News – Moore County Edition

Feb

09

2022

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By Moore County Staff

Gregory changes retirement date

Government, News

PINEHURST — After announcing his retirement from the Moore County Board of Commissioners with an effective date of March 1, Louis Gregory has changed his retirement date to Feb 16. The County GOP Executive Committee will select Gregory’s replacement at a Feb. 18 meeting. Gregory’s change will lengthen the amount of time the appointee will serve. The appointee will serve through December 1. A special election will be held allowing voters to select the person who will complete the final two years of Gregory’s term.

Feb

09

2022

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By Moore County Staff

Pinehurst to review proposed street dining ban in March

Government, NewsPinehurst

PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst’s proposed outdoor street dining ban will be subject to review some time in March. The ban, which is slated to take effect on April 1, would prevent restaurants from using adjacent property for outdoor seating. Expanded outdoor dining has been a rare area of bipartisan agreement between Republican legislative leaders and the Democratic governor, with outdoor options first executed via executive order from Roy Cooper and later codified into state law. A discussion during the Village Council’s Jan. 11 work session outlined three options for outdoor street dining. Jeff Batton, Assistant Village Manager of…

Feb

02

2022

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By Moore County Staff

Locals make voices heard against vaccine mandates

News

PINEHURST — Citizen groups across the globe are protesting vaccine mandates as vaccine effectiveness against new variants of the COVID-19 virus has waned and Americans who are vaccinated are not showing high demand for boosters. On January 23, tens of thousands of people rallied on the National Mall to oppose government vaccine requirements. Mitch Lancaster, a Moore County resident and former Southern Pines councilman, was one of the attendees from across the country to attend the event. “I was thoroughly impressed with the doctors, their speeches and their commitment to the patient/doctor relationship. These men and women have taken a…

Feb

02

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Book controversy heads to school board

Newsbooks, Education, library, schools

Alex Gino on September 15, 2016 in front of the Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin during their participation at the section International Children´s and Young Adult Literature of the 16th International Literature Festival Berlin. (Christoph Rieger | CC BY-SA 4.0) Board members Holmes and Levy both have objections to “George.” RALEIGH — The controversial book “George” remains on the library shelves in two of the district’s schools while a complaint filed over the book heads to the Moore County school board. The book, written by Alex Gino, has been considered controversial for its transgender storyline of a fourth-grade boy…

Feb

01

2022

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By Moore County Staff

Gregory will retire from board of commissioners

Government, News

CARTHAGE — Louis Gregory, who is serving his second term on the board of county commissioners, has announced his retirement, effective March 1. Gregory, a Republican, had a long career in law enforcement before joining the commissioners board, including serving as the police chief in Whispering Pines. He is serving his second year as vice chair of the board. Gregory’s replacement must be a Republican and reside in District 2, which includes Pinehurst, Seven Lakes and Taylortown. N.C. law requires the board of commissioners to consult with the county executive committee of the GOP before filling the vacancy.

Jan

28

2022

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By Moore County Staff

More winter weather expected this weekend

NewsPinehurst, snow, Weather, winter

Pinehurst Resort after a light snow on January 23, 2022 (David Sinclair | For the North State Journal) RALEIGH — Residents and officials across North Carolina are bracing for a powerful winter storm expected to produce snow and high winds Friday and Saturday. Heavy snow and strong winds were forecasted to begin in parts of N.C. on Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service. The system will then intensify as a nor’easter and bring snowy conditions up the East Coast to New England, where forecasters warned of localized snowfall totals of up to 20 inches and wind gusts of…

Jan

28

2022

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By JILL BLEED and SEAN MURPHY Associated Press

‘Tiger King’ resentenced to 21 years in prison

Entertainment, News

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge resentenced “Tiger King” Joe Exotic to 21 years in prison on Friday, reducing his punishment by just a year after an appeals court ordered a new sentence. Joe Exotic — whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — was convicted in a murder-for-hire case involving animal welfare activist Carole Baskin. Both were featured in Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” Maldonado-Passage was resentenced after a federal appeals court ruled last year than improper sentencing guidelines were used. Prosecutors say Maldonado-Passage tried to hire two people — including an undercover FBI agent — to kill…

Jan

28

2022

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By Moore County Staff

Three county students named Park Scholarship finalists

NewsEducation, NC State, schools

RALEIGH — Three Moore County seniors have been named finalists for N.C. State's top merit scholarship. Natham Timothy Auman of Union Pines, Molly Sue Smith of North Moore and Ethan Alexander Spain of Pinecrest were named finalists for the Park Scholarship. The Park Scholarships program announced Friday that 112 finalists were named from 2,260 applicants from across the United States. Nathan Timothy Auman, son of Bryan and Stephanie Auman, is from Jackson Springs. Auman will graduate from Union Pines High School where he is the commanding officer of the Navy JROTC, editor-in-chief of the yearbook and core leader of Student2Student.…

Jan

26

2022

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By Moore County Staff

Haddock becomes police chief in Robbins

Government, Newspolice, Robbins

ROBBINS — A former Vass police officer was sworn in last week as the new police chief in Robbins. Benjamin Haddock worked with the Vass police department for eight years. Haddock takes over a position that has been vacant since July, following the resignation of former chief Lawson Thomas. The Robbins police force had been depleted following other officer resignations in 2021 but recently hired additional officers before hiring Haddock.

Jan

26

2022

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By Moore County Staff

Vass charter school to phase out high school

Business, Government, NewsEducation, schools

The Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School of Vass, known as STARS Charter, will phase out its high school program citing declining student numbers. The school said their enrollment numbers did not meet expectations and the high school caused a budget deficit. Executive Director Wes Graner said in a January 9 letter to parents that “if things continue as they are, which I clearly believe they will, or I would not have started this process, I have the following concern for our entire school’s future.”