Editorial - January 2003

2002 not a great year for Lincoln

January 1, 2003 - It’s not going to be easy to put 2002 behind us.

Our headline in Monday’s Year in Review aptly called it a year of  “The Good, bad and ugly.”

  Underscore the bad and ugly.

 A brutal winter ice storm and a parching, rainless summer took their toll on Lincoln County.  We are still recovering from that storm, which that left a heavy, icy coat on everything, crashing limbs onto rooftops and power lines. Many were without power for days.

Fortunately, the storm didn’t put much of a damper on the parades and other seasonal activities, and Lincolnton lit up nicely for Christmas.

A few months earlier the headlines focused on water shortages and the drought. We are still writing about that problem as several state agencies, local and regional committees scrutinize water supplies that came dangerously close to running out in some areas. Many well users ran completely dry and the usually reliable sources of water became suspect. This was always a problem getting ready to happen as drought conditions accumulated over a period of years. It’s not going to go away.

Also under the “bad and ugly” banner were two domestic shootings that resulted in the loss of five lives. A double homicide-suicide at a Grove Street apartment was described by police Chief Terry Burgin as the worst he has seen in nearly three decades in law enforcement. A little more than a week later a 35-year-old Lincolnton woman was shot to death by her estranged husband in Bessemer City.

The economy remained on the sour side as the jobless rate hovered around 6 percent. Layoffs continued in the region, and jobs are still hard to find, but many community leaders expect improvements in 2003.

On a lighter note, Lincoln observed a very patriotic Sept. 11 anniversary observance with various memorial services, school and church events solemnly recalling the sacrifice of that time and the coming-together of a nation.

Lincoln’s newest high school began taking shape, and ground was broken on a new elementary school on St. James Church Road. Both are scheduled to open in August of 2003.

It was a victory for retailers on Sept. 10 when voters approved alcohol sales in the county. The laws were further liberalized when the city of Lincolnton approved Sunday alcohol sales.

And it was a good day for Republicans during local elections that saw the GOP grab every local office except one. The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners is now all-Republican.

But we come out of this year a little shaken. Let’s hope and pray for a better year during 2003.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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