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Cowboy Church pastors hold services in cowboy boots, cowboy hats and official Cowboy Church Network belt buckles -- not your typical vestments. The church's mission is "impacting the cowboy culture with the gospel of Jesus by planting Cowboy Churches throughout North America."
Cowboy Church trades saddles for pews
At a time when church attendance is down nationwide, the Cowboy Church Network of North America (CCNNA) is forming new churches with enthusiastic congregations, like the Happy Trails Cowboy Church of Jefferson which, after a long search for a pastor and a permanent place of worship, now serves a growing membership of 30-plus who are “Ridin’ for Jesus.” “We’ve had a great response,” said Deacon John Lisk, a member of the Cowboy Church since ...
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The Easter Bunny was ready to take pictures with children during 2012's Easter egg hunt.
3,600 eggs for the taking
To celebrate Easter, the Ashe County Parks and Recreations will hold their annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30 at Ashe County Park, and a big turnout is expected. Missy Parker, program manager of Ashe County Parks and Recreations, said she expects between 250-300 children to show up for the Easter Egg Hunt. Approximately 3,600 eggs will be placed throughout the park for the children’s entertainment. “This is absolutely one of our...
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Jefferson aldermen hear Tim Church's proposal for additional triggers for the town's Water Shortage Response Plan. From left to right: Aldermen Charlie Caudill, Luther Anderson and Bluferd Eldreth, Water Resources Director Tim Church and Alderman Mark Johnston.
Jefferson amends Water Shortage Response Plan
Despite a snow storm and a power outage, the Jefferson Board of Aldermen met Monday evening as scheduled and, with the mayor, treasurer, town clerk and one alderman absent, conducted what Alderman Mark Johnston called “the second shortest meeting in town history, maybe the third.” The board considered a single-item agenda: amendment of the 2010 Jefferson Water Shortage Response Plan to include additional trigger conditions. Water Resource...
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George Trullinger performing as Buddy Holly during one of his shows.
“Buddy Holly” and “Roy Orbison” coming to town
The Blue Ridge Dinner Theater will present two legends of rock and roll, Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, brought back to life by skilled impersonators during a show from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 30. George Trullinger always knew he wanted to be in the music business. While impersonating Buddy Holly, he has the audience cracking up with his jokes about looking like a “geek” with his greasy, slicked-back hair, big horned-rim glass...
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Logan Trivette
Two charged with larceny after cutting locks off storage buildings
The Ashe County Sheriff’s Office arrested two individuals in connection with a series of breaking and enterings and larcenies that occurred at Safe Haven Mini Storage in Fleetwood. Logan Trivette, 18, of Fleetwood was charged with four counts of felony breaking and entering and three counts of larceny after breaking and entering. Joseph Keith Dillard of West Jefferson was charged with felony possession of stolen goods/property and possess...
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Applications available for SkyLine-Sponsored youth programs
Applications are now available for youth programs sponsored locally by SkyLine Membership Corporation, including the Frank James-SkyLine Scholarship, Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) Youth Tour and Cooperative Leadership Camp. Frank James-SkyLine Scholarship Ten local scholarships with a total value of $25,000 will be awarded in 2013 to children of SkyLine/SkyBest customers to assist them with the cost of a college education. Five $...
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Emilee Williams, a fourth-grader at Mountain View Elementary, with her winning poster.
Ashe students win poster contest
Emilee Williams, daughter of Mike and Ali Williams and fourth-grade student at Mountain View Elementary School, recently won the 2013 Soil and Water Conservation Poster Contest in the fourth grade category at both the Ashe County and Area level. Emilee’s poster entry will go on to compete at the state level in May of this year. Congratulations, Emilee, and good luck in the state competition. Alyssa Cahan, a third-grader from Westwood, won...
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Aaron Banks Dixon
Fleetwood man allegedly watched sexual abuse online
Following last week’s arrest of Aaron Banks Dixon, 28, of Fleetwood, on multiple sex crimes, more information has been discovered connecting Dixon to the arrest of Sarah Lippy Adleta in Florida. Adleta, 28 of Oviedo, Fla., was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on three child pornography charges. She is currently being held in the Seminole County Jail without bond. Two young children are involved in the case. Because of the “...
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Judy Bare (left) and Dale Weinberg (right) presented information to the Ashe County Board of Commissioners about the N.C. 221 project's impact on local farmland.
Commissioners hear U.S. 221 improvement impacts on farmland
During the Ashe County Board of Commissioners meeting held on March 18, Judy Bare and Dale Wineberg, the chairman of the Farmland Preservation Advisory Board, gave a report about the impact of the N.C. 221 widening project on local farmland. At a Feb. 25 public meeting with Jamille Robbins, the public involvement officer at the N.C. DOT, the Ashe County Voluntary Farmland Preservation Board asked if farmland on volunteer agricultural distri...
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LifeStore Financial Group announces earnings
LifeStore Financial Group (LSFG), the holding company for LifeStore Bank and LifeStore Insurance Services, Inc., announced financial results for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2012. Net income was $188,889 or $0.19 per share for the quarter ending on Dec. 31, 2012, and for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2012 net income was $$416,511 compared to $230,667 for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2011. This follows the June 30, 2012 year end results wher...
