Today's News

At the Carroll County supervisors’ meeting Sept. 8, The Gazette’s reporter asked for more accountability in county meetings involving closed sessions.

Carroll officials have heard concerns about this topic before.

Citizen Mike Goldwasser has made appearances as recently as this month before the Carroll supervisors and the Industrial Development Authority to share public misgivings about use of closed sessions and the lack of public hearings in regard to disposition of county land.

HILLSVILLE — Closed session practices by Carroll County governments have been called into question recently, but county boards are not necessarily meeting behind closed doors more than they have in the past.

With concerns about use of closed sessions persisting in Carroll County, The Gazette recently checked into the record of executive sessions.

State law allows governmental bodies to meet behind closed doors in some situations where the hearing of matters in public meeting would be detrimental to a board’s position.

HILLSVILLE — Even after a developer who sought 91 acres of Carroll-owned land for the Mayberry Opry property has ended acquisition attempts, a citizen continues to question county officials about other deals in the works and the methods used.

Citizen Mike Goldwasser appeared at both the Industrial Development Authority meeting Sept. 3 and the Carroll Board of Supervisors meeting Sept. 8 to express continuing concerns.

FRIES — A man described by police as a “person of interest” in a suspected arson at 142 Sunrise Lane in Fries was found dead at his house Friday afternoon.

According to Grayson Sheriff Richard Vaughan, Thurman Davis was named a person of interest in a suspicious fire at his son-in-law's house on Sept. 11. He was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound at his own home on Providence Road the next day.

The fire occurred last Thursday afternoon, and after a preliminary investigation by the Fries Volunteer Fire Department, it was determined to be suspicious.