Henderson County Bus Driver Dies In Wreck
(Henderson County, NC) -- The Henderson County school community is mourning the loss of a bus driver. Tina Gordon died after the bus she was driving crashed into a ditch Tuesday morning. Four students from East Henderson High School were taken to the hospital for observation. Investigators are trying to figure out if the accident was caused by a medical emergency.
Juveniles Accused Of Shooting Pellets At Homeless Woman
(Asheville, NC) -- Two juveniles are accused of assaulting a homeless woman in Asheville. She was reportedly injured in the face by airsoft pellets off Patton Avenue around two-weeks ago. Several dozen pellets were recovered from the scene. The case is heading to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Hendersonville Mayor Wins Re-Election
(Hendersonville, NC) -- Hendersonville's mayor will remain in office. Barbara Volk won Tuesday's election with roughly 64-percent of the vote. The race for mayor in the Henderson County town of Flethcer is going to Preston Blakely with 55-percent support. Unofficial results also report that voters in Robbinsville approved the sale of beer and wine.
Body Found During Search For Missing Macon County Woman
(Macon County, NC) -- The search for a missing woman may be over in Macon County. Ricki Ortega-Cooney was reported missing from the Otto area on Halloween. The sheriff's office says a body was found yesterday in the Little Tennessee River and it could be connected to the case. There's no word on whether the death appears suspicious.
Asheville Man Sentenced For Cocaine Trafficking
(Asheville, NC) -- A suspected Buncombe County drug dealer is heading to prison. A judge sentenced an Asheville man to at least a decade in prison after he pleaded guilty to trafficking and attempting to traffic cocaine in court this week. Investigators claim the man was caught with cocaine sent from Mexico after a seven-month investigation in 2019. More than two-dozen suspects were also arrested in connection with the operation.
Tickets For Postseason Basketball On Sale In Asheville
(Asheville, NC) -- Organizers are already preparing for postseason college basketball in Asheville. Tickets went on sale this week for the Southern Conference Basketball Championships. The games will be held in early March 2022 at Harrah's Cherokee Center.
State Files Legal Complaint In Huntersville Oil Spill
(Huntersville, NC) -- The state is filing legal action in connection to a massive oil spill in Huntersville. The Department of Environmental Quality submitted a complaint this week, in hopes of forcing Colonial Pipeline to lay out the truth surrounding details in the August 2020 leak. More than one-million gallons reportedly spilled at the Oehler Nature Preserve, but the company is shying away from releasing updated estimates.
Children's Vaccines Arrive In Mecklenburg County
(Mecklenburg County, NC) -- Mecklenburg County is preparing to give out COVID shots to kids under 12. Public health officials say more than 13-thousand Pfizer vaccines for children aged five-through-eleven arrived in Charlotte yesterday. More details are expected soon on clinic dates locally.
Attorney Seeks Dismissal In Murder Charges After 2008 Death
(Charlotte, NC) -- An attorney is seeking to throw out murder charges in a 2008 Gaston County death. It's been 13-years since UNC-Charlotte student Ira Yarmolenko [[ EYE-rah YAHR-mah-LINK-oh ]] was found dead along the Catawba River. Mark Carver spent ten-years in prison until a judge ordered a new trial based on new DNA evidence and ineffective counsel. Carver's attorney filed a motion to dismiss murder charges altogether this week.
Bond Raised For Gastonia Shooting Suspect
(Gastonia, NC) -- A judge is making it harder for a Gastonia shooting suspect to get out of jail. Two off-duty Gastonia police officers were part of six people injured when gunfire erupted at Remedies Restaurant and Nightclub in November 2020. One suspect has been behind bars since then on a one-million-dollar bond. That amount was increased to a-million-and-a-half-dollars yesterday.
Suspect Charged In Charlotte Teen's Murder
(Charlotte, NC) -- A teenager is facing charges for the murder of another teen in south Charlotte. The CMPD arrested an 18-year-old yesterday, around three-weeks after a 15-year-old was shot to death near Southside Park. Charges include murder, attempted murder, and assault.
Bus Drivers Protesting In Stanly County
(Stanly County, NC) -- Some bus drivers in Stanly County are demanding better pay from the school system. NBC Charlotte reports a number of employees have called out that last two days, with hopes of raising minimum pay and receiving COVID-19 hazard pay. The superintendent says staff is currently working on ways to reward employees for their efforts during the pandemic.
Former Judge Elected As First Black Woman Mayor Of City Of Durham
(Durham, NC) -- Results from Tuesday's statewide municipal elections showed one notable history making event in the city of Durham. By receiving over 85-percent of the votes, former judge Elaine O'Neal became the first African American woman mayor of the Bull City. During her acceptance speech, O'Neal vowed to make reducing gun violence her top priority when she officially takes over. O'Neal will be sworn in on December, 6th.
