Duke Energy customers in the Burke County area will have a chance to speak regarding the company’s proposed 15% rate increase on April 28 during a public witness hearing at the Burke County Courthouse in Morganton.
Recently, Duke Energy Carolinas filed an application with the North Carolina Utilities Commission requesting to raise its prices over a two year period starting on Jan. 1, 2027.
There will be four in-person public hearings across the state, located in Morganton, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Durham. One was also held remotely on April 7.
If approved, a typical residential customer would see their monthly bill increase by about $17.22 in the first year, followed by an additional $6.34 in the second year.
Even if regulators reject the proposal, customers are still expected to see an increase of about $14.35 per month under alternative rate adjustments outlined in the filing.
For Burke County residents, the hearing offers a rare opportunity to speak directly into the rate-setting process.
Duke’s reasoning to raise prices include investments required to ensure long-term reliability, operational flexibility, and resource adequacy; investments necessary to ensure environmental and regulatory compliance; and “supply-side investments for the maintenance and improvement of its diversified resource portfolio.”
Duke Energy said its investments would be geared toward modernizing and improving “reliability and resiliency of the grid.”
People can sign up to speak at the public witness hearings, but those who have spoken at a previous hearing will not be allowed to testify a second time.
Rutherford_college
Postal Service has yet to react to municipalities' plea for new mail routes
Malcolm Boulevard is the gateway to Rutherford College.
FOR THE PAPER
Although more than three months have passed since Rutherford College first raised the issue of needing its own dedicated mail route, the U.S. Postal Service has yet to respond to the municipality’s request.
Noting that folks wanting home mail delivery within the town limits must use either a Connelly Springs or a Valdese mailing address, the Town Council in early January passed a resolution seeking a change.
After learning of Rutherford College’s initiative, the governing boards of Drexel and Glen Alpine took similar action, with both passing resolutions asking for dedicated mail routes in their municipalities also.
Residents within the town limits of both Drexel and Glen Alpine must use a Morganton address to receive home delivery of mail.
Since then, all three towns have passed a joint resolution asking the Postal Service to make a change. Copies of the resolutions were passed on to U.S. Rep. Tim Moore.
Moore followed up with a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner in early January.
“We’ve heard nothing from the Postal Service so far,” said Rutherford College Town Manager Jessica Bargsley. “We have made U.S. Sen. Ted Budd’s office aware of the situation also.”
Attempts by The Paper to reach Moore’s office for an update on the situation were unsuccessful.
The Rutherford College Town Council reiterated its support for changing the mail system in the town at its regular monthly meeting on Monday night at Town Hall.
Faced with a light agenda, the council also gave its support to a resolution opposing Charlotte’s request to draw an additional 30 million gallons of water a day from the Catawba River basin.
“For Rutherford College and neighboring communities, Charlotte’s proposed increase would not only threaten future growth,” the resolution read, “but also place an undue burden on our residents and businesses.”
The Council will meet again on Monday, May 4, at 7 p.m. and will hold a budget workshop on Monday, May 18, at 6 p.m.
Finally, the town’s annual Founders’ Day Festival will be held on Saturday, May 16, in the Town Hall parking lot and the adjacent Greenway Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Culture_community
Catawba Science Center celebrates Science Festival Month with 2 interactive events
April is North Carolina Science Festival Month, and Catawba Science Center will mark the occasion with two events focused on hands-on learning and exploration.
On April 11, the center will host “Science Matters: Matter Mania,” an interactive program exploring the properties of solids, liquids, and gases. Activities include experiments with non-Newtonian fluids and planetarium shows. The event will also feature a presentation on dark matter by Appalachian State University’s Elise O. Weaver.
On April 18, the center will present STEM Trek, a free, family-friendly event connecting visitors with science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on activities and exhibits led by local businesses and organizations. The event highlights STEM careers and innovations across the region.
The events are part of the statewide North Carolina Science Festival, which promotes science through community programming throughout April.
Catawba Science Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The center is on the SALT Block at 243 Third Ave. NE in Hickory. For more information, call 828-322-8169 or visit catawbascience.org.
Catawba Science Center is a nonprofit science and technology museum serving North Carolina’s western Piedmont.
— AVN
Valdese
Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day returns to Valdese on April 17
For 28-year-old paraplegic Randall Derrick, finding places to play sports was not always easy, but adaptive recreation events in Valdese have opened the door for more activities, resources, and even neighbors he did not know lived right around the corner.
Expanding access to recreation is the goal behind Valdese Parks & Recreation’s annual Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day, which returns next Friday with more organizations and resources to share with the community.
Valdese Parks & Rec has held the event almost every year since 2022, and in that time, the number of vendors leapt from six or seven at the first event to about 20 this year.
Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day is a hub for the disabled community that brings people with disabilities across the spectrum together to meet each other and find organizations that make recreation accessible with specialized equipment.
Organizer Alex Bustle with the Valdese Parks & Recreation Department said about 100 people came to the event last year, including Derrick.
Derrick, a Connelly Springs resident, suffered a spinal cord injury from a botched scoliosis surgery when he was 5 years old. He has been wheelchair-bound since, but has participated in a number of adapted sports such as martial arts, basketball, tee-ball, soccer, and rugby. More recently, he said he enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking.
Randall Derrick, who is 16 in this photo, said he has taken
karate since he was 10. He has also participated in competitions.
Punches were worth 1 point, he said and kicks were worth 2, which
made it challenging to keep pace with competitors who could use
their legs.
FOR THE PAPER
Although he has stayed active throughout his life, finding sports and activities that could be adapted to his needs has been challenging, Derrick said.
“If you didn’t know somebody who knew someone, you didn’t know about (this) type of thing,” Derrick said.
Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day has connected Derrick with organizations like the North Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association, and with other disabled people.
“There’s a guy who lives 5 minutes from my house; he’s in a wheelchair. I don’t know what his diagnosis is, but he’s been there for like, five years, and I didn’t even know he was there,” Derrick said.
Derrick knew Valdese Parks & Recreation Director David Andersen from high school, when Andersen taught German. He said Andersen shared that he had experienced being in a wheelchair due to an injury.
Alex Bustle, Valdese Parks & Recreation employee and organizer
of Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day, stands at a table during the
2025 event.
FOR THE PAPER
After he became the parks and rec director, Andersen introduced Derrick to Bustle, and the two keep him in the loop on upcoming adaptive recreation events, he said.
All of it boils down to one thing for Derrick: inclusion. Derrick said it is important for disabled people to have opportunities to participate.
“I see so many people that, they wither away in a sense, because they don’t have those opportunities,” Derrick said. “All they can do is sit at home and watch TV and eat and they get in a state that’s not good for them. People are social. … We want to build communities. We want to build belonging and inclusion, and that’s what we’re seeking.”
Derrick said Andersen and Bustle’s genuine care shines through in everything they do to make recreation more accessible.
A tank wheelchair at Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day in 2025.
These wheelchairs are capable of navigating sand, snow, mud, steep
hills, and other challenging terrain.
FOR THE PAPER
Valdese Parks & Rec’s 2026 Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day will take place on Friday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Valdese Lakeside Park.
We Rock The Spectrum kids gym, Walkin’ Roll Activities League, Adaptive Sports & Adventures Program, North Carolina State Parks, Friends of the Valdese Rec, Paddling for Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation, Joni&Friends, and more will be at the event to share information.
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