New Boiling Springs Police Officer

The Boiling Springs Police Department welcomed its eighth full-time officer Tuesday with the swearing-in of Jose Lopez.

Here is a photo from the ceremony of Lopez, his wife Joanne and town clerk Kim Greene.

For more on the story, read Thursday's edition of The Star.

Robbery at First National Bank

Police are investigating an armed robbery this afternoon at the East Dixon Blvd. First National Bank.

Capt. Jeff Ledford said it was around 1:45 p.m. when a white man with a gun walked into the bank and left with an unknown amount of money.

Ledford said the man left in a small white car, possibly a Suzuki Sidekick, travelling east on US-74.

Ledford said surveillance footage of the robbery would be available later this afternoon.

A woman who answered the bank's phone around 3 p.m. declined to comment on the robbery.

Bobcats Arena

The view from the nosebleeds just before the Charlotte Bobcats / Toronto Raptors game Saturday night.

The game stayed close until halftime when the Raptors started raking up shots left and right. They won 93-76.

This was my first NBA game and I'm not going to pretend to be a sports analyst but the hometown team could use a little help when it comes to catching rebounds.

Dinner Break

Copy editor Emily Killian and reporter Hays Burchfield at Doc's on Friday night.

Shelby Fire Marshal Retires

After more than 31 years with the Shelby Fire Department, Fire Marshal Phil Lovelace's last day on the job came Friday. I was able to sit down and speak with him Friday at his office at the Grover Street firehouse.

Tell me a little about your background and what led you into this line of work.
I never really thought about being a fireman, which has been 31 years and seven months ago. … Most firemen that come here are volunteers before they become full-time. … I got on the volunteers with the city and in 1975 they hired me on full-time. … In 1985 I went into prevention and, a year after that, Gary Borders was fire marshal and he left and took the job in Hilton Head. So I took his place and that’s where I’ve been.

What is it about this job keeps you coming back each day?
It’s always something different. It’s never the same. You’re dealing with the same businesses but it’s always something different. It does not get boring.


Aside from arson investigations, what kind of other work do you do?
Well as far as all the records for the fire department, the response times. We keep all the statistics and each year we turn out a report that goes to the chief and he presents it to council and it tells what the fire department has actually done as far as the runs. We average the run times. Just about anything you’d want to know about the fire department.

How have you seen the profession change?
I believe the economy has hurt the fire service a whole lot. When I first came here we didn’t run first responder but we had to all become EMTs. The economy has forced the fire department to do other things than what we did when I came here. And running first responder and medical calls are among them. … More rescue-oriented stuff. A lot of stuff that we did not used to do.


What made you decide to retire?
Well it’s been a long time. After a while you just decide if you stay much longer it’s not going to benefit you that much more. I thought maybe I would just try to do something else.

Any ideas right now?
Play music, which I already do. I play with Ocean Boulevard; I’ve played with them for about the past six years. I play saxophone. We’ve played uptown at Alive After Five. I don’t want to do anything full-time. If I’m going to go to work somewhere full-time why retire? I want time to enjoy my grandchildren, things like that. … I like to fish. I plan on trying to fish a lot.


Is there a specific moment or a series of moments that confirmed you were doing the right thing with your career?
Yeah, especially when I came into prevention. I wanted to do something more than just put out fires. And after I really got into that I got good at it and I thought I was pretty much meant to do this. And that’s the reason I stayed so long. I enjoyed doing what I was doing.

As far as fire prevention, is there anything you’d like the public to know that maybe they don’t?
… There’s a lot of misuse of drop cords. It’s intended to be used just temporary. I’d say the other one is cooking fires. It’s beyond me but some people will put something on the stove and then leave. One of the last fatalities I worked was a cooking fire … about four years ago.


How is the fire station now compared to when you came in?
I think we have a little bit different attitude now than we did. We’re more adaptable than when I came here because we’ve had to do so many different things. When I first came to prevention we had two full-time inspectors. I would say, as the economy’s gotten worse, we’ve had to cut back. I believe through the years fire service has just tried to trim down and get a lot done with a whole lot less. I’m not saying that’s good, I’m just saying that’s the position I see.

What would you say to those guys you’ve been working with for so long?
I’d like to say to the guys, I think it’s a long road to the retirement but to me it’s a worthwhile endeavor. I could be doing something else but I wouldn’t have seen the things I’ve seen. Another thing I would say to them is, if they’re new, go to a bigger place to where there’s more money and they can do a lot more with their career than in a small town.


So today’s your last day. How’s it been?
It’s been great. A lot of the men have talked to me about old times and made sure they would see me again. And I told them ‘Well, I’ll be back again. The only time I’ll ever stop coming back is when I come in the door and I don’t see any faces I know.’

Fire at Tracy and Blanton Streets

A house caught fire this evening at the corner of Blanton and Tracy streets. The cause: an electrical shortage.

