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The Weekly Report showcases the activities and accomplishments of the many Departments

within Rutherford County Government. Click on the directory lists, headings and text in blue to be linked to more information.

Department Directory

Agriculture/Cooperative Extension

Airport

Board of Elections

Building Inspections

County Manager

County Commissioners

Economic Development

Emergency Medical Services

Fire Marshal

Finance

Human Resources

Information Technology

Library

Public Works and Planning

Register of Deeds

Revenue

Senior Center

Social Services

Soil and Water

Solid Waste

Transit

Tourism Development Authority

Veteran Services

Weekly Report

Highlight of Departmental Activities

September 24, 2018

TRYON: Closing Ceremonies - September 23, 2018

WEG Schedule: https://tryon2018.com/wp_weg/events/

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Animal Control

Animal Control Weekly Update

Total animals taken in

23

Animals adopted into forever homes

9

Animals returned to owners

13

Calls completed

63

We have large numbers of stray dogs at the shelter. Please check our website if you are missing a pet or if

looking for a new one. http://petharbor.com/results.asp

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Board of Elections

County Manager and Commissioners

Listed are several events, meetings, and activities in which the County Manager, Commissioners and staff

were involved with the following individuals, departments and businesses:

• Planning and Projects

• Special County Commissioners’ Meeting

• County Attorney

• Airport Authority Meeting

• 2018 Celebration of The Arts Opening Reception

• JCPC Orientation

Other activities and events this week included Forest City, Spindale, and Chimney Rock Town Council

Meetings, meetings with citizens, numerous calls, interoffice meetings, conference calls, public relations,

advising, and preparation for various responsibilities.

PICTURED LEFT: Governor Roy

Cooper giving an update on Hurricane

Florence on Monday, September 17, 2018

from Raleigh.

Thirty-seven deaths are attributed to Flor-

ence, 1,200 roads closed, over 2,600 res-

cues plus numerous pet rescues, and, of

course, people still dealing with the flood-

ing crisis.

Agriculture/Cooperative Extension

Hannah Bundy reporting:

• Organic Gardening Class (1-4 pm and 5-8 pm)

• Colfax Fair Horticultural entry judging

• Master Gardener garden workday

Tracy Davis reporting:

• Taught cooking class for NetworX participants at First UMC in Rutherfordton.

• Judged exhibits at Colfax Fair.

• Met with Extension & Community Association.

• Director Debbie Bedford traveled to Mecklenburg County on Wednesday to pick up our ballots. This

was necessary due to disruption of mail and package delivery caused by Hurricane Florence.

• Letters were sent to poll workers regarding training classes coming up in early October.

• Don’t forget the last day to register or change your information for Election Day voting is October 12th.

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County Manager and Commissioners continued from page 3

A WORD FROM OUR COUNTY MANAGER:

September 17, 2018

We are blessed that the north/east bands only grazed Rutherford County before moving north-

ward out of NC. Please keep NCDOT employees, electric service linemen, public works, 911

operators/dispatchers, law enforcement, EMS, National Guard, Coast Guard, Emergency Man-

agement, hospitals/medical centers, animal rescues, the DSS staff, churches and non-profits

managing the shelters and many others across the Carolinas in our thoughts and prayers for the

long days and nights ahead as the recovery and rebuilding begins. The link below is of an amazing time lapse video

of Hurricane Florence.

https://www.facebook.com/WRALAimeeWilmoth/videos/1858160437603129/

The County Emergency Management staff managed an Emergency Operation Center (EOC) over the weekend and I

want to especially thank the following who worked in the EOC at various times and assisted with either the setup or

the management of the operation.

