Former Senator Kay Hagan Dies
(Greensboro, NC) -- Former U.S. Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina is dead. Her family says the 66-year-old passed away in her Greensboro home on Monday morning. She spent much of the last three years battling a tick-borne illness called encephalitis. Hagan served one term in the Senate before Republican Thom Tillis won the election in 2014. Governor Roy Cooper called the Democrat a fierce advocate for North Carolina who made it a mission to inspire young people. Tillis said he and his wife Susan join the state in remembering Hagan's distinguished and dedicated record of public service to North Carolina and the nation.
Judges Rule Out NC Congressional Maps for 2020 Election
(Raleigh, NC) -- A Superior Court judges' panel is tossing out North Carolina's congressional maps before the 2020 election. They ruled yesterday that the 13 U.S. House districts drawn up by the Republican-led legislature in 2016 showed extreme partisan gerrymandering. State lawmakers must now redraw new congressional lines before March's primary elections, or else face a delay in the primaries. The court recently ordered North Carolina lawmakers to redraw the state legislative lines over partisan gerrymandering as well.
Suspects In Morganton Kidnapping, Murder To Be Tried Separately
(Mountain City, TN) -- Six suspects accused in the kidnapping and death of a man from Morganton will be tried separately. Investigators say Carlton Edmonson was taken from his home in January 2018. The suspects stopped off in Watauga and Ashe counties before allegedly taking Edmonson into a remote area in Tennessee and beating him. His body still hasn't been found. A judge in Johnson County, Tennessee granted the defense council's request yesterday to hold separate trials, rather than all six in one.
BRP Ranger In Pisgah District Out Of Job After Drug Arrest
(Asheville, NC) -- A Blue Ridge Parkway law enforcement ranger in the Pisgah district is out of a job more than a year-and-a-half after his drug arrest. Greg Wozniak was charged in the summer of 2018 for drug possession after a two-car crash in Tennessee, but the criminal charges were dropped for reasons unknown. A parkway spokesman told the Citizen-Times yesterday that Wozniak is no longer employed with the National Park Service. He had previously been stripped of using a gun during a temporary commission suspension.
Drivers With Lime Damage From Interstate Spill Urged To File Report
(Woodfin, NC) -- Woodfin's police chief is looking for anyone who has damage to their car from an interstate lime spill. Chief Mike Duke told WLOS-TV a large truck hauling lime leaked onto I-26 west from exit 25 to Marshall last Thursday. Anyone who drove across it and has not washed their car yet may have some damage. Chief Duke is urging any victims to file a police report so it can be handled through an insurance company.
Popeyes Bringing Chicken Sandwich Back
(Raleigh, NC) -- The war over the best chicken sandwich will continue this weekend in North Carolina and across the country. Popeye's announced yesterday it is bringing back its version of the chicken sandwich this Sunday. Customers packed out restaurants and drive-thrus this summer to buy the new menu item, which sold out in less than a month. The only Popeyes restaurant in western North Carolina just opened earlier this month on Airport Road in Arden.
Agents Seize Seven-Thousand-Pounds Of Marijuana Headed To Catawba
(Catawba County, NC) -- Three men are in Catawba County jail as a result of a massive drug bust. NBC Charlotte is reporting almost seven-thousand-pounds of marijuana was recently seized at the U.S.-Mexico border that was supposed to be heading to Catawba. Another 40 pounds of cocaine and 200-thousand-dollars in cash was seized from Hickory and Alexander County in connection to the case. The suspects had been under investigation for six months.
Two Die After Amtrak Train Hits Car
(Harrisburg, NC) -- A deadly Amtrak train collision is being investigated just outside Charlotte. A train heading from Charlotte to Raleigh slammed into a car at a railroad crossing at Saddlecreek Court in Harrisburg yesterday afternoon. Two people inside the car were killed, while 45 passengers on the train were uninjured. The tracks were shut down for more than two hours during the investigation.
