Buncombe County Receives Grant To Ease Jail Population
(Buncombe County, NC) -- Buncombe County is being awarded funds to help cut down on the jail population and strengthen racial equity. The MacArthur Foundation is giving the county just over one-million-dollars, which will pay for pre-trial release programs. Those will include initiatives like violence prevention and driver's license restoration programs.
Company Investing Millions In Henderson County
(Fletcher, NC) -- Henderson County is welcoming a French-based company. Tageos [[ TAG-ee-ohss ]] is investing 19-million-dollars to help create more than 60 new jobs in Fletcher. Positions with the high-tech company are expected to average about 70-thousand-dollars. Nearly 900-thousand-dollars in incentives was approved by commissioners earlier this month.
Drug Overdose Deaths Increase Across State
(Raleigh, NC) -- Overdose deaths due to opioids are rising in North Carolina. The Department of Health and Human Services reported this week that cases jumped more than 20-percent from 2020 to 2021. Deaths in the state reached four-thousand, with most of them connected to the use of fentanyl.
Asheville Skatepark To Close For Renovations
(Asheville, NC) -- The Asheville Skatepark is about to close for renovations. Parks and Recreation officials say work done for two-months beginning March 6th will force a shut down of the location. The plaza and skate bowls will be enhanced, creating access for simultaneous users and additional space for spectators.
Asheville Native's Photo Featured By National Geographic
(Asheville, NC) -- The work of an Asheville native is being complimented by National Geographic. This month, the publication named a photograph taken by Kent Williamson as one of the top ten pictures of the year. Thousands of people entered the magazine's contest. The photo taken by Wiliamson is a nighttime landscape of Tipsoo Lake in Washington's Mount Rainier National Park.
DOT Develops Safety Plan For Bridge Removal
(Asheville, NC) -- The DOT is keeping safety in mind while an old bridge is being removed from I-26. Crews are cutting it by sections and extracting the pier columns over the French Broad River. A safety plan is in place to help boaters, including the placement of a spotter stationed upriver. The project could be completed by the time more boating trips begin during warm weather.
Break-Ins Reported In South Charlotte
(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is addressing a growing number of break-ins in south Charlotte. Investigators told residents yesterday that Columbian or Chilean groups are stealing items like watches and high-end purses from first-floor master bedrooms in high-end neighborhoods. The crimes are linked dating back a decade in New Jersey and New York. The department is encouraging residents to use security cameras and deadbolts.
Overdose Deaths Up In NC
(Charlotte, NC) -- Overdose deaths due to opioids are rising in North Carolina. The Department of Health and Human Services reported this week that cases jumped more than 20-percent from 2020 to 2021. Deaths in the state reached four-thousand, with most of them connected to the use of fentanyl.
CMS Included On School Calendar Bill
(Charlotte, NC) -- State lawmakers are looking into a change that would affect CMS. The district to a bill this week that includes more than a dozen others who want to start class earlier this year. Charlotte-Mecklenburg leaders are looking to begin next school year on August 15th, which is earlier than currently allowed by the state. The legislation needs to pass the state Senate.
Temperatures Still High In Charlotte
(Charlotte, NC) -- There could be record temperatures in the Queen City today. The National Weather Service is calling for a high in the low 80s today, extending a string of days with unseasonably warm temperatures. The thermostat has been running around 20-degrees above normal this week. Wind gusts are hitting 30 miles-an-hour.
Union County Woman Still Missing
(Union County, NC) -- The disappearance of a Union County woman is still being investigated. Alison Thomas was last seen in the Marshville area just before Valentine's Day. It was a few days after when Thomas was reported missing. Up to a five-thousand-dollar reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Bridges Could Be Back Soon
(Charlotte, NC) -- A Hornets' player could be back on the court soon for the first time this season. Miles Bridges has been under investigation by the NBA after he pleaded no contest to injuring a child's parent in California court. He said this week he could be ready to play next month. The forward led Charlotte in scoring last season.
Police Standoff In Cary Ends With Suspect Committing Suicide
(Cary, NC) -- A nearly 20-hour police standoff ended in Cary last night with a man taking his own life. It began early Wednesday morning after officers responded to a call for a wellness check, on a person who was reportedly having a mental health crisis. Several law enforcement agencies tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with the man, who had barricaded himself inside the Windsor at Tryon Village Apartments near Walnut Street to surrender. SWAT teams finally forced their way into the unit, only to discover he had already died from a self inflicted gunshot wound. The man's son was released earlier, after receiving non-life threatening injuries.