• Frankie Hamrick - Fire Marshal / EM Director

• John Greenway - Deputy Fire Marshal / EM

• Greg Dotson - 911 Director

• Kerry Giles - EMS / Transit Director

• Jai Doherty- I T Director

• Roman Scruggs- 1st Sergeant 911

• Terry Baynard - EMS Operations Manager

• Jamie Keever - Lieutenant

• Jessica Alexander - 911 Telecommunicator

• Mike Ledford - 911 Telecommunicator

I also want to commend the local utility, NCDOT, the hospital, law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel as well

as our EMRT overhead team, EMS admin and several telecommunicators who were either on duty, on standby or

covered additional shifts during this weather event (I am aware that Sgt. Susan Lawter and Malikka Hutchins were

brought in above staffing at the primary E911 Center for communication to/from the EOC, if needed, specific for

the event). Also, a big commendation to Shannon Spencer who came in on Saturday to work on two of our H/VAC

systems here at the Administration Building to ensure that our IT equipment and E911 staff were able to function

during this weather event. I also want to recognize Randy Patterson and his team who continued to service aircraft

that came in to the airport over the weekend. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to each of you and your

teams for your dedication to preserving life and limb and protecting our citizens as demonstrated this past week.

Thank you!

Steve Garrison, County Manager

Rutherford County Government

289 N. Main St.

Rutherfordton, NC 28139

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911 Communications Center

Call Summary

Rutherford County Communications

240 N. Washington Street

Rutherfordton, NC 28139

Report Date: 09/09/2018 to 09/15/2018

Total 911 Calls

Total Admin Calls

Total Calls

841 2,246 3,087

Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office–911 Communications assisted Emergency Management at our

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located at the BackUp911 Center in Spindale over the week-

end. During the hours the EOC was open the Primary 911 and BackUp911/EOC processed the follow-

ing storm/weather related CALLS FOR SERVICE:

A special thank you to the 911 crews working the Hurricane Florence storm event along with the addition-

al staff members who took special assignments or were on standby for call-in. We were very fortunate to

have missed what could have been a historic weather event.

Thank you, Team 911, for your hard work and dedication to all the emergency responders in Rutherford

County and the citizens we serve.

Lt. Greg Dotson

Complaint Type:

Num-

ber of

Calls: Notes:

Accident - Unable to advise PI 1

Accident PD 14

Accident PI 1

Burglar Alarms 19

Direct Traffic 4

Fire Alarm Industrial 5

Fire Investigations 1

Fire Power Line 9

Fire Woods 1

Power Outtage 6 Calls related to difficulty reaching their power company

Tree Down 63

Trees and Wires Down 6

Wires Down 4

Total for Complaint types – Storm related 134

Total Dispatched calls during EOC Operations 599 All complaint types.

E911 calls received during EOC Operations 301

Admin Calls received during same time period 729

Total Calls Received 1,030

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Human Resources

Finance Department

The Finance Office processed and accounts payable. Several interdepartmental meetings were attended by

director and staff.

Information Technology

The HR Director held meetings to discuss personnel issues, exit interviews, and

retirements. HR staff attended the HR Association meeting. The Director con-

ducted interviews and provided training. Open enrollment for health insurance is

just around the corner. Employees have begun receiving information from the

State Health Plan through mail and email. Colonial open enrollment is scheduled

for October 29-November 2, 2018. Flu shot clinic will be October 8 from 10:00-

2:00 at the County Office Building.

Please keep Paula Roach (Finance) and family in your prayers during the passing

of her grandmother, Daisy Yelton.

Also, remember Brian Gilreath (Sheriff’s Office) and family in the death of his mother, Shirley Ann Wat-

son Peal.

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Library

Joy Sharp (Mountains)

Mountains Branch Library enjoyed Pancakes in Pajamas on Saturday morning with some of our outstanding

volunteers flipping the golden, delicious pancakes.

The library hosted an ecoEXPLORE Birding program for kids 8-12 on Thurs-

day. We learned lots about our feathered friends and even went on a birding ex-

pedition.

Joy Sharp processed lots and lots of new books and DVDs. She also worked on

programs and promotional material for upcoming fall programs. She also looked

through library journals to select new materials to order.

Kenneth Odom (County)

Our Adult Maker Club made lip balm this week. The club meets the first Thursday of every month in the

library’s Makerspace. This month’s club met a week later than normal due to a scheduling conflict.

The library’s 3D printer has been in heavy use the past couple of weeks. If you have not seen a 3D printer

in action or you are curious about how they work, stop by the library’s Makerspace and Kenneth will be

glad to give you a demonstration!

