Queen City News LAKE NORMAN OF CATAWBA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A man has lost his life and a Sherills Ford man is in custody following an alleged road rage shooting according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to Island Point Road and North View Harbour Drive officials identified him as 40-year-old Jeffrey Michael Guida Witnesses told investigators that a man shot Guida after they both stopped and got out of their vehicles The alleged shooter then fired his weapon multiple times into the Guida’s vehicle were in the vehicle but were not physically hurt Investigators were given a description of the suspected shooter and his vehicle which led them to a home in the 9000 block of Island Point Road where they arrested 75-year-old Terrell Eugene Giddens Giddens is charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder He is being held without bond and is set to appear in court on Monday these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals the Catawba County Park System’s newest outdoor destination will open to the public with a grand opening celebration on Saturday which spans 606 acres on the northwestern tip of Lake Norman Scheduled activities to celebrate the park’s grand opening on the 18th include an 8:00 a.m bird walk with Ranger Dwayne Martin; 9:00 a.m pollinator garden tour with Ranger Tiffany Huffman; 9:50 a.m flag ceremony with Boy Scout Troop 327; 10:00 a.m guided hike with Ranger Matthew Rodriguez; 1:00 p.m foraging hike with Ranger Tommy Morrell; 5:00 p.m guided hike with Ranger Melody Key; and a 6:00 p.m tree identification hike with Ranger Lori Owenby Other special activities offered throughout the day include a self-guided scavenger hunt with prizes A variety of food trucks will also be on site In addition to participating in grand opening activities the public will be welcome to explore and experience Mountain Creek Park’s various amenities These include 18.7 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails The event is free and open to the public. Dog park passes are required for each dog using the dog park with proof of vaccinations and a $20 fee per dog. Passes will be available at the park office on opening day. Dog park applications and information can be accessed online at www.catawbacountync.gov on the County Services/Parks page Picnic shelter reservations will not be available for grand opening day Mountain Creek Park was created through a public-private partnership among Catawba County served as the design-build consultant for the park Park construction was provided by JD Goodrum Company and the trails were designed and built by Elevated Trail Design The park is operated by Catawba County as part of the Catawba County Park System which includes Bakers Mountain Park in Hickory Information about the grand opening celebration is available at www.catawbacountync.gov/parks Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the sale of a ± 17-acre land site in Maiden North Carolina that is slated for a 240-unit multifamily development project named Catawba Village and Alex McDermott of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller North State Development a Cornelius-based private real estate development and investment firm had acquired the land and obtained zoning and entitlements for a 240-unit apartment complex With a long-standing commitment in North Carolina North State Development currently has over $175 million in ongoing projects in Charlotte The land site was acquired by construction company Inch & Co who will serve as the owner/developer for the Catawba Village multifamily project has made a great addition to their expanding portfolio of over 4,900 units by closing their first deal in the Carolinas Catawba Village is positioned to benefit from the continued northwestern growth of Charlotte and the Lake Norman area while capitalizing on current development barriers for multifamily product in the surrounding Mooresville and Denver areas It was an honor to be a part of this transaction and we are excited to see Inch & Co.’s plans for a 240-unit apartment complex come to fruition,” said Battle Smith Cushman & Wakefield’s Sunbelt Multifamily Advisory Group is a 109-person investment sales team covering 11 states with No 1 multifamily market share in that region based on sales volume and transactions reported to CoStar the group closed $11.1 billion in sales volume through 360 deals and over 60,300 units Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInCATAWBA COUNTY (WBTV) - A vehicle submerged in Lake Norman has been connected to the case of a missing woman who was last seen 15 years ago The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from a fisherman regarding the submerged car in the Mountain Creek area of the lake this past Monday Investigators confirmed that a vehicle was underwater in the area by using a submersible robot A diver found that the car was a white 1996 model Ford Thunderbird The sheriff’s office said the vehicle matched the description of the same vehicle belonging to then 43-year-old Tina Martin investigators worked with salvage companies to remove the vehicle from the lake investigators found evidence of human remains Martin’s relatives have been notified of the discovery An investigation regarding her disappearance remains active Related: Crews recover submerged car found in Gaston County lake I have never been to a Buc-ee's store The closest store to Charlotte right now is in Florence and over the summer I had a few friends road trip just to shop there The convenience store/gas station is massive and has some great food According to WCNC the City of Mebane is