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Sheriff recognizes group

County’s animal control officers honored for work

ASHEBORO — Randolph County Sheriff Greg Seabolt recognized eight Randolph County Animal Control Officers with a Sheriff’s Commendation last week for their recent efforts in the seizure of 55 animals, one of the largest cases in Randolph County history.
The following Randolph County ACOs were recognized for their work on the case; Randolph County Animal Services Director Jonathan Moody (ACO Field Operations Manager), ACO Jonathan Galtney, ACO Robert Godfrey, ACO Donna Zogopolous, ACO Matthew Auman, ACO Yessenia Reyes, ACO McKenzie Beeson, and ACO Sarah Brower.
On June 17,  Randolph County Animal Control responded to 5669 Sandalwood Dr. in Denton referencing a possible animal neglect case. Animal Control Officers assisted deputies in the execution of a search warrant, which led to the immediate seizure of 55 animals due to poor living conditions or health and well-being, according to information from the sheriff’s department.
The majority of animals seized suffered severe medical conditions such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke, infestation of fleas and other insects, untreated wounds, and other serious conditions.
“This is what working together and collaborating is all about. We could not have done our job, without Animal Services having done exceptionally well at theirs,” Seabolt said. “These are the positive results that come from what we work daily to accomplish in Randolph County by protecting and serving our citizens and those most vulnerable.”
In July 2019, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners voted to establish the Animal Services department as an independent county department reporting directly to the county manager. Prior to this date, and at various times, animal services and animal control had been provided by the sheriff’s office and public health department. Also in 2019, the county commissioners established Randolph County’s first Animal Services Advisory Board. The purpose of this board is to serve as an advisory board to the county commissioners and assist in the planning and long-range goals and objectives for the Animal Services Department.
“We couldn’t have accomplished this without the incredible efforts of our staff and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department,” Moody said. “This was a joint team effort that resulted in being able to save the lives of 55 animals in Randolph County. I’m extremely grateful to my staff for their tremendous help, as well as the Sheriff’s office, and the Animal Services advisory board for their continued guidance and support.”
Major facility improvements at the County Animal Shelter were made possible through a $750,000 grant provided by Waste Management.
“This recognition and spirit of cooperation exhibited between the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Services is the example-in-action we hoped for when restructuring the Animal Services Department three years ago,” said Darrell Frye, chairman of the county commissioners “It’s proof of how far we’ve come in three years, in the midst of a pandemic. A great deal of credit goes to Sheriff Seabolt, Jonathan Moody, our Animal Control Advisory Board, and all the employees who put in service 24/7 on behalf of abused and abandoned animals in our county.”
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Toyota adds to plans for megasite

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LIBERTY – Toyota announced an additional investment of $2.5 billion in its newest North American facility, Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina at the Greensboro-Randolph megasite.

Last week’s announcement means added capacity to support battery electric vehicle battery production and adds 350 jobs, bringing the total employment to approximately 2,100.

Scheduled to begin production in 2025, the facility will produce batteries for hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles. Construction has begun.

Last year, Toyota Motor Corporation announced a global investment of approximately $70 billion for electrification efforts. Last week, as part of this aspirational goal, TMC announced a future battery production commitment of up to $5.6 billion, which includes the new North Carolina investment.

“This marks another significant milestone for our company,” said Norm Bafunno, senior vice president, Unit Manufacturing and Engineering at Toyota Motor North America. “This plant will serve a central role in Toyota’s leadership toward a fully electrified future and will help us meet our goal of carbon neutrality in our vehicles and global operations by 2035.”

In 2021, Toyota, in partnership with Toyota Tsusho, announced the new Liberty location with an initial investment of $1.29 billion for battery production and the creation of 1,750 new jobs. Now, the company’s total investment is $3.8 billion.

“This is an exciting time for Toyota, the region and the many North Carolinians we will soon employ,” said Sean Suggs, TBMNC president. “This incremental investment reflects our continued commitment to ensuring jobs and future economic growth for the Triad region.”

ER football Ervodd Cassady v Walkertown

Prep football: Randleman, E. Randolph, Providence Grove rack up wins

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Eastern Randolph’s Ervodd Cassady runs into the end zone against Walkertown on Friday night. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

RANDLEMAN – Quarterback Christian Long ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Tigers cruised in a 47-7 victory against visiting Montgomery Central on Friday night.

Amarion Moton scored on touchdown runs of 3 and 1 yards for Randleman (2-1).

Long connected with Tyshaun Goldston, who racked up 135 yards on five catches, for a 66-yard touchdown play. Long’s touchdown runs came from 4 and 22 yards out.

Micah Thurston also scored on a 13-yard touchdown run.