Tamara Edwards (County)

This week has been filled with fun. At preschool story time we talked about feet and shoes and even prac-

ticed tying our shoes. We had our first Build It Club meeting for the year and enjoyed learning about weath-

er and building our own barometers to measure the air pressure as Florence came through (pictured below).

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Library continued from page 7

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Library continued from pages 7-8

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Register of Deeds

The Register of Deeds office works with the public everyday and continues to give prompt, courteous

and accurate service.

Transaction Group

Totals

Certified Vital Records

130

Marriage Licenses

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Recorded Deeds

60

Recorded Deeds of Trust

36

Recorded Certificates of Satisfaction

46

Recorded Various Other Documents

54

Oath Given to Notary Publics

2

Recorded Plats/Surveys

3

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Revenue Department

Customer Service Totals

Phone Calls 258

Customer Service Assistance 193

Information/Data Requests 1

Website Hits 3,386

County Growth Indicators

Deeds Reviewed 56

Collections Progress

Deeds Certified 32

Total Taxes Collected $355,745.55

• Please keep Rachel Bland and her family in your thoughts and prayers in the passing of her stepfather.

• Staff would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to Paula Roach and family in the passing of her

grandmother.

• The Revenue staff would also like to extend thoughts and prayers to the family of Anita Taylor, long-

time friend and fellow tax person from the Town of Lake Lure, who passed away on 09/18/18. The

Town and County staff will miss her. She was a great person to work with.

• The 2019 Schedule of Values are still open for inspection at the customer service counter in the Reve-

nue Department.

• We are so happy that Hurricane Florence moved more to the north of our area. The county was lucky

and did not have as much damage as first predicted. Please keep all the counties down east in your

thoughts and prayers for a quick recovery from this storm.

• Well our beach bums Linda & Bruce Greene have finally returned to good old Rutherford County.

Glad you got home safe with all the storm problems. They had such a good time and are already plan-

ning the next trip.

• It has been nice to hear and see many of the WEG guest coming to Rutherford County to visit, eat and

shop at our local businesses. We’ve overheard business owners and individuals talk about the compli-

ments they have received. The national and international guest have talked about our beautiful part of

the state, our restaurants and the good foods. In addition, how nice everyone have been during his or

her stay. They love our southern hospitality. Several have talked about their next visit and having

more time to check out all that our county has to offer.

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Senior Center

Did you know September is National Rice Month? The Recipe Club met this week and shared recipes

that used rice as one of the ingredients.

The Meet and Eat Club met at

Gregory’s of Rutherfordton

Tuesday evening. A total of 11

seniors attended and had a great

time laughing, eating, and fel-

lowshipping with each other.

With the start of a new school

year, the Pen Pals met this week

and were assigned their “pal”

from Mrs. Summay’s third

grade class and wrote the first

installment in their pen pal

book. This is such a special ac-

tivity that we participate in each

year for both the student and the

seniors (pictured left).

Barbara was on the road again…..this time

her and a group of seniors traveled to Straw-

berry Hill for some afternoon produce shop-

ping and ice cream.

We had a special performance by Shellem

Cline on Thursday and had a great turn out

(pictured right).

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Sheriff's August 2018 Report

Calls for Service 4,392

Warrants Served/Total Arrest 89/93

Domestic Calls 139

Involuntary Commitments/Hours 16/16.25 Man Hours

Civil Papers Served 361

Ex partes Served 17

Evictions 14

Animals Pickup/Surrender 156

Animals Returned to Owners or Rescued 118

Animal Control Calls for Service 339

New Cases Assigned to Detectives/Road Patrol 258/11

Pill Drop Collections 20,156 Doses Units/279 ML

Average Daily Inmate Confinement 222

Gun Purchase Permits Issued 98

Carry Concealed Permits Issued 183

Project Lifesaver Clients/Contact Hours 2/2.0 Man Hours

Registered Sex Offenders/Contact Hours 203/22.0 Man Hours

Sheriff’s Office

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Soil & Water

Personnel Actions

August, 2018

1. Ashley Padgett, to part time with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office (911) Communication Cen-

ter. Effective 8/27/2018.

