VOLUME 145 ISSUE 100 | WEEKEND EDITION, DEC. 20 – DEC. 21 | STANLYNEWSJOURNAL.COM
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Reaching out An oak tree spreads its limbs outside First Lutheran Church in Albemarle last Saturday. The tree, planted in the 1970s when the church’s education building was rebuilt, has grown so wide that cables help support its sprawling branches.
WHAT’S HAPPENING Jet belonging to former NASCAR driver Biffle crashed while landing in Statesville A business jet crashed while landing at a regional airport in Statesville, erupting in a large fire and killing multiple people. The Federal Aviation Administration said a Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 a.m. Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating. The plane belongs to a holding company associated with retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. Videos broadcast by local television showed first responders rushing onto the runway as flames burned near scattered wreckage from the plane.
Average rate on a 30-year mortgage slipped to 6.21%, close to its low for year The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage edged lower this week, staying relatively close to its low for the year. The decline brings the average long-term mortgage rate to 6.21% from 6.22% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.72%. Mortgage rates began easing in July in anticipation of a series of Fed rate cuts, which began in September and continued this month. An encouraging report on inflation on Thursday could give the central bank cause to keep cutting interest rates next year.
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Albemarle officially adopts comprehensive land use plan Envision Albemarle 2045 will guide the city’s next two decades By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — Albemarle has officially adopted Envision Albemarle 2045, the city’s updated comprehensive land use plan that will guide growth, development and public investment decisions over the next two decades. At the Albemarle City Council’s meeting Monday night, councilmembers unanimously approved the plan, concluding an 18-month development and communi-
ty engagement process. The document, available for public review at albemarlenc.gov/future, serves as the city’s official policy framework for land use, growth and infrastructure planning. “Albemarle is growing and changing, and that’s a good thing, but it also means we need a shared roadmap,” said Alysia Davis Steadman, the city’s planning and development director. “This plan ensures the decisions we make over time — development approvals, rezonings and public investments — are all moving in the same direction and supporting the See LAND USE, page A5
COURTESY CITY OF ALBEMARLE
Albemarle city officials speak to residents during a previous Envision Albemarle 2025 open-house event.
Additional charges filed against Charlotte man accused of statutory rape Jason Tawse Brigham’s bond is set at $11.25 million By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — The co-founder of Sycamore Brewing is facing additional felony charges in Stanly County after authorities accused him of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl on Dec. 10 in Stanfield. According to the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, 44-year-old Justin Tawse Brigham of Charlotte was
charged Monday afternoon with three counts of statutory sex offense with a child younger than 15, second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, solicitation of a child by computer and assault inflicting serious bodily injury. The new charges stem from the same incident that led to Brigham’s initial arrest last week at a residence on Furr Road in Stanfield. Authorities said the assault charge does not involve the juvenile female. An arrest warrant states that Brigham allegedly See CHARGES, page A5
“We hope that justice is rapid and allows for the victim and her family to begin the healing process.” Sycamore Brewing