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Ashe’s January jobless rate climbs to 13.8
Ashe County’s unemployment rate rose to 13.8 percent for January, up 2.1 over December and 0.8 percent over January 2012, according to the latest report from the N.C. Division of Employment Security (DES). Ashe had an estimated civilian labor force of 11,962 in January, with 1,652 looking for work. The county’s January rate has been above 12 percent for five consecutive years. Annual average unemployement has held above 12 percent since 2...
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Commissioner Gary Roark (left), BOC Vice Chair Judy Porter Poe (middle) and Ashe County Manager Dr. Pat Mitchell (right) read over the mid-year budget review while Ashe County Finance Officer Sandra Long gave her budget presentation.
No surprises on county’s mid-year budget update
With the 2013-2014 budget process in sight, Ashe County Finance Officer Sandra Long presented the Ashe County Board of Commissioners with a mid-year budget review for 2012-2013, and reported spending and collections are on track. According to Long, the mid-year review allows the board of commissioners to see “where they stand,” to help determine next year’s budget. “I just put the figures up there and let them draw their own conclusions,”...
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Avery Brewer, 17, a senior at Ashe County High School, with his photograph "Church in the Shadows." The photo was taken with 35mm fillm, and the print solarized and bleached.
19th Young at Art exhibit on display
The 19th annual Young at Art exhibit, featuring 200 pieces of original work by 130 student artists from all five Ashe County Schools, is on display at the Ashe Arts Center through April 27. Ashe Arts Council Program Director Rebecca Herman said the K-12 non-competitive, non-juried exhibit is “an opportunity for students to hang art work in a professional manner in an art gallery.” The students created their works in school art classes usi...
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Emily Huskins
BRE’s Huskins recognized at Young Authors celebration
Blue Ridge Elementary student, Emily Huskins, was recognized at the 2013 Young Authors celebration held on March 9 at the Raleigh Convention Center. “It felt really good and exciting,” Huskins said of her recognition. “They gave me a medal and a copy of the book the story was published in.” Huskin’s work is entitled “Mr. Mean Fox Plays Twister,” and tells the story of a group of animals who rid themselves of a fox by tricking him into pla...
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Ashe County Free Medical Clinic ranks high in patient outcomes
The Ashe County Free Medical Clinic was ranked high in areas of hypertension control and in all aspects of diabetes control in the latest report compiled by the North Carolina Association of Free Medical Clinics. The Clinic is considered to be an “ELITE Clinic,” or among the top 10 percent, in Diabetes Care Management. Hypertension and diabetes are the most severe chronic conditions in the Clinic’s patient population. Greg Bolac, the Clin...
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The Northwest Trading Post, a favorite Blue Ridge Parkway attraction for 54 years, will likely re-open in the spring.
Parkway ‘confident’ Trading Post will open this spring
The Northwest Trading Post, a Blue Ridge Parkway institution for 54 years, will likely re-open this year after months of uncertainty about the tourist attraction’s future. “We’ve got a bid and we are confident it will open in the spring,” said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis. The Trading Post’s previous contract expired in December, Francis said, and the concessioner did not bid on a new contract for 2103. The non-profit bo...
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Ashe Memorial named a top 100 ‘Critical Access Hospital’
Ashe Memorial Hospital (AMH) was listed among 100 top-performing Critical Access Hospitals as determined by iVantage Health Analytic’s latest Hospital Strength Index™ rankings. “It is an honor for Ashe Memorial to be recognized as one of the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals,” said AMH Chief Operating Officer Joe Thore. “We are very proud of the hard work and dedication of our staff and physicians that allowed for such a significant accompl...
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The Ashe County Board of Commissioners and other county officials discussed the ambulance contract during their planning meeting on Monday, March 18. Attending the meeting were (going around the table, clockwise) Ashe County Clerk Ann Clark, Commissioner Gary Roark, Commissioner Judy Porter Poe, Ashe County Manager Dr. Pat Mitchell, BOC Chair Larry Rhodes, Commissioner William Sands, Commissioner Gerald Price, Finance Officer Sandra Long, and Assistant Economic Developer Cory Osborne.
County decides to put ambulance contract out for bid
The Ashe County Board of Commissioners decided to place the county’s ambulance contract up for bid and proposed stipulations to ensure the bidder is local during the board’s planning meeting on Monday, March 18. Since 1994, the county’s ambulance contract has been with Robert Poe, the director of Blue Ridge Medical Transport. The BOC’s first decision was whether to bid out the contract to other companies after its expiration or to renegotia...
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Stephanie Craven (left) and Peggy Bailey (right) were thrilled after the Ashe County BOC approved a proclamation recognizing April 14-19 as the "Week of the Young Child."
Commissioners approve “Week of the Young Child”
During Monday’s BOC meeting, the Ashe County Board of Commissioners proclaimed April 14-19 as “Week of the Young Child” in conjunction with programs launched by the Ashe County Library and the Ashe Partnership for Children. Week of the Young Child “The purpose is to focus on the need of development for young children,” said Stephanie Craven, the child care and resource referral director with the Ashe County Partnership for Children. C...
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