2. Brian Gilreath, to full time with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office (School Resource Officer Di-

vision) GREAT Officer. Effective 8/20/2018.

3. David Suttles, to full time with The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. (Road Patrol Division). Effec-

tive 9/3/2018.

4. Cassandra McClung, to full time with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. (Department Of Social

Services Officer). Effective 8/20/2018.

Sheriff’s Office continued from page 13

The District Administration and Education Specialist worked on:

• District Meeting minutes, supervisor travel and District Agreement updates.

• Conservation Field Day, Area Fall meeting and education planning.

• Farmland Preservation program update and paperwork.

The Resource Conservation Administrator spent the week:

• working on Conservation plans.

• teleconference with NRCS on Dam Watch Program.

• inspecting Watershed dams after Florence.

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Solid Waste

Customers served

452

Loads hauled from Centers

72

MSW loads to Lenoir

43

Recycling loads to Conover

3

Tire customers

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Director James Kilgo:

• met with Shield Engineering when they were on site at landfill.

• worked on a presentation.

• worked on reports and budget.

The office staff continues to take care of customers and works on timesheets.

The staff at the transfer station has been busy processing and inspecting MSW and recycling tonnages.

The C&D staff continue to process C&D tonnages coming in while maintaining the muddy grounds.

The airport staff continues to work on maintaining the grounds at the airport.

The Shop is busy with preventative maintenance and repairs to equipment and vehicles.

Please continue to recycle!

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Tourism Development Authority

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Tourism Development Authority continued from page 16

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Tourism Development Authority continued from pages 16-17

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Transportation Services

EMS:

Rutherford County EMS focused this week on Hurricane preparedness and Director and Operations Man-

ager also participated in multiple EMRT meetings. We also continue to prepare for an influx of visitors in

regards to the World Equestrian Games. During our monthly in service last week, we reviewed the compo-

nents of the Incident Command System. Everyone worked together on a table-top exercise involving a bus

accident on Hwy 74 and how we would respond to take care of the injured and mitigate the incident.

Emergency Calls 158

Non-Emergency Calls 18

Type of Call # of Calls

Transfer/Interfacility/Palliative Care 32

Sick Person 22

Traffic Accident 18

Falls 16

Breathing Problem 14

Stroke/CVA 10

Unconscious/Fainting 9

Chest Pain (Non-Traumatic) 9

Heart Problems/AICD 6

Psychiatric Problem/Abnormal Behavior/Suicide Attempt 6

Allergic Reaction/Stings 5

Cardiac Arrest/Death 4

Convulsions/Seizure 4

No Other Appropriate Choice 4

Hemorrhage/Laceration 3

Diabetic Problem 3

Traumatic Injury 3

Abdominal Pain/Problems 1

Assault 1

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Transit:

Transit held their monthly Safety Meeting this week cover-

ing ADA requirements by watching a video titled “Access

Matters” produced by Easter Seals. We held open discus-

sion on proper procedures for different scenarios that were

presented in the video. Transit employees were on standby

during the weekend to respond to provide emergency evac-

uations for Emergency Management during Hurricane Flor-

ence. Transit also provided Emergency Management four

vans that are awaiting disposal to be used to transport emer-

gency personnel to emergency situations locations as a

group if the need arose. Transit is making plans to hold our

annual Driver Appreciation Week during the third week of

October. All new Transit vans are fully operational and on

the road in revenue service.

Transportation Services continued from page 19

TYPE

CURRENT

WEEK

WEEKLY AVG

Total Miles

8,854

8,985

Local Trips

1,228

1,156

Out of County Trips

62

70

Unduplicated Passengers

216

196

Total Revenue

$17,795

$16,107

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Say goodbye to summer and

welcome to fall!

The Northern Hemisphere's au-

tumnal equinox, the first day of

fall, occurs Saturday, September

22, 2018. With its brilliant colors

and crisper days, autumn is a fa-

vorite season for many.

