Here are 50 Salisbury Post news quiz questions covering 2018. If you answer 45 to 50 correct, consider yourself a great news hound; 40 to 45 correct, a wily editor; 35 to 40, a beat reporter; 30 to 35, a copy boy; and fewer than 30, you need to renew your subscription.

1. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in January it was eliminating temporary protected status for Salvadoran immigrants. Liliana Spears, co-chairwoman of the Salisbury Human Relations Council, said about 3,000 immigrants from El Salvador could be affected in Rowan County. Which of these towns did Spears say has one of the larger concentrations of Salvadoran immigrants in the county?
A. Cleveland
B. China Grove
C. Landis
D. East Spencer

2. Lee Quinn, a 1996 graduate of North Rowan High School and son of Chuck and Sandy Quinn of Rowan County, won the championship in January on the nationally syndicated game show “Jeopardy!” In what N.C. city has Lee been teaching since 2001?
A. Durham
B. Wilmington
C. Asheville
D. Raleigh

3. Rowan County Emergency Services reported that at least 15 family pets died during a cold snap in January because of accidents involving these two items. What were they?
A. Wood stoves and fans
B. Electric blankets and candles
C. Heat lamps and extension cords
D. Power generators and spilled gasoline

4. George Theiss, a New Jersey native who is now a Rowan County resident, has been a musician all his life, but during his teen years he played and wrote songs with what performer who became nationally known?
A. Bob Seger
B. Bruce Springsteen
C. Tom Petty
D. Jon Bon Jovi

5. Bill Stanback, a former chairman and owner of Stanback Co., died early this year at age 95. What was the longtime advertising slogan for Stanback headache powder?
A. Make your pain go away with Stanback
B. Snap back with Stanback!
C. Take a powder, headache!
D. Win the day with Stanback

6. Rowan County Commissioner Craig Pierce made the unusual move in February of filing for a different seat on the Board of Commissioners even though he had two years left on his current term. What was a main reason Pierce initially gave to a reporter for making this move?
A. He didn’t give one.
B. If he won in the primary and in November, Pierce said, the local Republican Party would then be able to appoint someone he preferred to his vacant seat.
C. He said he wanted to see to fruition the expansion of water-sewer services along the Interstate 85 corridor, and that probably won’t be finished until 2022.
D. He said being elected to a new four-year-term would better set him up to run for the N.C. Senate in 2022.

7. Riley Costello, a high school sophomore from Warwick, Rhode Island, visited Salisbury in February, sharing at the annual Salisbury Human Relations banquet a 10-minute video documentary she produced. Who was the subject of Costello’s video?
A. Wiley Lash
B. Deedee Wright
C. Raemi Evans
D. Elizabeth Duncan Koontz

8. The Rowan County Board of Commissioners was asked in February to OK $80,000 toward an intense and targeted marketing campaign for the county that would be conducted mostly over social media. What organization made this request?
A. Convention and Visitors Bureau
B. Rowan County Chamber of Commerce
C. Growing Rowan
D. Rowan Museum

9. “It’s haunted our county for several years now,” Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten said at a news conference in February. To what was he referring?
A. The opioid epidemic
B. The death of young A’yanna Allen
C. Gang violence
D. The disappearance and murder of Erica Parsons

10. “With this collection, you realize he was a wise and genuinely caring person,” Sandy Combs of Salisbury said about some 12,000 items related to her father’s life that were donated to the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “There was no magic about it. He cared about all people regardless of background or status.” Who was Combs’ late father?
A. The Rev. Billy Graham
B. Past UNC President Bill Friday
C. UNC basketball coach Dean Smith
D. Food Lion co-founder Ralph Ketner

11. Going into March, the 20 elementary schools in the Rowan-Salisbury system had never had one of these, but the Board of Education discussed changing that. What was the board considering for each school in the future?
A. A chaplain
B. A nurse
C. A resource officer
D. A dean of students

12. A project that has been 38 years in the making — a Rowan Public Library branch in western Rowan County — was endorsed by the Board of Commissioners in March. Where will this library be located?
A. The old West Rowan YMCA
B. The old R.A. Clement School
C. The former Cleveland Town Hall
D. The soon-to-be-vacated Cleveland Elementary School

13. The Salisbury City Council unanimously approved the naming of something for firefighters Justin Monroe and Vic Isler, both of whom died more than 10 years ago in the Salisbury Millwork fire. What will be named for Monroe and Isler?
A. A new Quint 4 ladder truck
B. A new fire systems training ground at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
C. Salisbury Civic Center
D. A new fire station

