March 21, 2021
Nearly two dozen members of Mount Airy’s Calvary Baptist Church recently gathered for what might seem like a peculiar purpose to separate and distribute 22,000 pounds of sweet potatoes.
The work was part of an informal association the church has with the Society of St. Andrews, a Big Island, Virginia-based ministry which aims to supply food to needy families.
Rev. Alex Martin, better known as Pastor Alex to his parishioners at Calvary Baptist, said his church has been affiliated with the ministry for several years.
“The Society of St. Andrews works with farmers to glean their fields and to rescue sometimes imperfect produce that otherwise might go to waste and to try to get it into the hands of organizations that can distribute it to those in need,” he said.
City officials welcome election change
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By Tom Joyce tjoyce@mtairynews.com
Mount Airy officials are continuing to hold discussions, albeit privately, on plans for an upscale hotel utilizing the Sparger Building pictured, a part of the former Spencer’s industrial complex which fronts Willow Street in Mount Airy.
Little has emerged publicly about a proposed hotel/market center in downtown Mount Airy since a Feb. 4 public hearing on the project, but it has been discussed privately.
That was the case last Monday night, when a closed session was held on the issue during a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners.
“I think the plan is to have something ready to vote on at the first meeting in March,” Mayor Pro Tem Ron Niland said of the commissioners’ next-scheduled gathering this coming Thursday, when further details could emerge.
By Tom Joyce tjoyce@mtairynews.com
The spot just off U.S. 52-North is shrouded with pine needles, splotches of green grass seemingly mocking winter’s harshness, fallen limbs and the usual roadside litter a commonplace scene, but one that’s hallowed ground to David Beal.
Beal carefully strolled Thursday along the U.S. 52 exit ramp to West Pine Street, as vehicles whizzed by containing drivers with curious looks, until finally reaching the place where one of Mount Airy’s darkest tragedies had unfolded 50 years before to the day.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 25, 1971 also a Thursday city police Detective Monroe Boggs was gunned down on the exit ramp by the driver of a stolen car who then fled, leaving the dying officer behind.
April 16, 2021
One of the big guns at CBS News could be heading to Mount Airy soon for a special report by the television network on this city’s Mayberry connection and its identification with recent national events.
This concerns a project involving longtime correspondent Ted Koppel which has been in the works for months.
It is targeted for “CBS News Sunday Morning,” a news magazine program on the air for more than 40 years.
Dustin Stephens, a producer for that show, said in January that its focus on “Mayberry” is part of the TV network’s ongoing coverage of a unique period for the nation.
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