Caldwell County Nc Homes For Sale

Hospital refutes allegations over land deal

By Scott Jenkins

sjenkins@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Local hospital officials say a board member with prior ownership of land on Statesville Boulevard did not influence the $995,000 purchase of that site for a planned Hospice House.

That’s one of the concerns raised by Ronnie Smith, a longtime hospital supporter and, until his removal Thursday, a member of the Rowan Regional Medical Center Foundation board of directors. He also says the site was considered in 2008 but rejected as not meeting the requirements set out for a Hospice House.

Salisbury businessman Bill Wagoner sits on the Rowan Regional Medical Center board of directors and served on a Hospice House steering committee appointed by the board. At one time, he also was part of a group that owned 6 acres at 1229 Statesville Blvd.

On June 20, hospital officials and community leaders held a ceremonial groundbreaking at that site. It was interrupted briefly when a Novant security official and police officers escorted Smith out.

On his way out, Smith told the audience there had been a “conspiracy” surrounding the property and the project. When initially asked about that statement, Smith referred the Post to public documents showing the chain of ownership for the land. Smith has since declined to speak on the record, citing advice from his attorney. He did provide several letters to the Post last week that outline some of his charges.

The controversy has apparently cost Smith his longtime seat on the Rowan Regional Medical Center Foundation board of directors. On Thursday, a majority of its members voted to remove him, according to a statement provided by Robin Baltimore, a spokeswoman for Rowan Regional parent company Novant Health.

“The Foundation Board felt that there will be greater harmony within the board if we made this change,” the statement said. In an email to the Post, Baltimore wrote that Chairman Dr. Thomas Carlton said the statement “represents the sentiment of the majority of the RRMC Foundation board members.”

Foundation officials have not said why they voted to remove Smith. A letter provided by Smith, bearing Carlton’s signature, about a meeting that was to have taken place Tuesday, said the purpose of that meeting was “to clarify certain issues which you have raised to various people and have impacted the efforts of the board in a detrimental fashion and have been counterproductive to our mission.

Online Puppy Sales - North Carolina Voters for Animal Welfare

As you probably know there have been three puppy mill busts in NC in the past two months. The common link of these backyard breeders is that they all sell online. Pet stores are supplied by breeders that are inspected by the USDA (though this is hardly adequate). This is not the case for online sales. Commercial dog breeders that sell directly to the public have NO inspections and many of the unscrupulous “puppy mills” do not even pay taxes. Puppy mills are a true underground economy.  At a time when the state should be looking under every rock for money,legislators did not think that commercial dog breeders should be taxed on their sales.  A conservative estimate in 2010 showed that adding sales tax to puppy sales in NC would bring approximately $1 million into our budget. 

The Caldwell County (NC) puppy mill ran a website called “ Precious Little Treasures ” to sell their puppies. The site spins a folksy little tale about the owner Bill Allen that has 30 years of selective breeding experience. “We are nestled in the Foothills of North Carolina and located in the northwestern section of the state.” And they have “full AKC accreditation”.  The website states that a “full staff that is committed to the comprehensive care and nurturing of all our animals”.  This last statement could not be further from the truth has dogs were found in a horrible state of neglect.

Below are some of the puppy photos featured on the website for sale.

How could you not melt when you see these “Precious Little Treasures”? Of course it is all a facade. Behind the curtain is a house of horrors. Filth,disease and suffering. The only respite for the breeding stock is a early death.

AKC claims that our (North Carolina) animal laws are adequate,“they just need to be enforced”. Not only does this statement show a lack of understanding of animal protection shortfalls in North Carolina,it is slap in the face of NC animal control officers. NC has animal control officers around the state that love animals,but due to our lax laws are unable to protect them. Animal control officers in Caldwell County stated that conditions had to become horrific before they could seize the dogs. Animals need to endure horrific suffering because we have no state laws to protect them from those that are profiting from them.

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