supporting a store being built there Mebane City Council approved bringing a Buc-ee's to the North Carolina area and it will be the first In addition to folks being excited about the new store there are some folks that aren't very happy with the upcoming new addition the addition of a large Buc-ee's store will bring in more traffic and more people to the area but locals aren't happy about more traffic Never did I imagine it would be as big as it is now you could get almost anywhere in the city within 10-15 minutes A better economy and growth always means more traffic and sometimes you can't get anywhere as quickly and there's usually more accidents and it's about a two hour drive from Charlotte The city is located mostly in Alamance County Not too bad of a ride if you want to take a day trip to get out the Buc-ee's once it's built I've only had the Beaver Nuggets from Buc-ee's and they are dangerous Tasty and easy to eat lots of them before you know it It's my understanding that the store also has amazing food like sandwiches and brisket What are the richest cities and towns in North Carolina There is a lot of money in the state between the major cities The financial experts at Forbes recently conducted an analysis to determine the richest places in the state of North Carolina.  To do this they looked at over 400 cities aka census-designated places in NC Cities were ranked on four metrics including median household income There are several cities that are around a major lake As well as some on the coast and the mountains in the top 5 Below you'll find detailed info about each of the top 5 cities and towns that are the richest places in North Carolina in 2023 according to Forbes You'll also find info on the other cities that made the top 50 list that are in the vicinity of Charlotte If you live in any of these cities and towns and have some extra cash to share just let me know! Looking for more detailed information? You can get that directly from Forbes and can read more here Curious about the richest cities in South Carolina? You can find those here (hint it's a lot of coastal towns) I'm actually a little surprised Huntersville didn't rank higher on this list The town on the southern end of Lake Norman is home to shopping areas like Birkdale Village and is growing rapidly The Catawba side of Lake Norman is the second location on this list to be situated at "the lake" Lake Norman of Catawba is on the western side of the lake just north of Denver Staying at the lake this time the charming town of Cornelius.  You'll find it just north of Huntersville right off I-77 Harrisburg is located in Cabarrus County North Carolina right on the border with Mecklenburg The town is celebrating its 50th anniversary this fall Wesley Chapel is a village located in Union County Staying in Union County next on this list is Waxhaw Downtown is quaint and full of restaurants you're sure to love The town of  of Davidson is a small college town about 20 miles north of Charlotte and Weddington makes the top 10 but it's not the highest ranking town from the county Now we hop to the other side of Lake Norman to Iredell County Guess there is  a little more money on the northeast side Bald Head Island only has 89 year-round residents The highest ranking Union County town is Marvin Marvin is a village that is recognized as a Community Wildlife Habitat Governor's Club is a neighborhood in Chapel Hill with panoramic views of the lake & golf course Grandfather is a village in Avery County named after Grandfather Mountain It's a fully gated community within Grandfather Golf and Country Club Download the app to LISTEN LIVE wherever you are and connect with us like never before Curious about the richest cities in South Carolina? You can find those here (hint it's a lot of coastal towns) Unlock this page—subscribe now or sign in for instant access! Shawn Sharpe killed a gobbler on the Nantahala National Forest Game Lands while hunting with a couple of friends. […] Tyler Clark with Foothills Guided Adventures caught this nice fish in western NC. […] Get off the beaten path for some great trout fishing at Lost Cove Creek. […] You must be logged in to post a comment Spanning two states and more than 200 miles the Catawba is more a linked series of reservoirs than a genuine river anymore This once-wild waterway named for the Catawba tribe of Indigenous People — “the people of the river” — rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains just east of Asheville and yields for no fewer than 11 impoundments on its way to and through South Carolina where it eventually becomes known as the Wateree River before landing in Congaree National Park for its final 10 miles above Lake Marion it weaves through some of the finest countrysides in the Carolinas alternating between rural and urban landscapes where it forms the 33,000-acre Lake Norman The 30-mile stretch of the Catawba River between the Lake Wylie Hydro Station and the upper end of Fishing Creek Lake is now the longest portion of the Catawba River that remains undammed, forming a significant portion of the Wateree Blue Trail that winds 75 miles south to meet the Congaree River Blue Trail within the national park The land bordering much of the Catawba-Wateree along the Blue Trail remains a wooded and natural floodplain forest providing for ancestors of the Catawba Indian Nation for some 12,000 years European explorers and early American settlers eventually found their way to the valley and continue to flock to the region The basin is one of a precious few areas left in the southeast with significant populations of the rocky shoals spider lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) with