News - Randolph Record

12 Jul

Grizzly bear dies at NC Zoo

Randolph RecordEntertainment, Newsgrizzly bear, NC Zoo

ASHEBORO — The only grizzly bear at the N.C. Zoo died Friday. Tommo, a bear relocated from Yellowstone National Park, lived at the Zoo for 26 years. The zoo's staff made the decision to euthanize the 31-year old bear after his quality of life quickly declined. Tommo arrived at the Zoo in 1995 after being identified as a "nuisance bear" — a bear who has lost his fear of humans because they see people as suppliers of food. The grizzly bear habitat at the zoo will remain empty while the staff works with other agencies to offer a home for any…

11 Jul

Zoo announces red wolf pup names

Randolph RecordEntertainment, NewsAsheboro, NC Zoo

ASHEBORO — The N.C. Zoo announced the names of the six red wolf pups (four females, two males) born on the guest view habitat. The public was invited to vote in an online poll from a list of names provided by the Zoo’s red wolf keepers. The names are based on rivers in the Southeastern U.S. where red wolves used to range. The naming poll had over 6,500 responses. The chosen names are Eno, Harper, Pearl, Warrior, Fisher, Catawba.

07 Jul

Celebrating freedom is a local tradition

Matt MercerNewsIndependence Day, Millboro, Tony Trogdon

MILLBORO — Taking the scenic route home can take you through some interesting places in North Carolina. Taking the scenic route in 1999 led Tony Trogdon to start a Randolph County tradition that has lasted 22 years — an Independence Day parade. Trogdon and his wife, Sondra, took a drive to Mount Airy in 1999 on the Fourth of July. They decided to take the long way home and found themselves in the middle of a parade in the town of Shoals in Surry County. The Trogdons saw classic cars, trucks, bicycles, floats, and emergency vehicles parading along a rural…

07 Jul

New Trinity Middle School to open in the fall

Randolph RecordNewsArchdale, Randolph County Schools, Trinity

TRINITY — The opening of the new Trinity Middle School means the end of an era for one local school and a name change for another. When Wheatmore High School opened for the 2009-10, to alleviate overcrowding at Trinity High School, Braxton Craven School and Archdale-Trinity Middle School became the middle school feeders to both high schools. This August, Archdale-Trinity Middle School will become Wheatmore Middle School and Braxton Craven School will not reopen. The name change to Wheatmore Middle will also mean the school colors will shift to the red and white of Wheatmore.

06 Jul

Zoo ends reservation requirement

Randolph RecordNewsNC Zoo

The N.C. Zoo ended the requirement for visitors to make reservations ahead of the 4th of July holiday weekend. Reservations will no longer be required after July 1. The zoo will still require visitors who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings and to practice social distancing. When the zoo reopened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, reservations were required to limit the number of visitors to the zoo, which is outside of Asheboro. In recent months, the zoo has welcomed an elephant, a polar bear and 12 red-wolf pups.

06 Jul

Baker becomes first female officer on sheriff’s Emergency Response Team

Randolph RecordGovernment, NewsRandolph County Sheriff

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office has a female on its Emergency Response Team for the first time in the unit’s history. Deputy Traci Baker completed a rigorous training-and-testing battery to join the team. The tests determined her ability serve high-risk search warrants, handle barricades and take part in other tactical exercises. Members of the team are expected to attend advanced law enforcement training courses and become proficient with specialized equipment to deal with dangerous criminals and situations. Baker began her career with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office after she completed basic law enforcement training in 2009 in the…

06 Jul

Over 30% of Randolph County is vaccinated

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro, coronavirus, covid-19, Dream, Rihanna, Success

ASHEBORO — The Centers for Disease Control reported that 43,649 Randolph County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Over 64% of the county’s citizens over 65 years of age are vaccinated. The CDC estimates that 47% of the total U.S. population is now vaccinated. In the past week, just 927 people were tested for COVID-19 in Randolph County, which includes those needing testing for travel. There were 20 positive cases and no hospitalizations reported in the last week in Randolph County.

06 Jul

County adopts $146-million budget

Randolph RecordGovernment, NewsRandolph County Commissioners

The Randolph County Board of Commissioners adopted a fiscal year 2021-22 budget that increased county-wide spending by 8.7% from the prior year’s $134.4 million budget. The county’s property tax rate of 63.27 cents per $100 remained unchanged from the previous fiscal year.

06 Jul

Asheboro High student awarded Park Scholarship to NC State

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro City Schools, Asheboro High School, Education, NC State

ASHEBORO — Ferdinand “Freddy” Ray Kelley, son of J.W. and Kathy Kelley of Asheboro, was awarded the Park Scholarship to attend N.C. State University in the fall. Kelley graduated from Asheboro High School on June 3 where he served as drum major of the Band and Captain of the Swim, Cross Country, and Tennis Teams. He also served as Science Olympiad team Captain and attended the NC School of Science and Math Summer. He was first chair all-district bassoonist. Kelley plans to major in biochemistry and sociology. The 26th class of Park Scholars was selected from a pool of more…