Mail Voting Jumps Drastically In Buncombe
(Buncombe County, NC) -- North Carolina residents are planning to vote absentee in record numbers. Elections officials say around 300-thousand people have requested applications to vote by mail for the November 3rd election. Less than 30-thousand made requests four years ago. WLOS-TV reports nearly 20-thousand residents in Buncombe County have requested absentee ballots, which is up drastically from 2016.
SBI Investigating Inmate Death
(Buncombe County, NC) -- The SBI is investigating the July death of an inmate in Buncombe County. The sheriff's office says Jacob Biddix died several days after being found unconscious in his cell on July 25th. He was in jail for charges relating to local protests. WLOS-TV says the SBI was requested to investigate the death.
COVID-19 Testing Numbers Close To Two-Million In NC
(Raleigh, NC) -- COVID-19 testing numbers continue to climb in North Carolina. Public health officials reported yesterday there have been just under two-million tests administered throughout the state. More than eleven-hundred new cases were reported yesterday. Just over one-thousand people are hospitalized.
Schools Working Through Technical Glitches
(Raleigh, NC) -- Technical glitches are marring the first week of virtual learning for many students in North Carolina. The state's virtual learning system was down for several hours again yesterday, following problems that arose on Monday. State superintendent Mark Johnson says education officials will be having blunt discussions with the vendor for the system. Over one-million students are currently taking virtual-only classes.
Large Trail Connector Proposed In WNC
(Asheville, NC) -- A proposal is in the works to connect a long circuit of trails in western North Carolina. The French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization is seeking public feedback through Friday for a 150-mile plan called the Hellbender Regional Trail. The organization's director says the trail will better connect the region with bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
Macon County Schools Cafeteria Staff Test COVID-19 Positive
(Macon County, GA) -- Macon County Schools is changing the way lunch is served due to COVID-19 cases. WLOS-TV reports cafeteria staff at three schools tested positive recently, so all meal teams have been sent home to quarantine. In the meantime, students will be served bag lunches today.
Police Preparing For Limited RNC
(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is preparing for potential impacts from the Republican National Convention. Law enforcement started to sweep the uptown area yesterday in anticipation of the beginning of the event on Monday. The convention will be scaled down by a large margin due to the coronavirus pandemic. Road closures begin Sunday.
Third Victims Dies In Shooting
(Charlotte, NC) -- A third person is dead in a west Charlotte shooting. The CMPD says one victim initially died after a shooting on Reid Avenue near West Boulevard on Sunday night. Two other people have died from their injuries since then. Investigators are trying to figure out if this shooting is linked to another one that happened the same night on nearby Caronia Street.
Union County School Closes Over COVID-19
(Union County, NC) -- A Union County school is temporarily shutting down due to COVID-19 concerns. District officials have decided to close Poplin Elementary School until September 7th after two staff members tested positive for coronavirus. Several other staff members may have been exposed. Students will move to all virtual learning until the school opens back up.
Seven Charged In Deadly Lancaster Shooting
(Lancaster County, SC) -- A handful of suspects are facing charges in a deadly Lancaster County shooting. One man was found dead in the driveway of a home on Crenson Drive on August 9th. Investigators have since charged seven people connected to the case, including several for murder.
Students Experience More Glitches In Virtual System
(Raleigh, NC) -- Technical glitches are marring the first week of virtual learning for many students in North Carolina. The state's virtual learning system was down for several hours again yesterday, following problems that arose on Monday. State superintendent Mark Johnson says education officials will be having blunt discussions with the vendor for the system. Over one-million students are currently taking virtual-only classes.
CMS Announces Sports Workout Plans
(Charlotte, NC) -- CMS is outlining plans to resume high school athletic workouts. District officials said yesterday cross country and volleyball teams are allowed to workout starting September 14th. Different sports will be allowed to return on a staggered basis, based on input from athletic directors and principals. Middle school athletics are canceled for the fall.
