State Senate Passes ICE Bill
(Raleigh, NC) -- A bill that would require North Carolina sheriffs to cooperate with ICE officials is one step closer to passing. The state Senate passed House Bill 370 last night, which now goes back to the state House for a vote on some changes made to the proposal. Governor Roy Cooper called the bill unconstitutional and says it uses fear to divide us. Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said earlier this year that he won't be holding detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Asheville Jury Expected To Deliberate Today In Murder Trial
(Asheville, NC) -- An Asheville jury is expected to start deliberating today in the trial of a man accused in the killing of his pregnant girlfriend. Nathaniel Dixon could face the death penalty if he is convicted of murdering Candace Pickens three years ago in Jones Park. The defense completed closing statements in the trial yesterday, with the prosecution set to resume its closing this morning. Dixon's attorneys argued that there was no DNA evidence at the crime scene.
Sinkhole Grows In Asheville Parking Lot
(Asheville, NC) -- A sinkhole in Asheville is continuing to grow. It started as a small hole in the parking lot of a vacant building on Merrimon Avenue last week, but the diameter has now grown to 27 feet as of Monday. The property owner says an old storm drain caused the opening. The Citizen-Times reported that failed culverts have caused three sinkholes to form at neighboring Ski Country Sports on Merrimon Avenue over the past 13 years.
North Carolina Judge Struck By Lightning
(Maggie Valley, NC) -- A Haywood County district court judge who was struck by lightning last weekend is expected to recover. Roy Wijewickrama [[ WEE-jay-wick-RAH-muh ]] and a woman were at the Balsam Mountain Campground between Maggie Valley and Cherokee last Saturday when a sudden thunderstorm hit. They were both rushed to the hospital when lightning hit them, but their families say they expect full recoveries. The pair were with a group on a Boy Scout camping trip.
Grants To Help Create Jobs In Rutherford County
(Rutherford County, NC) -- Three state grants will help bring 85 jobs to Rutherford County. Governor Roy Cooper announced yesterday that over 20 grants totaling more than 10-million-dollars for rural infrastructure are being awarded statewide. One grant is expected to help Cardinal Tissue move into a building in Spindale, which will add 40 jobs. Another award for a recycling company in Forest City will create 18 jobs. More money will go towards the construction of an assisted living home in Lake Lure, adding 27 jobs.
Private School Football Coach Leaving For UNCC
(Arden, NC) -- A Buncombe County private school is looking for a new head football coach. The Citizen-Times reported yesterday that Tommy Langford of Christ School is leaving to become a defensive coach at UNC Charlotte. Christ School lost in the NCISAA Division One state championship game last fall. Langford served as head coach for one season.
Teenager Drowns In Gaston County River
(Gaston County, NC) -- A teenage girl is dead in what appears to be an accidental drowning in Gaston County. Emergency officials say the 16-year-old slipped and fell on a rocky area on the South Fork River in the town of High Shoals yesterday afternoon. Two other girls who were in the river were able to make it out safely. Crews were able the find the girl's body, but couldn't recover it due to the intense current. The recovery effort will continue today.
Protesters Arrested At City Council Meeting
(Charlotte, NC) -- Three protesters are facing charges for disrupting the Charlotte city council meeting last night. Two of them stood on top of the council's podium holding a banner which read the City of Charlotte Silences Women. Police removed the group after they were warned multiple times to stop disrupting the meeting. The council later approved a measure to ban excessive noise outside medical buildings, schools and churches.
Teenager, Baby Expected To Survive After Shooting
(Charlotte, NC) -- A teenager who was shot in Charlotte Saturday and her newly-delivered baby are expected to survive. Officers say the pregnant 19-year-old was injured outside the Busy Arcade on Beatties Ford Road. The 19-year-old was rushed to CMC, where she successfully delivered the child. They were both being treated for life-threatening injuries, but officers have told WSOC-TV that they are expected to live through it.
CMPD Arrests 15-Year-Old Rape Suspect
(Charlotte, NC) -- A 15-year-old is being charged in the kidnapping and rape of a woman in Charlotte last weekend. The victim told the CMPD that the suspect forced his way into her car at an apartment complex near University City before he assaulted her Saturday morning. The suspect ditched her car and ran away from police. Investigators say they arrested the teenager yesterday and charged him with first-degree rape, kidnapping and sex offense.
