Face Mask Mandate Extended For Buncombe Schools
(Buncombe County, NC) -- The face mask mandate in Buncombe County Schools is being extended. The school board voted last night to continue the requirement due to COVID cases. The mandate will be revisited again in one-month. Masks were still being required in more than 75-percent of districts across the state one-week ago.
Ag Grants Awarded To Half-Dozen Mountain Businesses
(Asheville, NC) -- Half-a-dozen mountain businesses are receiving new grants from the USDA. The department announced investments of just over 160-million-dollars nationwide earlier this week. The grants will help in job training, business expansion and more. Locally, awards ranged between 35-thousand to 250-thousand-dollars.
Stolen Car Found On Banks Of Asheville River
(Asheville, NC) -- Asheville police are looking for suspects who left a stolen car on the banks of the French Broad River. The car was found under the railroad trestle at Emma Road Thursday morning. Hit-and-run charges are expected to be filed against the driver once the suspect is located. There were allegedly some passengers who fled the scene as well.
Drug Crimes Rise In Haywood County
(Haywood County, NC) -- Drug crimes are on the rise in Haywood County. WLOS-TV reports charges connected to drugs have been on the rise since 2019, but homicides have gone down in that time. A Haywood sheriff's captain says the rise in drugs has led to other increases in domestic violence and car thefts. The pandemic is also considered a factor.
Man Killed While Working On Truck In Asheville
(Asheville, NC) -- Asheville police say a man is dead due to an accident in his driveway. The 65-year-old was killed when a truck rolled over him near Haywood Street Wednesday. The truck kicked into gear while he was working on it. Witnesses helped remove the truck, but the man died from injuries.
Flood Watch Still In Effect For Parts Of WNC
(Asheville, NC) -- Parts of western North Carolina are still under the threat of flooding. A major system has been moving through the mountains, leaving behind several inches of rain in some areas. The southwestern corner of the state remains under a flood watch through early this afternoon. Temperatures will drop throughout the day until reaching the low 20s tomorrow morning.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Takes Leave Of Absence
(Mecklenburg County, NC) -- A Mecklenburg County commissioner is taking a leave of absence. Commission Chair George Dunlap says Ella Scarborough will be away from the job due to a medical issue. She was the first Black woman elected to the Charlotte City Council and ran for mayor twice before serving the county. NBC Charlotte says Scarborough hasn't attended a meeting in several months.
Big Marijuana Bust Made In Iredell County
(Iredell County, NC) -- A Los Angeles man is facing charges connected to a large drug bust in Iredell County. Deputies uncovered 66-pounds of marijuana during a routine traffic stop on I-77 Wednesday. The street value is estimated to be around 300-thousand-dollars. The man now faces trafficking charges, among others.
Tepper Foundation Invests In New Charlotte Airport
(Charlotte, NC) -- The owner of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC is making a large investment in a new library. David Tepper announced this week that two of his foundations are donating ten-million-dollars for the project that will replace the old location on North Tryon Street in uptown. The state-of-the-art five-story building is expected to open in 2025.
Arson Suspected In Catawba Fire
(Catawba County, NC) -- Catawba County deputies are investigating a suspicious home fire. No injuries were reported after the house north of Claremont went up in flames Wednesday. A family member told WBTV that a man had an argument with the resident the night before. There is a person of interest in the case
Planning Commission Turns Down Gastonia Development Plan
(Gastonia, NC) -- A new development is being turned down by Gastonia's planning commission. A company is seeking to build nearly 200 homes around Robinwood and Kendrick roads, but neighbors have raised concerns over traffic issues. The commission voted against the project last night.
Large Donation To Made To Education Non-Profit
(Charlotte, NC) -- A non-profit organization for at-risk Charlotte students is getting its largest-ever donation. The city's Communities in Schools branch will receive five-million-dollars as part of a larger nationwide gift of over 130-million-dollars from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The CEO told WSOC-TV the gift will help re-engage students in education and expand programming in under-resourced schools. The organization currently helps over four-thousand students locally.
Jet Blue Flight From Florida To New York Diverted To RDU After Experiencing Radio Problems
(Wake County, NC) -- There were some nervous moments over the skies of parts of the Triangle last night, as a Jet Blue plane was forced to make an emergency landing at RDU. According to a preliminary report, Jet Blue Flight 1730 from Ft. Myers, Florida to JFK in New York, had reached the Norfolk area when it began to experience connectivity issues with the aircraft's radio. The flight was diverted to RDU and circled the airport several times before safely landing. Passengers were transfered to another plane and continued on safely to New York.
13-Year Old Durham Boy Recovering After Being Shot By Stray Bullet While Sleeping
(Durham, NC) -- Authorities in Durham are continuing to search for suspects in a Wednesday night shooting that resulted in a 13-year old boy being struck in the leg by a stray bullet. The child was in bed asleep at the time. It happened just before midnight in the parking lot of the Bentwood Park apartments on Junction Road. Investigators say a gunfight between two groups left at least 36-spent shell casings on the ground. Bullets also penetrated several parked vehicles, as well as three apartment units. Police records show Durham is averaging about two shootings each day.
Ft. Bragg Soldiers Deployed To Eastern Europe As Russian Military Continues To Surround Ukraine
(Ft. Bragg, NC) -- About two-thousand military personnel from Ft. Bragg's 82nd Airborne Infantry Division and the 18th Airborne Corps departed for eastern Europe Thursday. The troops are being deployed to Poland and Germany by President Joe Biden, as diplomatic talks appear to have stalled over Russia's continued military buildup on the boarder of Ukraine. However, the Pentagon insist no U.S. troops are being sent there to fight.
Fire Forces 18-Raleigh Residents From Their Homes As Apartment Complex Catches Fire
(Raleigh, NC) -- At least 18-residents of a Raleigh apartment complex were forced to leave their homes after a fire caused heavy damage. Fortunately, there were no injuries. It happened around 4:10 pm Thursday, at the Arbor Creek Apartments on Portree Place. Fire investigators say a total of six units of the complex were damaged. Authorities believe it was caused by an electrical problem.
UNC Warns Of Counterfeit Basketball Tickets Being Sold For Coach K's Last Game Before Retiring
(Chapel Hill, NC) -- College basketball fans are being warned about counterfeit tickets being sold to the last game for Coach Mike Krzyzewski between Duke and North Carolina. Tip off is at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Dean E. Smith Center on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. On Thursday, the UNC Athletic Department released a statement encouraging fans to purchase tickets through authorized sources only, such as the UNC Athletics ticket office or Stubhub. The University said buying tickets from places like Craigslist or eBay could be counterfeit could contain invalidated bar codes.