Mount Airy has received state transportation funding to help make the city more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, according to the Mount Airy News.

Officials said the municipality has recently qualified for a $22,050 bicycle and pedestrian planning grant through a branch of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The city applied for the funding last year. The money will also be combined with about $9,000 from the locality, the paper reported.

It will help provide a master plan to help Mount Airy identify bike or pedestrian needs, priorities and opportunities for improvements.

The plan will chart a course for the next 25 years and pinpoint where bike lanes should be established.

Supporters say they want bike lanes to take them to locations including shopping areas, the library and movie theater.

A private consulting company will be hired to head the study. The project is expected to be put out for bids later this summer.

Appalachian State University Football Coach Jerry Moore will be in Mount Airy Friday, according to the Mount Airy News.

Moore will give a motivational speech called “It’s a Matter of Faith” at 7 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church at 1909 N. Main St.

He will share his life story and discuss subjects including faith and football, the paper reported.

Moore led the Appalachian State Mountaineers to three consecutive wins in the college football Division II National Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

The rock band The Unworthy Beloved will perform at 6 p.m. before Moore's speech.

The event is free and open to the public.

Call Central United Methodist Church at 786-8324 for more information.

To read the full story visit the Mount Airy News.

A proposed facility in Mount Airy to host major sports tournaments could generate an estimated $3.7 million annually in revenue, according to a recent economic-impact study.

The Small Business Center of Surry Community College report also states that most the spending would be at hotels and national chains, according to the Mount Airy News.

“Large amounts of the dollars spent may not be retained in the local economy except to employ seasonal, minimum-wage workers,” it states, according to the paper.

The economic-impact study was launched late last year by the Mount Airy Sports Development Committee.

It is estimated that the proposed facility would cost $4.8 million to $7.6 million to build, according to the paper.

To read the full story visit the Mount Airy News.