Eastern Randolph 35, Walkertown 21: At Walkertown, Ervodd Cassady ran for three touchdowns as the Wildcats (2-1) picked up a road victory. Those were part of the team’s 275 rushing yards.

“I thought the offensive line played extremely hard,” Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates said.

Versatile back Davonte Brooks returned to action after missing the Asheboro game a week earlier with an injury. He made several big-yardage plays.

Eastern Randolph’s Will Stalker returned an interception for a touchdown.

Walkertown (2-1) won its first two games by shutouts.

Providence Grove 51, Jordan-Matthews 0: At Siler City, the visiting Patriots (3-0) recorded a shutout for the second week in a row.

Zane Cheek scored on a punt returning and a rushing play. Zander Cheek and Joel Coltrane also returned punts for touchdowns. Jaden Baker ran for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterbacks Andrew Canter and Chase Whitaker each threw a touchdown pass.

The Jets (0-3) have scored six points all season.

East Davidson 42, Trinity 13: At Trinity, the Bulldogs (2-1) couldn’t hang around after trailing just 14-7 at halftime. Dominic Payne threw a touchdown pass to Chance Grogan and Bob Gibson reached the end zone on a run for host Trinity’s touchdowns. East Davidson is 2-1.

Ledford 70, Wheatmore 0: At Thomasville, the Warriors dropped to 0-3 with the road loss.

Goodwill store opens in Liberty.

Goodwill expands in Randolph County with Liberty store

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Shoppers took advantage of the grand opening of the new Goodwill store in Liberty. (Courtesy photo)

LIBERTY – A Goodwill Industries store and donation center opened in Liberty a few weeks ago, becoming the fourth such location in Randolph County.

“We are so excited to be part of the Liberty community and have already been blown away by the generosity of the donors in the area,” said Brady Craven, district manager for Triad Goodwill. “Right when people saw our signs go up, we were welcomed with bags and literal truckloads of donations.”

The store has gently used and new clothing for all ages and books in addition to furniture, housewares, and shoes.

Nearly all the new store’s employees are residents of the Liberty area. That’s considered a bonus for the organization.

“A lot of people think that we are just a thrift store, but there is so much more that we do, and we are so happy to extend our reach and have the opportunity to provide more services for those in need, thanks to this community,” Craven said.

Triad Goodwill provides training and employment opportunities.

Christine Gillies, marketing business manager for Triad Goodwill, said that with the Greensboro-Randolph megasite in the works and the expected population growth that could accompany that, it made Liberty targeted for a potential store.

It’s the first Goodwill store in Liberty. Goodwill officials said the location was considered an underserved corridor between Burlington and Asheboro.

The grand opening occurred Aug. 11 in a former Dollar General store on South Greensboro Street.

“The store location was basically the only site available in town with access for donations,” according to information provided by Gillies. “Our primary objective with the sites is ease of access for donors. Our goal is to have a drive-thru on the side of the building in the future.”

The building provides 8,000 square feet of retail space.

Goodwill stores in Asheboro and Archdale opened in the 1990s, though multiple sites have been used for those. The current Asheboro store was built in 2005, while the Archdale location was purchased in 2021. A store opened in Randleman in 2006.

Hours for the Liberty store are 10-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1-6 p.m. Sunday. The donation center closes at 6 p.m. daily.

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Second year means more identity for Trinity Middle School

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ARCHDALE – Year 2 for Trinity Middle School has arrived, and it should feel more like home for students and staff.

“It does,” principal Aaron Barr said. “It’s a continuation of last year.”

A year ago, the opening of the new school was a special occasion, though it also came with normal challenges. There was a merging of students from previous schools that became part of the process.

“Everybody was kind of trying to feel their way,” Barr said. “You’re getting the culture of a new school worked out.”

Classes began this week for the new school year in the Randolph County School System.

Trinity Middle School, with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, had about 530 students last year, and a similar number is anticipated for this school year.

The creation of Trinity Middle School meant the end of Braxton Craven School and the renaming of Archdale-Trinity Middle School to Wheatmore Middle School. Previously, those two middle schools were feeders to Trinity High School and Wheatmore High School.

Now, Trinity Middle School funnels students to Trinity High School.

So there was a transition period for numerous reasons last year.

“You’re still finishing things up,” Barr said. “There are some finishing touches.”

Instead of some of the generic tone that greeted students last summer, there are more areas displayed with the school colors that incorporate blue, black, and white. It’s probably more apparent that the school mascot is the Bulldogs.

“It’s not a plain wall,” Barr said. “Now we’ve gotten to put their personality on it.”

The school, which is the newest campus in the RCSS, lists three administrators and about 30 teachers among the staff. Barr had been principal at Hopewell Elementary School prior to moving to the position at the new middle school.

