Government - Randolph Record

22 Sep

Asheboro festival nixed amid pandemic concerns, hospital capacity

Bob SuttonBusiness, Entertainment, Government, NewsFall Festival

Autumn staple taken off slate for second year in a row ASHEBORO — Next weekend’s Asheboro Fall Festival has been called off amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. “We critically and thoughtfully made this decision,” said Carolyn Isley, president of the Randolph Arts Guild. “Above all was the health and safety of the Randolph County community.” So it marks the second year in a row that an event that had been a staple in the community for nearly a half-century won’t be held in downtown Asheboro. It had been scheduled for Oct. 2-3. This is an event that had drawn…

22 Sep

County schools extend superintendent’s contract

Randolph RecordBusiness, GovernmentEducation, schools

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Board of Education met Monday and voted to extend the contract of system superintendent Stephen Gainey. The board members said in a release they appreciated the difficulty of navigating the delivery of education during the Covid-19 pandemic and applauded Gainey’s dedication, long hours, and focus during the constantly changing situation. The board extended Gainey's contract through June 30, 2025, and awarded him a salary increase of 4%.

17 Sep

Asheboro Fall Festival Cancelled

Randolph RecordBusiness, Events, GovernmentAsheboro, Fall Festival, Randolph

ASHEBORO -- The 48th annual Asheboro Fall Festival has been cancelled. The annual event scheduled for the first weekend of October will not be rescheduled. According to the Randolph Arts Guild, the sponsor of the event, the decision was made by their board of directors following a meeting with the Randolph County Health Department.

09 Sep

City Schools extend mask mandate

Randolph RecordGovernment, News

ASHEBORO — The Asheboro City School Board voted to extend mandatory mask-wearing for another month. The School Board voted 6-3 at their August 12 meeting to require masks to start the school year but set the policy to be reviewed at each meeting. This time the vote was 7-1 in favor of extending the mask mandate. Gidget Kidd was the lone vote against extending the mandatory masks. Archie Priest, Jr. and Ryan Patton, who joined Kidd in supporting a mask-optional start at the August meeting were absent. Art Martinez, who had supported the mask mandate at the August meeting, was…

09 Sep

Seabolt won’t be charged after allegations of misuse of county vehicle

Randolph RecordGovernment, Politics

ASHEBORO — Multiple sources have confirmed that Sheriff Greg Seabolt will not be charged with a crime after a summer-long investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation stemming from allegations that Seabolt used a county vehicle to aid his campaign. According to media reports in May, the SBI opened an investigation of Seabolt on May 5 following complaints that he had used a county-issued SUV for his political campaign. One of the complaints was filed by Eric Hicks, a former Libertarian candidate for sheriff, who shared photos of an SUV parked at the Sheriff's Office with an trailer attached. The…

09 Sep

Safely sharing the road with farm equipment

Blake Szilvay | For the Randolph RecordBusiness, Governmentagriculture, farming, NC State

ASHEBORO — During the Spring and Fall, the volume of farm equipment appearing on the road increases significantly. In the Fall, farmers are working hard to harvest crops in a narrow window of time with unpredictable weather. They rely on large equipment designed to aid them in these tasks, equipment that is not designed to match the speed of a common automobile on the road. Generally, this equipment will be travelling no more than 30 mph. Public roads are dangerous with passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles interacting. Adding farm equipment increases accident risks for farmers and for motorists. Studies in…

01 Sep

Daniel cites conservative values in entering county race

Bob SuttonGovernment, News, PoliticsCounty Commissioners, GOP, Todd Daniel

ASHEBORO – Todd Daniel said he’s concerned about the reduction of certain liberties because of pandemic-related restrictions and that has caused him to enter the 2022 race for a seat among the Randolph County commissioners. “This past spring I’ve had some people ask me to run, representing the values of the county,” Daniel said. Daniel, 51, ran unsuccessfully for a county seat in 2014, part of a three-way race. He’s aiming to take the seat of incumbent David Allen in District 3. “It is time for conservative Americans to rise up and defend the values of our nation and heritage,”…

29 Aug

Randolph County Schools reverses course on masks

Randolph RecordGovernment, News

ASHEBORO — Students, teachers and staff in the county school system will be required to wear masks inside school buildings starting Monday, August 30. The Randolph County Board of Education met for a special meeting on Sunday and a divided board voted 4-3 to require mask-wearing at all schools. The change comes after one week of in-person classes and marks a change to the board's policy making masks optional in July. "We have the rules that we have to follow," said superintendent Stephen Gainey. "Last week, we sent 530 children home for exposure to 81 cases ... universal cloth face…

25 Aug

Randolph County school board calls special meeting on COVID

Randolph RecordBusiness, Government, Newsboard of education, Education, schools

ASHEBORO — With eight schools currently affected by COVID-19 quarantine protocols due to contact tracing, The Randolph County Board of Education has called a special meeting for Sunday, August 29 at 2pm In an email to the North State Journal, the county’s largest school system said its leaders would meet at the R. Alton Cox Learning Resources Center Auditorium at Randolph Community College, 629 Industrial Park Avenue, Asheboro, for the purpose of discussing the current status of COVID-19 in the Randolph County School System and COVID-19 protocols. The system said Monday that Southeastern Randolph Middle School, Southwestern Randolph high School, Southwestern Randolph Middle School, Randleman…

20 Aug

Two file for mayor’s race in Trinity

Bob SuttonGovernment, Newsgovernment, politics, Trinity

Candidates view dealing with development as key topic ASHEBORO — Two candidates will square off for the mayor’s position in Trinity. Sitting mayor Richard McNabb will be opposed by Veronica (Vickee) Armstrong in the Nov. 2 election. McNabb said he sees unfinished business, while Armstrong said she’ll focus on a long-term vision for the community. McNabb was appointed to the position in February 2020 to fill the unexpired term of late mayor Jesse Hill. Prior to that, McNabb spent about a dozen years on the city’s planning and zoning boards, serving as chairman for about half that time. “Somebody has…