One Dead, 17 Injured In North Carolina Gas Explosion
(Durham, NC) -- One person is dead and over a dozen others are hurt after a gas line explosion in downtown Durham. Fire officials say a report of a second fatality turned out to be a missing person who has been located. A utility crew was working in the area at the time of the blast, which damaged several buildings yesterday. Nearby schools and businesses were evacuated as a precaution.
Police Investigate Suspicious Driver Outside Asheville School
(Asheville, NC) -- Biltmore Police are investigating the report of a suspicious driver outside an Asheville school yesterday. An eighth grade student at Carolina Day School told officers that a woman tried convincing her to get inside a car after class. Police Chief Chris Beddingfield told WLOS-TV that they're looking to see if this is connected to another suspicious driver last week in north Asheville. The woman was described as being in her late 60s with short gray hair in a silver sedan.
Neighbor Saves Man From Rutherford County Fire
(Rutherford County, NC) -- A Rutherford County man is being credited with saving his neighbor from a burning home yesterday. WLOS-TV reports that Bill Gardner kicked in the front door of a home in the Cliffside community around 6 a.m. Wednesday when he saw the house on fire. He was able to pull the resident from the home and reportedly revived him with CPR. A family member says the man suffered burn injuries and was taken to the hospital.
Suspect Arrested For Mutilating Cat, Charges Dropped
(Asheville, NC) -- Asheville Police say a man was arrested two weeks ago in connection to a mutilated cat found outside an grocery store. Zachery Greene was jailed in Cherokee County for instigating cruelty to animals and improper burial, before being extradited back to Buncombe. He was accused of mutilated the cat and posting pictures of it on Instagram. The Asheville Citizen-Times is reporting that the charges against him have since been dismissed.
Job Fair Today For Asheville Hotel Positions
(Asheville, NC) -- A job fair is being held today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Western North Carolina Ag Center in Asheville. Around 180 positions are available at a new hotel in downtown that includes two restaurants. The positions include 55 hospitality openings for the new Hotel Arras, while the rest will be for a wide range of jobs at the restaurants. The hotel construction in the former BB&T tower is set to wrap up in a few months.
Whole Foods Delivery Now Available For Amazon Prime Members
(Asheville, NC) -- Amazon Prime members can now order groceries for delivery or pick-up from Asheville Whole Foods Markets. The company expanded the service to Asheville and eight other cities yesterday. Customers will be able to pickup orders of 35-dollars-or-more in an hour for free or pay four-99 for a half-hour pickup. You can also purchase select alcohol products. Delivery fees will vary based on the order size.
Second Suspect Arrested In Murder Of Pregnant Teen
(Charlotte, NC) -- A new suspect is now facing charges for the 2013 murder of a pregnant teen in Charlotte. The CMPD arrested Antonio Jennings yesterday, making him the second suspect charged in the case in the past month. The teen was fatally shot while she was sleeping on the couch of a west Charlotte apartment in early December 2013. Investigators thought at the time of the shooting that the victim wasn't the intended target.
One Dead, 17 Injured In North Carolina Gas Explosion
(Durham, NC) -- One person is dead and over a dozen others are hurt after a gas line explosion in downtown Durham. Fire officials say a report of a second fatality turned out to be a missing person who has been located. A utility crew was working in the area at the time of the blast, which damaged several buildings yesterday. Nearby schools and businesses were evacuated as a precaution.
Judge Considers Release Of Body Cam Footage In Deadly Shooting
(Charlotte, NC) -- A judge is considering today whether or not to release police body cam footage from the scene of a fatal shooting at a Charlotte Burger King. Danquirs Franklin was shot outside the Beatties Ford Road restaurant last month when officers said he refused to drop a gun. Protesters gathered close by the scene for several days after. Police Chief Kerr Putney said yesterday that not one piece of evidence tells the whole story.
Standoff Ends Safely In Concord
(Concord, NC) -- A standoff in Concord is over with no injuries. Officers responded last night to a shots fired call at Bexley Village Apartments on Blue Sky Drive. A man surrendered around midnight after barricading himself inside for several hours. Family members that were reportedly inside the apartment with him were able to get out safely earlier in the night.
Bladed Items Recovered In High School Safety Screening
(Charlotte, NC) -- CMS officials say three bladed items were found in a random safety screening yesterday. Garinger High School was chosen at random for the screening, where three students voluntarily handed over the items. No other weapons were found. The school district began conducting random screenings at area high schools in late January.
