Eva Flowe

Journalist from the Carolinas

The Daily Courier •

Rutherfordton part of rural electric vehicle program

The Rutherfordton Town Council met Dec. 3 to give county land to Habitat For Humanity for a home site and for easements and right of way projects.They also discussed the use of electric vehicles by the police department and approved a change to digital billboard ordinance.A property originally used by Gateway Wellness Foundation will now be given to Habitat For Humanity for construction of a single family home.Other parcels will be sold to the DOT for use in easement and turn lane projects.The c...
The Daily Courier •

School board approves improvement plan

The Rutherford County School Board met briefly on Dec. 2 to approve NCStar school improvement plans, and hear from Chase High School students about their chapter of FFA, formerly called Future Farmers of America.Chief Academic Officer Brad Richardson presented on NCStar School Improvement Plans, designed to raise the performance of schools deemed to be underperforming. NCStar is a web platform used to streamline school improvements in North Carolina. Underperforming schools in Rutherford include...
The Daily Courier •

Commission chairman will not run for reelection

“It has been an honor to represent our community and work alongside dedicated colleagues to improve the lives of our citizens,” King said in a press release. “After careful consideration, I have decided not to run for another term. This decision comes after much thought about my personal priorities and the future of our county. I believe it is important to allow new voices and fresh perspectives to help guide Rutherford County forward.”

“It has been an honor to represent our community and work...
The Daily Courier •

Social services in need of foster homes

The Rutherford County Commission met Dec. 1 to listen to presentations on housing, the Department of Social Services and Rutherford Regional Health System.Dee Hunt, director of the Department of Social Services highlighted staffing issues and the prevalence of out of state child protective services placements due to a shortage of foster homes in Rutherford County.While there are an average of 182 children in Rutherford County in DSS custody, there are only 25 homes licensed for foster care in th...
The Daily Courier •

Spindale council hears about intervention team

The Town of Spindale Board of Commissioners met Nov. 17 to hear from the Human Action Response Partnership with Spindale Police Department and review several grants.Human Action Response Partnership, is a team of licensed social workers that may respond to calls alongside law enforcement in Rutherford County.Since March, the team has handled approximately 130 calls, with over 120 face-to-face interventions and has an average 15-17 minute response time. In addition to crisis response, the team as...
The Daily Courier •

Word of Faith Fellowship assault case postponed, again

The case of a Rutherford county man accusing members of the Word of Faith Fellowship with assault has been postponed again following the filing of a petition to remove District Attorney Ted Bell from the case.Fenner alleges that in 2013 he was brutally attacked by several leaders and congregants of the Word of Faith Fellowship. After a mistrial in 2017 and multiple postponements, the case was scheduled to be heard Dec. 8.Fenner includes in his complaint that Bell refused to try the case for eigh...
The Daily Courier •

Traffic stop leads to drug charges

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department arrested two people driving through Rutherford County traveling from Colorado to Charlotte and seized narcotics on Nov. 26.Christopher Markov and Chasidy Weaver of Charlotte were charged with trafficking in Opium or Heroin, felony possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Markov was also charged with failing to maintain a lane and driving while impaired.According to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department officers noticed narcotics...
The Daily Courier •

Candidate filing period opens in county

Incumbent Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg (R) filed for reelection minutes after filing opened. His wife Nikki and dog Rookie came along to sign the papers.Ellenburg said that if reelected, he would like to continue his push to lower drug overdose deaths and recidivism rates in the county.“I feel as a person, a criminal can change their life, and be good decent people. In my second term we are going to continue what I’m starting, we’re not going to let up on what we’re doing,” Ellenburg said.Ellenburg a...
The Daily Courier •

Commissioner, wife start new Turning Point USA chapter

Following Kirk’s death, Hunter Haynes put together a prayer vigil in Rutherford. He said the vigil was attended by nearly 500 people. Sadie Haynes had been hearing more and more students asking about founding a TPUSA chapter.The Hayneses realized that if they founded a Turning Point USA Faith chapter outside of the school system, the whole county could get involved.“Because it’s popular right now with everything that went on with Charlie Kirk and the following that he had, I think if we do the T...
The Daily Courier •

Election filing period starts Monday

The window closes Dec. 19 at 12 noon. The seats up for election in Rutherford are state senator for district 48, state representative for district 111, state representative for district 113, three seats on the county board of commissioners, sheriff, clerk of the superior court, and three seats on the county school board.Candidates file for these positions with the county board of elections. To run for national office, district court judge or district attorney, file through the State Board of Ele...
The Daily Courier •

Ruth council discusses holiday lights

The Town of Ruth Town Council met Nov. 18 to amend the budget to accommodate for the lease of the Rutherford Rail Development Corporation, which was not billed last year, and discuss civilian complaints about the visibility of Ruth’s holiday lights display.The Rutherford Rail Development Corporation is a local non-profit that was deeded the railway by the county in 1990. The council changed the lease allowance from $1,000 to $2,000 to make up for the previous year’s missing billing.Town Manager...
The Daily Courier •

First-grader will light up Forest City

Forest City is kicking off its award-winning Christmas season and lights display Nov. 27, when local elementary student Layla Richardson will flick the light display on.Each year Mayor Steve Holland picks a child each year to participate in the festivities. Layla is a first grader at Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School. She has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. She had not seen the lights display until last year, when she moved in with Misty and Matt Richardson.“He (Holland) instantly felt...
The Daily Courier •

