Stanly County Journal

North Carolina State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor presented the Albemarle Fire Department with a new fire district rating on Monday night. Courtesy City of Albemarle ALBEMARLE — The Albemarle Fire Department has earned a new Class 2 insurance rating, placing it among the top 5% of fire departments nationwide.

From left:West Stanly’s Katelyn Kiker, Felicity Hereim and Cheyenne Bramhall celebrate with their state wrestling title trophy. Courtesy West Stanly High School GREENSBORO — Stanly County wrestlers had a February to remember at the 2026 NCHSAA wrestling championships in Greensboro. West Stanly’s girls won a state team title, and South Stanly crowned two individual champions while finishing third overall in the boys 1A/2A standings.

North Stanly’s 4x200-meter relay state champions are, bottom row from left, Racere Bruton and Nathan Helms; top row from left, Kylan Dockery and JJ Crute. Courtesy North Stanly Booster Club ALBEMARLE — Local athletes turned in multiple podium finishes and top-10 team performances at the recent 2026 NCHSAA swimming and indoor track and field state championships.

The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office Animal Protective Services division can be contacted at 704-986-3881. Courtesy Stanly County Sheriff’s Office ALBEMARLE — Two people were arrested as 23 dogs were removed from an Albemarle home on Feb. 26 following an animal cruelty investigation, authorities said. Deputies with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office Animal Protective Services division responded to an animal complaint near the intersection of N.C. 73 and Austin Road.

Randy Shank, director of Stanly County Airport, requested funding from the Stanly County Board of Commissioners on Monday night. Courtesy StanlyTV ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $122,201 funding match Monday night to move forward with a $1.25 million pavement rehabilitation project at Stanly County Airport.

The Stanly Arts Guild’s new location is 152 W. Main St. in downtown Albemarle. Courtesy Uwharrie Bank ALBEMARLE — One of Stanly County’s leading arts organizations has a new place to call home. On March 7, the Stanly Arts Guild will celebrate a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand reopening at its new gallery at 152 W. Main St. in downtown Albemarle.

From left: Officers James Alexson, Tanner Lang, Christopher Linker, Marcus Patrick and Trenton Scott were sworn in as new members of the Albemarle Police Department on Feb. 17. Courtesy Albemarle Police Department ALBEMARLE — The Albemarle Police Department recently held a swearing-in and promotion ceremony, marking the addition of five new officers and the rank advancement of eight others. Elected officials, community leaders and family members attended the event on Feb.

Albemarle’s Tyvunn Quick shoots a 3-pointer during a previous home matchup with Union Academy (PJ Ward-Brown/SNJ) ALBEMARLE — While North Stanly’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams each earned first-round byes in the NCHSAA state playoffs, six other Stanly County squads took the court Tuesday night in opening-round matchups. Two teams — the Albemarle boys and West Stanly girls — advanced to the second round, while four others saw their seasons come to an end.

Pfeiffer’s Nyree Bell drives down to the lane against a defender. Courtesy Pfeiffer Athletics MISENHEIMER — Playing as the No. 4 seed in the 2026 USA South Conference tournament, the Pfeiffer women’s basketball team saw its season end Tuesday night with a narrow home loss to No. 5 William Peace. The Falcons (15-11) fell 63-62 in Merner Gym as the Pacers (16-10) erased a double-digit deficit with a dominant fourth quarter.

North Stanly’s Maddox Lowder shoots a 3-pointer during a matchup with Uwharrie Charter Academy (PJ Ward-Brown/SNJ) ALBEMARLE — While the Yadkin Valley Conference and Rocky River Conference tournaments wrapped up on Friday, the postseason will continue for eight Stanly County high school basketball teams within the state playoffs. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams for North Stanly, Albemarle, South Stanly and West Stanly each received a bid to play in the NCHSAA 2026 championships.