Both NC State and UNC Chapel Hill Report Additional Clusters
(Raleigh, NC) -- More reports of new clusters of the coronavirus being detected on college campuses across central North Carolina Wednesday. Health officials at NC State say seven students tested positive at the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority house and six cases were detected at the Kappa Delta Sorority house. At UNC Chapel Hill, officials suspended all athletic activities for 24-hours yesterday because of a spike in COVID-19 cases. A total of six clusters of the virus have now been reported at UNC Chapel Hill.
Cooper And Health Officials Exploring Executive Order Aimed At Colleges
(Raleigh, NC) -- Governor Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that he is considering issuing a new executive order designed to force students returning to college campuses to comply with state mandated COVID-19 safety protocols. Cooper said his administration wants to work with Universities by offering just recommendations. But if the situation grows worse, an order is something that could occur.
New Single-Day Coronavirus Case Numbers Show A Slight Drop
(Raleigh, NC) -- State health officials reported a slight decrease in the number of new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. The 11-hundred-53 infections were 110-fewer than the day before. The number of coronavirus deaths in North Carolina was 35-yesterday, down from a single-day high of 42-on Tuesday. The data also showed there were one-thousand-one COVID-19 patients being treated at hospitals across the state. And the positive test rate remained at 7-percent.
Suspected Shooter Of 17-Year Old Girl Now In Custody
(Raleigh, NC) -- The suspect believed to be the actual shooter in the death of a 17-year old girl, whose body was found inside a car at a Bojangles parking lot over the weekend, was finally arrested Wednesday. Raleigh police say 17-year old Devin Jones has been charged with murder for shooting Veronica Baker to death. Nineteen-year old Keyshara Deans, 18-year old Tyreek Rogers and 19-year old Nezyiha Colling, are all facing charges of felony after the fact of murder, for trying to help Jones leave the state in order to avoid capture.
Hacker Crashes Lee County Spanish Class With Porn And Offensive Messages
(Lee County, NC) -- School officials in Lee County are investigating after someone hacked into a virtual classroom and displayed pornography and offensive messages to students and teachers. The incident happened Monday on the first day of virtual classes at Lee County High School. About 20-students were logged on to Google Meet for a 10th grade Spanish class. The intrusion lasted about 30-minutes.
Students Blocked From Online Learning, Again
(Forsyth Co., NC) - North Carolina's online learning platform is reporting another statewide outage. NCED-Cloud crashed yesterday for the second time this week. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools reported the outage around 9:30 yesterday morning. It meant students, teachers and parents couldn't access Canvas, PowerSchool or other online learning applications. Technical challenges were also reported on Monday, which was the first day of school.
Appalachian State University ID's Cluster Of COVID-19 Cases
(Boone, NC) - Appalachian State University is identifying a cluster of coronavirus cases. University officials say seven students and four staff members associated with the football team have contracted COVID-19. Director of Athletics, Doug Gillin, has suspended football practice until further notice.
City Of Lexington Suing To Remove Confederate Monument
(Lexington, NC) - Lexington wants a controversial Confederate monument in Uptown removed. The city is filing a legal action with the courts to remove the monument. This after the city filed a resolution with Davidson County commissioners, requesting the statue be removed from its current location. Commissioners denied their request.
Investigation Underway After Man Shot Himself During Police Stop
(Greensboro, NC) - An investigation is underway after a passenger in a vehicle stopped by police shot himself. It happened late Tuesday night in the 21-hundred-block of West Meadowview Road. Police say a passenger ran from the vehicle and was located nearby with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A gun was found nearby. He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
COVID-19 Cluster Reported At Guilford Metro 911
(Greensboro, NC) - The Guilford Metro 911 Center in Greensboro is reporting a coronavirus outbreak. The city says an employee tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday, and since then, there have been six more confirmed cases. The 911 director says residents will not see an interruption in services.