SEPTEMBER
• St. John the Baptist Catholic Church celebrated 100 years with an Italian Feast.
• Renovations of the new county mental health building began. The county purchased the building from Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry.
• Polk County Sheriff Officers arrested Timothy William McCurry, 39, after finding him hiding in a drain in the basement of the former Grover Industries building in Lynn. McCurry was arrested for stealing copper out of the building for several months.
• A 1-year-old and a 2½-year-old living in the Sunny View home recently busted as a methamphetamine lab both tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
• Polk Central, Sunny View and Tryon Elementary schools all received grants to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to their students for snacks. The grants totaled $54,000.
• Students in the Boys and Girls Club at O.P. Earle Elementary in Landrum won $10,000 for their program by competing in the Disney/Pir
• The N.C Department of Insurance Sept. 8 arrested seven area residents accused of an insurance fraud scheme involving staged accidents. The N.C. Department of Insurance, which conducted the investigation and made the arrests, said the total estimated losses were in excess of $100,000•
• After discussing a development agreement with Foster Creek Preserve for about a year, the Town of Columbus considered the final draft. Columbus held a public hearing Sept. 8 and heard several comments and suggested changes from the public.
• N.C. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin Tuesday, Sept. 13 announced the arrest of Michael Kareem Hannon, 26, of 740 E. Howard St., Tryon in connection with a suspected insurance fraud scheme.
• The N.C. Department of Health Service Regulation approved a certificate of need (CON) Sept. 9 for a proposed six-bed replacement facility on the St. Luke’s Hospital campus in Columbus.
• Residents of the Ashley Meadows at White Oak apartment complex requested to be a part of the Town of Columbus. Columbus Town Council met Sept. 15 and acknowledged receipt of the petition for a contiguous voluntary annexation.
• Landrum City Council members voted to ban the sale of “bath salts,” synthetic products sometimes used to get high, from being sold inside the city limits.
• Saluda Mayor Fred Baisden commended city employees for their hard work to encourage residents to complete the 2010 U.S. Census. Baisden said the census reported 715 citizens in Saluda, compared to about 575 citizens in the 2000 census.
• Silver Creek residents heard during a N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) meeting Sept. 15 that the paving of Bishop Lane, the community’s main road, would begin in September. Community members have worked for decades to get roadways improved through their neighborhood.
• The Polk Wellness Center recently received three grants from the Polk County Community Foundation totaling $50,000.
• Columbus Town Council met Thursday, Sept. 15 and agreed to spend $23,250 for an iron and manganese sequestration project at the well to clear up discoloration of water being produced from the town’s Woods well.
• The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) uncovered a large indoor marijuana grow operation Sept. 22 in Saluda. David William Propest of Saluda was arrested and transported to the Buncombe County Jail on outstanding charges of trafficking a schedule IV controlled substance.
• Murder suspect Travis McGraw filed a motion to suppress evidence in the case against him regarding the murder of his wife, Vanessa Mintz. The motion asks the court to suppress cell phone records.
• It was announced that U.S. 74 and portions of Sandy Plains Road and Harmon Field Road would all be improved by July 30, 2012, according to the N.C. Dept. of Transportation (NCDOT).
In Memoriam
Leothus Nathaniel ‘Pilly’ Gray
Phyllis May Churchill
Anthony Aldo Conte
Jo Ellen Watkins Taylor
Betty H. Stepp
Morley Platt Kahoe
Phyllis May Churchill
James E. Slanaker
Helena Graham Glover
Douglas V. Rippy
George Ferguson Finnie
Jeanne Hitt Parker
Ruby Camp Shehan
Robert Waters
Robin ‘Tony’ Earley
Iris W. Flynn
Larry Dean Shytle
Robert ‘Bob’ Shuford
Eddie Smith
Nannie Bell Briscoe Logan
Ann Whidden McAndrews
Ervin John Pack
Archie A. Pearson
Elise Jones-Harris
James Alfred Ruff Sr.