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Open every Saturday until October 27

Rutherford County Farmers Market Recurring weekly on Saturday from 9 am – 1 pm

The Rutherford County Farmers Market is located at

172 Depot Street in Forest City. Walk through the cov-

ered pavilion to meet local farmers and artisans. Look

through the flowers and plants from local nurseries,

shop for fruits and veggies, admire the arts and crafts

from our talented artists, and enjoy the activities and

events that happen throughout the season. Click here to

sign up for our weekly list of what farmers will be at

market each week, and to find out what they're bringing

with them: http://eepurl.com/dqPO21

October 5

Race for the Gold Soapbox Derby Build your car and get ready to race through

downtown Rutherfordton in this high energy

event. 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM – Rutherfordton.

Why should kids have all the fun? Our adult on-

ly soapbox derby is the only one of its kind in

the region and is a fabulous way to show your

community spirit. Have you ever dreamed of

owning your own NASCAR team? This is your

big chance as companies, churches, schools and

other organizations build their own cars to com-

pete or sponsor independent teams. What a

unique and high impact promotional opportunity!! Local sportsmen can build their own cars, too (refer to

the rules page located on rutherfordtown.com for details).

October 6

Hilltop Fall Festival 9 am The Hilltop Festival is held the first Saturday of October in our historic Downtown. It is our favorite way

to usher in fall and one of the most popular festivals of the year.

You’ll fall in love with this festival as a number of events take

over the streets: Get a jump start on your holiday shopping and

take advantage of our huge selection of vendors from all over

the region. Face painting, rock walls, inflatables, pony rides and

more await kids of all ages. The best bands of the region fill our

Courthouse Stage. Be sure to check out all the entries to our

annual Scarecrow Contest. The best in festival food and irresist-

ible homemade desserts and more from local churches await

you. Interested in being a vendor or a competitor in one of our

races? Download an application get registered.

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Art Show starts Friday, September 21, 2018! Over 50 artists...more than 200 pieces of art

including works by Mandy Huffman, Donna Sabolovic, Addison Lane, Willard Whit-

son, John O McWhorter and many more.

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Contest to Design Isothermal’s Official Flag

Isothermal Community College needs a design for its official flag and it wants your help. The flag

will fly next to the American and North Carolina flags on a new set of poles in front of the Admin-

istration Building.

The flagpoles are a project of the Isothermal Alumni Association, which has mounted a fundraising

campaign to pay for the estimated $10,000 cost.

The design contest is open to Isothermal students and the public. The entries will be judged by a pan-

el of Isothermal faculty and staff. The winner will receive a $100 gift card to the Isothermal

Bookstore.

The flags and flagpoles, including the winning design, will be dedicated in a special ceremony at the

Veterans Day Concert at The Foundation Performing Arts and Conference Center on Saturday, Nov.

10.

Entries must be in an electronic format and emailed to mgavin@isothermal.edu with “Flag Contest”

in the subject line. Either pdf, jpg or eps file formats are acceptable. It is preferred that jpg entries be

at least 300 dpi in resolution and that eps or Illustrator files be in vector format. The proportion of the

image is that of a standard flag – 2:3.

Email any questions about the format or technical specifications to Mike Gavin at the email address

above. Entries are due by noon on Monday, Oct. 1. Anyone interested in donation to the project

should contact Thad Harrill at 828-395-1624 or tharrill@isothermal.edu.

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50K and 100K

October 6, 2018

Rutherfordton, NC

Sign-In: 8 am - 9:15 am

• Great end-of-season roller coaster rides

• Event t-shirt

• Best deal in WNC for a high quality ride

• Door prizes and post-ride meal

• Proceeds benefit local youth cycling and Rutherford Housing Partnership

•

Fee: $20 if registered by October 4th ($25 after)

Go to http://www.rutherfordoutdoor.org/cycling-tours-race/tour-de-pumpkin for more in-

formation, to register, and to see our course maps.

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When: Saturday, October 6 at 8:30 AM – 10 AM

Where: 7K Race Start at Court St. & Main St. Finish near intersection of Toms and

Court St

Register: ONLINE registration closes at 5 PM on October 4 !!!