Woman Taken Off Plane At RDU After Causing In-Flight Disruptions
(Morrisville, NC) -- An American Airlines flight was forced to land at RDU Wednesday, after a passenger became disruptive onboard the aircraft. Airport officials said the plane was en route from Jacksonville, Florida to Washington, DC, when a woman who allegedly had been drinking became disruptive with crew members. The woman, identified as 36-year old Tiffany Miles, was arrested and later charged with misdemeanor illegal airport obstruction. There were no reports of injuries.
North Carolina Doctors Asks State Lawmakers Not To Pass Any New Abortion Restrictions
(Raleigh, NC) -- A group of North Carolina doctors yesterday, called on state lawmakers not to add any new restrictions to the state's abortion law. This, as a number of Republicans have vowed to toughen abortion restrictions following last year's Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. At a news conference outside the state capitol, the doctors warned that further restrictions on the state's current ban on abortions after 20-weeks, could jeopardize the safety of patients. They also delivered a letter that had been signed by 1-thousand physicians statewide.
Cumberland County School Bus Drivers Stage Sick-Out Over Low Wages
(Cumberland County, NC) -- Several school bus routes had to be cancelled Wednesday, after 17-drivers called in sick. The so-called sick-out is in response to the wages drivers are paid, which averages around 15.96 per hour, even for senior drivers. They're asking the Board of Commissioners to increase their pay to between 20-and-25 dollars per hour.
Republicans Expected To Try For Third Time To Pass Immigration Law
(Raleigh, NC) -- State Republicans are also rumored to be planning to re-introduce a bill that would require county sheriff's offices to detain illegal immigrants who are arrested for at least 48 hours. House Bill 10 would make it mandatory for local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal ICE officials. Governor Roy Cooper has vetoed similar bills that were approved in 2019 and 2022.
NC State Knocks Off Wake Forest For Second Time This Season
(Raleigh, NC) -- Last night in Raleigh, the NC State Wolfpack finished off a season sweep of Wake Forest, with a 90-74 victory over the Demon Deacons. Led by guard Jarkel Joiner, who had 29-points and big man D.J. burns who contributed another 21, the Pack dedicated the win to the 1983 national championship team. Many of the surviving members were on hand at PNC Arena for the 40th anniversary of the historic unforgettable run.
March Madness Comes To Greensboro with 3 Tournaments
(Greensboro, NC) -- The city of Greensboro is set to host three postseason college basketball tournaments in March. All three will take place at the Greensboro Coliseum. They include the A-C-C Women's tournament March 1st through 5th and the men's tournament March 7th through 11th. Then, rounds one and two of the N-C-Double-A Division One Men's Tournament are set for March 17th and 19th. It's the 13th year that the Greensboro Coliseum has hosted part of the N-C-Double-A tournament.
Young Man Dies After Shooting
(Greensboro, NC) -- Greensboro Police say a 20-year-old man has died from his injuries after he was shot over the weekend. A news release says Xavier Davis was hit in the 15-hundred block of Autumn Drive early in the afternoon Saturday. Police haven't said what led up to the attack or released information on any suspects. Davis' death is being investigated as a homicide.
Three Teens Found Asleep in Stolen Car with Drugs, Guns
(High Point, NC) -- Three juvenile teens are in custody in Guilford County after they were found asleep Sunday in a stolen car. Officials say there were also several guns inside, one of which was stolen, when the juveniles were discovered in the car on Windley Street in High Point. Officers also found over four ounces of pot inside.
Tuesday Morning Stores to Close
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- Retailer Tuesday Morning has announced it'll soon close many of its stores across the country, including several in North Carolina. The discount home goods outlet has announced it is closing two Piedmont Triad locations: one on North Peace Haven Road in Winston-Salem and another at Battleground Plaza in Greensboro. The Boone store will also shut down. Company officials filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection last week and say the stores they're shuttering are in "low-traffic regions." A specific closing date has not been announced.
Renovations on North Wilkesboro Speedway Coming Along
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- Promoters for the North Wilkesboro Speedway say renovation efforts are going well at the historic racing venue. They say work is on-track for upgrading amenities to adhere to modern standards while still preserving historical aspects. The short oval racetrack about 80 miles north of Charlotte is one of NASCAR's original raceways. It opened in 1947 as a dirt track and closed in 1996. The promoters say the speedway will be ready in plenty of time for NASCAR's All-Star Weekend, which begins Friday, May 19th. The All-Star Race is Sunday, May 21.