Trinity Middle School is holding a clean-up day at the athletics fields in an effort to spruce up those areas. Volunteers are asked to bring weed eaters and tools to assist in the process, which is set to begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 10 at the football and baseball/softball fields. A pizza lunch will be provided to those putting in the work.

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Madison Burgiss

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Madison Burgiss  | Trinity, volleyball

Burgiss, a senior setter, has been a steady contributor as Trinity has gone on a good stretch early in the season. She helped the Bulldogs to three victories last week.

It began when the Bulldogs avenged a loss to Asheboro by winning in three sets at home as Burgiss provided 28 assists. Burgiss recorded 31 assists as the Bulldogs swept Southern Guilford and then posted 21 assists in a three-set sweep of High Point Central.

Teammate Karrington Batten helped finish many of the assists from Burgiss by racking up 31 kills during the week. Kaitlyn McCoy had 29 kills during the same span, while Sarabeth Johnson notched 23 kills across the three matches.

After dropping a season-opening match, the Bulldogs went on a five-match winning streak.

Wheatmore volleyball Haley Pease

Prep Notes: Asheboro to move to another volleyball venue

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Wheatmore senior Haley Pease spikes the ball during Monday night’s victory at East Davidson. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro volleyball team is moving practices and matches to South Asheboro Middle School from Sept. 8-26.

For the second season in a row, the Blue Comets have been displaced from the high school’s gym because of the massive construction and renovation project taking place on campus.

The Blue Comets had been using North Asheboro Middle School as its home facility. This latest move comes as repairs to the gym floor at North Asheboro Middle School are scheduled to begin next week.

GOOD STARTS: Trinity’s volleyball team had only 10 wins last year. It had half that many with five across the first two weeks of this season.

Wheatmore’s volleyball team avenged an early loss to East Davidson by picking up a road victory in four sets Monday night.

In boys’ soccer, Wheatmore has secured shutouts in three of its first five games to produce a 3-0-2 record – all in non-conference competition.

Also in soccer, Asheboro improved to 5-0 by winning its road opener with Monday night’s 5-2 triumph at Trinity. Cristian Benitez posted three goals in that game.

ON TARGET: Asheboro’s Salem Lee shot 1-over-par 36 on Monday at Asheboro Municipal Golf Course to claim medalist honors in the first Mid-Piedmont Conference match of the season.

The Blue Comets placed second, 21 shots behind Oak Grove, in the five-team competition.

BIG GATHERING: The North Carolina High School Athletic Association reported the largest crowd for its Hall of Fame banquet in the organization’s history for last week’s gathering in Cary.

The Hall of Fame classes for 2021 and 2022 were honored. More than 500 tickets were reserved.

Richard Hudson with youth at YMCA

Hudson stops at YMCA in Asheboro

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Congressman Richard Hudson reads a book to youth during a summer day camp at the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA last week. (Scott Pelkey/North State Journal)

ASHEBORO – Congressman Richard Hudson expressed his vision for expanding the influence of the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA during a visit last week.

Hudson saw glimpse of how the facility serves residents in the region.

“The Randolph-Asheboro YMCA is a vital part of our community, serving residents of all ages and backgrounds,” Hudson said. “I enjoyed seeing the facility firsthand and reading to students, as well as discussing ways to support the YMCA’s growth with local leaders and employees through grants and other initiatives.”

Hudson took a tour of the facility and met with members of the youth summer day camp.

North Carolina Rep. Pat Hurley was in attendance. Randolph-Asheboro YMCA executive director Patrick O’Hara led the tour.

Hudson said federal grants can support the endeavors of the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA in the future. He has been on past board member for a local YMCA.

“We’re happy to identify opportunities,” Hudson said. “Anything we can do to help you all be successful, we want to e part of it.”

Hudson is an incumbent candidate in the new 9th Congressional district, which includes Randolph County.

The YMCA’s Labor Day hours will be 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday.

However, the facility’s pool is closed through Sept. 5 for annual maintenance. It closed Aug. 26.

Archie Adams Sr Caraway Wall of Fame Aug2022

Brinkley secures Caraway win on induction night

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Archie Adams Sr., center, receives recognition as he’s inducted into Caraway Speedway’s Wall of Fame on Saturday night. (Courtesy photo)

SOPHIA – Blaise Brinkley returned to Caraway Speedway and won the Late Models feature Saturday night.

Brinkley, who was the 2021 track champion in the division, finished ahead of current points leader Coy Beard.

Tommy Neal was third, followed by Blake Bledsoe and Dylan Ward.

In Mini Stocks, Patrick Mullen claimed the checkered flag ahead Adam Thomas and Rudy Hartley. Mullen and Jimmy Crigger were engaged in a battle at the front until an electrical issue with Crigger’s car put him out of contention.

