Two Men Confirmed Dead In Plane Crash
(Fairview, NC) -- State troopers are confirming two men died in a plane crash this week in western North Carolina. The small aircraft went down around a mile away from the Six Oaks Airport in Fairview on Wednesday morning. The men riding in the plane were from Hendersonville and Fletcher, and both licensed pilots. An NTSB investigator says he believes the plane took off from Six Oaks and was heading back.
Supreme Court Punts On Gerrymandering
(Washington, DC) -- The U.S. Supreme Court is punting a key North Carolina case involving partisan gerrymandering, which is the political process of drawing congressional districts. Justices said yesterday they cannot decide an issue that is up to state legislatures. The ruling was 5-4. Those challenging gerrymandering argued that some states violate the Constitution by going too far in drawing congressional boundaries, based on partisan interests.
Asheville Real Estate Firm Facing Lawsuit Over Employee Firing
(Asheville, NC) -- An Asheville real estate firm is being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A former employee for George W. Morosani and Associates says one of his supervisors called him a racial slur in late July 2017. He was fired just days later after reporting the incident to a manager at Morosani. An attorney with the EEOC says an employee can't be fired for reporting the use of a racial slur or discriminatory conduct.
Mother Charged In Attempted Murder Out Of Jail
(Henderson County, NC) -- An Asheville woman accused of faking the kidnapping of her infant daughter is now out of jail. Henderson County investigators say Krista Madden made bond this week after a judge agreed to reduce it from 750-thousand-dollars to 100-thousand-dollars. She was arrested and charged with attempted murder for allegedly throwing her daughter into a ravine in May. Her next court date is in late August.
Foul Play Not Suspected In Arden Death
(Arden, NC) -- Investigators don't suspect foul play in the death of a man found in Buncombe County on Tuesday. Twenty-five-year-old Arthur Jay Wilcox was discovered in the woods off Glenn Bridge Road in Arden. The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office says there was no evidence of foul play. An autopsy was performed yesterday to learn the exact cause of death.
Bryson City Teen Makes Splash At International Whitewater Event
(Bryson City, NC) -- A Bryson City teen is making an impression on the international whitewater scene. The Citizen-Times is reporting 15-year-old Evy Leibfarth placed in the top ten in women's kayak and women's canoe during an International Canoe Federation World Cup event in Slovakia last week. She's been paddling almost her entire life and is coached by her father, who was once a U.S. national slalom team member. Leibfarth has her eyes set on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo
Lowes Bringing Global Tech Hub To Queen City
(Charlotte, NC) -- A new global tech hub for Lowes is coming to Charlotte's South End. The home improvement retailer plans to invest over 150-million-dollars to build a 23-story tower next to the East/West Boulevard light rail station. The hub will bring in 16-hundred new jobs that pay an average of 118-thousand-dollars a year. Governor Roy Cooper said yesterday it will serve as a catalyst to technology jobs across the state.
Cabarrus County Man Sentenced For Girlfriend's Murder
(Cabarrus County, NC) -- A Cabarrus County man is heading to prison for killing his former girlfriend in Pineville. Mark O'Dell pleaded guilty to shooting Lorene Simpson to death inside her home almost three years ago. Prosecutors say O'Dell stabbed himself multiple times after the shooting. The judge sentenced him to between 25 to 31 years in prison for second-degree murder yesterday.
Suspect Charged In Arsons
(Charlotte, NC) -- A man is being charged with setting fires at two Charlotte homes. The CMPD says Rodney Hopkins is accused of first-degree arson on Faulconbridge Road in late April. Eight children were able to safely escape the home before the blaze caused around 150-thousand-dollars in damage. Hopkins is also charged with second-degree arson for a fire on Jaslie Lane one month ago.
Bomb-Making Materials Found At Union County Warehouse
(Union County, NC) -- Union County deputies are investigating the discovery of bomb-making materials at a warehouse. The items were found in boxes that were donated from a Charlotte apartment yesterday. WSOC-TV reported the warehouse on Will Plyler Road is affiliated with the Catholic church in Charlotte. The items were removed with the help of CMPD officers.