notably the world’s largest population left at Landsford Canal State Park Beginning in 1904, a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed to harness the power of the river in an effort to foster growth in the region and meet increasing demands for energy The hydro station forming Lake Wylie was the cornerstone of what is now Duke Energy the largest electric power company in the U.S More than two million people now live in the Catawba-Wateree basin, and rapid growth is putting a strain on water resources. The lack of an overall plan for efficient water use is one of the reasons why American Rivers named the Catawba River one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® in 2008 the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) named the Catawba-Wateree basin one of the top 10 most endangered places in the Southeast for the same reason The Catawba Wateree Water Management Group has been focused on addressing some of the issues around water management that was highlighted by the droughts from 2007-2009 and the pressures of a growing population The Catawba River changes its name to the Wateree near the flooded confluence of Wateree Creek reflecting the name of the native American tribes that inhabited the various regions of the river The Wateree River joins the Congaree River at Congaree National Park forming the Santee River that eventually makes its way to the Atlantic Ocean The 30-mile section of the Catawba River downstream from Lake Wylie dam was designated a South Carolina State Scenic River in June 2008 The section of the Catawba passing through Landsford Canal State Park is known for its large stand of rocky shoals spider lily which has a spectacular bloom in mid-May to mid-June that may be viewed by boat or on foot The river’s 11 hydroelectric dams combined with drought, climate change and rampant development contribute to a variety of issues—including flow management and industrial waste—that continue to pose significant risk to the health of the river and the people that depend on it We’re hard at work in the Southeast for rivers and clean water Sign up to get the most important news affecting your water and rivers delivered right to your inbox The tributary rivers that flow into the Catawba are littered with legacy small dams that powered the textile industry of the region but have now fallen into disrepair Most of these dams have outlived their useful lives and now are just ecological and community liabilities We have worked with some communities- like Hickory NC on the Henry Fork- to remove some of these dams to restore the river and improve recreational and economic activities and there are many more such stories to come has historically threatened the river and local water supply with pollution Department of Environmental Quality approved a suite of plans to close and excavate the coal ash move it to lined landfills or recycle it for beneficial use This was a great victory for improving the health of the Catawba River It has been more than 100 years since the town of Great Falls But a landmark hydropower operating license has restored continuous flows to areas that have been bypassed since Duke’s Great Falls Hydro and reservoir were built in the early 1900s the new license will restore flows to whitewater rapids and provide fishing areas with hopes of introducing ecotourism to the economically struggling town Special whitewater releases are planned in the late spring and summer for visitors to enjoy Duke Energy’s relicensing process was the biggest hydroelectric dam relicensing in the nation and the outcomes are leading to great improvements to the health of the river by dramatically altering reservoir operations enhancing water quality and reshaping how people use and value the river for the next half century 40 year license will improve the entire river system The FERC relicensing is reflective of modern conservation values and returns water to five sections of the Catawba-Wateree by establishing continuous flow requirements rather than daily averages where the river could essentially be turned off and on in order to meet requirements Some improvements are already being implemented putting water back in the river channel where it historically has been redirected to generate electricity or cool power stations That translates to improved recreational access as well as general river health for people including endangered sturgeon and other fish species that make their home in the Catawba-Wateree river system Population growth and a changing climate are requiring new strategies for addressing water management in the basin The most effective way of addressing them is through an integrated water management approach that protects critical areas of the watershed invests in improved water delivery and treatment systems and manages stormwater as a resource while restoring floodplains to better store excessive water filtering it and slowly releasing it back to the streams and rivers There are hundreds of dams in the watershed that are ripe for removal We have been building a team of restoration specialist who can work with their communities to address these liability and support the removal of the unnecessary dams Every $1 donated to American Rivers helps us make rivers clean and healthy for people and wildlife Don’t let the latest river news and actions pass you by a breeze ripples through pine and oak leaves a speedboat sends a faint buzz across the quiet waters Dianne Robinson peers across Lake Norman from the backyard of her home in Cornelius A spacious one-story with high ceilings and more than a couple of thousand square feet it’s still modest by this neighborhood’s standards.  “Michael Jordan just bought a place over there,” she says in a matter-of-fact tone the light catching her jewelry as she points around a bend in the cove drawing a line from the brightly colored roofs of boathouses on the water to a spot a few hundred yards offshore “That’s where our farm was.” it’s a different late-afternoon scene The traffic here is some of the worst in the Charlotte area cars stream out of uptown parking garages and suburban office parks—north from Charlotte south from Mooresville—and rush onto Interstate 77 which the lake squeezes like a vice down to two lanes around Huntersville Roads and driving play an outsized role in life here on the Mecklenburg-Iredell County border a proposal to widen I-77 with toll lanes is bringing spirited crowds out to meetings of usually obscure transportation boards as new subdivisions sprouted so quickly that it became impossible to keep up with their names the interstate and its exits became shorthand Natives and newcomers alike developed their own way of talking to keep themselves oriented with the rapidly changing geography Ease off the traffic-clogged roads and into one of the countless shopping centers and you’re as likely to hear a Long Island clip as a Southern drawl folks from around the country streamed into towns around the lake leaving fading Rustbelt towns for office jobs in data centers and banks escaping bone-chilling winters and overheated housing markets You can see the growth and change in the bars and bakeries and the Italian market that draws displaced Northeasterners from hours away to get ingredients for Nonna’s meatball recipe Or you can follow the Census Bureau’s lead and count the people Population figures since 1990 show Davidson doubled The story of the lake doesn’t begin with booming subdivisions and bustling shopping centers and backlogged roads when few in the tiny hamlets 20 miles north of Charlotte could envision such change And it begins with the few who had a vision for progress and the means to work toward it It was on Governor Luther Hodges’ mind one muggy September day in 1959 when he set off the ceremonial charge of dynamite that would make Lake Norman possible The Mooresville High School band played a fanfare as Duke Power employees held back the crowd of 1,000 threatening to rush as close to the blast as they could The Cowans Ford Dam and the lake it would create were projects for their time—massive in scale and ambitious in scope The lake was meant to quench an ever-growing thirst for electricity and water and cleared land during the four years it took to build and fill Duke Power spent $62 million on the project—in today’s money local folks came to watch as another familiar farmhouse or patch of forest fell to the bulldozer and the land disappeared under the slowly rising waters had been building dams and flooding lakes up and down the Catawba River since the early days of electricity—Wylie and Wateree They all harnessed the power of rushing water to spin and cool turbines lighting up farmhouses and factories along the river basin For a girl growing up on the banks of the Catawba River in the late 1950s and paved roads meant she could finally use the roller skates her aunt bought her for Christmas Dianne Robinson could watch the lake fill each day from her yard off Nantz Road Dirt and gravel roads snaked through verdant forests to the muddy red-clay banks “There was nothing else to do out here,” Robinson says Technology had changed many day-to-day tasks and more people sought success in factories or office jobs Still it was easy in 1959 to imagine the rural landscape around the Catawba looking similar to the day in 1781 when Cornwallis and British troops crossed the Catawba at Cowans Ford taking the life of General William Lee Davidson Road names such as Sherrills Ford and Beatties Ford served as constant reminders of the earliest white settlers and spoke to the river’s importance these restless travelers discovered the area flowing north on the Charleston Highway and south from Pennsylvania on the Great Wagon Road The Sherrills and the Beatties and the Pottses The Davidsons and the Cowans and the Jettons They found the narrowest and shallowest spots in the river—the fords—and claimed them as their crossings dark bottomland that had for centuries provided corn and squash and beans to the Native American tribe living along the riverbanks—the Catawbas These farmers—and for many years their slaves—would produce corn and cotton and wheat and watermelon Cash crops like cotton gave some families a country-style affluence But James Buchanan Duke and his successors at Duke Power had plans for an industrialized South In addition to other projects along the Catawba and Wateree rivers the company had been snapping up farms in the area in preparation for the dam since around the 1910s then rented the land back from Duke to keep farming The desperation of the Great Depression only sped the process Others sold outright for as little as $80 an acre to as much as $1,000 an acre and moved into town or another farm The luckiest—or most forward-thinking—sold the land that would be flooded but held on to the future lakefront property.When the waters filled the lakebed in early 1963 newspapers predicted a boom of development Charlotte’s first “genuine suburb.” Mooresville changed its slogan to “Port City,” hoping to lure businesses and bodies to the small mill town But growth swelled slowly after an initial burst of excitement A 1965 Duke Power map shows a sparse shoreline—only eight places to get gas The lake had severed the old network of farm-to-market roads cutting access and connections between communities in Mecklenburg and Iredell and Lincoln and Catawba counties The only moderately efficient way from Charlotte became U.S “The lake wasn’t a big draw at first,” Davidson College archivist Jan Blodgett says it was this big thing in the way.”  