Right at 2:00 PM Commissioner Chairman Doug Bridges opens the meeting stating that Cleveland County wanted to inform and educate the citizens of Cleveland County about the new Delta Variant of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. (I suspect the whole meeting may be available public viewing on either the CCC Website or the CCS Website. Since I was present and paying close attention, I have not checked for any video of this meeting. Bridges quickly introduces the Cleveland County Health Department Director Tiffany Hansen.
Health Department Director Tiffany Hansen them proceeds to present a PowerPoint Presentation consisting of graphs, slides numbers and statistics that provide no real basis for projecting whether the COVID is ”exploding” in dangerous numbers or just an increase this week and a decline next week. Not that I could cipher out anyway. And I am good at that kind of ciphering. No mention of limiting Football game attendance or any other kind of different measures to combat the COVID. Or anything different from masks, vaccinations and social distancing. Not a peep about the Obesity problem that was on a TV Channel 3 report this very night that showed major issues between COVID and gaining weight. Basically Ms. Hansen says there has been an increase in COVID due to the Delta Variant and says nothing about what we are going to do about it.
Then Commissioner Bridges introduces an Atrium official, Inga Pitts.
Ms. Pitts states that in the last 14 days there have been 1399 new cases if COVID and 266 people have died in Cleveland County. I did not catch whether she said that there were 266 deaths in the last 14 days or what? I suspect that 266 deaths are the overall deaths from COVID. A google check says total cases to date for COVID in Cleveland County NC is 16,594 with 277 Deaths.
Ms. Pitts says:
The transmissibility of cases in Shelby is 40% but only 20% in Kings Mountain.
Hospital beds are at a premium and lots of patients require ventilators.
Last week there were 90% Positive test results-this week only 40%. This was only Tuesday of this week.
There are 4 deaths in some 24-hour periods and ZERO deaths in other 24-hour periods. (I don’t know what this proves.)
“This is the most difficult experience any healthcare community has faced.”
“This is serious!” She “hopes this information is helpful.”
At 2:20 PM Commissioner Chairman Doug Bridges states that “Cleveland County is in a CRISIS!” and closes the meeting. The lights dim and Bridges states that people are present that will answer your question. And closes the presentation, Meeting or whatever.
The last entry in my notes says “A Dog and Pony show with NO dogs or ponies.”
I asked every Commissioner and County Commissioner I can corner and ask, “what is the story here” There has to be more going on.” “Oh no” everybod6y tells me.
I overheard Commissioner Johnny Hutchings “fussing” to an Atrium person about ventilators. Hutchins wants to know why he was told there were plenty of ventilators and now he hears Atrium is complaining that they are out of ventilators and the Commissioners won’t help them get any more. Hutchins tells the guy, “if YOU are out of ventilators and need help obtaining them, ask for our help.
Of particular note is:
No other people at the head table spoke one word or got to ask one question.
That Robert “Luke Queen” didn’t speak one word and did not wear a mask for one second during it all. Everybody else wore a mask. It is Cleveland Community College Policy that EVERYBODY wears a mask while inside any building. Same with Cleveland County Schools. Luke voted FOR those policies and yet HE is the one person that can be exempt from his own policies. One CCS related person says they are ashamed that Robert Queen goes around refusing to abide that he has himself voted for. I am not surprised. I’ve been saying that for a long time now.
Folks, this is not the end of this confusing story. It is only the beginning of another controversy.
Sources have confirmed that CCS School Board Chairman Robert “Luke” Queen did indeed promises County Manager Brian Epley that he would come to this meeting and inform the world that Cleveland County Schools was going to limit attendance at High School Football games to 50% Capacity. The Epley makes the arrangements to notify and invite all the big news media in Charlotte (and everywhere else but me) about this PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT that the Cleveland County School Board was going to limit attendance at football games to 50% or less, effectively immediately due to the COVID Delta Variant. Everything gets set to go.
But Luke finally gets around to informing his school board that he is about to call an emergency school board meeting and how they would have to vote on this issue. School Board members Danny Blanton, Dena Green, Coleman Hunt, Phillip Glover and Greg Taylor allegedly tell Luke that they would NOT vote to limit attendance to High School Football games except under a direct mandate from the Health Department, State of Cleveland County, or the Governor. They allegedly also told Luke Queen that if he carried through with the lie that the School Board was limiting attendance at High School Football games, that they, a majority of the School Board, would immediately call an emergency meeting and vote to denounce Luke for his over-reach and also vote to allow full attendance at all High School Football games until and unless mandated otherwise by the State of County Health Department of the Governor.
By the time this word got back to County Manager Brian Epley, the jig was up. The big news media were already invited and on their way. It was too late to cancel and County Manager Brian Epley had just managed to make his boss, Commissioner Chairman Doug Bridges and the rest of the Commissioners look like an unmitigated FOOLs. Again!! Over Robert “Luke” Queen-whose mouth makes promises his behind can’t deliver. What a Hoot!!
It was no wonder that Epley was looking like he had seen a ghost. A GHOST of himself when the Commissioners get through with him. Not only did Epley make the Commissioners look like fools, Luke made the rest of the school board, Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees and the Mayors of Shelby, Kings Mountain and Boiling Springs and their city councils look like fools too,
As for me. Looking up stuff for this article revealed to me another major class action lawsuit against Cleveland County and another likely multi million lawsuit against Cleveland County Schools. On top of those already outstanding. All y’all will be hearing all about that very, very soon.