LOCAL, FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS METH PROBLEM TUESDAY

LENOIR - The federal government wants to help local law enforcement
battle the war on drugs.

John Walters, the director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, will meet with area sheriffs and police chiefs
Tuesday at the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office in Lenoir. The focus
of the roundtable discussion will be the methamphetamine problem.

Walters is considered the nation's "Drug Czar," according to a news
release from Congressman Patrick McHenry's office. Walters
coordinates all aspects of federal drug programs and spending.

McHenry is vice chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee
on Justice and Drug Policy and is leading the fight against meth in
Western North Carolina, the release stated.

"(Walters) is coming from the White House to meet with our local law
enforcement officials and get a 'facts on the ground' assessment of
our region's methamphetamine epidemic," McHenry stated. "This
roundtable will bring together national and local leaders to develop
successful strategies for stamping out meth in Western North Carolina."

There have been no reported cases of meth labs found in Catawba
County this year. On Thursday, a meth lab was discovered in McDowell County.