Water Main Breaks At SouthPark Mall
(Charlotte, NC) -- Crews are expected to have wrapped up repairs to a water main break in front of SouthPark Mall by this morning. One lane of Sharon Road at Coltsgate Road were shut down during road reconstruction. The break was first reported by Charlotte Water a little after six on Thursday evening. Repairs were expected to last through the night.
Tree Falls On Three Cars In Midtown
(Charlotte, NC) -- Several people are said to be okay after a tree toppled on their cars in midtown yesterday. It happened at the intersection of East Third Street and Kings Drive as a storm pushed through the Queen City. Nearby bank employees helped rescue the passengers.
Plane Crashes Into Hope Mills Home
(Hope Mills, NC) -- Authorities are investigating after a small plane crashed into a home in Hope Mills late last night. The ABC11 reports the plane went down in an area just south of Fayetteville Regional Airport. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office says the Highway Patrol is leading the investigation. There's no word on how many people were on the plane or in the home or how seriously anyone is hurt.
Johnston County Warns Of Possible Private Well Contamination
(Johnston County, NC) -- Johnston County officials are warning people with private wells about possible contamination. The concern is potential contamination from uranium, radon, and radium in the water. This comes after those toxic minerals turned up in 19-thousand private wells in Wake County. People in affected areas or northern and western Johnston County can go to the county Environmental Health Department's website for more information.
Raleigh Police Investigating Peoples Bank Holdup
(Raleigh, NC) -- Raleigh Police are hunting for a bank robber. CBS17 reports someone held up the Peoples Bank on Capital Avenue around 10 a.m. Thursday. There was a car crash nearby on Capital but there's no word on whether the wreck and the robbery are related. Police say they don't have any suspects in mind.
School Districts Ask 1-Year Delay In Computer Reading Assessment
((Raleigh, NC) -- Nearly 90 school districts are asking for a one-year delay in a new computer-driven reading assessment for young schoolchildren. Eighty-eight superintendents from across North Carolina made the request in a letter to State Superintendent Mark Johnson. The State Board of Education will take up the issue in a conference call today. Superintendents are asking for a delay so kindergarten through third grade teachers can learn to use the new tool so they can help students, including those who will return to year-round classrooms in the next few days.
Law Allowing Retired Teachers To Work In High-Needs Schools Goes To Governor
(Raleigh, NC) -- A bill that would allow retired teachers to go back to work in high-needs schools is on Governor Roy Cooper's desk. The bill the Senate unanimously passed Thursday would let retired teachers work at Title One schools or those that get D or F grades under the state's school performance system. They could do that without cutting into their retirement benefits. Retired teachers could earn up to 40-thousand dollars a year and still collect all of their pensions.
Montgomery Co. Police Chief Accused Of Assault
(Biscoe, NC) -- A police chief in Montgomery County is accused of assaulting a female. Biscoe Police Chief Michael Tedder was arrested yesterday following an SBI investigation that was requested by the county D.A. No further details have been released.
Tae Kwon Do Instructor Makes First Court Appearance
(High Point, NC) -- The High Point tae kwon do instructor accused of sexually assaulting three of his students could spend the rest of his life behind bars. A judge yesterday said David Medina-Ramirez could face life in prison without parole if he's found guilty on all 18 charges. Medina-Ramirez was an instructor at Tiger Kim's Tae Kwon Do but no longer works there.
Search Underway For Missing Alleghany Co. Woman
(Grayson Co., VA) -- Grayson County sheriff's officials are looking for a woman who was last seen tubing near the North Carolina-Virginia state line. Fifty-seven-year-old Jo Anne Hatcher, of Alleghany County, vanished Wednesday while she was tubing with a group of people on the New River. Her tube was found about a mile from where she was supposed to get out. Helicopters, drones and divers have been used in the search for Hatcher.
Bennett College Names New President
(Greensboro, NC) -- Bennett College is naming its next president. Suzanne Walsh is a former foundation executive at the private women's college. She's taking over for Phyllis Dawkins, who left the school Friday. Walsh's first day is August 1st.
Lowe's Cos. Inc. To Build New Tech Center In Charlotte
(Charlotte, NC) -- Lowe's is building a new technology center in North Carolina that would employee over 16-hundred people. The home improvement giant made the announcement yesterday. Its 153-million-dollar tech center is being built in Charlotte. Lowe's said the center will help accelerate the company's technology transformation.