Former Assistant Principal Pleads Guilty To Having Sex With Students
(Gaston County, NC) -- A former Gaston County assistant principal will be on probation for two years for having sexual relationships with students. Lisa Rothwell pleaded guilty in court yesterday. Investigators say she had sex multiple times with a 17- and 18-year-old student this Spring. Rothwell had been suspended with pay from Stuart Cramer High School, but she has since resigned. A judge sentenced her to a suspended prison sentence of ten-to-21 months, meaning no time behind bars.
City Council Approves Major Lobby Changes At Airport
(Charlotte, NC) -- Major changes are coming to the lobby at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The city council signed off last night on over 500-million-dollars in contracts for a large expansion and modern renovation that's set to start later this year. The lobby will grow by 175-thousand-square feet and include larger ticketing and baggage areas. The project may not be fully completed until 2025.
Restaurant Employees Held Up At Gunpoint
(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is looking for two suspects who held up a south Charlotte restaurant on Sunday night. Investigators say two gunmen came in through the back of Chopt Creative Salad Company in the Park Road Shopping Center just after closing. Eight employees were inside the restaurant at the time, but no one was injured.
Allen To Start At QB Again
(Charlotte, NC) -- The Panthers are going with Kyle Allen at quarterback for the sixth straight game. Carolina head coach Ron Rivera said Monday that Cam Newton is continuing to rehab a foot injury. Allen lost his first game as a starter on Sunday in a 51-to-13 defeat at San Francisco. The Panthers will host Tennessee at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.
Drive-By Shootings Kill 1, Injure 4 In Durham
(Durham, NC) -- One person is dead and four others are injured after two drive-by shootings minutes apart Monday night in Durham. Police say the first shooting happened shortly before 10:30 p.m. when someone in a dark-colored car shot and wounded two men who were walking in the 12-hundred-block of Wabash Street. A little more than five minutes later shots from a dark-colored car hit a man and a woman at a bus stop near Liberty and Dillard streets. A bullet grazed the woman's hip and the man was taken to a nearby hospital where he died.
NC Senate Votes To Ban Smokable Hemp
(Raleigh, NC) -- North Carolina lawmakers are moving closer to banning smokable hemp. The state Senate voted 40-10 Monday night to ban smoking the flower some people use to ease chronic pain and anxiety. Law enforcement officers wanted the ban because they say smokable hemp flowers burn and smell like marijuana. The bill that would ban smokable hemp starting June 1st of next year now goes to the House.
2019 NC State Fair Attendance Lowest In 5 Years
(Raleigh, NC) -- Attendance at this year's NC State Fair was the lowest in five years. Fair officials announced Monday that just over 938-thousand people attended the fair that ran from October 17th through the 27th. It's the second year of declining numbers since attendance totaled more than a million each year from 2015 through 2017.
Two Men Arrested In Deadly Stabbing In Winston-Salem
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- Two men are under arrest in connection with a deadly stabbing in Winston-Salem. Brandon Bussey and Jesse Sanchez were arrested yesterday on suspicion of first-degree murder. They're accused of stabbing their roommate, Marcus Smith, to death at an apartment on West Academy Street earlier that morning. Both men are being held in the Forsyth County Detention Center with no bond.
Bicyclist Hit, Killed By Dump Truck in Winston-Salem
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- A bicyclist is dead after he was sideswiped by a dump-truck in Winston-Salem. The accident happened yesterday morning at Southdale Avenue and Overdale Road. Jamey Thornton of Winston-Salem was killed. Police say it appears he was riding his bike south in the northbound lanes of Southdale. It's not clear whether the truck driver will be charged.
New Mumps Case Confirmed At Elon University
(Elon, NC) -- A new case of the mumps is confirmed at Elon University. That brings the total number of confirmed cases to seven. University officials say the patient has been isolated since visiting the on-campus health clinic. They're continuing to offer MMR vaccinations to students, faculty and staff to help stop the spread of the virus.
Armed Robbery Under Investigation At Dollar General In Greensboro
(Greensboro, NC) -- Greensboro police are investigating an armed robbery at a local Dollar General. It happened last night at the store on Lewiston Road. Police say two men entered, showed a gun and demanded money from the clerk. They took off with an unknown amount of cash. Anyone with information is urged to call Greensboro P-D.