his pickup truck and smashed into Andrews' 1996 Buick.
McCloud then got out of the truck, Andrews said, and began yelling and walking toward them. Andrew's friend Maresia Covington, who was with Andrews when she called police, said McCloud was visibly agitated and hostile.
"The way it looked to me, he wanted to take the gun from the officer and kill (Andrews)," Covington said.
Hildebrand told McCloud to stop approaching, Adkins said. Covington and Andrews said McCloud stopped only briefly before coming toward the group again.
Then, they said, Hildebrand forcefully told McCloud to lay on the ground, pulling out the 9 mm semi-automatic handgun from her holster. McCloud continued to walk toward Hildebrand. Covington recalls Hildebrand backing up and repeatedly yelling, "Sir, I don't want to have to shoot you."
McCloud was within five feet of Hildebrand when the officer pulled the trigger, Adkins said.
Andrews said she heard two shots before McCloud fell to the ground. Andrews ran around the corner of the apartment and said she recalls hearing three more shots.
Adkins would not say how many shots were fired or where the bullets penetrated McCloud's body.
Adkins said Hickory police officers are trained to "defend themselves reasonably." They do not have specific guidelines saying an officer must first see a weapon, where to aim or when to shoot, he said. Officers carry a baton and pepper spray in addition to a gun, he said.
"The key is to take the force necessary to stop the threat, whatever that might be," Adkins said. "Every situation is different. Every person is different. You can't say `aim here.' "
Backup officers were on the way to the apartment when McCloud was shot, Adkins said.
Court records show McCloud had been arrested twice for assault on a female, and he appeared in court Monday for striking Andrews in July. The district judge released him on a 60-day suspended sentence and two years' probation.
Police would not say whether McCloud was armed, but Andrews said her boyfriend didn't carry a weapon. Still, Andrews said, she was worried McCloud, who did not live at the apartment, would kill her and hurt her children.
Andrews and Covington said they are collecting money from other residents to send Hildebrand flowers as a thank-you.
"(Hildebrand) saved our lives," Andrews said. "She saved me and my babies."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
9/22/06
Hickory's past making a comeback
Friday, September 22, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
HICKORY -- It's been more than six decades since Roger Cooke, 65, created his first mural - a crayon piece scrawled above his bed.
His father didn't appreciate his 2-year-old son's artistic talents much then, but now, in Hickory's Union Square, Cooke is still decorating walls. And people are loving it.
"It's really neat," said 9-year-old Cameron Amos. "It shows how they used to live and how they traveled."
Cameron's favorite part? The Piedmont Wagon.
"I like horses and watching people ride them," Cameron said during a field trip to the mural with his Oakwood Elementary third-grade class.
Cooke is nearly finished with the 25-by-34-foot mural. He expects to finish the project next week, and the city is planning a reception to unveil the completed project during the Sept. 28 art crawl.
The horses, Cooke said, are his favorite, too.
"They were most fun," he said of the six panels, which also depict the Hickory Tavern, a historic view of Union Square, the Southern Railroad, the Huffrey Hotel and workers in front of the Hickory Manufacturing Co.
Four prominent Hickory residents - principal E.T. Moore, merchant Alex Shuford, newspaper publisher Lester Clark Gifford and manufacturer Alfred Moretz - are also featured in the mural.
Bambi Small, Cameron's teacher, says the mural not only allows her students to bring their parents downtown and share what they are learning but teaches the children about history, math and reading, as well.
Cooke, an Oregon-based artist, has been painting the mural on the west-facing wall of the Deitz & Taylor Jewelry Store in Union Square since Aug. 29. And after three years of planning, city officials are pleased with the way it's turning out.
"It's a wonderful gift to the community," said Beth Watts, a member of the city's public art commission. "It's a great way for Hickory to embrace its history."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
HICKORY -- It's been more than six decades since Roger Cooke, 65, created his first mural - a crayon piece scrawled above his bed.
His father didn't appreciate his 2-year-old son's artistic talents much then, but now, in Hickory's Union Square, Cooke is still decorating walls. And people are loving it.
"It's really neat," said 9-year-old Cameron Amos. "It shows how they used to live and how they traveled."
Cameron's favorite part? The Piedmont Wagon.
"I like horses and watching people ride them," Cameron said during a field trip to the mural with his Oakwood Elementary third-grade class.
Cooke is nearly finished with the 25-by-34-foot mural. He expects to finish the project next week, and the city is planning a reception to unveil the completed project during the Sept. 28 art crawl.
