Blog – Moore County Edition

Nov

08

2023

Pizzella wins Pinehurst mayoral race

Government, News

PINEHURST — Pinehurst Village Councilmember Patrick Pizzella was elected mayor in completed unofficial results on Tuesday, Nov. 7. With all five precincts in Pinehurst reporting, Pizzella earned 2,477 votes, good for 48% of the total. Councilmember Jeff Morgan finished second in the race, with 1,892 votes, around 37%, and Kevin Drum, a former member of the village council, finishing with 765 votes, around 15% of the total.

Oct

11

2023

By Asheebo Rojas

Athlete of the Week: Jakarey Gillis

Sportsathlete of the week, moore county football

Jakarey Gillis is a senior running back for the North Moore football team. The Mustangs won their third straight game last Friday, a 48-7 shellacking of Seaforth, and Gillis was a big reason why. He rushed for 244 yards on 18 carries and scored four touchdowns, giving him 14 on the season, one shy of his total for all of last year. Gillis has 998 rushing yards on the year and has more touchdowns than any two other Mustangs combined.

Oct

11

2023

By Asheebo Rojas

Jakarey Gillis, explosive first half push North Moore past Seaforth, 48-7

Sportsmoore county football

North Moore football head coach Andrew Carrouth worried about his team’s focus ahead of Friday’s game against Seaforth, as homecoming festivities created potential distractions. But in route to a 48-7 victory over the Hawks, the Mustangs started the homecoming celebrations early after locking in and playing their brand of football the right way. The Mustangs took care of business behind an explosive 41-point first half and a career night from senior running back Jakarey Gillis. “I really liked the first half,” Carrouth said. “We had a couple of miscues here and there, but I thought we really did a good…

Oct

11

2023

By A.P. Dillon

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…

Oct

11

2023

By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Pinehurst council approves RV space rental fees, reviews new library costs

GovernmentVillage of Pinehurst Council

PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, Sept. 26, primarily focusing on reports. The council began by appointing Carol Henry as the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction representative for the Planning and Zoning Board and Board of Adjustments. “[Henry] holds previous planning and zoning board experience with the Village of Pinehurst having served from around 2014 to 2016, and she’s going to be a benefit to us with that previous experience,” said Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Jeramy Hooper. “Carol will not only fill the ETJ seat for the planning and zoning board but also she will be a voice for…

Oct

11

2023

By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Aberdeen to install stop signs on Shepherd Trail

GovernmentAberdeen Town Board

ABERDEEN — The Aberdeen Town Board tackled road and financial matters at its meeting on Monday, Sept. 25. The meeting kicked off with the Aberdeen Police Department swearing in two new officers, Jose Zapol and Seanessey O’Dowd. The board approved the installation of two stop signs at Shepherd Trail intersections in response to residents’ concerns about speeding. “A few weeks ago, we received phone calls from concerned residents within Shepherd Trail,” said Director of Public Works Joe Wood. “We’ve had this problem, several phone calls over the past few years… Shepherd Trail is being used as a shortcut from Roseland…

Oct

04

2023

By Moore County Staff

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jacey Olsen

Sportsathlete of the week

Jacey Olsen is a senior outside hitter and team captain for the Pinecrest volleyball team. Pinecrest volleyball went 2-1 last week, sweeping conference foes Richmond and Southern Lee, while dropping a non-conference tilt at Green Hope. The Patriots moved to 13-6 on the season and a perfect 8-0 in the Sandhills Conference, putting them in first place by a full two matches. Olsen led the way in the win over Richmond, getting a team-high 20 kills, to go with her 3 aces and 5 blocks, both second-most on the team, and her 8 digs, which were good for third. She…

Oct

04

2023

By Moore County Staff

Pinecrest, North Moore record wins

SportsMoore County sports

Two of the three football teams in Moore County won their games on Friday. Pinecrest improved to 6-0 on the season, while North Moore won its second straight. Union Pines was the lone team on the wrong side of the ledger, falling for the second time in the last three games. Pinecrest 49, Southern Lee 7: The Patriots moved to 6-0 on the year, their best start to a season since winning their first seven in 2016. Pinecrest hammered Southern Lee for their ninth straight win over the Cavaliers. Chris Najm piled up 270 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns, to…

Oct

04

2023

By Moore County Staff

Moore Regional Hospital among nation’s top hospitals for the third straight year

NewsMoore regional hospital

PINEHURST─ Moore County’s primary healthcare unit has once again been named one of the nation’s 100 top hospitals after an independent quality assessment conducted by a national technology company. According to PINC AI, the technology and services brand of Charlotte-based Premier, Inc., Moore Regional Hospital is the only hospital in North Carolina to achieve this prestigious designation as one of the top 100 hospitals in the country. This marks the third consecutive year and the eighth year overall that Moore Regional has been honored as one of the nation’s premier healthcare institutions. The list was first published in Forbes.  The compilation…

Oct

04

2023

By Ryan Henkel

CDP for S. Bennett Street mixed-use development finally approved by council

Governmenttown of southern pines council

SOUTHERN PINES – The Town of Southern Pines Council met Tuesday, Sept. 12, with multiple developmental items on the agenda. In terms of action items, the council was first presented with a request for an architectural compliance permit for seven four-bedroom cottages and three eight-bedroom cottages off Country Club Circle for the Southern Pines Golf Club. The permit sought deviations from two architectural compliance standards, those being ones for building materials, as over 20% of the building contains stucco features, and one for windows because the style and choice reflect residential instead of commercial standards. However, due to the absence…