Blog - Randolph Record

16 Feb

Tears flow at Senior Night ceremony

Randolph RecordSportsEastern Randolph, prep sports, Providence Grove, Ramseur, Randleman, Southwestern Randolph, Wheatmore

Emotions flowed in a special manner on Senior Night at Providence Grove. Thursday night’s ceremony between the girls’ and boys’ basketball games against Wheatmore included recognition of senior basketball players and cheerleaders. Cheerleading and boys’ basketball seniors were honored before the girls’ basketball seniors. The final of those recognitions drew a tearful standing ovation. That’s when the parents of the late Lily Butler came onto the court. Butler, who had been a member of the girls’ program, died in July at age 17. She also had been on the cross country team. Her parents, Chip and Carol Butler, received numerous…

16 Feb

Asheboro triple jumper takes third at state meet

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro, prep sports, Randleman, swimming, track and field, Wheatmore

Senior Arianna Lovingood-Smith of Asheboro claimed third place in the Class 3-A girls’ triple jump in the indoor track and field state championships Saturday at the JDL Fast Track Indoor Facility in Winston-Salem. Lovingood-Smith had a mark of 34 feet, 10 inches. Cramer’s Alexis Willis won the event with an effort of 37-10, while Lovingwood-Smith was just 2 inches off the mark from runner-up Gisele Dulnuan-Kersey of Franklinton. On Friday in Class 1-A/2-A, Randleman had two solid finishes in the girls’ shot put. Iniyah Mitchell was fifth in 31-5¾ and Kyle Vaughn placed seventh at 30-1. In the boys’ 55-meter…

16 Feb

UCA rolls in Class 1-A wrestling with seven regional champs

Randolph RecordSportsprep sports, Providence Grove, Southwestern Randolph, Trinity, UCA wrestling

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s wrestling team gathers for a photo after finishing as the runner-up in the Class 1-A dual team state playoffs, falling to Avery County on Feb. 5. A week later, the Eagles were overwhelming champions in a Class 1-A regional. Seven wrestlers from Uwharrie Charter Academy won individual championships in the Class 1-A regional, which was held Friday and Saturday at Rosewood. The Eagles soared to the regional championship and built all sorts of momentum heading to the state tournament. Thirteen of the team’s wrestlers will head to states. UCA’s champions were freshman Brandon Jordan at 113 pounds,…

16 Feb

PAC finals to be played at Randleman

Randolph RecordSportsbasketball, Mid-Piedmont Conference, prep sports, Randleman

Elizabeth York of undefeated Randleman goes up for a shot during a Piedmont Athletic Conference girls’ basketball game. RANDLEMAN – Randleman will be the site for Friday night’s finals in the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournaments for boys’ and girls’ basketball. As the regular-season champion on the girls’ side, Randleman was designated as the host school for the finals. Quarterfinals were held Monday night, with semifinals set for Wednesday at the site of the higher-seeded teams. Undefeated Randleman is the favorite in the girls’ bracket. After a bye, the Tigers were set for a semifinal encounter with fourth-seeded Wheatmore, which eliminated…

16 Feb

4-H groups show appreciation to community leaders with Valentine gifts

McKenna GardenerFeatures4-H, Asheboro, McKenna Gardner, Valentine's Day

ASHEBORO — Modern America has turned Valentine’s Day into a commercial holiday with expensive jewelry, heart-shaped chocolates and reservations three months in advance. One group sought to bring back the childhood magic of Valentine’s Day with service to the community. Randolph County 4-H held a Valentine’s Community Service Night on February 8. The intention was to return to the roots of the holiday, which has various legends related to its origin. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. The stories surrounding these saints describe priests willing to perform marriages for soldiers who were forbidden…

16 Feb

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Spencer Hall

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Spencer Hall, swimming, Wheatmore

Spencer Hall | Wheatmore, boys’ swimming Hall capped his high school swimming career that included a spot in the state meet in all four seasons. The senior’s last visit to Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary resulted in last week’s third-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly in Class 1-A/2-A. He posted a time of 53.51 seconds in the final. Also in the meet, Hall posted a time of 22.11 seconds for a fifth-place spot in the 50 freestyle. He has signed to compete in college for Milligan.

15 Feb

Toyota announces electric car parts production expansion

The Associated PressBusiness, Government, NewsElectric Vehicles, Toyota

BUFFALO, W.Va. — Toyota Motor Corp. announced Friday that it will further expand production of electric vehicle parts at plants in West Virginia and Tennessee in a $90 million investment. The announcement comes three months after the Japanese automaker said it would invest $240 million to add a production line dedicated to hybrid powertrains at its facility in Buffalo, West Virginia. The latest upgrade involves spending $73 million at the plant to annually assemble an estimated 120,000 rear motor stators, a key component in electric motors. “Toyota is moving quickly toward an electrified future, and West Virginia will play a…

11 Feb

Providence Grove boys grow into championship unit

Bob SuttonSportsProvidence Grove

Zander Cheek of Providence Grove goes to the basket during a PAC game earlier this month at Trinity. CLIMAX – As the season approached, Providence Grove boys’ basketball coach Wes Luther wasn’t sure if his team was of championship caliber. “On Nov. 1, we would have been happy with a top-three finish,” Luther said of the Piedmont Athletic Conference. The Patriots sure were happy Thursday night, but it was because of an historic reason. They’re conference champions. It’s the school’s first outright league title in boys’ basketball, secured with a 63-49 victory against visiting Wheatmore. “It’s such a great feeling…

11 Feb

Asheboro City Schools drops mask mandate

Randolph RecordNewsEducation, masks, schools

ASHEBORO — On the day North Carolina's Speaker of the House called for an end to K-12 masking and quarantine policies, Asheboro City Schools took a first step. In a 10-1 vote, the city schools voted Thursday night to drop mask requirements. The change will go into effect Feb. 21. Randolph County Schools dropped mask rules in November. The Union County School Board voted this week to end contact tracing and quarantines. Randolph County had previously voted to limit contact tracing by school system personnel in November. School Board member Fred Burgess championed the move to report positive cases to…

09 Feb

Picerno submits name for vacant Moore commission seat

Randolph RecordNews, PoliticsMoore County, Moore County commission, Neal Jackson, nick picerno

PINEHURST — Former Moore County Commissioner Nick Picerno said in an email to supporters he was submitting his name to the Moore County Republican Executive Committee to fill the vacant term of Louis Gregory, who recently announced his intent to resign in February. In life, things change, that’s a given. In the past couple of weeks since announcing my intention to run for NC House District 78, several events have taken place that significantly effect that decision," said Picerno. He cited the ongoing litigation over the state's new district lines, saying that the court battle has caused chaos and confusion…