Wake County Board Of Education Approves Bonuses For Bus Drivers And Other Employees
(Wake County, NC) -- The Wake County Board of Education voted Tuesday to give its permanent employees a one-time 12-hundred-50 dollar bonus. The bonus covers school bus drivers, many of whom had been out on strike since Friday because of low wages and increased work loads. In addition, the school board also approved a salary supplement for teachers and certified staff by one percent and raised the minimum pay for school support personnel to 13-dollars an hour. It is unclear whether the board's actions will be enough to convince bus drivers to return to work Wednesday.
North Carolina General Assembly Approves New District Maps Reflecting The Results Of The 2020 Census
(Raleigh, NC) -- Both houses of the Republican controlled North Carolina General Assembly have voted to approve new electoral district lines. Those boundaries adjusted to reflect population increases resulting from the 2020 census. On Tuesday, the House voted 67-to-49 and the Senate voted 27-to-22 to approve new Congressional maps that will likely give the GOP an even greater super-majority in the upcoming 2022 elections. Democrats opposed the new maps, insisting that the lines were gerrymandered.
Deadline Has Passed For UNC Health Employees To Get Vaccinate
(Chapel Hill, NC) -- Tuesday was the deadline for UNC Health System employees to show proof of vaccination or face possible termination. Before the deadline, an estimated 99-percent of UNC workers were already in compliance with the mandate. However, the health system said about 120-employees chose to leave their jobs rather that get the vaccines. Also, around a-thousand employees were granted religious exemptions.
Pediatric Vaccines To Start Arriving This Week In North Carolina
(Raleigh, NC) -- Now that the CDC has given its approval for Emergency Use Authorization of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination for young children, over 400-thousand doses are on their way to North Carolina. According to HHS, those doses will be arriving over the next nine days as part of the first wave of distribution for children ages 5-11. The vaccines will go directly to providers including pharmacies, pediatricians, County health department offices and vaccine clinics.
Several Mayors Chosen in Races Across Guilford County
(Greensboro, NC) -- Votes have been tallied across five different municipalities in Guilford County to show the winners of mayoral races. In Burlington city, Ian Baltutis had defeated Jim Butler by less than one percentage point. Lynn Montgomery is the winner in the Jamestown mayor's race with more than 73 percent of ballots cast. There will likely be further action taken in Kernersville as the votes were too close to call for Jenny Ingram Fulton and Dawn Morgan's race. Dean Maddox overcame write-in balloting in the Town of Pleasant Garden to win with nearly 94 percent of the vote. Mike Crawford defeated John Flynt to become Stokesdale mayor and the town of Summerfield will soon be swearing in Tim Sessions, who won his race by more than 400 votes over Gail Dunham.
Greensboro Police Investigate M&F Bank Robbery, Search for Suspect
(Greensboro, NC) -- Greensboro police are searching for the suspect in a bank robbery that occurred Tuesday. It happened at the M&F Bank on South Murrow Boulevard just after 2 p.m. Witnesses described the suspect to police as being a Black male in his 40s. No one was injured and the investigation is ongoing.
Governor Vetoes Bill Covering Emergency Powers
(Raleigh, NC) -- Governor Roy Cooper is shooting down an attempt to strip his office of some powers. He vetoed a bill which would have required the Council of States to approve extending a state of emergency past seven-days. An extension of at least 45-days would have needed approval from state lawmakers. The move was seen as an attempt by state GOP officials to rein in his power; they have complained about Cooper's mandates for mask and businesses restrictions after his first coronavirus emergency declaration was issued in March of 2020.
Davie County School Board Votes To Make Masks Optional
(Mocksville, NC) -- Effective immediately, masks are optional for Davie County school students and employees. The county school board voted Tuesday night to make that official at their meeting Tuesday. In an email sent to parents Tuesday night, the board also said other protocols, such as quarantine procedures, will remain the same and everyone still needs to wear a mask on all school transportation. The board members also say they will revisit the issue during each monthly board meeting.
State's COVID-19 Numbers Are Trending Down
(Raleigh, NC) -- State health officials say COVID numbers in North Carolina continue a downward trend. But they caution that people still need to protect themselves as much as possible because many people are still sick. As of Tuesday, just over 12-hundred news cases of the coronavirus have been reported, which is up a bit from Monday's count of 1,096. Monday's number was down by more than half from Friday's report of just over 23-hundred cases, however. The number of virus deaths in the state since the pandemic began increased to over 18-thousand Tuesday, while hospitalizations are down to 1,150 total.