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Volume 116 • Issue 48
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
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Human remains found near Cherryville identified On Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at about 11:30 am Gaston County Police responded to the area of Aderholdt Rd and Gaston Webb Chapel Rd near Cherryville, NC after a hunter reported finding human remains. On Wednesday, November 16, 2022 the remains were positively identified by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Medical Examiner’s Office as those of Quintin Lee Allen Roark. Roark was reported missing by
family members on July 14, 2022. He was last seen on July 12, 2022 in the area of Flat Rock Dr., which is in the vicinity of where his remains were found. This area in the northwestern portion of Gaston County. At this time, County Police investigators do not suspect foul play. The investigation is ongoing and anyone who may have any information, should contact Det. J.N. Hanline of the Gaston County Police Department
QUINTIN LEE ALLEN ROARK at 704-866-3320 or call 911.
Some of the volunteers – including Cherryville Mayor H.L. Beam, III (second from left) – hard at work at Cherryville’s 2022 14th Annual Community Thanksgiving Meal, boxing up the meals that were taken to the folks in the drive-through line outside the Post 100 American Legion Building. (photo by Michael E. Powell/CF Media)
14th Annual Community Thanksgiving Meal feeds 1,079 people Members of the Cherryville Fire Department talked as they waited for more classes to come through the CHS gym, where all the booths were set up. (photos by MEP/The Eagle/CF Media)
CHS’ Nov. 22 “Career Fair” for all students a success Many asked great questions while listening, learning from Cherryville-based businesses
Organizers, Food Lion say 2022 event another successful outreach to town’s citizens by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
The Saturday, Nov. 19, 14th Annual Cherryville Thanksgiving Community Meal was, by all accounts, a great success in that over
1,070 people received warm, nutritious Thanksgiving meals, thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers and their equally dedicated organizers. Like last year, it was a ‘drivethru’ event, which director of volunteers Tammy Campbell, worked well for everyone this year as it did last year. This year’s meal service and preparation was once held at the Post 100 American Legion building, located at 215 N. Pink
St., Cherryville, and Mrs. Campbell noted it was again sponsored by Food Lion. Mrs. Campbell said, “Everything went well this year. We served 1,079 plates. That is the biggest year yet. We had, in all, about 50 volunteers. We hope to be able to do it the old way by next year if this crazy COVID will go away. I am so thankful to live in such a loving town that comes together to do See THANKSGIVING, Page 3
by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info
Cherryville High School Principal Shawn Hubers said the school’s first-ever (at least, to his knowledge) Career Fair went well and flowed smoothly, helping the school’s students get an idea what sort of a career, or job, could be waiting out there for them in their future, post-high school and/ or college. Hubers clarified the status of the Career Fair’s “first outing” by noting, “Yes, as far as I know, this was the first career fair we have ever had. It definitely will not be the last one!” He continued, “The Career Fair (in the school’s gym) went terrific today! All our students had the opportunity to visit tables set up by local businesses and Public Service organizations. A huge thanks to our Career Development Coordinator, Scotty Heavner for
Felicia Bowman and owner/operator Gary Dellinger represented Dellinger Electric at the school’s first-ever CHS Career Fair. organizing the event.” Mr. Hubers said this event was for all of their students, adding, “We wanted all of our students to have the opportunity to start thinking about careers and what opportunities our great, small city has to offer.” Principal Hubers and Mr. Heavner noted the Cherryville-based businesses and companies/ organizations that were represented included: the City of Cherryville; Cherryville Public Works; the Cherryville Police and Fire Departments; ALCOM Services, Inc.; Fuller Construction; FleetNet America;
Bosch; Dellinger Electric; Wise Electric/Mr. Sparky; and Carolina Federal Credit Union. Former CHS graduate Noah Eaker, representing his family, who own and operate ALCOM Services, he thought it was “great; really cool, actually, to be here, representing our business and getting to talk with (the students) about it.” This sentiment was echoed by Gina Houser and Emily Hurst of FleetNet America as well as the City of Cherryville’s Julie Hefner and Ben Stroupe. Overheard from a smattering of the students were See CAREER, Page 10
The Lake Lure dam on March 24. Lake Lure received $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding from the state to conduct an assessment of their sewer system, located beneath the western North Carolina lake. (photo by Colby Rabon/Carolina Public Press)
Where is the state’s $5.4 billion in ARPA funding going? CPP looks into how other ARPA funds – the $5.4 billion distributed directly to the state – is being spent. by SHELBY HARRIS Carolina Public Press
The federal government
704-484-1047
Every Wednesday
distributed North Carolina’s American Rescue Plan Act funds in two ways – $3.2 billion to county and city governments, and $5.4 billion to the state government. Carolina Public Press (CPP) spent this past year looking into how ARPA funds are being used by Western North Carolina’s
local governments. To conclude the project, CPP looked into how the other funds, the $5.4 billion distributed directly to the state, is being spent. The governor’s plan ARPA, a multitrillion-dollar piece of federal legislation signed into law See ARPA, Page 6