In the 35-lap Challenger race, Corey Rose secured the victory. Kenny Bost led for a chunk of the race but finished second ahead of Toby Layne, Brian Rose and Matthew Smith. Jaxson Casper was the fast qualifier.

In the UCAR feature, Caleb Allred topped fast qualifier Ron Mock, with Steven Collins in third place.

Prior to the racing, five new members were inducted into Caraway Speedway’s Wall of Fame. The group included Archie Adams, Sr., Bob Labonte, Banner Shelton, Ronald Fox and Wayne “Speedy” Thomas.

The 81-year-old Adams competed on the dirt at Caraway and won NASCAR division titles

at the track. Adams accepted his membership plaque then strapped into his No. 1sc Challenger division Chevy and turned 35 more laps on the Caraway asphalt.

Fox was a winner of many races and titles at the speedway as a driver and crew chief. After accepting his award, he hopped over the pit wall and finished the pre-race prep on

the familiar No. 21 Late Model driven by Brandon Cox.

Bob Labonte was the car owner for two sons, Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte, who climbed the ranks to the NASCAR Cup championship. His ownership of cars driven by Bobby Labonte and grandson Justin Labonte at Caraway Speedway along with the support he gave to many other

drivers at the track earned him a spot in the Wall of Fame. Bob Labonte was unable to attend

the ceremonies due to health issues, but his award was accepted by his son Bobby Labonte.

Shelton died in 1976 but not before his contributions to racing at

Caraway Speedway earned him the honors.

Thomas, most just know him as “Speedy,” was one of the best-known car owners in the Modified ranks for more than 40 years. His cars won many Modified features at Caraway Speedway. His drivers included Sam Ard, Paul Radford, Jimmy Spencer, Jimmy Hensley and Billy Hensley along with three of his drivers present at the track to help with the Wall of Fame induction. Those included Hank Thomas, Satch Worley and Frank Fleming.

The track’s next racing night comes Sept. 10 with Mini Stocks, Challengers, UCARs, Legends, Bandoleros and the Grand National Super Series.

Alec Allred headshot

Former Ramseur man runs summer baseball circuit for college-age players

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Alec Allred oversees the Old North State League.

 

RAMSEUR –  Alec Allred is making a career out of baseball and it’s not on the field.

He’s the president of the Old North State League, a summer college circuit that wrapped up what he called a successful season earlier this summer.

“This is my full-time job now, trying to coordinate everything,” Allred said. “It’s a lot that goes into it, but it’s a ton of fun.”

Allred, 27, is from Ramseur and a 2014 graduate of Faith Christian. His family has largely overseen Eastern Randolph Post 81’s program on the American Legion level in recent years.

So finding a role in baseball seemed like a natural pursuit, Allred said. After high school, he had a redshirt year at North Carolina A&T followed by a season at Rockingham Community College and then a couple of seasons with Division III Peace College. Then came time in some independent leagues.

“I’m done playing,” he said. “I held on as long as I could.”

He saw other opportunities, particularly when it came to filling a niche for college-aged players in a wooden bat league. The ONSL began with eight teams and 125 players in 2019, using two fields. One of those was Craven Stadium in Ramseur.

Then during the 2020 pandemic-ravaged season, the ONSL fielded eight teams with bigger rosters and spread out.

“Those other leagues shut down and we were getting guys who had a higher calibre (of experience),” Allred said.

The Ramseur site is no longer used in the ONSL, but the 2022 version of the league had 13 teams with about 400 players. Last Monday, another team was added with a club in Clayton.

Allred, who now lives in Whispering Pines and conducts baseball lessons in the offseason, said he could envision the league growing to 18 teams.

It takes about $40,000 annually to run each team. Players are required to pay to play, but that might tend to create a commitment to stick without throughout the two-month season. Host families help with out-of-area players.

“We’re climbing and slowly getting better players,” Allred said. “My goal is to make it free for players. … You’re always trying to be better and get the league to new heights,”

The venues used by the league are vastly different from city to city. The High Point Hushpuppies play at Truist Point, which is the permanent home of the Atlantic League’s High Point Rockers. High school fields are used in Sanford and Shallotte, while facilities are well past their primes in places such as Reidsville and Swepsonville.

“There’s definitely a big variety of stadiums,” Allred said. “You have some old mill-league fields.”

Rosters generally hold about 30-some players.

Most of the ONSL players come from Division II, Division III or junior colleges – or are about to join teams on those levels. Allred said he has embraced an underdog mentality.

“I do get a little partial to the smaller-school guys,” he said.

Largely, players compete for teams that are local to where they live. About 25 percent of players come from out of the area, Allred said.

The Sandhills Bogeys, who are based in Pinehurst, won the 2022 championship, beating the Hendersonville Honeycrisps in the final.

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