Stories of missed opportunities abound from those early days too a Davidson College fraternity wanted to build a lakefront house But it balked at the land price—$700 for a half-acre “No one imagined you’d have $1 million homes on the lake,” Blodgett says Subdivisions of half-acre lots sprouted with vacation-themed names—Moonlight Bay Weekend homes sold for as much as $25,000 at a time when the average home price nationwide was $18,000 “there will be no shacks here.” Robinson’s parents bought three lakefront acres from Duke Power in 1965 for $1,500 they had divided and sold six half-acre lots “They retired on that money,” Robinson says There aren’t many places to view  Lake Norman unless you know someone who lives there So much of the land has been built on and subdivided You can see the lake up close from a backyard or catch a fleeting glimpse from a car on the I-77 causeway at 70 miles an hour has caused annoying and dangerous slowdowns as rubberneckers hit the brakes to catch a view of shimmering waters or sunbathers in skimpy swimsuits Frustrated officials seriously considered in the mid-2000s building a fence to block drivers’ views There are places where you can launch a boat or use a grill—like the lakefront parks in Mecklenburg County Ramsey Creek and Jetton and Blythe Landing Too many people drowning meant too many chances to get sued Mecklenburg County intends to build a public swimming area near Ramsey Creek Park sometime between 2014 and 2016 It will be the first public swimming beach in the county since the 1970s It’s a different place from what it was in the 1970s when Mooresville teens raced on the cleared roadbed that would become I-77 “The lake was a place to go and hang out,” says Mooresville Library historian Andy Poore we didn’t see this idea of possession but you’ve got to be a member.’ You see that more today.” After the interstate connected the area to Charlotte in 1975 the trickle of growth—a cluster of cabins here a new marina there—grew to a steady stream of homes and restaurants The lake wasn’t just a weekend destination anymore It was now an easy commute to and from an uptown office tower Developers rushed through a tide of subdivisions unprecedented in size and price These projects carried forceful names oozing exclusivity—The Peninsula another acre of shoreline became the backyard of a banker “Everywhere there’s a little bit of water someone has built a house,” Robinson says “There doesn’t even have to be that much of it.” All those new roofs and lawns and parking lots aren’t good for the environment An environmental lawyer and executive director of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation Gaskins quotes a statistic—37 percent of land around the lake that was forest in 1988 had by 2008 become impervious areas like rooftops or parking lots Runoff flows into the lake that provides drinking water for the towns in northern Mecklenburg and chemicals from the surface into the water the lake is big enough to dilute most of that Four counties and a dozen or so municipalities have claim to area surrounding the lake which makes controlling growth more complicated Newcomers often don’t realize what jurisdiction controls what area “You’ve got a lot of entities involved in what goes on at the lake but no one taking charge and saying You can come here and get your permit for the dock or you can report if you see someone’s boat leaking oil,’” Gaskins says “Everybody else thinks somebody else will take care of the problem.”  Dianne Robinson drives her black Mercedes slowly down a neighborhood side street looking for the lake through the trees and houses The word “house” doesn’t really capture these structures A glint there between the pine needles of a manicured tree line Robinson is nostalgic but in no way wistful She sometimes wishes her granddaughter could have some of her childhood experiences—riding for hours on bikes through the countryside or sneaking watermelons from a neighbor’s farm She helped her husband build a successful concrete business They installed curbs and gutters in Virginia and Florida transforming other rural areas into suburbs that now look much the same as Cornelius the home she found wasn’t the home she left She let her mind wander as minds are prone to do in familiar territory the roadside didn’t seem so familiar hoping to pass something she recognized—an old house or store or sign She turned past gas stations and car lots and grocery stores and strip malls she found the one structure that could guide her home the last sign of permanence in the wholly changed landscape Chuck McShane is a freelance writer in Davidson He can be reached at chuckmcshane@gmail.com Top two ways to catch catfish on Santee Cooper in hot weather Murfressboro angler catches 102-pound catfish Lilly Roth from Missouri caught her personal best flathead catfish with Grassy Island Charters at Lake Tillery, NC! […] Brantlee Knight, 12-years-old, from Scotland County, NC harvested this turkey during North Carolina’s 2025 Youth Season. […] Vicki Ramsey caught this largemouth bass in early 2025 in a pond by her house in Eagle Springs, NC. […] You must be logged in to post a comment Santee offers a great June menu for anglers You must be logged in to post a comment Big female bass ready to move shallow at Lake Marion spinnerbaits producing good bass on Wateree River You must be logged in to post a comment.