The horses, Cooke said, are his favorite, too.
"They were most fun," he said of the six panels, which also depict the Hickory Tavern, a historic view of Union Square, the Southern Railroad, the Huffrey Hotel and workers in front of the Hickory Manufacturing Co.
Four prominent Hickory residents - principal E.T. Moore, merchant Alex Shuford, newspaper publisher Lester Clark Gifford and manufacturer Alfred Moretz - are also featured in the mural.
Bambi Small, Cameron's teacher, says the mural not only allows her students to bring their parents downtown and share what they are learning but teaches the children about history, math and reading, as well.
Cooke, an Oregon-based artist, has been painting the mural on the west-facing wall of the Deitz & Taylor Jewelry Store in Union Square since Aug. 29. And after three years of planning, city officials are pleased with the way it's turning out.
"It's a wonderful gift to the community," said Beth Watts, a member of the city's public art commission. "It's a great way for Hickory to embrace its history."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
9/8/06
Gas prices cover wide range here
IN TAYLORSVILLE, YOU COULD GET IT FOR $2.35; IN HICKORY, ONE PLACE WAS ASKING $2.79
WHY THE DISCREPANCY? IT DEPENDS ON RETAILERS' RENT, LOCATION, VOLUME AND WHOLESALE COSTS
Friday, September 8, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Like most motorists in the Catawba Valley, Robert Morrison is paying anywhere from $2.35 to $2.79 for a gallon of gasoline.
Swelling gas prices are one thing, but it's the discrepancy in what some local stations charge for a gallon of regular unleaded - a difference of 44 cents, in some cases - that he doesn't understand.
"That's a big gap," said Morrison, who moved here from California in 1995 to retire. "I've never seen anything like it."
A Wal-Mart in Taylorsville, about 20 miles from downtown Hickory, was selling regular unleaded gas for $2.35 Wednesday. Gas stations on Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard, by comparison, peaked at $2.79 on the same day.
For Morrison, that's $9.24 in savings every time he fills up his 21-gallon truck.
"That's a lot of money," he said. "Some people are getting bargains, and some people aren't."
Around Hickory, stores in the southwest area of the city generally offered lower prices, about $2.56 on average, than most stations in southeast Hickory, which hovered between $2.65 and $2.79, according to a survey of stations on Wednesday.
Several local gas station owners declined to discuss how they price gas.
Retailers look at a number of factors when setting prices, said Jonathan Cogin, energy information specialist at the Energy Information Administration in Washington.
Retailers often look at wholesale gas prices and competition with other stores. Rent and staff costs can also affect prices.
Some stores could see more traffic than others, he said, allowing owners to reduce what they charge per gallon.
"An isolated station in a rural area isn't going to be turning their product over as quickly as a station on a major highway," Cogin said. "There's a lot of factors and people have problems seeing that."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
WHY THE DISCREPANCY? IT DEPENDS ON RETAILERS' RENT, LOCATION, VOLUME AND WHOLESALE COSTS
Friday, September 8, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Like most motorists in the Catawba Valley, Robert Morrison is paying anywhere from $2.35 to $2.79 for a gallon of gasoline.
Swelling gas prices are one thing, but it's the discrepancy in what some local stations charge for a gallon of regular unleaded - a difference of 44 cents, in some cases - that he doesn't understand.
"That's a big gap," said Morrison, who moved here from California in 1995 to retire. "I've never seen anything like it."
A Wal-Mart in Taylorsville, about 20 miles from downtown Hickory, was selling regular unleaded gas for $2.35 Wednesday. Gas stations on Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard, by comparison, peaked at $2.79 on the same day.
For Morrison, that's $9.24 in savings every time he fills up his 21-gallon truck.
"That's a lot of money," he said. "Some people are getting bargains, and some people aren't."
Around Hickory, stores in the southwest area of the city generally offered lower prices, about $2.56 on average, than most stations in southeast Hickory, which hovered between $2.65 and $2.79, according to a survey of stations on Wednesday.
Several local gas station owners declined to discuss how they price gas.
Retailers look at a number of factors when setting prices, said Jonathan Cogin, energy information specialist at the Energy Information Administration in Washington.
Retailers often look at wholesale gas prices and competition with other stores. Rent and staff costs can also affect prices.
Some stores could see more traffic than others, he said, allowing owners to reduce what they charge per gallon.
"An isolated station in a rural area isn't going to be turning their product over as quickly as a station on a major highway," Cogin said. "There's a lot of factors and people have problems seeing that."
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
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