Tag Archives: Locust

Locust honors city leaders at meeting

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The Thursday meeting of the Locust City Council was a night of honor and recognition for key leaders in the City of Locust.
Capt. Charles Connell of the Locust Police Department was honored by the council and by the North Carolina Secret Service for a successful career of 35 years. He began his career in Locust in April  1978 before working for the Town of Stanfield and eventually coming back to Locust for the remainder of his career. Connell is the first officer to retire from the Locust PD. He received his pistol and shield from the city for his services. 
“The Secret Service owes you a lot. From our director, I want to thank you very much for all your help. You will be sorely missed,” said Melissa Ragland.
Mike Harwood was given a plaque in recognition for the many years of service on the ABC Board. Harwood stepped down from his post as chairman of the board at the November 2012 council meeting. At that time, the council decided to bring the board from a five-person board to a three-person board.
“We are sorry to see him go,” said Mayor Steve Huber while presenting a plaque to Harwood, “But we know he has bigger and better things out there for him.”
A citizen, Stanley Priest, also chose to recognize Capt. Charles Connell and former mayor Scott Efird for their services to the city with plaques of recognition.
“I’ve been enjoyed working for the city, and as far as I am concerned, we have the best group of officers that we could ever have.╩ I may be leaving the job, but I will still be close by and if you need me at any time, I’m there,” said Connell to the council and a waiting audience filled with officers and citizens of the city. Continue reading →

Safety, No small matter for local schools

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Last month, four weapons were found inside of a vehicle on West Stanly High School’s campus, just days after the Sandy Hook Tragedy. Two airsoft guns were spotted in the rear of the vehicle, according to the Stanly County Sheriff’s office. Further investigation of the vehicle revealed two knives. The student, Casey Dalton Troutman, was issued a criminal summons charging Troutman with possessing weapons on school property. Troutman’s court date was this past Monday, January 14.

On the same day as the incident at West, Bethel Elementary School in Cabarrus County underwent a short lockdown. A man wearing camouflage was seen near the school property with a gun. The man was a local hunter and was spotted by a passer-by near the vicinity of the school. Authorities determined the man was not a threat to the school, and the lockdown was lifted.

In the aftermath of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, questions of safety, gun regulations, and education have come into the spotlight. Parents are taking students out of classrooms, petitions are going up urging the president for stricter laws, and in some instances, veterans have stationed themselves at their children’s schools to promote a safe environment. School shootings have a way of striking at the very core our country’s heart. A place of innocence and learning is violated in the most tragic way, and the repercussions can be found across the nation. What are our schools doing is response? Continue reading →

Locust council honors former mayor, elects new one

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New mayor of Locust, Steve Huber, was sworn in at the December City of Locust council meeting.

The City of Locust council honored former mayor Scott Efird for his service to the City of Locust with a plaque of appreciation and voted for council member Steve Huber to take over as the new mayor for the remainder of the current term.
“Steve, we are extremely del

ighted to have you as mayor,” said council member Larry Baucom in closing statements.

Last month, in a letter to the city, Efird stepped down as mayor in order to take over as Locust Planning and Zoning Director for the city. Efird has served the City of Locust as mayor for the past three years. Huber will finish the remaining year of the current term as mayor.
“I would like to thank council for entrusting me with this position for the remainder of Scott’s term. I don’t take this position lightly,” said Huber, “Everyday for the rest of this term, I will do everything that I can to put Locust first.”
The vacant position of council member, which Huber held previously will be determined at the January council meeting.
In other matters

Former Mayor Scott Efird received a plaque of appreciation from council member David Walker.

•The city spent more than $4,000 on paving and repairs for the sewer line at 200 North and the Meadow Creek neighborhood. City Administrator, Tim Fesperman, said this was the final repair that would be made.
•Two vacancies in the Parks and Recreation department have been filled. The city hired Emily Jones as a full-time employee and Andrew Smith as a part-time employee.
•The council approved a decision to donate a metal horse to the Town of Stanfield to be put on display. The horse was originally located at a park in Locust, but no longer holds up to a safety code for a recreational park and has since been in storage.
• Locust Police Department’s Captain Charles L. Connell will retire at the end of the year after serving in law enforcement since 1979.
• The new schedule of city council meetings is posted on the City of Locust website for the 2013 year.

UPS pulls services from Xpress It

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Editors Note: Since the publication of this article, UPS has worked with the owner of Xpress It! to set up an Authorized Shipping Outlet. Customers can now take their UPS packages to Xpress It!. 

Amy Irish, owner of Xpress It, the only shipping store in Locust, has started a petition and is asking sup- port from the community in a battle with the United Parcel Service (UPS).

Last month, Irish received a letter from UPS stating she could no longer offer their services at her store. UPS representatives communicated to Irish that the shipping site was too close to other stores such as the one in Harrisburg, which would in turn create competition.

The Harrisburg, Mint Hill, and Albemarle locations for UPS shipping are at least 20-30 minutes away. Irish was shocked to find out the “demographics” as the representative stated, were not great enough for a UPS location.  Continue reading →

Neighborhood watch decals available

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The Locust Police Department now has neighborhood watch decals available. These decals are available for free to neighborhood watch members for placement on their residences or mailboxes to show membership in the Locust Police Department’s neighborhood watch program.
The decals are made on white reflective material to be seen easily during day or nighttime hours. Due to an initial limited number of decals available, one decal will be available per residence of neighborhood watch members.
The Locust Police Department’s neighborhood watch program is designed to promote an atmosphere of cooperation and communication between neighborhood residents and the Locust Police Department, to keep criminal activity and other disturbances as minimal as possible. Continue reading →

“No Need To Speed”

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The Locust Police Department wrapped up participation in the “No Need To Speed” statewide campaign on Easter weekend. The campaign is sponsored by the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program and is an annual week long event which reminds motorists to obey speed limit laws.
The Locust Police Department conducted 42 traffic stops, 23 charges were issued during the stops including 18 for speeding violations. There were 19 calls of varying nature and more than 150 neighborhood and business checks conducted during evening and overnight hours.

Locust greenway receives the go ahead

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Last Thursday at the Locust City Council meeting Mayor Efird and the council recognized NC House Representative Justin Burr’s efforts to secure funding for the Greenway project in Locust. The city is requesting $175,000 to design and build a system of trails that will connect the community with the regional points of interest.

Continue reading →