Dozens of neighbors stood outside their homes and watched as firemen blocked off the street corner at around 6 p.m. Smoke was seen still coming from the roof minutes after firemen arrived. The fire itself was confined to the attic.

Several neighbors said the home with several 'For sale' and 'No Trespassing' signs posted had been vacant for some time.

The block-long Tracy Street was the site of two fatal shootings in 2006:

Feb. 20: Alan Bell was shot and killed inside his 401 Tracy St. home. The case is still under investigation and was never ruled a homicide.

June 25: Jesse McSwain was shot and killed outside his 413 1/2 Tracy St. home. Jeffery Guyton Jr. was charged weeks later with the murder.

Bottle of Red, Bottle of White

When you think Billy Joel, you probably think 30-year-old piano ballads best suited for a light rock radio station.

You probably don't think of 20-something girls bumping and grinding as though Nelly Furtado was on stage.

But that's how they do it in Greenville.

Here are a few photographs taken during the show.

Yay for floor seats. Boo for drunk middle-aged women standing up four rows up and blocking my view with their ample backside.

I could see much better than the photos let on. Couldn't get my camera phone to zoom in any closer.

Here are some much better shots my friend Lindsay took.

"I need to tour. My car insurance is insane."

After a few encores, the two-hour show ended as it should have, with the entire crowd singing along to 'Piano Man.'

Good stuff.

Asha Degree Remembered

Today marked the seventh anniversary of Asha Degree's disappearance.

Here are a few photos from the annual walk from the family's home on Oakcrest Drive to the billboard that feature's the little girl's image on Fallston Road.

(1st to last: Aquilla Degree, Asha's mother, discusses what she's been through since her daughter went missing; the group of several dozen prays before setting out on their walk; the group begins their walk; the group gathers underneath Asha's billboard)

For more on the story, read Thursday's edition of The Star.

Asha Degree / Ivan Thompson

Tomorrow marks the seven-year anniversary of Asha Degree's disappearance.

This sign is posted along Fallston Road, not far from Asha's home and where she was last seen walking alongside the road Feb. 14, 2000.

Read more in Wednesday's Star about how those close to the case are dealing so many years later.

Brenda Sue Brown isn't the only "cold case" with an arrest made this week.

This is 602 Ligon St. in Shelby, where Ivan Thompson II was shot and killed April 7, 2004.

Three years later, an arrest was finally made in the case Tuesday.

Read more in Tuesday's Star about who police say is responsible and why he was already behind bars.

Preparing for armageddon?

The bread aisle at Wal-Mart. 7:30 p.m.

The milk section took a beating as well but it was nothing compared to this.

Night Lights

The grey afternoon skies led to nighttime rain.

But I'm not complaining. At least we still have electricity.

Dinner

I had dinner with copy editors Emily Killian and Hugh Koontz.

Here's Emily trying to get her dog Gracie to eat spinach. It didn't work.

I fought a bowl of potato soup and salad. It was a hard-fought battle but I won.

The Newsroom

You'll never again see the newsroom this empty at 5:30 p.m.

As a precautionary measure because of the winter "storm," the press run began around 2 p.m. (10 hours earlier than usual). So tomorrow's paper is already done. I'm just sticking around to make sure everything stays quiet.

Time for lunch!

I saw this restaurant across the street from city hall and decided it was about time for food, since I last ate around 8 p.m. last night.

Then I got a little closer.

As Homer Simpson would say, "D'OH!"

KM City Hall

The sign says it all.

This is city hall in Kings Mountain.

Mooo

I wonder what a cow thinks of snow. Or do cows even notice?

I didn't pull over to ask.

Not all of it has melted

Some patches of snow still remain in this field on Bethlehem Road.

A Trip to the Big KM

I went for a little drive to Kings Mountain, looking for a car wreck that never materialized.

But I did take some photos I thought I'd share.

Here is U.S. 74. Note the handful of vehicles on the usually busy road.

Well I'm standing on a corner in Shelby, North Carolina...

... such a fine sight to see.

My Eagles reference for the day.

What few cars I've seen today have been in and around downtown.

Here's a shot of the fountain outside the police department.

And yes, that's actual water spewing out - not a frozen block of ice as I was expecting.

Dark and spooky

The courthouse isn't the only place in Shelby today that looks like a ghost town.

Here's Washington Street just after 2 p.m.

Looks like a lot of folks spent the day indoors. Not too many cars driving around this afternoon.

Hello ... is there anybody in here?

The courthouse is like a ghost town this afternoon.

The Law Enforcement Center is open but the courtrooms are closed.

I asked Dawn in the sheriff's office control room if anything was going on.

She gave me some interesting info:

"It's slushy outside."

Lame!

1:15 p.m. and my work day is just about to begin.

I look outside my apartment at Marion Ridge and see the ice and snow melting...

Did I miss all the fun?