Escaped Prisoners Found In Crawl Space
(Richmond County, NC) -- Two inmates who escaped a Richmond County prison are back in custody. They disappeared early yesterday morning from Morrison Correctional Institution. Police were able to capture the pair hiding out in the crawl space of a home in Hamlet last night.
Death Of Elderly Raleigh Man Investigated As Homicide
(Raleigh, NC) -- The death of an elderly man earlier this month is being treated as a homicide. Police say they were responding to a call for a welfare check at a Raleigh residence on June 13th. That's when they found the body of 84-year-old Korean War veteran Benjamin Franklin Merritt. Officials say Merritt was stabbed to death. They do not believe it was a random attack.
Kane, Malik To Invest In $1.9 Billion-Dollar Development Project
(Raleigh, NC) -- Two Raleigh businessmen are banking on the public's support for a new soccer stadium and mixed-used development project. Real estate developer John Kane and sports team owner Steve Malik will announce today that they will be making a private investment of nearly two-billion dollars to fund what they are calling "Downtown South." The stadium will be the home for Malik's North Carolina Football Club and N-C Courage, with an additional 55 acres of space for retail, hotel, and residential options. Malik says support from Wake County residents is in the 80-percent range, while the county commissioner says the project would create six-thousand jobs.
Durham Officer Under Investigation For Allegedly Assaulting Child
(Durham, NC) -- A Durham police officer is currently under investigation after allegedly assaulting an 11-year-old boy. Officer Lauren Maidment has been with the department nearly three years and has been placed on administrative duty. No charges have yet been filed. A press release issued by the department says officers were dispatched to South Alston Avenue yesterday morning to assist with an involuntary psychiatric commitment.
Underground Trash Containers Being Installed In Downtown Raleigh
(Raleigh, NC) -- Downtown Raleigh is going below ground to stash its trash. Installation of the new Molok containers began overnight Sunday and is expected to end Saturday. Six underground waste collection containers will be on South Wilmington Street at Hargett Street where a No Parking Zone currently was. One Molok holds about 20 garbage carts' worth. The Moloks are all part of downtown Raleigh's "Dump the Cart" campaign which began last year following a cleanliness survey.
Ariana Grande To Return To Raleigh In November
(Raleigh, NC) -- Fans of Ariana Grande will still get a chance to see the pop star perform live. Grande was originally slated to perform in Raleigh back on June 4th but had to cancel due to her appearance at Coachella. She will now bring her "Sweetener" tour to PNC Arena on November 26th. Ticket pre-sales start tomorrow.
High Point Police Looking For Person In Walmart Spill
(High Point, NC) -- High Point police are looking for the man who prompted an evacuation at a local Walmart. It happened yesterday afternoon at the Walmart on South Main Street. Police say someone spilled a substance in the bathroom. It was at first thought to be meth, but police later determined it was industrial-strength cleaner. They're currently going through surveillance footage to help them identify the person. No one was hurt.
Teenager Missing From Randolph Co.
(Randolph Co., NC) -- Randolph County deputies are asking for the public's help finding a missing teenager. Fourteen-year-old Aliyah Allen was last seen on Saturday in the Cedar Square Road area of Randleman. She's described as five-foot-seven and 140 pounds. Deputies say Allen is known to hang out in High Point and Greensboro. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to call the sheriff's office.
Lottery Drawing Produces Highest-Ever Winnings For Carolina Pick Four
(Raleigh, NC) -- More than two-thousand people won the North Carolina lottery after picking 0-0-0-0. Saturday's numbers were four zeros, which produced nearly eight-million-dollars in winnings for the single drawing. That number beat the previous record of seven-and-a-half million-dollars in 2012. More than two-thousand winning tickets were sold.
Suspect Arrested In Deadly Hit-And-Run In Burlington
(Burlington, NC) -- The suspect in a deadly hit-and-run in Burlington is behind bars. Police say Nathaniel Newton turned himself in to authorities. Police say Reginald Jeffreys was walking on a sidewalk near Rauhut and Hatch streets on June 17th when he was hit. He died at the hospital. Newton is being held on a one-million-dollar bail.
Person Killed In Thomasville House Fire ID'd
(Thomasville, NC) -- Thomasville police are identifying the person killed in a house fire on Friday. Fifty-six-year-old Greg Rhodes died after his home on Koontz Avenue caught fire. Fire officials say Rhodes and his roommate were asleep when it broke out. The cause is under investigation.