14. As part of student walkouts nationwide in the aftermath of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, a group of about 40 North Rowan High School students were disciplined for not accepting administrators’ offer to use the auditorium. They walked outside the school instead. What was their punishment?
A. In-school suspension
B. Expulsion
C. Suspension from school for five days
D. To write a three-page paper on why the walkout was important to them

15. The Rowan County Board of Commissioners approved a loan of as much as $350,000 loan to the Tourism Development Authority for what?
A. Long-term leases on seven billboards to tout tourist sites in Rowan County — two billboards on Interstate 85, two on U.S. 29, two on N.C. 150 and one on U.S. 52
B. The design and printing of three new brochures that will be placed at highway rest areas throughout North Carolina
C. Long-term advertising contracts in three publications: Southern Living, Our State and Garden & Gun
D. Renovations to the Fisher-Thompson Hardware building and wide-scale access improvements in the Railwalk area of Salisbury

16. After a closed session, the Rowan County Commissioners decided to join other counties and states in a national lawsuit against whom?
A. Manufacturers of assault rifles
B. Manufacturers and distributors of opioids
C. Planned Parenthood
D. American Civil Liberties Union

17. Cube Yadkin Generation, the new owners of the dams along the Yadkin River that include High Rock, Tuckertown and Badin, asked the N.C. Utilities Commission to do what?
A. Officially declare it the owner of the land beneath the water of the various lakes, including High Rock Lake
B. Give it authority to establish a shoreline management plan to govern the size and scope of piers
C. Allow it to build transmission towers in High Rock Lake and run high-voltage power lines across the water in three spots
D. Force Duke Energy to buy hydropower generated by the Yadkin dams.

18. The city of Salisbury had a May 8 referendum for voters to decide what?
A. Whether the city should have a separate mayoral election
B. Whether Hotwire Communications should be allowed to sign a long-term lease to manage the city’s fiber-optic utility, Fibrant
C. A recreation bond package of $10 million for park improvements and a new downtown park
D. Whether the city should raise the age to purchase a gun to 21

19. What local manufacturing company announced in late March it will expand its workforce by 100 jobs over three years and make a $9 million investment?
A. Hitachi Metals
B. New York Air Brake
C. Norandal USA
D. Carolina Color Corp.

20. Joseph Vaughn listened to public comments and fielded questions in early April during his first town-hall meeting, something he planned to continue quarterly. Vaughn became the new director of what?
A. Hefner VA Medical Center
B. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
C. Rowan County Parks and Recreation
D. Better Business Bureau

21. What band was the headline act for the Cheerwine Festival in downtown Salisbury on May 19?
A. Dave Matthews
B. Barenaked Ladies
C. Sister Hazel
D. Foo Fighters

22. In April, the N.C. Division of Air Quality held a public hearing in Spencer on Duke Energy’s permit application to reprocess/recycle coal ash at Buck Steam Station. As proposed, the reprocessing center would do what with the coal ash?
A. Burn it, to remove excess carbon so it can then be recycled
B. Dewater it, so the material that’s left can be used in making concrete
C. Hydrate it, so harmful chemicals in the coal ash can be neutralized before it becomes a fill material
D. Spread it, so that outside the containment ponds the coal ash dries and becomes more manageable to truck away

23. How did Timothy C. Smith, an inmate charged with murder, escape April 14 from the Rowan County Detention Center?
A. He drugged a guard’s soft drink and grabbed his keys.
B. He walked out unnoticed during visiting hours.
C. He kicked out a jail cell window on the third floor and lowered himself with the help of bedsheets.
D. He knocked down two guards, grabbed a gun, used a visitor as a hostage and fled through a side door.

24. Salisbury native Bryan Jordan is chief executive officer of what banking organization that announced a $3.95 billion commitment to community development across its eight-state footprint?
A. SunTrust
B. Fifth Third Bank
C. Community One Holding Corp.
D. First Horizon National Corp.

25. A New Jersey auction company had a rare 1863 lithograph for sale that has something to do with Salisbury. What Civil War scene does this print depict?
A. A Union raid on Confederate storehouses at the Salisbury depot
B. The building of a Confederate rail supply line west from Salisbury toward Statesville
C. Union prisoners playing baseball at Salisbury Confederate Prison
D. Confederate soldiers mustering for deployment in front of the Rowan County Courthouse, a building that is today’s Rowan Museum

26. A federal judge accepted a settlement proposal that would allow Outer Banks businesses and permanent residents who lost power for several days last summer to divvy up more than $10 million. What Rowan County law firm worked on behalf of the businesses and individuals in filing the class-action suit against PCL Civil Contractors?
A. Whitley, Castor & Jordan
B. Wallace & Graham
C. Brooke & Brooke
D. Davis Law Firm

