Asheville Encouraging Property Owners To Charge Less Rent
(Asheville, NC) -- The city of Asheville is trying to make housing more affordable for renters. The Citizen-Times reports the city council approved a program last week that gives property owners a grant equal to their property taxes. The owners must then rent out 20-percent of their properties at specified affordability rates. Asheville's annual rent growth was one-percent higher than the state's average.
Haywood Man Sentenced For Deadly DWI Wreck
(Haywood County, NC) -- A Haywood County man is heading to prison for being under the influence of drugs in a deadly wreck. It's been nearly three-years since Jeremy Clark slammed his truck into a vehicle on U.S. 64 in Macon County. The crash killed two people and severely injured another person. A judge sentenced Clark to between 13 and 19-years in prison last week.
Elsa Could Impact North Carolina
(Undated) -- The effects of Tropical Storm Elsa are expected to be felt in parts of North Carolina this week. The National Weather Service is calling for the storm to push through Florida and Georgia before heading through the eastern half of the Carolinas. There's still a chance that Elsa could veer closer to Charlotte. Thunderstorms from the system are expected to hit the Asheville area late Wednesday into Thursday.
Humane Society Helping Stray Pets From Holiday Weekend
(Asheville, NC) -- The Asheville Humane Society is looking to reunite pets with their owners following the holiday weekend. The adoptions manager told WLOS-TV the Buncombe animal shelter brought in 36 stray animals, including 18 dogs, between Saturday afternoon and Monday. Fireworks are a likely cause for strays since some animals tend to panic and run when they go off. The county holds on to animals for 72-hours before placing them in the adoption process.
Pay Raise Coming For Mission Health Registered Nurses
(Asheville, NC) -- Registered nurses at Mission Hospital are set to receive significant raises. More is being revealed about the union contract ratified by nurses over the weekend. A seven-percent raise is coming across the board in the first year of the agreement, while other stipulations will also be put in place. Those include patient care protections, guaranteed breaks and workplace violence prevention.
Next COVID Lottery Drawing Coming Up
(Raleigh, NC) -- Another lottery drawing for COVID-vaccinated North Carolinians is just around the corner. The state will draw the name of an adult tomorrow for the state's second million-dollar prize in the lottery sweepstakes. A vaccinated child between 12 and 17 will be chosen for a scholarship. Just over 50-percent of the state's population has had at least one dose.
Flight Delayed Because Of Teens Refusing To Wear Masks
(Charlotte, NC) -- A flight delay from Charlotte to the Bahamas is being blamed on a group of unruly high schoolers. WSOC-TV is reporting some teens from a Boston-area high school caused problems for several hours yesterday while repeatedly refusing to wear face masks on board, which is a federal requirement. American Airlines eventually gave hotel vouchers to the passengers on the flight because it was delayed until today. The teens agreed to comply with the rules, but were allegedly forced to spend the night at the airport because they're not old enough to book a hotel room.
Teen Dies Day After South End Shooting
(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is looking for the suspect in a deadly South End shooting. Investigators say a 16-year-old died on Monday after he was shot on South Boulevard July 4th. The juvenile was inside a car at the time of the shooting. The crime isn't considered random.
Suspect Arrested After Deadly Hit-And-Run
(Charlotte, NC) -- A suspect is facing charges in a deadly west Charlotte hit-and-run. Officers found the suspect a short time after he allegedly struck a woman and left her behind on West Boulevard overnight Sunday. His charges include DWI and felony death by motor vehicle.
Caldwell County Murder Suspect Killed By Deputy
(Caldwell County, NC) -- A Caldwell County murder suspect is dead in a deputy-involved shooting. The sheriff's office says Thomas Billings was armed when a deputy shot him in Wilkes County early Saturday. Billings fled the scene in Caldwell County on Friday after allegedly stabbing Tracy Rash to death. Rash had just taken out a restraining order against the suspect.
