Teachers Included In Next Vaccine Phase This Month
(Raleigh, NC) -- A new phase of COVID-19 vaccine rollout is starting soon in North Carolina. Governor Roy Cooper announced any teachers or school staff working in child care and Pre-K through 12th grade schools will be able to receive the vaccine starting February 24th. Other frontline workers like first responders, restaurant employees and grocery store employees will be eligible on March 10th. The state is opening phase three gradually to ensure the proper amount of vaccines are available.
Former Trump Lawyer Served Lawsuit Papers In Biltmore Forest
(Biltmore Forest, NC) -- A huge lawsuit has been served at the Biltmore Forest home of Sidney Powell. Dominion Voting Systems is suing the former Trump lawyer for one-point-three-billion-dollars in connection to claims she made about the company's voting machines. Dominion says Powell evaded being served for weeks until the papers were finally in her hands at the end of January. Powell claimed Chinese communists and Hugo Chavez tried rigging the presidential election with Dominion's machines.
Cooper Signs COVID Relief For Schools, Parents
(Raleigh, NC) -- The state is doling out more than two-billion-dollars in federal money to assist schools and parents. Governor Roy Cooper signed a COVID relief bill yesterday that provides over a-billion-and-a-half-dollars to help schools implement safety measures in order to re-open classrooms. It also extends the deadline for a 335-dollar check given to parents to offset remote learning costs. The bill initially passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support last week.
Polk County Listed As Possible Mass Vaccine Site
(Polk County, NC) -- Polk County is offering up its equestrian center as a possible location for a mass vaccine site. Health director Josh Kennedy told WLOS-TV yesterday the Tryon International Equestrian Center could accommodate five-thousand doses a day. The site is now listed as a potential location the state will consider for the future. North Carolina's health secretary previously said vaccines are being distributed by population, so it's unclear when and if it will happen.
Hendersonville Pays Fine For Employee Death
(Hendersonville, NC) -- The city of Hendersonville is settling with the Labor Department over an employee's death. WLOS-TV reports Hendersonville paid a 52-thousand-dollar fine after a public works department employee died nearly a year ago. The man was hit by a garbage truck. The public works director says new cameras have been mounted on the trucks, while employees are undergoing additional training.
Magazine Calls Asheville Doughnut Shop Best In NC
(Asheville, NC) -- The best doughnuts in the state can be found in Asheville, according to a recent publication. Food and Wine magazine rated Hole Doughnuts on Haywood Road as the best place in North Carolina to snap up the fried dough treat. The business started operating out of a food truck in 2014, and has since made its presence in its own shop on the west side of the city. The magazine praised its offerings during the Christmas season, and its house coffee.
Teachers Added To Vaccine Phase Beginning Soon
(Charlotte, NC) -- CMS educators can soon get their COVID-19 vaccines. Yesterday, Governor Roy Cooper announced any North Carolina teachers or school staff working in child care and Pre-K through 12th grade schools will be able to receive the vaccine starting February 24th. Other frontline workers like first responders, restaurant employees and grocery store employees will be eligible on March 10th. CMS students are beginning to phase back into the classroom next week.
Driver Injured In I-85 Shooting
(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is looking for suspects in an I-85 shooting. Officers say a driver was shot multiple times near Little Rock Road early Wednesday. Lanes southbound were shut down for several hours during the investigation. The victim was last said to be in serious condition.
Streetcars Being Tested In Charlotte
(Charlotte, NC) -- Streetcars are making their way back to Charlotte streets. WSOC-TV says the Charlotte Area Transit System began testing a streetcar last night to ensure the lines and car itself are safe. CATS will eventually roll out six streetcars on a four-mile route from the transit center to North Pine Street in uptown. Passenger service is expected to start later this Spring.
Driver Crashes Into Hickory Food Lion
(Hickory, NC) -- A grocery store in Hickory is cleaning up damage from an accidental crash yesterday. An officer told the News Herald that a 90-year-old woman drove into the front of a Food Lion after her foot got stuck on the gas pedal. She wasn't injured, and is not expected to face charges. The grocery store was forced to close for the day after it was deemed unstable.
