Ryan Henkel - Randolph Record

18 Jun

City of Asheboro approves 2025-26 budget

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsAsheboro City Council, City of Asheboro, Donald Duncan

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro City Council approved its 2025-26 operating budget, which is balanced at about $75.7 million, at its June meeting. Of that, the general fund is balanced at approximately $50.5 million, which is approximately a $2 million increase from the prior year, mostly due to personnel expenses, city manager Donald Duncan said. “We’re going to do a base pay increase for every full-time employee of $2,000, except for fire and police, who are getting a $3,000 increase because that is where our biggest deficit is in trying to recruit and keep good talent,” Duncan said. Essentially half of…

10 Jun

Board of Education reverses decision, will close Virtual Academy

Ryan HenkelNewsboard of education, Education, Gary Cook, Randolph County School System, Stephen Gainey, The Virtual Academy at Randolph

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County School System will be closing The Virtual Academy at Randolph. The decision comes following a unanimous vote by the Randolph County Schools Board of Education at its June 2 meeting, which reversed a prior vote made just a few weeks earlier. “Last month, it was a 3-3 tie and it stayed as is,” said board chair Gary Cook. “I voted to leave it open. We didn’t have the full board here and we probably should have tabled it until we had a full board for a decision like that. I’ll own that mistake.” Board members…

04 Jun

Commissioners approve loan to Seagrove for cannery development project

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsDavid Fernandez, Randolph County Board of Commissioners, Seagrove

ASHEBORO – Randolph County is aiding the Town of Seagrove with one of its major projects. At its meeting Monday, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners approved a $250,000 loan to the Town of Seagrove to assist with its upfit of the Historic Lucks Cannery. “As of now, Seagrove has spent a little over $3 million to try and get the cannery up and operating,” Seagrove mayor David Fernandez said. “We don’t have a certificate of occupancy right now, which means two-thirds of the building we can’t use. So our request to the commission is to not give us money,…

21 May

The Virtual Academy of Randolph to remain open

Ryan HenkelNewsEducation, Gary Cook, Randolph County Board of Education, Randolph County School System, Stephen Gainey, The Virtual Academy at Randolph, Todd Cutler, virtual academy

ASHEBORO – Despite the recommendation of the superintendent, The Virtual Academy at Randolph will not be closing. At the Randolph County Schools Board of Education’s May 19 meeting, the board held a vote to close The Virtual Academy at Randolph, but due to a 3-3 split – with chair Gary Cook and members Phillip Lanier and Shannon Whitaker voting against the motion – it failed to pass. “Just can’t do it,” Cook said. “I know it’s a business and I made this a point to a lot of people. But, for me, I couldn’t sleep tonight. I have a soft…

12 May

Asheboro Police look into reopening shooting range

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsAsheboro City Council, Asheboro Police Department, shooting range

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro Police Department is looking into reopening the old shooting range on Old Lexington Road. At the Asheboro City Council’s May meeting, Asheboro police chief Robert Brown Jr. discussed the process the department is undergoing toward that goal. The North Carolina Department of Labor had conducted a test last year that determined officers were being exposed to a high level of lead at the Randolph Community College’s Emergency Services Training Center. Traditionally, the department would bring 18 people to the range for qualifications which takes them about a week, Brown said. But the recommendation from the NCDOL…

07 May

County commissioners recognize citizen volunteers

Ryan HenkelNewsAmy Rudisill, Maxton McDowell, Randolph County Board of Commissioners

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County Board of Commissioners took the time to recognize select citizens for their volunteer work within the county. At the board’s meeting Monday, five county residents were recognized with the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards. “These awards recognize the individuals in our community that give their time, energy and compassion to help others, often behind the scenes, and always without expecting anything in return,” said Samantha Baker, United Way of Randolph County executive director. “Their efforts strengthen our county and our community and they inspire us all.” Those recognized included Amy Rudisill for her mentorship and work…

23 Apr

Asheboro council approves playground repair contract at sportsplex

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsAsheboro City Council, David Smith, Joey Trogdon, Kevin Franklin, Zoo City Sportsplex

ASHEBORO – The City of Asheboro is aiming for a summer reopening of the playground area at the Zoo City Sportsplex. At its April meeting, the council approved a $200,000 allocation for needed repairs to the playground. “Basically what we had were drains that were stopped up and a compaction issue,” city manager Donald Duncan said. “So we’re going to go back, remove some of the equipment, kind of do a surgical operation in place, repair the equipment and compact and solidify the area to get it back in service.” Barring any setbacks, the reopening is anticipated for the middle…

16 Apr

Public hearing to be held for potential closure of Virtual Academy at Randolph

Ryan HenkelNewsEducation, Randolph County Board of Education, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey, The Virtual Academy at Randolph

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County School System is looking to close the Virtual Academy at Randolph. At the Randolph County Schools Board of Education’s meeting this month, the board was presented with a study the district had done which focused primarily on the “welfare of the students who are enrolled in the school should the Virtual Academy at Randolph be closed.” “If we sent the students back to their schools that they were assigned to because of the closure of this school, it would not lead to any disruptive enrollment increases in those schools,” said Stephen Gainey, RCSS superintendent. “The closure…

10 Apr

Commissioners approve purchase of property for new Randleman High School

Ryan HenkelNewsDarrell Frye, Education, Randleman High School, Randolph County Board of Commissioners, Randolph County School System

ASHEBORO – Randolph County has moved one step closer toward the construction of a new high school. At this week's meeting, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners approved a budget amendment to allocate $6 million for the purchase of approximately 90 acres of property located on Walker Mill Road intended to be utilized for the site of a new Randleman High School. “Approximately one year ago, this board authorized the Randolph County School System to begin looking for land for future locations for Liberty Elementary School and Randleman High School,” county manager Zeb Holden said. “It took some time, but…

26 Mar

RCSS board chair addresses school safety in light of Hopewell Elementary School incident

Ryan HenkelNewsboard of education, Education, Gary Cook, Hopewell Elementary School, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County Schools Board of Education addressed the incident at Hopewell Elementary School at its March meeting. On Feb. 26, a man entered Hopewell Elementary through a broken door during school hours. While the man didn't seem to have any ill intent nor did he harm anybody in the school, it raised concerns among parents and district staff regarding the safety of the district’s schools. “That should have never happened, but it did happen and we have to learn from that, get better and take steps so that it never happens again,” board chair Gary Cook said.…