Wildfire risk remains high

Rutherford County is at high risk for wildfires this week, according to Rutherford Fire and Rescue and the North Carolina Forest Service.“November through March and into April, just a little bit, We’ve got a lot of dead vegetation, a lot of leaves on the ground, and all that vegetation leads to more of a fire load, wood and dry grass and brush,” Fire Chief Brandon Harrill said. “Come spring, when things start greening back up, the risk goes down.”Burning is not recommended. Dry vegetation can go...
The Daily Courier •

Chimney Rock looking for engineering bids

Chimney Rock Village Council convened Tuesday to discuss updates to DOT highway and river repair strategies, ask for engineering firms to send in qualifications to work on the next set of Hurricane Helene damage repairs, and vote to accept over $400,000 in grant money from the Dogwood Health Fund.Engineering firms are encouraged to send their qualifications to complete the East Infill Project, a part of ongoing efforts to repair damages to the village and river front by Helene.Eric Woolridge of...
The Daily Courier •

Hospital named among the best

Rutherford Regional Health System was named among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement by Healthgrades, a website that ranks hospitals using clinical data.Rutherford Regional also received a Specialty Excellence Award, placing the hospital in the top 10% of U.S. hospitals for joint replacement. Rutherford Regional Health System was also rated five stars for four services: total knee replacement, total hip replacement, treatment of stroke, and treatment of GI bleeds.“Being named one...
INDY Week •

INDY Selects: What to Do in the Triangle This Week

No time better than the present to study up on how past cultures have resisted oppressive rule, and Disobedient Subjects: Bombay 1930-31, a new exhibit at The Center for Documentary Studies, offers one such chance. In partnership with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts in New Delhi, this exhibit of 55 photographs traces the history of India’s Civil Disobedience Movement against British colonial rule, which was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930.

Acts of civil disobedience and nonviolent resist...
INDY Week •

INDY Selects: What to Do in the Triangle This Week

Let Grammy-nominated and award-winning artist, vocalist, pianist, and composer Radhika Vekaria take you on a journey through the stars as she blends her vocals and musicality with imagery of our universe in her short, immersive film, I AM. Radhika, who also performed at the planetarium in March, will show the film before inviting a few special guests to join her on stage for a discussion on awe and wonder, and how the two support the body and mind. Vekaria will close the night with the second li...
INDY Week •

Durham’s Second No Kings Rally Draws Thousands

Durham’s second No Kings rally wasn’t just a protest against authoritarianism, it was a rally for workers. Speakers included a variety of union representatives and Rev. Dr. William Barber II. 

The first No Kings protests, a nationwide push to bring as many people as possible out to protest President Donald Trump, were held in June. Durham’s June No Kings event at CCB Plaza was organized by individual local organizers. This time, a variety of groups came together to organize and support the prot...
INDY Week •

Durham Considers Stiffer Rules for Unsafe Rentals

The Durham City Council is expected to vote on a provision intended to protect tenants living in unsafe conditions at its Monday night meeting.

At its October 9 work session, the council discussed a revision to the city’s housing code that would prevent landlords from collecting rent on properties with “imminently dangerous” conditions, like unsafe wiring and severe pest infestations. 

Right now, Durham tenants can sue for rent abatement in small claims court if their landlords do not keep pro...
INDY Week •

INDY Selects: What to Do in the Triangle This Week

Join author John T. Edge, former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, as he takes readers on a journey to find a home in the South, reckoning with its troubled past and “searching for a newer and better” version through food. His latest book, memoir House of Smoke, tells his own story of growing up in a house that belonged to a Confederate general and the violence he witnessed around him. The memoir shares how searching for a home led him to find, and later rediscover, a place at the tabl...
INDY Week •

INDY Selects: What to Do in the Triangle This Week

Discover the origins of one of the ocean’s giants: whales. In a lecture at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Store and Nature Art Gallery, join renowned paleontologist and George Mason University professor Mark Uhen as he discusses whales’ terrestrial ancestors, the artiodactyls, and their evolution into the modern-day whale. Previously unknown to scientists, learn how “the behavior and anatomy of these disparate mammals changed from terrestrial omnivores to fully aquatic carnivores and how the...
INDY Week •

UNC Reinstates Suspended Professor Following Investigation, Threat of Legal Action

University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill professor Dwayne Dixon has been reinstated after the university placed him on leave on September 29, following reports that Dixon was involved in antifascist organizing through a now-disbanded group.

Dixon’s removal from the classroom drew criticism from the UNC and Chapel Hill communities, as well as from the ACLU of North Carolina, which demanded that UNC reinstate Dixon by 5 p.m. Friday, October 3 or it would take legal action on Dixon’s behalf. The A...
INDY Week •

UNC-Chapel Hill Community Protests Suspension of Professor Dwayne Dixon

Around 150 students, professors, alumni, and community members gathered in front of South Building on the University of North Carolina’s campus Wednesday to protest the university’s suspension of Asian and Middle Eastern studies professor Dwayne Dixon. 

Dixon was placed on administrative leave on September 29 following reports that he was involved in antifascist organizing through a group called Redneck Revolt, an “anti-fascist, anti-racist community defense formation,” according to the group’s...
INDY Week •

Character Studies: Gene Dillard’s House of Mirrors

Character Studies is an INDY series about familiar faces around the Triangle—and the stories you may not know about them.

When you Google his address, a Google Maps location pops up for “Gene Dillard’s Fantasy Land.”

But Gene Dillard didn’t come up with that name, nor did he create the Google Maps page that calls his house an art museum—he just set out to make sculptures and mosaics. Though he doesn’t mind, he also didn’t realize his sparkling, mirror-covered house would draw visitors, and he...
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