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.
RALEIGH – Tropical Storm Elsa could bring rain, wind, and tornadoes to North Carolina on Wednesday night and into Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
State emergency management officials are advising residents in eastern and central North Carolina to be prepared for significant rains and possible flooding.
“Residents and visitors to North Carolina should keep a close watch on the forecast for this storm,” said Gov. Roy Cooper.
The State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh activated Tuesday to monitor the storm. The State Emergency Response Team is preparing to support local governments with any storm-related needs.
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.
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.
Deputy Traci Baker is the first female member of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team. (PHOTO: Randolph County Sheriff’s Office)
Baker began her career with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office after she completed basic law enforcement training in 2009 in the detention center in the Transportation Division. She transferred to School Based Programs as a CARE instructor in September of 2009 and then to Evidence in August of 2016. Baker was then promoted to detective in November 2018, and in January of 2019, she transferred back to School Based Programs as a CARE instructor. Deputy Baker is also the current Junior Sheriff’s Academy director.
“I am incredibly proud of Deputy Baker for her perseverance, dedication and motivation to achieve this monumental goal,” said Sheriff Greg Seabolt.
Baker also became the first female firearms instructor in 2017. She now teaches aspiring law enforcement recruits as the lead firearms instructor for Randolph Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement Training.
Baker’s path to the Emergency Response Team started in October 2020 when she competed for a spot on the team. Physical fitness testing and marksmanship were key elements of the initial competition. Current members of the team then voted to offer Deputy Baker a position. From October 2020 until May 2021, Deputy Baker worked as a probationary member. On May 6, 2021, Deputy Baker completed her mandatory probationary period and became a permanent ERT operator.
“While she doesn’t think being a female on the Emergency Response Team makes her any different or special, Deputy Baker is glad to serve as motivation for other women in law enforcement,” said Lieutenant Eric Wilson, team commander.
“I honestly don’t even think about it because I’m not treated any differently as a female,” said Baker. “I wanted to challenge myself and become part of this team.”
ASHEBORO — Nutrition Xtreme celebrated the opening of their new location at 1017 South Fayetteville St. (Hillside Shopping Center) in Asheboro on June 29. They have been in business since 2013 and offer healthy smoothies, energy teas, and health and wellness coaching. Attending the event were (left to right) Susan Robbins, Asheboro/Randolph Chamber Chair Kelly Heath, Asheboro City Councilmen Charlie Swiers and Walker Moffitt, owners Barb and Gary Nance, Audrey Macintosh, Stevie Robbins, Kimber Folden, Chamber ambassador Rhonda Ratcliffe, and Kristen Toscano. (PHOTO: Asheboro/Randolph Chamber)
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.
ASHEBORO — Crush Nutrition and Energy celebrated the opening of their new business at 1438 East Dixie Dr. in Asheboro on July 1. The store offers healthy shakes, energy teas, and health and wellness coaching. Attending the event were (left to right) Asheboro Mayor Pro Tem Walker Moffitt, Jacob Koontz, Aiden Koontz, Easton Johnson, owners Amy and Jamie Johnson, Logan Jones, Jillian Stern, Grace Runyon and Asheboro/Randolph Chamber Chair Kelly Heath. (PHOTO: Asheboro/Randolph Chamber)
Ryan White had only one thing in mind when he took the mound for the final inning of Saturday’s NCHSAA 2A championship series finale at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
Win the state title for his Randleman High School baseball team.
Finishing off the no-hitter was just a bonus.
The junior right-hander struck out 11 and walked only two while pitching the Tigers to a 4-0 victory against Rutherfordton-Spindale Central that clinched the second state championship in school history.
White’s masterful performance provided an exclamation point to a long day that saw Randleman bounce back from a loss earlier in the day to win the decisive game of the best-of-three series.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about it,” White said of his no-hitter. “My goal was just to win the state championship and do the best I could.”
The Tigers (19-2) scored all their runs in the bottom of the third. Kaden Ethier got things started with a one-out single to center before Owen Strickland walked and Trey Way loaded the bases with a single.
Hunter Atkins plated the first two runs with a single up the middle against R-S Central starter Hayden Wheeler before Brooks Brannon doubled in two more off reliever Kael Snethen.
That was all the offense White needed, as he retired the final nine Hilltoppers in order over the final three innings.