27. “Ministers of Comedy,” a May 17 show at Salisbury Civic Center in which local clergy were among the performers, raised money for what project?
A. Bell Tower Green
B. Dixonville-Lincoln Memorial
C. Pops at the Post
D. Empire Hotel

28. In May’s Republican primary for three seats on the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, Greg Edds, Jim Greene and Judy Klusman came in first, second and third, respectively. Who was fourth?
A. Craig Pierce
B. Jim Sides
C. Mike Julian
D. Carl Ford

29. Teachers from across the state attended a protest in Raleigh on May 16 to push for better pay and better working conditions. What did the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education decide in relation to May 16?
A. Nothing
B. Rowan-Salisbury teachers were allowed to attend the rally if they wanted, but if they missed school May 16, they were not paid.
C. It was be an optional teacher workday.
D. Teachers could miss that school day, but the cost of substitutes had to come out of their pay.

30. Over six months, Jacqueline Brown took her terminally ill dog many places and shared a lot of new experiences with him, trying to cover a bucket list of things before he died in May. What was the dog’s name?
A. Sergio
B. Apricot, “Appy” for short
C. Bentley
D. Flash

31. In the spring, the town of Landis celebrated a grand opening for a 98-acre recreational spot, which has seen many upgrades, including a disc golf course and better access for kayakers. What’s the name of this place?
A. Lake Corriher Wilderness Area
B. Bump and Run Park
C. Fox Creek Cave
D. Burns Memorial Park

32. More than 2,000 students in Rowan-Salisbury Schools were recognized with at-home yard placards that said they are “extraordinary.” Extraordinary what?
A. Readers
B. Student athletes
C. Contributors to the community
D. Nutritional eaters

33. Bishop Michael Curry, who gained worldwide attention when he spoke at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, is known to many Salisburians through his former role as what?
A. Head of the AME Zion Church in Western North Carolina
B. Bishop of the Episcopal Church’s N.C. Diocese
C. President of Livingstone College
D. President of Hood Theological Seminary

34. For decades, Rowan Museum officials thought the museum had in its possession late 18th-century portraits of Matthew Locke and his wife. But Catawba College history professor Gary Freeze thinks the portraits are of another couple. Who?
A. John Steele and his wife
B. Maxwell Chambers and his second wife
C. Archibald Henderson and his daughter
D. Moses Locke and his wife

35. As soon as Geoffrey Hoy, chairman of the Rowan County Democratic Party, was certified as the winner of the May Democratic primary in North Carolina’s 33rd Senate District, he started the process to remove his name in favor of someone else for the November election. Who?
A. Judy Klusman
B. Raymond Coltrain
C. Gail Young
D. Arin Wilhelm

36. In June, the N.C. General Assembly passed a bill that would allow Rowan-Salisbury Schools to serve as a pilot program in adopting charter-like flexibility for the district. The RSS Board of Education committed to this concept, which is called what?
A. Umbrella School System
B. New World School System
C. Collective Campus School System
D. Renewal School System

37. The U.S. Supreme Court declined in late June to take the Rowan County Board of Commissioners’ appeal on a lawsuit against the board over sectarian prayer at board meetings. What did the Supreme Court’s decision mean for commissioners moving forward?
A. They can no longer open their meetings with prayer.
B. They can open meetings with only a moment of silence.
C. Their meetings can be opened with prayer, but not by any of the individual commissioners.
D. They can take turns offering a prayer and open themselves up to being sued again.

38. After 21 years, Von Poston and John Shuler sold Salisbury Square Antiques & Collectibles at 111 S. Main St. Many Salisbury residents still remember the building in which they did business as the onetime home for what downtown anchor store?
A. J.C. Penney
B. Kress
C. Montgomery Ward
D. Belk Harry

39. What is believed to have caused a five-alarm fire that burned much of a July day at Holmes Iron & Metal and led to power outages in East Spencer and Spencer?
A. An electrical short in a window air conditioner at the company’s office
B. A tree that fell on a nearby electrical substation, igniting a stack of scrapped vehicles
C. Fire from an overnight campsite on railroad tracks near the salvage yard
D. The spark from a car that had recently been brought in as junk

40. In the summer, the Holiday Caravan board voted not to produce the annual Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving parade held in Spencer and Salisbury, mainly for what reason?
A. The municipal governments of Spencer and Salisbury would no longer provide financial support.
B. Participation in the parade and attendance had dropped too much.
C. Security and insurance costs for this major production over a lengthy route had become too expensive.
D. The board cited the controversy that followed 2017’s parade involving an attempt by members of a gay rights support group to ride the Avita Pharmacy float.

