VOLUME 145 ISSUE 46 | WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 14 – JUNE 15 | STANLYNEWSJOURNAL.COM
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Stanly NewS Journal THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Back at Bragg
PJ WARD-BROWN / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL
BOTTOM PHOTOS BY ALEX BRANDON/ AP PHOTO
WHAT’S HAPPENING Air India flight headed to London with more than 240 aboard crashes after takeoff Ahmedabad, India An Air India plane crashed Thursday in the northwestern Indian city of Ahmedabad. Visuals showed smoke billowing from the crash site near the airport. India’s head of civil aviation told The Associated Press that Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787, crashed into a residential area five minutes after taking off.
Supreme Court revives suit from Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by FBI The Supreme Court is giving a family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI a new day in court. The decision revives a lawsuit filed after a predawn raid in 2017 when agents pointed guns at a couple and a 7-year-old boy before realizing they were in the wrong house. Trina Martin and her then-boyfriend sued, but lower courts tossed the case. Public interest groups said the case would severely narrow the legal path for people to sue the federal government and hold law enforcement accountable.
School board members express concern on public transparency The board is continuing to pursue school consolidation plans By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — Multiple members of the Stanly County Board of Education recently voiced their concerns about
board transparency regarding the county school district’s consolidation plans. At the June 3 school board meeting, Board Member Carla Poplin spoke out on the issue, offering her opinion that the board has been guilty of selectively choosing which policies and procedures to follow when it comes to clarity with the public.
“This board has been operating since January in a manner that I’m not personally proud of as it pertains to the public in a manner of civility and respect,” Poplin said. “A school board should be focused on student outcomes, due diligence and transparency. Instead, we are operating behind closed doors
The former Lexington water resources director brings 35 years of experience to the city
WE TEST. SO WE IT TEST. RUNS. SO IT
By Charles Cucio Stanly News Journal
ALBEMARLE — The City of Albemarle will have a new director for its public utilities department starting next month. On Wednesday, Todd Clark, the Albemarle city manager, announced Tom Johnson has been appointed as the next director of public utilities. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Brookstone College and holds certifications in water treatment
Carla Poplin, board member
inside
and wastewater treatment. The new utilities director has more than 35 years of work experience, both in municipal and private sectors, in the field of water and wastewater. Included in Johnson’s experience is putting in place an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), a project which is currently underway by the City of Albemarle. “Tom Johnson’s vast experience in managing public utilities operations, both dayto-day and in long-term strategic planning, will be highly valuable to our city,” Clark said. “I look forward to Tom continuing the progress we’ve made to enhance service quality and reliability.”
WE TEST. SO IT WE TEST. RUNS. SO IT RUNS. “Tom Johnson’s vast experience in managing public utilities operations ... will be highly valuable to our city.”
“We are developing plans for redistricting in committee and pushing personal agendas.”
See BOARD, page A8
Johnson named new Albemarle utilities director
Todd Clark, Albemarle city manager
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President Donald Trump made a trip to the newly renamed Fort Bragg on Tuesday as part of weeklong festivities celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Both the president and attendees received demonstrations of capabilities from Army units based at the facility, before speeches from N.C. native and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the president.
WE TEST. SO IT RUNS.
Locust Parks and Rec will offer four summer sports programs. Read more on B2 PUBLIC DOMAIN
See DIRECTOR, page A8
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