Asheville Addressing Homeless Encampments
(Asheville, NC) -- The city of Asheville is trying to buckle down on two homeless encampments. WLOS-TV reports residents in Aston Park and Martin Luther King, Junior Park were issued seven-day removal notices last week due to heightened safety issues. Homeward Bound told WLOS-TV it's working to provide temporary housing head of planned construction along the French Broad River, which is affecting homeless encampments there.
Governor Signs Education Initiatives
(Raleigh, NC) -- The governor is pushing forward a measure that will provide more education for at-risk students affected by the pandemic. Roy Cooper signed a bill Friday that requires school districts to offer summer face-to-face instruction with enrichment activities. House Speaker Tim Moore said he was grateful for the bipartisanship that went into the bill. Another law signed by Cooper allows bonuses for teachers who work in summer reading camps.
Detainee Dies In Buncombe County Jail
(Buncombe County, NC) -- The SBI is investigating the death of a Buncombe County inmate. A 37-year-old woman was pronounced dead several hours after she was arrested early Saturday afternoon. It's unclear what charges the 37-year-old was arrested for.
Bryson City Teen Begins Olympic Qualifying
(Bryson City, NC) -- A Bryson City teen is competing to make it to the Summer Olympics. Recent high school grad Evy Leibfarth starts competition in the U.S. Olympic and U.S. National Whitewater Slalom Team Trials in Charlotte today. She's an accomplished canoeist and kayaker, having won national championships in both events. The 17-year-old initially qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last summer, but they were postponed due to the pandemic.
Canton Suspends Town Manager
(Canton, NC) -- A western North Carolina town manager is suspended. Jason Burrell was placed on leave without pay by the board of alderman during a closed session last week. The assistant town manager is taking over in the meantime. There's no word on what led to the suspension.
UNCA Holds Vaccine Clinic
(Asheville, NC) -- College kids are able to get COVID shots at UNC Asheville. The Mountain Area Health Education Center teamed up with the school to hold another clinic at the Reuter's Center over the weekend. WLOS-TV reports it was the first the time the center was giving out the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is a single dose. Over eleven-thousand doses have been given out there since mid-February.
Vigil Held For Rock Hill Shooting Victims
(York County, SC) -- The victims of the mass shooting in Rock Hill are being remembered. Hundreds of people gathered in Fountain Park yesterday to honor the lives of six people who were shot at the home of Dr. Robert Lesslie last Wednesday. The York County Sheriff's Office said initially that five people initially died in the shooting, but a sixth victim passed away on Saturday. Participants in the vigil took a moment of silence for five minutes.
Nearly Ten-Thousand More Doses In Meck This Week
(Mecklenburg County, NC) -- Thousands of COVID vaccines are being given out by StarMed Healthcare in Charlotte this week. The practice announced yesterday it would have 95-hundred Pfizer doses available at clinics on Scott Futrell Drive and Tuckaseegee Road. Anyone at least 16-years old is now eligible for the shots.
Teen Dies In Charlotte Double Shooting
(Charlotte, NC) -- Investigators are looking for the suspect in a deadly double shooting in the Queen City. CMPD officers found a 15-year-old dead and another juvenile injured on Tuckaseegee Road in wet Charlotte Saturday afternoon. The wounded victim had injuries not considered to be life-threatening.
Woman Dies In Hit-And-Run
(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is looking for a suspect in a deadly hit-and-run. Officers say a woman was allegedly struck by a red Ford Expedition on South Tryon Street early Sunday morning. The driver never stopped and left the victim to die. Investigators are looking for help from anyone in the public that may have seen something.
Thousands Of Complaints Filed Over Smell
(Catawba, SC) -- South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control is investigating the source of a stinky smell in Catawba. WBTV says the agency has received five-thousand complaints from residents in York and Lancaster counties about the smell. It's been traced to the New Indy Plant, but the exact cause is unknown. Some people have described the smell as being like rotten eggs.
