Matt Mercer – Moore County Edition

Jan

31

2024

First lady Jill Biden visits Forsyth Tech, unveils $30m investment

Newsfirst lady, jill biden

WINSTON-SALEM — First lady Jill Biden made a pair of stops in North Carolina on Friday, Jan. 26, speaking at Forsyth Tech in the morning and then appearing at a fundraising event in Raleigh that afternoon. The visit came just eight days after President Joe Biden made his own visit to the state, and the third in the past four weeks for the administration after Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Charlotte. At the campus of Forsyth Tech, Biden was joined by Gov. Roy Cooper and Winston-Salem mayor Allen Joines to celebrate $30 million in grants provided to two entities…

Aug

30

2023

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By Matt Mercer

Annual Moore County visitor impact report shows 11.3% increase

Businesseconomic impact, tourism

CARTHAGE — Domestic and international visitors to and within Moore County spent $749.50 million in 2022, an increase of 11.3% from 2021, according to new data. The spending report comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. State tax revenue generated in Moore County totaled around $28.9 million through state sales and excise taxes, as well as taxes on personal and corporate income. Statewide, North Carolina set a record for visitor spending in 2022. As previously reported in May, travel statewide rose 15.2%, an increase following a 2021…

Jul

26

2023

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By Matt Mercer

Moore County elections: 2023 municipal ballots are set

Governmentballot, elections, moore county elections

CARTHAGE — The contests for Moore County’s 2023 municipal elections are set. Voters in 11 municipalities will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Aberdeen Board of Commissioners (3 seats) Teressa Beavers Bryan Bowles Ron Utley Elease Goodwin Cameron Mayor Tash Nichols McDuffie Ginger Bauerbrand Cameron Board of Commissioners (3 seats) Michael A. Williamson Lisa Paschal Tanya Nicely Leenheer Carthage Mayor George H. Wilson Jr. Jimmy Chalflinch Ian K. Lumgair Carthage Board of Commissioners (2 seats) Malcolm Hall Dan Bonillo Al Barber Marcus Tush Kevin Lewis Foxfire Village Council (1 seat) George F. Hedrick Mary Gilroy Janice Gregorich Warren…

Jun

28

2023

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By Matt Mercer

Moore commissioners approve new county budget

Government, News2023-24 budget, Moore County Board of Commissioners

CARTHAGE — The Moore County Board of Commissioners gave final approval to its 2023-24 budget in a special session on Thursday, June 22, at the commissioners’ meeting room inside the historic courthouse in Carthage. One of the top priorities of the board’s budget proposal was adjusting the county’s property tax rate. The period revaluation, which was due for Moore County this upcoming year, reassesses all property tax assessments to their current market valuation. Moore County Commissioners stated their goal this year was to make the property tax rate revenue neutral, according to County Manager Wayne Vest. “First and foremost, we…

Jun

21

2023

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By Matt Mercer

US House subcommittee holds energy grid hearing in Moore County

NewsMoore County, Power, Richard Hudson, substation, US Rep Richard Hudson, us representative

PINEHURST — Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce came to Moore County for a Congressional field hearing about securing the nation’s energy grid on June 16. The hearing took place at the Pinehurst Village Hall just miles from the sites of attacks on two power substations that left more than 45,000 in the dark for nearly five days. Rep. Richard Hudson, a member of the committee and resident of Southern Pines, called the field hearing essential and the start of a conversation. “This is a day we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Testimony we…

Mar

31

2023

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By Matt Mercer

NC congressional delegation honors Coble

Government, News

Members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation donned their madras jackets on Friday, March 24, to honor the late Howard Coble on his 92nd birthday. A Republican who lived in Greensboro, Coble served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years representing the Triad and surrounding areas. He died in 2015. Coble was a graduate of Appalachian State University and earned his law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. He served in the Coast Guard and served two terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives following a stint as the state’s Revenue secretary. Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-09) organizes the bipartisan recognition…

Jan

09

2023

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By Matt Mercer

Moore school board moves to ban TikTok

Government, News

PINEHURST — On Monday, Jan. 9, the Moore County School Board moved to ban TikTok from county devices and internet networks. During the morning work session ahead of the regular meeting, a resolution from chairman Robert Levy was presented to the board. Among the reasons in the resolution are the "security concerns of TikTok and ByteDance, ltd. outweigh its educational value to our students." Many states have banned the service from government-owned devices and a ban was included recently for federal government devices in a bill passed late last year. It is believed that once formally approved, Moore County Schools will…

Dec

07

2022

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By Matt Mercer

Moore County suffers stunning attack on power grid

NewsMoore County, power grid, Power outage, power station, vandalism

PINEHURST — On Saturday, Dec. 3, Moore County suffered an attack on two substations that left over 40,000 residents and businesses in the dark. Just after 7 p.m., several different communities across Moore County began experiencing power outages. As utility companies began responding to the different substations, evidence was discovered that indicated that intentional vandalism had occurred at multiple sites. Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said at a Sunday news conference in Carthage that authorities have not determined a motivation. The sheriff said it appeared the culprits pulled up and “opened fire on the substation, the same thing with the…

Aug

10

2022

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By Matt Mercer

Hudson, Clark face off for new 9th District seat

Government, News9th District, Clark, Hudson

RALEIGH — Following a court-ordered redistricting process that will be in effect for 2022 only, the new 9th Congressional District runs from Randolph County down to the Sandhills, taking in all of Chatham, Lee, Hoke, Moore, and Scotland counties as well as parts of Cumberland, Harnett, and Richmond counties. The two candidates advancing from the May 17 primary are Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson and Democratic state Sen. Ben Clark. Hudson, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, found his home in Cabarrus County drawn into a district where fellow Republican Dan Bishop was currently representing much of the…

May

11

2022

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By Matt Mercer

National conservative author to speak at Moore Republican dinner

Newsconservative, Moore Republican dinner

PINEHURST — Nationally-renowned conservative author Deroy Murdock will be in Moore County this weekend to speak at the Moore County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner. A Fox News contributor and prolific writer, Murdock’s weekly columns appear in the New York Post and the Washington Times. A native of Los Angeles, he worked on the 1980 and 1984 presidential campaigns for Ronald Reagan has lectured at the Cato Institute, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Heritage Foundation. He spoke with North State Journal ahead of his visit to the Sandhills about the 2022 midterms and the current state of…