Rutherford Town Revitalization,

Brand new course for 2018 that combines the Overmountain Victory Trail together with

the Purple Martin Greenway through Rutherfordton, NC.

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Rutherford County Schools Posts Strongest School

Performance to Date

For the fifth consecutive year, the State Board of Education earlier

today awarded letter grades to each of North Carolina’s public

schools based upon student proficiency and growth results from the

2017-18 school year. Those results reflect Rutherford County

Schools’ strongest performance to date. Across North Carolina, ap-

proximately 78% of schools received a School Performance Grade of “C” or better. In Ruth-

erford County Schools, 100% of schools were awarded a School Performance Grade of “C”

or better.

“We are pleased that the number of our local schools receiving a School Performance Grade

of ‘A’ or ‘B’ increased again last year,” said superintendent Dr. Janet Mason. “In fact,

schools in our district earned those highest possible marks at almost twice the statewide rate.

Statewide, a little more than one-third of schools earned grades of ‘A’ or ‘B’, while nearly

two-thirds of our schools did.” Mason also noted that local schools continue to dramatically

outperform similar districts across North Carolina.

“We are also pleased that today’s reports highlight the strongest student growth results in

our school system’s history,” said assistant superintendent Dr. David Sutton. “Nearly 90% of

our local schools either met or exceeded their schoolwide growth targets last year.” Cliffside

Elementary School, East Rutherford Middle School, Harris Elementary School, and R-S

Middle School exceeded annual growth expectations. “That demonstrably high growth rate

underscores our commitment to providing rigorous learning experiences and strong support

services that allow widespread student success across schools, grade levels, and content are-

as,” Sutton added.

“In the coming days, our team will fully assess all the data provided in today’s State Board

reports, and those observations will help to inform our continuous improvement efforts as a

school system,” Mason added. “While they certainly highlight many of our school system’s

achievements, they will also provide helpful information as we continue to pursue the ambi-

tious improvement goals we have established for our local schools.”

Sutton will provide a full report of state and local accountability results to the Rutherford

County Board of Education during its regular business meeting at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, Sep-

tember 11. The meeting, to be held at the school system’s Cool Springs administrative offic-

es at 382 West Main Street in Forest City, is open to the public, and community members

are invited to attend. Additional details about School Performance Grades and statewide ac-

countability results are available on the website of the North Carolina Department of Public

Instruction at http://www.ncpublicschools.org.

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Scare up $100 for you or your Organization!

16th Annual Scarecrow Contest displayed during Rutherfordton’s Hilltop Fall Festival

on October 6, 2018

1. Mail in the entry form found below by the deadline

2. All entries must be appropriate for public display.

3. Displays must face Main Street.

4. Signage will be limited to that which is provided by Rutherford Town Revitalization listing

“sponsored by …” and the name of individual or organization.

5. Decorate your assigned pole with a scarecrow that is securely attached to the pole for safety. (RTR

will notify you of your assigned pole by Sept. 26th)

6. Display your scarecrow beginning, Oct. 1st . Your entry must be in place no later than Oct. 1, 2018.

7. RTR, Inc. reserves the right to remove any or all displays that are judged to be inappropriate.

8. Displays must be removed by Nov. 1, 2018.

9. RTR, Inc. is not responsible for theft or vandalism of display. Participants are encouraged to not use

anything of value in the display.

10. A panel of judges will select the winning scarecrows based on creativity, originality and overall

character on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018.

11. The winners will be announced at the Hilltop Fall Festival on Saturday, October 6, 2018. (You need

not be present to win.)

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Participation Entry Form The Scarecrow Contest is open to everyone. All schools, businesses, youth organiza-

tions, church groups and individuals are welcome! You will be eligible for judging if

you have completed an entry form. There is no fee to be in the contest. The top three

winners receive ribbons with $100 prize money awarded to first place, $50 for sec-

ond place and $25 for third place.

Name (School, Business, Organization):

___________________________________________________

Address:

___________________________________________________

Contact:

___________________________________________________

Phone:

___________________________________________________

Please return by Sept. 24, 2018 to: Rutherford Town Revitalization

PO Box 82, Rutherfordton, NC 28139 or fax to (828) 287-2805.

