English: Terminal and maintenance hangar at Rowan County Airport (KRUQ) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
RFP Staff
♦ 2013 was an event-filled year in Rowan County and Salisbury news. These stories, some of them lasting weeks and months, drew much attention locally:
• The Rowan-Salisbury School Central Office and its proposed location at 329 S. Main. Heavily promoted to save the downtown merchants and other special interests, 329 S Main was voted down by the majority of the County Commissioners who viewed the property as poor for construction with its lack of expandable size, 38 feet of loose infill with the water table running through it, and question mark parking. Earlier groundwater contamination harmed the project.
• The County’s purchase of the Salisbury Mall and the attempts to block it by special interests in Salisbury. The County’s purchase of the Salisbury Mall looms as a steal by the county as government offices and storage. A last ditch effort by Salisbury special interests, built upon a rumor that the justice offices were moving out of downtown, fizzled on the launch pad.
• Salisbury poor database statistics in crime, poverty, and education. Statistically Salisbury is now a dying city with soaring poverty, high per capita violent and property crime, urban flight, and schools, within the city proper, scoring badly on the State Education’s READY composite scores. Later in the year Yahoo carried a story nationally where Salisbury was rated 5th ranked city for soaring poverty in the USA.
• Smear tactics used against County Commissioners. Various front organizations for NC Blueprint and special interests in Salisbury had their smear tactics brought to light.
• Grimes Mills and Lyerly Funeral Home fires. Dramatic fires destroyed the historic Grimes Mills and the Lyerly Funeral Home.
• The Rowan County Airport De-annexation. After the county commissioners voted for Rowan County Airport De-annexation, our local state legislative delegation, Sen. Andrew Brock, Rep. Harry Warren, Sen. Gene McLaurin, and Rep. Carl Ford, all climbed onboard to push the legislation through Raleigh.
• The ongoing Fibrant debacle. The Fibrant debacle staggers with its immense 70 plus million dollar debt and failure to pay back around 7 million dollars to the general funds. The city made short-lived election year claims that Fibrant magically turned the corner to show a profit. Quickly it was pointed out they were hiding Fibrant employee salaries.
• Bullying related suicides at Erwin Middle School and cover-ups. Thu Le’s article, reprinted in the RFP about school system’s cover up, brought national attention to Erwin Middle School and the Rowan-Salisbury School System.
• Salisbury’s wrongful terminations of city employees. Interviews with former cop’s cop Kenny Lane and city of Salisbury groundskeeper Scott Hunt brought to light the wrongful terminations going on in Salisbury’s rogue city government. The questionable house cleaning tactics of many Salisbury city employees also triggered a major meltdown in city services. Weeds and “railroad” locust trees turned much of the city’s properties into an unforgettable “Little Amazonia” during the warmer months.
• The murder of Marcus “Marco” Kauffman. The brutal and senseless murder of Marcus Kauffman saddened and angered many in Rowan County.
• The Salisbury Post going up for sale. Troubled by dwindling circulation and higher prices, the small city paper gutted its future by siding with Salisbury special interests against the county and becoming a newsletter for Salisbury’s city government. Much conjecture abounds about the Post’s sale, its going to a twice a week paper, or its outright closure. There’s little doubt that the main office in Charleston will have a tough time unloading its North Carolina papers in an age when free news sources about on the net and digital news has left paper and print in the dust.
• Vacancies and decay along Salisbury’s Main Street area. A tour down Salisbury’s Main Street will demonstrate vacancies, decay, and a lack of pedestrian and auto traffic. More vacancies are expected after an abysmal holiday season.
• Groundwater Contamination at 329 S. Main. Groundwater contamination dominated the news for a month or two. Plumes of contaminated groundwater, stemming form 329 S. Main, may exist elsewhere in the neighborhood and might prove challenging for whomever holds the title.
• The shutting down of the city’s and school system employees first amendment rights. An interview with former city water employee, Chris Borre underscored the plight of local governmental employees and their ability to speak out. Chris Borre spoke out and got a better job elsewhere.
• Commissioner Jon Barber’s alleged misuse of county property case was sent to the county prosecutor. After being convicted of 2 DUIs and purloining a bottle of cheap wine from a Rushco’s, Mr. Barber is in trouble with the law once again for the alleged overzealous use of a copy machine in many early visits to the county offices. Between 7,000 and 9,000 were alleged to have been color printed to promote his Farm Fresh initiatives.