Petition Grows In Support Of Opening Tennis Courts At Night
(Charlotte, NC) -- Online support is growing to flip on the lights at Mecklenburg County's public tennis courts. Around one-thousand people have signed a petition in hopes that health director Gibbie Harris will alter current recommendations due to COVID-19. The head of a local tennis league told NBC Charlotte people who go to school or work can only play at night. Harris said the directive remains in place through the end of the month.
Lincolnton Man Scores Large Lottery Win
(Lincoln County, NC) -- A Lincolnton grandfather is a big lottery winner. Wendell Pentecost bought a winning Lucky for Life ticket last month from the One Stop convenience store in Crouse. The ticket won him 25-thousand-dollars-a-year for life, but he decided to take a lump sum of around 275-thousand-dollars instead. Pentecost says he plans to share the money with family and buy a classic car.
Man And Woman Charged With Murder In Death of Pregnant Mother
(Wake County, NC) -- Authorities in Wake County are holding two people in custody in connection with the death of a pregnant woman whose body was discovered inside a suitcase near the Neuse River earlier this week. Thomas Clayton Johnson and Emmalei Trevathan were arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop. Both were charged with murder, murder of an unborn child and concealment of a body in the death of 28-year old Brittany Simone Smith, who had been missing since last Thursday.
UPS Driver Gunned Down In East Raleigh Neighborhood Wednesday
(Raleigh, NC) -- Raleigh police are trying to determine a motive behind the slaying of a UPS driver who was shot to death Wednesday while making a delivery. It happened around 2:30 pm along the 600-block of South East Street. Witnesses told police the driver was shot multiple times by a gunman who emerged from hiding. The victim, identified as 23-year old Dylan Scott Wall, was taken to WakeMed where he later died. The shooter, identified as 30-year old Stephen Joseph Bynem has been charged with murder.
North Carolina House Members To Vote On Mandating Students Return For In-Person Learning
(Raleigh, NC) -- Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives are expected to take up a vote today on a bill that would require all school districts across the state to develop an option for in-person classroom instruction. A similar measure passed the Senate earlier this week. The Republican backed initiative would mandate that schools make available a choice of either daily in-person classes, or a hybrid model of in-school and remote learning. Parents can also opt for remote learning only.
COVID-19 Key Metrics In North Carolina Mixed On Wednesday
(Raleigh, NC) -- Most COVID-19 key metrics in North Carolina are continuing to show signs of improvement. Figures released by the Department of Health and Human Services Wednesday showed there were 83-fewer people in the hospital for a single-day total of 2-thousand-291. North Carolina's test positive rate was at 7-point-9 percent. But the number of new coronavirus cases jumped to 3-thousand-883 yesterday, an increase of 11-hundred-97 over the day before. And, there were 135-additional deaths.
Guilford Co. Students Fall Behind
(Guilford Co., NC) -- Guilford County students are falling behind on their academics. New data from the district shows students who've been learning remotely over the past year have performed worse than students who've been in school. Math 1 and Biology took the biggest hits, falling roughly 19 and 17 percent respectively. District officials say the pandemic's impact on education is to blame. The full report can be found online at G-C-S-N-C-dot-com.
Freezing Ran Forecast For Triad Area
(Greensboro, NC) -- Drivers should beware of icy roadways during their morning commute tomorrow. Forecasters are calling for a chance of freezing rain between 8 a.m. and noon. Accumulation will be between a-tenth and a quarter-of-an-inch. Friday's high will be 37 degrees.
Deadly Crash Under Investigation In Winston-Salem
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- Winston-Salem police are looking into the cause of a deadly car crash. It happened just before 8 a.m. yesterday in the 700-block of Somerset Drive. Police say it appears Marcus Davis lost control of his Lexus ES-350 and crashed into a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation is ongoing.
Forsyth Co. Man Wins Mega Millions Lottery
(Forsyth Co., NC) -- A Forsyth County man is celebrating a Mega Millions lottery win. Wayne Walker of Rural Hall cashed in his one-million-dollar prize on Tuesday. He bought his 50-Times The Cash ticket from the Quality Mart on Broad Street. Walker opted for the lump sum of 600-thousand dollars, and after taxes, he took home about 425 grand. He tells "Fox 8" he plans to put the funds toward his retirement.