An athlete running in a previous Burke County Special Olympics
Spring Games.
FOR THE PAPER
With Burke County Special Olympics’ annual spring games coming up in early May, the organization is searching for volunteers to make the two-day event special for the athletes.
Special Olympics coordinators Alex Bustle and Kim Michaels said that, this year, there are 300 athletes participating in the Spring Games — a sharp increase from the 75 or so that participated in 2023, the duo’s first year coordinating the event together.
Day one is on May 7, and will be for elementary students. Day two is May 8, and is for middle school students, high school students, and members of the community.
The events will take place at Robert L. Patton High School, at 701 Enola Road in Morganton. There will be an opening ceremony that includes a parade, a torch run, a torch pass, lighting the cauldron, and the national anthem. Next on the schedule are field events, lunch, and then track events.
Volunteers are needed to help with concessions, giving awards, and other parts of the event. Bustle and Michaels encourage people to volunteer outside the spring games, too.
“A lot of times people have this misconception that you have to be this expert-level athlete in order to coach somebody, but really it’s, ‘Are you passionate about teaching people with disabilities? Are you passionate about a sport?’ We can teach you how to coach people,” Bustle said.
It isn’t just coaching that volunteers can help with, though.
“We need people to help us with fundraising and just all sorts of other things,” Bustle said. “So if somebody has a passion and a skill for that, then we would love to partner up.”
Obituaries
Vivian Luann Sprehe
Vivian Luann Sprehe
FOR THE PAPER
Vivian Luann Sprehe passed peacefully the morning of April 2, 2026. Vivian was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years of marriage, Edward Dean Sprehe.
Born and raised in Beckemyer, Ill., the family later relocated to Charlotte. Subsequent to raising her family, she entered the work force and was employed in the insurance business for over 30 years in Charlotte. An active outdoors lifestyle pleased her the most as she enjoyed hiking, bicycling, and most anything else involving nature. In her later years, she and Dean became active “birders” attending a number of Audobon functions throughout the state. She also was an active member of the Tyvola Road Senior Center in Charlotte for many years.
Vivian is survived by a son, Russel Sprehe, and wife Terrie, of Morganton; two grandsons, Chad Sprehe of Morganton and Brett Sprehe, and wife Sierra of Raleigh; and a great-granddaughter, Madelyn Jean Sprehe of Morganton.
The family will greet friends from 4-6 p.m., Monday, April 20, 2026, at Sossoman Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorials be made to the National Audobon Society (Audobon.org).
Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.sossomanfh.com.
Morganton
Morganton's March construction reports highlight heftier residential investments
Construction permit reports from the City of Morganton show
about $1.8 million worth of housing investments at Grace Ridge. The
investments include new single- and multi-family housing and
renovations of existing apartments.
MADISON LIPE / THE PAPER
A burst of large March projects, led by a nearly $2.8 million boardwalk replacement and $1.5 million in new senior living residential projects, pushed Morganton’s construction activity to about $18.6 million in value through the first three months of 2026.
City of Morganton permit reports for January, February, and March show a first quarter shaped less by steady month-to-month growth than by a handful of large projects landing in waves. January totaled about $8.8 million in construction value. February slipped to about $2.85 million. Then March surged to about $6.96 million.
Of March’s activity, the largest category of construction was residential, with 86 permits; followed by commercial, with 30 permits; and there was one government project that had one building permit.
Residential construction, totaling $3,141,865, made up about 45% of the month’s construction value. The average worth of a residential project was about $36,533, but a $1.8 million housing investment at Grace Ridge carried the weight. The work includes $1.5 million for additional duplex cottage and single-family home. Building permits also show $304,000 worth of apartment renovations to existing units.
Commercial construction, totaling $1,024,060, made up about 15% of March’s total construction value. The average worth of a commercial project was slightly lower than residential at $34,135. Work at Morganton’s new Chicken Salad Chick on Burkemont Avenue was the project with the costliest construction during the month. One building permit shows $425,000 to finish the shell of the building where the restaurant will be.
One government project, totaling almost $2.8 million made up about 40% of construction. The City of Morganton recently awarded a contract to Wilkie Construction Company Southeast, LLC of Lenoir to build back the boardwalk at River Village. The work is expected to be completed in the fall.
Other key projects:
Former Walgreens on North Green Street: $163,000 for renovations and repair after Hurricane Helene damage. The building, which is owned by Parla, LLC, housed Walgreens, but the store was closed after being deemed a total loss.
SUM Storage: $104,000 in wiring for lighting and air conditioning as the company expands to 506 E. Fleming Drive, the previous location of The Outreach Center. The storage company, which is next door to the site, will be developing mini-warehouses and self-storage units, according to Wendy Smith, the city’s director of development and design services.
Case Farms: $2,500 for 70 feet of sewer service is listed in a plumbing permit. The company is expanding with the construction of a new breast packaging facility.
Beacon Avenue townhomes: $48,000 for new electrical work at the townhomes off Fletcher Street. Only a portion of the development has been completed so far.
Taken together, the first quarter suggests Morganton’s development picture is being driven by two forces at once: a base layer of constant residential and commercial maintenance work, and a smaller number of large projects that can dramatically swing the monthly totals when they hit the books.
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