41. Salisbury Mayor Al Heggins sparked considerable discussion among fellow City Council members in August when she introduced a “Resolution of Reconciliation.” The resolution aimed at being part of a restorative justice process whose ultimate goal “is to achieve a sense of healing by diligently and intentionally repairing the harm done to the victim, the offender and the community.” The resolution particularly addressed what event or events in Salisbury’s past?
A. Numerous Ku Klux Klan marches in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.
B. The 1906 deaths of a white family and the subsequent mob lynchings of three accused African-American men who were never tried
C. The 1909 installation of the Confederate monument
D. The thousands of Union soldier deaths at Salisbury Confederate Prison during the Civil War

42. A committee formed to put on the holiday parade in Spencer and Salisbury. What did it name the parade?
A. Rowan County Extravaganza
B. Magnificent Main Street Parade
C. Rowan Ramble
D. ‘Tis the Season Spectacular

43. The August vandalism of the 1909 Confederate memorial at West Innes and Church streets brought renewed discussions about whether it should be relocated or how it should be protected or changed. Who owns the statue?
A. St. John’s Lutheran Church
B. United Daughters of the Confederacy
C. Sons of the Confederacy
D. The city of Salisbury

44. Of Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ 35 campuses, 34 came through the winds and rain of Tropical Depression Florence without major damage. But what happened at Morgan Elementary School that led to its students missing two extra days of school?
A. A transformer fire in Liberty knocked out power to the school for several days.
B. A tree fell on three mobile units.
C. A water tower fell during the stormiest weather, leaving the school without its main water source and with limited water pressure.
D. Three main hallways and six classrooms had significant flooding.

45.  The fundraising campaign for a new Novant Health Rowan cancer center received a substantial lead gift from a Salisbury couple for whom the center will be named. Who?
A. Lee and Mona Lisa Wallace
B. Fred and Alice Stanback
C. Bill and Shari Graham
D. Paul and Sue Fisher

46. The Kannapolis City Council approved amendments to construction contracts in September that will lead to the $52 million construction of what in the city’s downtown?
A. Ballpark for the Kannapolis Intimidators
B. Performing arts center
C. New campus for Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
D. New police headquarters

47. Ryan Turney, a Carson High School graduate and senior at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, was studying abroad in Bangkok, Thailand, this fall when he died unexpectedly. What caused Ryan’s death?
A. Methanol poisoning
B. A spider bite
C. Malaria
D. Mercury poisoning

48. Salisbury had a ribbon-cutting in September for a new dog park, which is where?
A. The new Bell Tower Green
B. Kelsey-Scott Park
C. Behind Rufty-Holmes Senior Center
D. Behind Salisbury Civic Center

49. City tax bills went out this year with the wrong property tax rate. In June, the City Council passed a budget calling for a rate of 71.96 cents per $100 valuation, but some 22,000 property owners received a bill showing 71.69 cents per $100 valuation. How did the City Council decide to correct the clerical error?
A. It rescinded the rate approved in June and went with 71.69 cents per $100.
B. It will add the extra dollars people would have owed to next year’s tax bill, while waiving interest and penalties.
C. It will ask the Rowan County Tax Collector’s Office to send out separate tax statements to collect the roughly $70,000 outstanding.
D. It will go into next year’s budget sessions knowing it must add 0.0027 cents to the tax rate.

50. A 45-member capital needs committee, working at the behest of Rowan-Salisbury Schools, presented a proposal that would radically affect school buildings in the county over a period of time. Which of the following was not a recommendation of the committee?
A. Combining Henderson Independent High with North Rowan High and building a new high school in East Spencer.
B. Closing Faith, Rockwell and Granite Quarry elementary schools in favor of building an East Rowan Elementary School.
C. Closing China Grove, Landis and Enochville elementary schools in favor of building a new South Rowan Elementary School.
D. Building a new K-8 school and demolishing Knox Middle and Overton Elementary schools.

 

ANSWERS:

1. A
2. D
3. C
4. B
5. B
6. C
7. D
8. C
9. D
10. C
11. C
12. D
13. D
14. A
15. D
16. B
17. D
18. B
19. B
20. A
21. C
22. A
23. C
24. D
25. C
26. B
27. B
28. A
29. C
30. C
31. A
32. A
33. B
34. D
35. D
36. D
37. C
38. D
39. D
40. D
41. B
42. D
43. B
44. C
45. A
46. A
47. A
48. D
49. B
50. A