For more information, please call Heather Meech at (828) 286-9977

email: heather@mcconnellgrouppr.com or visit our website at

www.rutherfordtown.com.

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New daytime BLET class set for January

A new daytime Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program will begin January 7, 2019, at Iso-

thermal Community College. The daytime class hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday,

and the course will be completed May 2019.

BLET is accredited by the North Carolina Justice Training and Standards Commission and is the re-

quired entry-level training program for anyone wishing to become a law enforcement officer in North

Carolina. Open to both men and women, BLET consists of more than 660 classroom hours of training

that will provide the minimal-skill training to become a rookie law enforcement officer.

Under constant revision by the State, BLET consists of 35 topics, each one of which students must suc-

cessfully pass a written examination. Some topics, requiring hands-on skill training, may include per-

formance skills evaluation in addition to written examinations. Topics include a broad range of issues

and skills including criminal law, ABC law, juvenile law, and laws of arrest, search, and seizure, as

well as driver training, firearms, defensive tactics, and vehicle stops. A new topic recently added by the

State is Human Trafficking, a topic that reflects the growing problem of human slavery for sexual pur-

poses, a problem that is worldwide in scope.

Admission requirements for BLET include a minimum age of 20 years old, possess a high school diplo-

ma or GED, and be a U.S. Citizen. In addition, students must take a reading test scoring at least a 10th

grade reading level, and obtain sponsorship from a local or area law enforcement agency. Students must

also be in good physical condition and obtain a physical exam from a medical doctor.

Students who enter BLET must also have a background free of any felony violations or serious misde-

meanor offenses. A review of past convictions, both criminal and traffic, is conducted for each student

who applies to enter BLET. It is not necessary that a student have a clean or “unblemished” record.

Some offenses may be on a student’s record but still make them eligible for admission.

There has never been a better time to enter the law enforcement profession than today. In a stagnant

economy with little or no hiring by industry, a career in law enforcement offers many rewards that can-

not be ignored. Job security, flexible work hours, challenging duties, and an opportunity to make a last-

ing contribution are some of the reasons people are seeking a career in law enforcement. BLET instruc-

tor Kenny Kempster said officers in America today “are the best trained, best equipped and most pro-

fessional officers in the history of law enforcement. It is a career worth considering, second-to-none.”

An application packet is available for pick-up or mailing. Anyone wishing more information may call

Brenda McFarland at (828) 395-1668 or by email at bmcfarland@isothermal.edu or Director Philip Bai-

ley at 828-395-1448 or by email at pbailey@isothermal.edu . Enrollment is limited, and an application

packet is required to be completed and returned prior to the start of training.

Mike Gavin

Director of Marketing & Community Relations

Isothermal Community College

828.395.1295

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County Commissioners County Office

Bryan A. King, Chairman Alan Toney, Vice Chairman Hazel Haynes, Clerk to Board

Michael Benfield, Eddie Holland, Greg Lovelace Richard Williams, County Attorney

Follow us online! www.rutherfordcountync.gov

County Manager Steve Garrison

Kimberly Aldridge, Weekly Report Editor

828.287.6060

Upcoming Events

Saturday, September 22: ROC Broad River Fall Sweep at 10 am. Email

trails@rutherfordoutdoor.org or call 828-351-3235 to sign up to

clean a river section. ROC will provide trash bags and gloves.

We have a few extra boats available.

Saturday, September 29: ROC Walk with Brother Wolf. Reg-

istration required. Email Dana Bradley at dana@rutherfordoutdoor.org or

call 828-351-3235 to sign up.

Sunday, September 30: ROC hike at Walnut Creek Preserve. This moderate

hike will be around 5 miles and sights will include a

waterfall and beautiful view of the mountains. Meet at

the Rutherford County Office Building (289 N. Main

Street, Rutherfordton) at 9 am to carpool or at Walnut

Creek Preserve at 9:30 am.

Email us at trails@rutherfordoutdoor.org or call (828) 351-3235 if you would like to sign up for any of

the ROC workdays, clean-ups, or group hikes/river floats.