NC Senators Say Terrorism Won't Be Tolerated (Washington, DC)
North Carolina's U.S. Senators are speaking out against violent threats after suspected bombs were sent to several high-profile Democrats and CNN yesterday. Republicans Thom Tillis and Richard Burr both said that terrorism won't be tolerated. Tillis added the perpetrators will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The PVC pipe devices were safely recovered, but no arrests have been made.
No Big Powerball Winner (Simpsonville, SC)
No big Powerball winner means the jackpot continues to grow for Saturday's lottery drawing. The prize will rise to 750-million-dollars. The winning ticket for this week's Mega Millions was sold not too far down the road in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Two convenience stores in North Carolina sold million-dollar winners.
City Council Against More Downtown Hotels (Asheville, NC)
The Asheville City Council is putting a halt to hotel development in downtown. A hotel developer's attorney decided to temporarily pull the plug on a proposal for a seven-story building after hearing some council concerns at this week's meeting. Vice Mayor Gwen Wilser said there isn't an appetite on the council for more despite the demand. She and the mayor pointed to other downtown projects that need funding first.
Football Games Moved Ahead Of Possible Rain (Asheville, NC)
Potential rain in Western North Carolina on Friday is already causing some schedule changes. Five regional high school football games have been moved to tonight. The remnants from Hurricane Willa are expected to send rain into the Carolinas overnight into Friday. High temps will only reach the mid-40s.
Grant To Help Cut Down Jail Population (Asheville, NC)
Buncombe County is receiving a grant aimed at helping over-incarceration. The one-point-75-million-dollars will assist in cutting down pretrial detainees. The county plans to also seek out ways to help those in low-income communities, minorities and people who have mental health problems. A sheriff's official told the Citizen-Times that close to 70 percent of detainees are jailed on pretrial charges.
GOP Volunteer Says He Was Threatened At Polling Place (Charlotte, NC)
A GOP volunteer says he was verbally threatened by an armed man at a Charlotte polling place yesterday. Derek Partee posted on Facebook afterward that three white people in all were there and used racial slurs against him. The CMPD expects to charge one of them. Partee told the Raleigh News and Observer that they didn't care about his political party, they only cared he was black.
Carruth Headed To Pennsylvania (Charlotte, NC)
It looks like former Carolina Panther Rae Carruth will be spending his time up north. The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole has confirmed he is under its supervision. He'll now need permission to leave the state for the next nine months as part of his release program. Carruth finished his prison sentence three days ago related to the murder-for-hire plot to kill his former girlfriend in 1999.
Trump Flying In Tomorrow (Charlotte, NC)
President Trump is on his way to the Queen City tomorrow. He'll be holding a 7 p.m. rally at Bojangles Coliseum in support of Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris. The president's arrival could have a big impact on rush hour traffic Friday afternoon. Heightened security is expected after multiple Democratic political leaders and CNN were threatened with suspected pipe bombs this week.