Eldon Edwards, chairman of Alleghany County Board of Commissioners, and Sparta Mayor John Miller welcomed a sizeable crowd to the grand opening of the Blue Ridge Business Development Center in July 2003. The BRBDC's opening was one of the year's top news stories, along with several other notable accomplishments for the county.

Looking back at the news of the year 2003, month by month

The year 2003, as are all years, was a bittersweet mixture of good and bad news for Alleghany County.

The county celebrated the opening of a new hospital wing, the Blue Ridge Business Development Center and Martin Marietta Composites.

However, the county also had the highest unemployment rate in Northwestern North Carolina and saw several serious trials, including one that left a former principal sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. Town Manager Tom Douglas announced his pending retirement.

The following are the top stories for the year 2003, listed by the month in which they occurred.

January

The Duke Endowment released $150,000 to the Northwest Alliance Program for the Rural Carolina's for its economic recovery program. The Northwest Alliance represents Alleghany, Ashe and Wilkes counties. Alleghany County began work on a study on possible uses for the Alleghany County Courthouse and the former Cash and Carry building. That study finally culminated in December.

A lawsuit filed by Sarah Childress, Billy Childress, Sarah C. Blevins and the administrators of the estates of Tammy Childress and Ricky Blevins against Tri-State Components and Reggie L. Richardson went into mediation. The suit was later settled.

The Town of Sparta selected the winner of its town seal design contest. Tom Berry of Laurel Springs was awarded a $100 prize for his efforts and the seal was adopted by the town with minor revisions.

A lawsuit filed by Alleghany County, the Town of Sparta and others against Bristol Compressors moved into the mediation phase. The case is still pending.

Flood insurance was announced for the first time in the county, although it was officially first made available to local residents on Dec. 23, 2002.

Local residents and artists began discussing the possibility of a local art center.

A 19-year-old Boone man, Dylan Joseph Pettinger, was hurt when he fell from ice rock while preparing to rappel down the face of the structure. He was treated at Wilkes Regional Medical Center and was later transported to N.C. Baptist.

About 70 people attended the first-annual Martin Luther King Celebration at the county courthouse.

A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development audit was critical of Boone-based Northwestern Regional Housing Authority's handling of funds. No resolution to the case has been reported.

The Alleghany High School Band director and a student received national accolades. Tanya Carmichael and Trent Chappel were selected by School Band and Orchestra magazine — Carmichael as a band director who makes a difference and Chappel as part of the National Student Honor Roll.

The county attorney, Ed Woltz, issued an opinion that the county could not buy oil from Commissioner Graylen Blevins, despite issuing the opposite opinion earlier. Blevins, the owner of Hometown Fuel, historically had sold oil to the county before he was elected in 2002.

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