Good morning, Hickory.

The Bill McDonald Scholarship Fund Committee donated $4,000 on Oct.

27, splitting $2,000 each to Hickory Fire’s Bikes for Tykes and Hickory Police’s Cops for Tots to buy bicycles and sports equipment for local children (11th year of support).

A snack plant on Somerset Drive NW in Conover will close Dec.

16, eliminating 93 jobs, the WARN filing said; the notice was filed Oct. 19 and made public Oct. 22 (Powered by FTGU LLC, Real Food From The Ground Up).

Catawba County Schools announced Jenni Frye will become Maiden High principal on Nov.

2; Frye currently leads Oxford Elementary and has 26 years in education. Delaina Benfield Bryan will be interim principal at Oxford on Nov. 2; she is the school's assistant principal with 25 years in Catawba County Schools.

North Carolina will ban lithium‑ion batteries from state landfills beginning Dec.

1, so residents cannot place phones, laptops, e-bikes, scooters, or other devices with these batteries in household trash or regular recycling. Take batteries to household hazardous waste sites, community collection events, or authorized recyclers; violations can carry fines up to $500.

Catawba County Public Health urges residents to get vaccinated now against influenza, COVID-19, and RSV at health care providers, pharmacies, or the county health department to reduce illness and hospitalizations; appointments are available online or by phone.