EF-1 Tornado Touched Down In Pitt County Sunday Morning
(Pitt County, NC) -- The National Weather Service is confirming a line of strong storms that moved across eastern North Carolina early Sunday morning produced an EF-1 tornado. The tornado, which touched down in Pitt County near the town of Belvoir, had wind speeds of over 100-mph. Although there were no reports of injuries or deaths, the storm did knock down several trees and power lines, as well as caused property damage to a number of buildings in the Holland, Porter and Floyd Harris Road areas of Belvoir. The largest area of damage was concentrated between two houses on Porter Road.
High Winds Low Humidity Prompts Alert Against Outdoor Burning Today
(Raleigh, NC) -- Breezy and dry wind conditions, coupled with relative low humidity, has prompted the National Weather Service to issue an increased Fire Danger Alert for parts of central North Carolina today. All outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. The Alert, which was issued Sunday, covers several areas including Piedmont and the Sandhills, along with portions of Lee, Moore, Hoke and Scotland counties. The Alert will remain in effect until about 7 p.m. tonight.
Health Officials To Allow Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Distribution To Resume Today
(Wake County, NC) -- After pausing distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last week due to several people experiencing adverse reactions, Wake County health officials are set to resume administering the drug today at the PNC Arena. This comes after the CDC reported that the J&J vaccines are still safe. Also, two Publix locations in Cary will begin offering vaccines today. And, Harris Teeter Supermarkets is set to start vaccine distribution in Cary, Wake Forest and Durham today.
North Carolina Man Not Wearing Life Jacket Drowns In Jordan Lake On Sunday
(Chatham/Durham Counties, NC) -- Authorities are investigating the death of a Durham man who reportedly drowned on Sunday after falling out of a canoe on Jordan Lake. Police say three men were in the canoe near Parkers Creek Campground when the vessel overturned. The victim, identified as 21-year-old Oscar Giles Yayo, went under water and never resurfaced. None of the men in the canoe was wearing life jackets.
Funeral For Christina Matos To Be Held Today In Raleigh
(Raleigh, NC) -- Funeral services are set to begin at noon today in Raleigh for slain college student Christina Matos. The body of the 20-year-old was found inside her Raleigh apartment last Sunday after family members reported her missing for two days. New reports have surfaced that Matos had recently married her 20-year-old roommate in an effort to help him become an American citizen. In exchange, Erick Hernandez-Mendez had agreed to pay her 15-thousand dollars. Mendez has since been charged with her murder.
Report: Young North Carolinians Make Up Most Hospitalizations
(Charlotte, NC) -- COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina are made up of mostly young people. That's according to new data from the state Department of Health and Human Services. Health officials say North Carolinians in their 20s, 30s, and 40s have roughly doubled their share of hospitalizations since January. There were 977 hospitalizations reported Friday and over 25-hundred new coronavirus cases.
Man Killed In Drive-By Shooting In Winston-Salem
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- A 27-year-old man is dead after a drive-by shooting in Winston-Salem. It happened Saturday night near North Cherry and West 20th streets. Police say Demar Floyd was gunned down on his front porch by someone in a passing vehicle. They say Floyd was injured in a separate shooting at the home two weeks earlier. Both incidents are believed to be related.
Sixth Victim In SC Mass Shooting ID'd As NC Man
(Rock Hill, SC) -- The sixth victim of a mass shooting in South Carolina was from North Carolina. The York County coroner says an air conditioning technician who had survived Wednesday's attack died of his injuries. He's identified as 38-year-old Robert Shook of Cherryville. Shook was one of six people who were shot Wednesday afternoon at a doctor's house near Rock Hill, South Carolina. The suspected gunman in the attack was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound several hours later.
Art Commission Virtually Unveils Portrait Project
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Public Art Commission is unveiling new installations of its Portrait Project. The commission yesterday virtually unveiled a new sculpture in Winston Square Park, eight murals throughout the city and a pop-up exhibit. The murals are on display in each ward. The Portrait Project was first proposed several years ago.
House Destroyed In Fire In Thomasville
(Thomasville, NC) -- An investigation is underway in Thomasville where a house went up in flames. The blaze broke out just before noon yesterday on Veach Street and Howard Circle. Responding crews say part of the structure collapsed when they arrived. No one was hurt, but a pet was found in the rubble. The family is being helped out by the American Red Cross. A GoFundMe has also been set up for them.