Thursday, April 19, 2007

- Remembering those who were lost: Two local services have been scheduled in Statesville for the victims of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech earlier this week..
Today at 12 noon, Mitchell Community college students will gather on the courtyard of the Statesville campus for a moment of silence to honor the students. (New staff writer Megan Sprague will cover this event. Contact her at msprague@statesville.com)
First Presbyterian Church, 125 N. Meeting St., will hold a community prayer service at 7 p.m. Friday. This service is open to all.

Here are a couple of stories we're working on today:

- A helping hand: Anna Howard has been helping anyone who shows up at her door for going on 20 years. Read about her incredible contributions to our community in Friday's faith section.

- Not dead yet: I-SS Superintendent Terry Holliday says reports that a plan to convert the Dana manufacturing plant into an educational complex are dead are premature. School officials will continue to try to convince the county commission that it's a good plan for taxpayers and students. (To contribute to this story, contact staff writer Chyna Broadnax a cbroadnax@statesville.com.)

Thanks for reading,

Mike

COMING THIS WEEKEND

Here are the stories we're working on for this weekend's editions:

- Superintendent Terry Holliday out of running for top job in Beaufort: Terry Holliday notified Iredell-Statesville Schools officials that had withdrawn his name from consideration for the superintendent's job in Beaufort, S.C. He was one of three finalists for the job, which pays $207,000.

- I-SS fails to meet conditions for purchasing Dana plant: I-SS officials will not complete all of the site studies by the April 9 deadline and Dana Corp. declined to provide a requested 30-day extension, nullifying the district's contract for the plant.

- Mom wants her kids back from DSS: Jennifer Borek says DSS officials failed her as a teen and then took her children because they believed she could not raise them. Staff writer Daniel Goldberg chronicles her struggle in Sunday's print edition.

- R&L staff writer jailed on three charges: Staff writer J.R. Munoz-McNally was arrested on three charges Friday after being pulled over for having an expired tag. He was being held in the county jail Friday night on charges of failure to pay more than $4,000 in medical bills, contempt of court and failure to appear. Munoz-McNally, 45, said the charges stem from a dispute with his ex-wife and that he was not notified of a court hearing in Guilford County, where the charges originated.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Here's a look at our top story for Tuesday's print edition:

- Superintendent makes big pitch: I-SS Superintendent Terry Holliday made his big pitch to county commissioners Monday evening, trying to convince him that the upside of converting the Dana manufacturing plant into an educational complex outweighed citizen concerns about traffic and environmental concerns. The project will cost $54 million, which I-SS officials say would save taxpayers millions compared to building a new elementary school, high school and central offices.

COMING SOON:
Our daily Webcast, 5@5, has been up and running for more than a week and we've already got enough bloopers and out-takes for a special segment.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Here are a couple of stories to look for in Sunday's print edition of the R&L:

- Walking for babies: Hundreds of people turned out for the annual March of Dimes WalkAmerica on Saturday. The event began at Mitchell Community College. (To contribute to this story, e-mail staff writer Chyna Broadnax at cbroadnax@statesville.com.)

- Commissioners review DANA plan: Iredell County commissioners will listen to Iredell-Statesville Schools Superintendent Terry Holliday's big sales pitch Monday at 6 p.m. I-SS wants the commission to earmark $54 million for the purchase and renovation of the DANA plant. I-SS would turn the manufacturing plant into an educational complex housing central offices, an elementary school and magnet high school. You can let us know what you think of this plan by e-mailing me at mfuhrman@statesville.com.

Thanks for reading,

Mike