A.P. Dillon – Moore County Edition

Oct

11

2023

Moore County Principal is first recipient of True Trailblazer Science of Reading Award

NewsTrue Trailblazer Science of Reading Award

RALEIGH — On Oct. 3, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) honored Principal Ashlee Ciccone as the first recipient of the True Trailblazer Science of Reading Award. Ciccone is the principal of Pinehurst Elementary School in Moore County Public Schools. NCDPI’s account on the social media platform X issued a post congratulating Ciccone as being “recognized for her exemplary efforts to guide the school through its shift to SoR [Science of Reading], positively impacting professional & student knowledge & collaboration.” According to the district, Ciccone had begun using LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional…

Sep

20

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

Moore County Schools makes headway in returning to pre-pandemic learning levels

News

RALEIGH — Moore County Public Schools (MCS) appears to be making headway in returning to pre-pandemic student achievement and school performance ratings. MCS reported on the district’s testing and school grades for the 2022-23 school year following the Sept. 6 release of testing accountability and school performance data by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). According to MCS, the district outperformed the state of North Carolina in all 18 tested areas. Like most of the districts in the state, MCS proficiency levels increased across all testing subject areas with a few exceptions. “Prior to the pandemic, in 2018-2019,…

Sep

07

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

Report: Community college student’s program access blocked by COVID vaccination status

Newscolleges, vaccination

RALEIGH — A report of a student in a community college health education program having her access to clinical sites blocked due to her vaccination status recently surfaced on social media. In a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter, Envisage Law firm attorney James Lawrence made the claims that a female student was denied access to the Sandhills Community College health program based on the fact she was unvaccinated. “Community colleges in NC are discriminating against students who want to be part of the health care profession because they declined a COVID-19 vaccine,” Lawrence wrote in the thread. “@SandhillsCC…

Jul

05

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

First ever homeschool prom in Moore County held

FeaturesEducation, high school prom, home school, Moore County, schools

WHISPERING PINES — On May 12, the first-ever Moore County Homeschool Prom was held for students in grades 9-12 in Whispering Pines, North Carolina. The prom was held at The Country Club of Whispering Pines from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets to attend were $75 and included a seated dinner, raffle ticket, mocktail celebration drink, and 4x6 commemorative photo. Chris and Betsy Miller, who are homeschool parents from Moore County, organized the event. “As parents who choose to homeschool, we know that our kids are missing out on certain things; that is WHY we homeschool,” the Millers said. “But…

May

31

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

336 K-12 schools receive Purple Star recognition

Newsawardees, N.C. Department of Public Instruction, Purple Star

RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Public Instruction announced 336 K-12 schools had received a Purple Star Award earlier this month. The Purple Star Award was established in 2019 and goes to schools recognized for demonstrating military-friendly practices and a commitment to military students and families. This year, 336 K-12 public schools in 17 districts across the state were recognized for the award. Included in the list were nine public charter schools. “These Purple Star Awardees have gone beyond the standard call of duty to ensure their school and classroom environments accommodate military-connected students,” State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said in…

May

17

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

Driver permit bill becomes law without governor’s signature

NewsDMV, drivers license, General Assembly, NCGA

RALEIGH — A bill modifying limited provisional licenses became law without Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature. This is the fourth bill during the current session of the General Assembly to become law without the governor’s signature. The other bills passing into law without Cooper’s signature include laws on hotel safety issues, rioting and civil disorder penalties, and a law altering the governing structure of schools for the deaf and blind. All three bills have been introduced in the previous legislative session and received vetoes from Cooper. The enacted legislation is Senate Bill 157, Limited Provisional License Modification. The bill passed…

May

03

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

Stabbing at Moore County high school leaves female student in stable condition

Newsassault, Moore County Public Schools, Pinecrest High school, school violence, stabbing

RALEIGH — A female student at Pinecrest High School in the Moore County Public Schools district is in stable condition after being stabbed on campus on the morning of April 28. Moore County Public Schools’ initial press statement said that “a serious assault incident occurred at Pinecrest High School prior to the start of the school day.” The statement said multiple agencies responded to the incident, including EMS, and that a suspect was in custody and the victim is being treated. “All students and staff are safe and accounted for. Pinecrest High School was in a modified lockdown for a…

May

03

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

Moore County Schools reports bomb threat to middle school

Newsbomb threat, Moore County Public Schools, Moore County Schools, New Century Middle School, school violence

PINEHURST — Moore County Public Schools received a bomb threat on one of its middle schools, according to an April 26 press statement by the district. “This afternoon, a bomb threat was reported at New Century Middle School. The school immediately evacuated all students and staff following the procedure for this situation,” the statement said. “Currently, authorities are conducting a full search of the campus. All students and staff remained in their designated safe areas.” The district said it appreciated the support of the Moore County Sheriff’s Department, Carthage Police Department, and Moore County Schools Police. The statement also said…

Apr

21

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

Insurance Commissioner disagrees with part of audit of volunteer fire dept. grants

Newsaudit, insurance commissioner, NC Department of Insurance, volunteer fire

RALEIGH — A state audit of volunteer fire department grants issued by the N.C. Department of Insurance has cited problems with the way the grants were distributed. The audit included $56.2 million in grants distributed by the N.C. Department of Insurance (DOI) spanning Jan. 1, 2021, through Oct. 31, 2022. According to the press release by the State Auditor’s office, “As of Nov. 30, 2022, $41.1 million (73%) was disbursed to volunteer fire departments.” Two findings were included in the audit made claims that the grants were made with “limited verification” the departments were eligible to either receive funds or…

Mar

01

2023

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By A.P. Dillon

NC House Speaker ‘grateful’ to officers following traffic incident

Newscar accident, drunk driving, DUI, law enforcement, NC House Speaker, Officer Jason Perdue, Tim Moore

RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) is grateful to the law enforcement officers who were on hand when the vehicle he was traveling in was rammed by an apparent drunk driver. Moore said he, Rep. David Willis of Union County and Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Gurley were returning to Raleigh after a series of events in Wilson. The speaker’s security officer was driving the SUV westbound on U.S. Highway 64 near Knightdale around 9:30 p.m. when it was rammed from behind at least three times, Moore told reporters at the Legislative Building. Moore praised his…