Plastic Bags Banned For Yard Waste In Charlotte
(Charlotte, NC) -- City of Charlotte crews will no longer pick up yard waste in plastic bags. The ban went into place yesterday as a way to reduce negative environmental impacts. Paper bags and reusable containers can still be used to store yard clippings, small limbs and more. Yard waste around Charlotte has gone up 30-percent in five-years.
North Carolina Restaurant Industry Banning Together To Help Local Manager Recently Beaten, Robbed
(Raleigh, NC) -- Thousands of dollars have been raised so-far on a GoFundMe page to help a Raleigh restaurant manager who was recently robbed and severely beaten. Justin Skinner, who is the manager at City Club Raleigh, was waiting for an Uber near the Moore Square on the morning of June 19th when he was violently assaulted by two men who then robbed him of his wallet. Skinner, who had no health insurance, suffered a broken jaw and nose in the attack. Several area restaurants are also donating a portion of their sales to help Skinner pay his medical bills.
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Payments To Continue In North Carolina Through September
(Raleigh, NC) -- Unemployed workers in North Carolina will continue to receive an additional 300-dollar subsidy from the federal government. This comes after Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a Republican-backed bill on Friday that would have ended the weekly federal pandemic payments already set to expire in early September. Senate GOP leaders blamed the 300-dollar payment for being a disincentive to those without jobs returning to work.
Nikole Hannah-Jones To Be Interviewed On CBS This Morning Today
(Chapel Hill, NC) -- While UNC Chapel Hill officials continue to wait to see if journalism professor Nikole Hannah-Jones will accept her now tenured position, CBS News is reporting she is also scheduled to appear as a guest on 'CBS This Morning' Tuesday. Hannah-Jones was scheduled to join the faculty on July 1st as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism. But after a months-long debate over whether she should be offered tenure, Hannah-Jones told the Board of Trustees she needed time to process all that had occurred. The Pulitzer prize-winning writer, who was the driving force behind the New York Times' 1619 Project, was finally given tenure last Wednesday.
Fayetteville State To Zero Out Tuition, Fees For 1,400 Students
(Fayetteville, NC) -- Fayetteville State University has announced that it's cancelling all tuition and related fees for most of its students who were enrolled from the fall semester of 2019 through the spring of 2021. The monumental gesture, worth about one-point-six-million dollars, is being paid for with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan. The tuition payoff is expected to impact more than 14-hundred students. The announcement also follows similar moves by nearby Shaw University and St. Augustine's University.
Two People Shot On Greensboro Highway
(Greensboro, NC) -- Two people are in stable condition after shots were fired on a highway in Greensboro. The scene unfolded yesterday afternoon on Westbound I-40 near Gate City Boulevard. Two people were struck, but circumstances surrounding the shooting are not yet clear. An investigation is ongoing.
Murder Suspect Shot By Wilkes Co. Sheriff's Deputy
(Wilkes Co., NC) -- The State Bureau of Investigation is looking into to an officer-involved shooting in Wilkes County. Thomas Billings was shot and killed by Wilkes County sheriff's deputies this past weekend. He's accused of stabbing Tracy Rash to death after she allegedly took out a protective order against him. At least one deputy is on administrative leave. More details are expected to be released soon.
Woman Charged After Single-Car Wreck In Jamestown
(Jamestown, NC) -- A High Point woman is facing several charges after a single-vehicle crash. State troopers say Iday Montrail Brooks was driving with an open container and texting when she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into an embankment. The accident happened yesterday morning on Business 85 near Vickrey Chapel Road. Brooks was charged with reckless driving, speeding, texting and driving, driving with an open container and driving with a revoked license. She was not injured in the crash.
Man Found Dead In Backyard Of Asheboro Home
(Asheboro, NC) -- An investigation is underway after a man was found dead in a back yard in Asheboro. Officers responded to a home in the 12-hundred-block of Uwharrie Street on the Fourth of July. Twenty-nine-year-old Verlin Powers of Thomasville was found lying on his back at around 3:15 in the afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There's no word yet on how he died or who is responsible.