Staff report

Three out of four RowanCounty households that re-ceived a 2010 Census ques-tionnaire mailed it in, eclips-ing 2000 figures, according tofinal mail-in participationrates released Thursday bythe U.S. Census Bureau.

But those 25 percent whodidn’t return the forms bymail can expect a knock on thedoor sometime between Sat-urday and the middle of July.

Nearly 19,000 census work-ers are about to fan out acrossthe state in a door-to-door ef-fort to collect census informa-tion from the households thathaven’t already provided it,William W. Hatcher, regional

director of the U.S. CensusBureau, said in a press re-lease.

“We hope people will coop-erate with census takers inthis non-response follow-upbecause the census is so im-portant to the state,” Hatchersaid. “We are constitutionallymandated to count everyone,and that’s what we plan to do.”

Rowan’s increase in mail-in census participation was nofluke. It’s a trend across NorthCarolina, in which 99 countiessaw higher rates and one —Mecklenburg — matched its2000 figure.

In neighboring counties,Iredell and Davie saw gains of8 percentage points and Stan-ly and Davidson joined Rowan

in bettering their 2000 ratesby 5 percentage points. Cabar-

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ContentsDeathsAmelia ‘Amy’ CollinsJohn EllisPeggy S. Miller

Marguerite K. McGeeMildred Misenheimer

See the latest in Outdoors fishing and turkey hunting photos online

Before Bostian Heights fire-men could respond to theirfirst call 50 years ago, they

had to have a truck. They locatedone in Raleigh for $200.

It was a 1952Studebaker — a 2.5-ton, military-sur-plus vehicle thatstill had its CivilDefense symbol ona fender.

The guys whotraveled to Raleighto pick up the truckfound it sitting in afield amid rows ofother castoffs.

Grass was grow-ing all around it,

and the men from Bostian Heightshad to jump-start the truck to get itgoing.

On the way home, the truckbroke down in Siler City, and it did-n’t make it back to Rowan Countyuntil the following day.

One truck in a two-bay station.Fifty years later, Bostian

Heights Volunteer Fire Depart-ment has an expansive station,eight pieces of equipment, a 30-per-son roster and a proven trackrecord — a stellar one in fighting

fires, responding to accidents andstorm-related events, providingmutual aid to other departmentsand serving the community.

The department will celebrateits 50th anniversary this weekendwith a huge, sit-down banquet andceremony at the station Saturdaynight and an open house at the sta-tion from 2-5 p.m. Sunday.

At the banquet, the departmentwill recognize its former chiefs, of-

ficers and retired firefighters.Memorials also will be given for 74members who have passed awayover the half century.

People attending — 260 are ex-pected — will receive commemora-tive books, detailing Station 41’shistory.

Bostian Heights responded to its

Much has changed since first truck arrived

MARK WINEKA/SALISBURY POST

The headquarters for Bostian Heights Fire Department is near the intersection of N.C. 152 and Old Concord Road.

Staff report

Two Salisbury residents facemultiple drug charges after au-thorities say they sold crack co-caine to an undercover IredellCounty Sheriff’s Office detective.

Marcus Lam-ont McCain, 35,of 310 MillerAve., was arrest-ed Wednesday inCleveland andcharged withtrafficking co-caine.

Teira ShawntaHeaggins, 24,also of 310 MillerAve., has been charged with twocounts of trafficking cocaine andconspiracy to traffic cocaine inIredell County. Her arrest ispending.

Rowan County Sheriff’s Officedeputies, assisting Iredell detec-tives, stopped the GMC DenaliMcCain was driving eastboundon U.S. 70.

During a search of the vehicle,deputies recovered $10,400 incash.

Shortly afterward, Rowandeputies executed a search war-rant at 310 Miller Avenue, recov-ering a shotgun and other items.

According to a press releasefrom Iredell Sheriff Phil Red-mond, his undercover detectivepurchased 13.5 ounces of crackcocaine from McCain on two sep-arate occasions at a location inStatesville.

Investigators bought a total of27 ounces of crack cocaine, witha street value estimated at

Crack cocainesales leadto chargesTwo held for trafficking afterpurchase by undercover officer

BOSTIANHEIGHTS’ 50TH

BY JESSIE BURCHETTEjburchette@salisburypost.com

One candidate for RowanCounty sheriff has raised moremoney by far than all the othercandidates.

Kevin Auten, a Republicanwho was appointed sheriff March24, raised $24,846 since Jan. 1. Heraised that total since setting upan election committee.

Auten’s donors include a mixof lawyers, bankers, doctors,nurses, waitresses and retiredlaw enforcement officers.

The next highest fundraiser isTravis Allen, also a Republicanand a current deputy. He hasraised $12,624.

Candidates expecting to spendmore than $1,000 were requiredto file campaign reports by Mon-day with the Rowan CountyBoard of Elections.

Six of seven Republican can-didates filed reports.

Two of four Democratic can-

d i d a t e sfiled re-ports.

Auten’sreport in-cluded 12pages ofcontribu-tions of$50 andunder, to-

taling $6,437.And another 23 pages detail

more substantial contributions.Auten’s mother, Becky, was

his single biggest contributor,writing a check for $3,000.

Several others from Salisburymade donations of $1,000 ormore. They include Jerry Wom-ack, a retired banker, $1,000; Hil-da Bailey, retired physician,$2,000; Gladys VanPoole, retirednurse, $2,000.

Auten also got lesser amounts

Auten’s $24,846 the mostraised by any candidaterunning for sheriff

By the numbers Census mail-in participa-tion rates, by percentage:

2000 2010 Rowan 70 75Cabarrus 76 77Davie 70 78Davidson 71 76Stanly 71 76Iredell 70 78

Salisbury 69 73Kannapolis 72 74Spencer 71 75China Grove 73 72Landis 80 77Granite Quarry 67 70Faith 60 66Rockwell 77 79Cleveland 63 78East Spencer 40 40

MARKWINEKA

An early Bostian Heights helmet.

Longtime Bostian Heights Fire Department members Mike Shue, Mike Zim-merman, Barry Corriher and Rick Yost sit in a station conference roomfilled with department memorabilia, trophies, photographs and scrapbooks.

See BOSTIAN, 8A

See CENSUS, 9A

See SHERIFF, 8A

See COCAINE, 9A

MCCAIN

Census participationahead of 2000 count

VENICE, La. (AP) — Anoil spill that threatened toeclipse even the ExxonValdez disaster spread outof control and drifted inex-orably toward the GulfCoast on Thursday as fish-ermen rushed to scoop upshrimp and crews spreadfloating barriers aroundmarshes.

The spill was both biggerand closer than imagined —five times larger than firstestimated, with the leadingedge just three miles fromthe Louisiana shore. Author-

ities said it could havereached the Mississippi Riv-er delta overnight.

“It is of grave concern,”David Kennedy of the Nation-

al Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration, told the As-sociated Press. “I am fright-

First of oil reaching U.S. coast

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boats with booms try to contain oil spreading off the coast ofLouisiana after the collapse of a rig last week.

See OIL, 9A

Federal effortsback BP in tryingto contain damagefrom growing spill

Just where was the city’s old well? 3A

Just where was the city’s old well? 3A

Colorful clematis a little pickyon soil conditions 1CColorful clematis a little pickyon soil conditions 1C

Sunny, warmer

85º / 64º

Forecast 8B