VOLUME 145 ISSUE 59 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2025 | STANLYNEWSJOURNAL.COM
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Stanly NewS Journal THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
CHARLES CURCIO / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL
The Subway location on N.C. Highway 52 in Albemarle is open.
WHAT’S HAPPENING Gunman who killed 4 in N.Y. was trying to get to NFL offices, claimed to have CTE New York Police say a gunman who killed four people in a Manhattan skyscraper before taking his own life claimed to have a brain disease linked to contact sports and was trying to target the National Football League’s headquarters in the building. New York City Mayor Eric Adams says investigators believe the gunman wanted to get up to the NFL’s offices on Monday but entered the wrong elevator. Police say Shane Tamura, a Las Vegas casino worker, had a note in his wallet that suggested he had a grievance against the NFL and asked that his brain be studied. He played high school football in California but never played in the NFL. Among those killed was an off-duty police officer working security.
Brain-eating amoeba kills boy swimming in S.C. lake Columbia, S.C. A 12-year-old boy died from a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in a South Carolina lake over the July Fourth weekend. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and causes a fatal brain infection. Fewer than 10 cases are reported annually in the U.S., but almost all are deadly. More than 160 people are known to have died from the amoeba in the U.S. in the past 60 years. The boy’s parents were unaware of the amoeba when they let their son swim in Lake Murray. The amoeba is common, even if the infections caused by it are rare. Other dangers in lakes include E.coli and harmful algae, which can cause severe health issues.
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Subway restaurant reopens in Albemarle An experienced franchise owner took over two locations By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — Aficionados of the sandwiches from Subway in Albemarle now have a favorite location back up and running. The Subway location on N.C. Highway 52, which had been closed for approximately six weeks, reopened Friday, according to the new franchisee, Regan Bigford. Bigford has been in the Subway system since 2002 and became a franchisee in 2012. As of Friday, Bigford assumed control of the Albemarle franchise on Highway 52 and the Mount Pleasant location on Highway 49, both of which are now open. Bigford’s first franchise was in Troy, but she now has 10 Subways, including nearby lo-
cations in Midland, Denton, Locust and Biscoe. The original franchises were started by Ken Lancaster, but 18 months ago a new franchise owner named William Parish took those over. According to Bigford, Parish owned both Albemarle franchises, including at Eastgate Plaza, Highway 52, Mount Pleasant, Richfield and two in Concord. Bigford took over the Albemarle and Mount Pleasant locations from Parish, who is under investigation by the Morganton Department of Safety, according to a report from WSOC-TV. According to the report, Parish has been accused of issuing payroll checks that were not paid because of insufficient funds. Warrants were issued for Parish on nine counts of worthless checks. “I kind of sandwiched this other franchisee,” Bigford said. “Whereas I am a new franchisee of these stores, I’m not a new
“I have a history of bringing back distressed stores. So this is not the first time we’ve done this, and we’re very proud we’ve done a good job with it up till now. We’re determined to succeed again.” Regan Bigford franchisee. I’m well-seasoned and proven.” From a consumer’s point of view, she noted the local franchises under Parish were not open often and thought they “were seriously understaffed and frequently out of product.” Regarding her stores, Bigford talked about what she had done in the past 13 years with them. “I have a history of bring-
Better Stanly County Schools Forum brings together ideas, opinions The event was held at the Farm Bureau Livestock Arena By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — The future of Stanly County’s public school district was discussed at the Better Stanly County Schools Forum in Albemarle last Thursday night. Organized by the “Reclaiming Greatness in Stanly County Schools” community group, the forum brought together an assortment of county leaders, teachers and parents to exam-
ine the local school system’s plans. The event, held at the Farm Bureau Livestock Arena, was attended by three members of the Stanly County Board of Education — Meghan Almond, Carla Poplin and Bill Sorenson — along with County Commissioners Brandon King, Patty Crump and Billy Mills. “I appreciate you all being here tonight,” Poplin said. “It’s good to get to hear what the community is feeling and thinking.” Much of the discussion See FORUM, page A5
“We must somehow come together with the school board, commissioners and the public for our children.” Billy Mills, Stanly County commissioner
ing back distressed stores,” she said. “So this is not the first time we’ve done this, and we’re very proud we’ve done a good job with it up till now. We’re determined to succeed again.” She further explained how she had improved stores that were in trouble previously. “No. 1, you have to be there,” Bigford said. “If you tell the customer that you’re going to be open, then you have to be open.” Customer service, she added, is the next reason, saying, “When you’re nice to people, they tend to come back.” The last part of being successful, she said, is having enough supplies to meet the customer demands. She said her locations “have to have what they came for, so the store has to stay stocked.” While the Albemarle and Mount Pleasant locations recover in terms of sales, Bigford said, her other eight stores will help them out by getting the locations the needed supplies. “We will be stocked,” she said. “We will be open. We will be staffed. We will be friendly. We will be clean. Those are extremely important.” She did not accept the four other franchises offered to her, including Richfield and Eastgate Plaza.