Randleman’s Kaden Ethier leaps on top of the dog pile after they won the State Championship against R-S Central in the 2a State Championship game 3 at Burlington Athletic Stadium in Burlington, NC on June 26th, 2021. Randleman won 4-0 (2-1) for their 2nd state championship and first since 2011. PJ WARD-BROWN/ FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL
He got the final out on a grounder to short, setting off a joyous dogpile in the middle of the diamond.
“It was awesome,” Randleman coach Jake Smith said of White, whose no-hitter was the second one thrown in a state final series game at Burlington this year. Carter Boyd of Reagan High School threw his in Game 1 of the 4A series against Fuquay-Varina.
“I knew about the third or fourth inning, he was really feeling it,’ Smith said. “He had all three pitches working. He was commanding both sides of the plate. I’m so happy for him. He works his tail off every day and it paid off tonight.”
Randleman had a chance to close out the series earlier Saturday after winning Game 1 9-5 on Friday on the strength of a seven-run third inning rally.
But despite a solid pitching performance from Way, R-S Central (17-3) forced the deciding game with a 2-1 victory. Snethen provided the winning margin with a tie-breaking home run to left in the bottom of the third.
The teams returned to the field several hours later for a game that ended just before midnight.
Tigers coach Smith credited his players for having the focus and stamina to endure the marathon, but added that the large contingent of Randleman fans also played a role in winning the school’s first title since 2011.
“It’s almost 12 o’clock and the stands are still full,” he said. “It means a lot. The support throughout the city is unbelievable. The kids know it and they really feed off it. It’s a special place.
“I’m so proud of these young men, all of them,” he said. “They’ve worked so hard. It’s been a crazy year from start-to-finish.”
Randleman’s Kaden Ethier leaps on top of the dog pile after they won the State Championship against R-S Central in the 2a State Championship game 3 at Burlington Athletic Stadium in Burlington, NC on June 26th, 2021. Randleman won 4-0 (2-1) for their 2nd state championship and first since 2011. PJ WARD-BROWN/ FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNALRandleman’s Rayan White delivers to the plate in the top of the 7th inning during his No-Hitter against R-S Central in the 2a State Championship game 3 at Burlington Athletic Stadium in Burlington, NC on June 26th, 2021. Randleman won 4-0 (2-1) for their 2nd state championship and first since 2011. PJ WARD-BROWN/ FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL
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.
LONDON — More than 6 million European Union citizens applied to settle in the U.K. before the end-June deadline that the British government had imposed as part of the country’s departure from the bloc.
In a statement Friday, Britain’s Home Office said of the 6.02 million people who had applied, 400,000 applications were made in the final month before the end of the EU Settlement Scheme.
“Having more than 6 million applications to the scheme is an unprecedented achievement and I am delighted that we have secured the rights of so many EU citizens — our friends, neighbors and family members,” Home Secretary Priti Patel said.
The Home Office said that the 570,000 people with pending applications will have their rights protected until their application is decided and that there will be “indefinite scope” for anyone who missed the deadline to make a late application.
People who submitted an application by the deadline have received a certification that they can use if they need to prove their immigration status for any reason, such as taking up a new job or renting a property.
The scheme was introduced in March 2019 as part of the U.K.’s plans to leave the EU. One of the main impacts of Brexit was the end of freedom of movement, whereby anyone in any EU state can live and work anywhere else within the bloc, which numbers 27 countries after the U.K.’s departure.
Under the scheme, EU citizens in the country will be guaranteed their rights, including access to benefits and healthcare, in the U.K. Any EU citizen who hasn’t applied could now potentially lose their rights or even be subject to deportation.
Similar schemes have been in place in the EU with regard to the 1 million or so British citizens who live within the bloc. Those applying for post-Brexit residency permits in France also faced a deadline on Wednesday.
One key concern is that the immigration policy could leave a disastrous legacy similar to Britain’s “Windrush” scandal, when many people from the Caribbean who legally settled in the U.K. decades ago were wrongly caught up in tough new government rules to crack down on illegal immigration.
Many in the “Windrush generation” — named after the ship that carried the first post-war migrants from the West Indies — lost their homes and jobs or were even deported simply because they couldn’t produce paperwork proving their residency rights.
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.
