📰 Today’s Local News from WSPC 107.3 FM & 1010 AM
Also heard on Magic 103.3 FM
📅 Thursday, July 17, 2025
🕙 Your mid-morning briefing from Dave Andrews in the WSPC newsroom
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🚨 Albemarle Woman Arrested After Robbery and High-Speed Chase
A woman with a sweet name caused chaos over the weekend. 42-year-old Laurie Ann Sweet was booked into the Stanly County Detention Center on Saturday, July 12, following her role in an armed robbery and a high-speed police chase.
🚓 Charges include:
• Aiding and abetting armed robbery
• Conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon
• Reckless driving to endanger
• Speeding
• Failure to heed lights or sirens
• Driving left of center
• Assault on a law enforcement officer
• Assault with a deadly weapon
Sweet is being held under a $275,000 bond.
🏠 Petition Grows After City Denies Faith Alive Rezoning Request
The Albemarle City Council, in a split vote, has denied Faith Alive Ministries a request to rezone property on Fifth Street across from the hospital.
The ministry had proposed an office and temporary shelter for children in DSS custody. With over 75 children in foster care and only 23 licensed homes in Stanly County, supporters say the shelter would fill a critical gap.
📢 From the petition:
“Without this change, children will continue to face nights in personal spaces rather than supportive, stable settings.”
📄 As of this report:
• Over 922 signatures collected
• Petition available at change.org under: Rezone Downtown Albemarle Property for Faith Alive Ministries
Supporters are urging council members to reconsider.
🎤 Auction Academy Blends Skills and Service
Stanly Community College’s Carolina Auction Academy (CAA) is celebrating nearly 20 years of combining bid-calling skills with charitable purpose.
💰 Impact since 2005:
• Over $60,000 raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• Students gain real-world experience through live fundraising events
📅 Next major event:
• August 9 – NC Auctioneer Association Summer Summit in Albemarle
• Features a $1,000 bid-calling contest, continuing ed, and CAA alumni
📝 Upcoming course:
• Starts September 8
• 96-hour hybrid format
• Covers auction law, business planning, bid calling & ethics
📞 Contact Eagle’s 1-Stop: 704-991-0123
🔄 George Crooker Installed as Albemarle Rotary Club President
George Crooker, Executive Director of the Stanly County Family YMCA, was officially installed as the 2025–26 president of the Rotary Club of Albemarle.
🗣️ In a brief swearing-in ceremony, Crooker pledged to:
“Faithfully execute the Office of President of the Rotary Club of Albemarle… and give support to District 7680 and Rotary International.”
Crooker succeeds the outgoing president and will now lead one of Albemarle’s most active civic organizations.
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