Governor Planning Stricter Social Distancing Measures
(Raleigh, NC) -- It appears more social distancing measures are on the horizon for the state. Governor Roy Cooper said Tuesday he's planning to tighten up restrictions at essential retail businesses sometime this week. He is proposing putting a standardized limit on the amount of people inside stores throughout North Carolina. Cooper said the stay-at-home order is working so far.
Toddler Shot In Spindale
(Spindale, NC) -- Police in a western North Carolina town are investigating the shooting of a young child. Investigators told WLOS-TV an 18-month-old was flown to Mission Hospital after being shot in the head in Spindale last night. The injury is considered life-threatening. Rutherford County sheriff's office and Rutherfordton police are helping in the case.
Coronavirus Deaths at 46 In NC
(Raleigh, NC) -- Coronavirus deaths statewide are nearing 50. There have been no cases confirmed for three counties in the mountains, which include Madison, Swain and Yancey. Around 170 cases have otherwise been identified in the region.
Dozens Of NC Health Care Centers To Receive Grants
(Washington, DC) -- More than three-dozen health care centers across the state are set to receive grants due to the CARES act. Senator Thom Tillis said yesterday the Department of Health and Human Services is sending a total of 34-million-dollars to help the facilities fight the coronavirus pandemic. Western North Carolina Community Health Services is expected to get just over one-million-dollars. Tillis said he plans to continue to work on a bipartisan basis to push for more solutions.
More Money Coming For Unemployed
(Raleigh, NC) -- Many North Carolina residents who've filed for unemployment benefits should start receiving a bit extra next week. The state labor department says a 600-dollar-a-week supplement from the federal government will be tacked on to the payment until July. Jobless claims pay less than half of that on average in North Carolina. It's estimated that around half-a-million-people in the state will have filed claims since mid-March by the end of this week.
Short-Term Rental Operators Could Face Charges For Violating Order
(Asheville, NC) -- Anyone renting out an Airbnb for leisure purposes in Asheville will face potential charges. Short term rentals for non-essential businesses are prohibited under Buncombe County's "stay home, stay safe" order. One man who allegedly violated that rule turned himself in to Asheville police on Tuesday night. Buncombe County Commission Chairman Brownie Newman says all reservations should be canceled.
State Seeking Medical Volunteers
(Raleigh, NC) -- The state is continuing to look for medical volunteers. North Carolina Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry is reiterating the need for those experienced as anything from physicians and nurses to administration and respiratory care. Those volunteers will be paid 15-dollars-an-hour, and may be able to work close to home.
Plans Ditched For UNCC Field Hospital
(Charlotte, NC) -- Plans are being nixed for a field hospital at UNC Charlotte. County Manager Deana Diorio said yesterday the original projections for a three-thousand-bed facility has been downgraded to around 600, according to projections from Novant and Atrium Health. The university will also suspend a planned move-out in the South Village residence halls as a result. Health officials will instead look for a location somewhere in uptown Charlotte.
Coronavirus Cases In Meck Over 800
(Mecklenburg County, NC) -- Mecklenburg County continues to have more than double the cases of coronavirus than anywhere else in the state. Case numbers rose to over 800 yesterday. The News and Observer reported an updated total last night from state and county health departments that show over 33-hundred cases and 54 deaths in North Carolina.
CMPD Investigated NE Charlotte Homicide
(Charlotte, NC) -- A northeast Charlotte homicide is being investigated by the CMPD. Officers found a man shot to death last night outside of a home in the Hidden Valley area. Investigators haven't released any information about a potential suspect.
Mecklenburg County Plans To Extend Stay Home Order
(Mecklenburg County, NC) -- Mecklenburg County is preparing to extend its own stay-at-home directives. The county's order expires next week, but the county manager says it will probably extend to something more in line with the state's order that runs until late this month. Gates for vehicle traffic are also closing at all county parks to help with social distancing efforts. It's the last step before closing parks completely.
One Dead In Monroe Industrial Fire
(Monroe, NC) -- Investigators are searching for the cause of a deadly fire in Monroe. Flames erupted inside an alloy plant in an industrial area on North Secrest Avenue yesterday. One person died in the fire. Flames were contained to about a third of the building.
Explosion Rocks Homes Near Hickory
(Long View, NC) -- Some residents in the Hickory area are repairing damages caused by an explosion. WSOC-TV reports several dozen homes were damaged yesterday after an eruption at a hydrogen fuel plant ten miles away in Long View. Windows busted in many of the homes. It's unclear exactly what happened, but all employees were able to escape injury.
NC Truck Driver Fatally Shot By Tennessee Police Following Knife Attack Against Four Women
(Durham, NC) -- A Durham man was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies in Knox County Tennessee Tuesday after he fatally stabbed three women and wounded one other female in a knife attack. It happened at a Pilot truck stop off Interstate 40 shortly before 7 a.m. Truck driver Idris Abdus-Salaam died of a gunshot wound after he refused officers commands to lay down his weapon. Abdus-Salaam, as well as three of the four women victims, all died at the scene. Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings.
Unemployment Claims Set To Reach Half Million By Weeks End
(Raleigh, NC) -- The number of people who have filed claims for unemployment benefits in North Carolina is now approaching the half-million mark. Lockhart Taylor, the Assistant Secretary of the State Department of Employment Security said Tuesday, that at the rate of 21-thousand filings a day, North Carolina is expected to surpass 500-thousand jobless claims by the end of the week. At last report, some 28-million dollars in benefit payments had been approved for an estimated 110-thousand applicants.
Shootout Between Two Groups Injures Bystander
(Raleigh, NC) -- A man in his apartment was wounded by crossfire during an apparent shootout between two groups last night in Raleigh. Police say the disturbance began shortly after 7 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 68-hundred block of Whispering Falls Run near Lynn and Creedmoor Roads. The suspects who were shooting at each other fled the scene in two separate vehicles while continuing a rolling gun battle through the intersection of Creedmoor and Strickland Roads. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Teen Arrested In Connection With Aggravated Assault In Greensboro
(Greensboro, NC) -- A teenager is under arrest in connection with an aggravated assault in Greensboro. Police responded to the 29-hundred-block of Wildwood Drive just after noon yesterday. Four victims were found suffering stab wounds and were taken to a local hospital. They're expected to recover. Eighteen-year-old Jose Martinez was found a short time later and taken into custody. Police believe the assault was domestic in nature.
Tree Falls On Winston-Salem Home, Traps Two People Inside
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- No one is seriously hurt after a large tree fell on a house in Winston-Salem, trapping two people inside. It happened during the storms yesterday afternoon. Firefighters were called to a home on Bull Run Road. Two people were trapped inside the bathroom and had to be freed. The Red Cross is helping them with shelter because of the severity of damage to the home.
Human Remains Found In Winston-Salem
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- Police are tentatively identifying the human remains found in Winston-Salem this past weekend. The discovery was made Saturday near the intersection of Hammock Farm Road and Northampton Drive. Officers have notified the victim's "likely" next of kin. Their name has not been released because officers are waiting for confirmation. The police department's Criminal Investigations Division responded to the scene, but the victim's death is now believed to be a suicide.
DGI Sets Up GoFundMe For Front-Line Workers
(Greensboro, NC) -- Downtown Greensboro Inc. is setting up a GoFundMe account to help feed front-line workers. Their goal is to raise 54-thousand dollars. The money would provide 100 meals a day for 30 days, including 20-percent gratuity for participating restaurants in the area. Donations will provide boxed meals to front-line workers at Cone Health at a cost of about 15 dollars each.