Hornets Eliminated From Postseason
(Charlotte, NC) -- The Hornets are staying home this postseason. A late push to clinch the final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference fell short last night when Charlotte lost at home to Orlando and Detroit defeated New York. The Hornets ended two games behind the Pistons for the eighth seed. Kemba Walker poured in 43 points in the loss.
Durham Gas Explosion Kills One
(Durham, NC) -- One person is dead and 17 others are injured after a major explosion in Durham. Yesterday was Durham's 150th birthday, but for many, it wasn't happy. Durham officials say a gas explosion killed 61-year-old Kong Lee, the owner of Kaffeinate Coffee Shop. People say before the explosion, they noticed a strong smell of gas. The cause of the gas leak isn't known. Six people were critically injured, one person was sent to a burn unit.
Security Cam Footage Captures Boom Of Durham Gas Explosion
(Durham, NC) -- Security camera footage captured the effect of the Durham gas explosion. The camera that captured the boom is pointed at a Durham bridge, and it usually films trucks too big getting stuck under the bridge. But yesterday morning, the camera shook violently as a loud blast could be heard clearly through the microphone. The video can be seen online.
Expensive Porsche Collection Destroyed By Durham Gas Explosion
(Durham, NC) -- A rare and expensive Porsche collection is destroyed in Raleigh. The gas line explosion yesterday morning killed one person, injured more than a dozen others, but it also wiped out a line of luxury sports cars. The cars were kept at Ingram Collection at 111 North Duke Street, and some called it a rare and refined Porsche collection. The company sent their thoughts and wishes to those injured. Rough estimates for the Porsche collection could be in the millions of dollars.
Raleigh Man Accused Of Causing His Child's Brain Bleed
(Raleigh, NC) -- A Raleigh man is accused of seriously injuring his baby. On Tuesday, 28-year-old Anthony Walton said his seven-month-old girl was hurt falling off the bed, she had a brain bleed, and Raleigh police aren't buying his story. Yesterday, Walton was in court charged with intentional child abuse causing serious bodily injury. The judge ordered that his bond stays at 400-thousand, and he's due back in court May first.
Wake County Schools To Close For Teachers Rally
(Wake Co., NC) -- Wake County Schools will be closed on May first for a teacher rally. They say two-thousand teachers have requested the day off to participate. May first will now be an optional teacher workday in Wake County. Raleigh area students will now have May first off, and so will students in Durham and Orange counties. Teachers are marching for a number of issues like higher minimum wage, funding for student services, and more pay for teachers with higher educations.
NC Abortion Survivor Bill
(Raleigh, NC) -- North Carolina lawmakers are mulling an abortion survivor protection bill. Sometimes during an abortion, the child is born alive. The bill being considered would make it a felony for a doctor to not provide medical care for the child. This comes on the heels of controversial comments Virginia Governor Ralph Northam made that some say constituted infanticide. This divisive issue is causing a lot of controversy among state lawmakers. Democratic lawmakers say this isn't even an issue, but a former hospital worker claims she saw babies left to die after abortions.
Lawsuit Filed In Death Of Marcus Smith
(Greensboro, NC) -- The city of Greensboro and several other entities are facing a federal civil rights lawsuit in the death of Marcus Deon Smith. Eight Greensboro police officers, Guilford County and two paramedics are also named in the lawsuit filed yesterday on behalf of the victim's parents. Smith went into cardiac arrest last September while he was in police custody. One of the causes was "prone restraint," according to an autopsy report. It concluded Smith's death was a homicide.
Mom Shoots At Intruder In Burlington
(Burlington, NC) -- A Burlington mother will not face charges after she fired shots at an armed intruder who was trying to get into her home. The scene unfolded early Wednesday morning on Everett Street. Police say the woman and her ten-year-old son were sleeping when a man busted through the kitchen window. They say the burglar shot at the woman when she confronted him, and she returned fire. The suspect took off and has not been found.
No One Hurt In Winston-Salem Restaurant Fire
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- A Winston-Salem restaurant is closed after it caught fire. It happened at Mr. Barbecue on Peters Creek Parkway just after 6 p.m. yesterday. The roof was burned, but firefighters were able to save the rest of the building. Several employees and customers were inside at the time. No one was hurt. There's no word yet on when the restaurant will reopen.
Axe-Throwing Spot Opens In Forsyth Co.
(Forsyth Co., NC) -- Forsyth County has a new axe-throwing business. Tap That Axe Throwing opened to the public yesterday afternoon. It's located on Meadowbrook Mall Court in Clemmons. Axe-throwing is a new trend that allows customers to throw small axes at giant wooden targets. The owners say it's extremely safe as long as all safety precautions are taken.