North Carolina Senator Calls For Cawthorn Investigation
(Washington, DC) -- A North Carolina Senator is calling for an investigation into western North Carolina's Congressman. Thom Tillis announced yesterday he is asking for a bi-partisan probe of alleged insider trading committed by fellow Republican Madison Cawthorn. He reportedly attended a late December party just before shares for a bitcoin company skyrocketed. Cawthorn was just charged with a misdemeanor earlier this week for allegedly bringing a gun through the security checkpoint at Charlotte's airport.
State AG Visiting Asheville To Discuss Healthcare Consolidation
(Asheville, NC) -- The state's attorney general will be in Asheville today to discuss healthcare consolidations. Josh Stein is expected to be joined by other state and local leaders at the office for Buncombe County Health and Human Services. Talks will revolved around how consolidations affect healthcare costs and quality.
Raise Proposed For Asheville City Employees
(Asheville, NC) -- Asheville city employees are set to receive a raise in new budget plans. The Citizen-Times reports city officials were presented with plans for a four-percent increase for those hired before this year in a budget work session this week. Anyone hired in 2022 would see a salary increase of two-and-a-half-percent. The increases will cost the city around three-million-dollars.
McDowell Man Heading To Prison For Murder
(McDowell County, NC) -- A McDowell County man is heading to prison for murder. Walter Mitchell was sentenced to life without parole earlier this month after a jury found him guilty of killing a man nearly four-years ago. Investigators say he shot his roommate to death at a home in Nebo.
Suspects Wanted For Asheville Larcenies
(Asheville, NC) -- Investigators are looking for half-a-dozen suspects in recent Asheville larcenies. The police department is asking for the public's help in finding six people facing warrants for crimes committed over the past few months. Names and charges were released on the social media accounts for the police department yesterday. One of the suspects has ten open warrants.
Asheville Applies For Grant To Improve Stormwater Project
(Asheville, NC) -- A grant is going to help upgrade a stormwater project in west Asheville. WLOS-TV reports the city is receiving one-million-dollars to finish a project along Sulphur Springs Road. Asheville's stormwater division manager said work needs to continue on the city's aging system.
Early Voting To Begin Today
(Asheville, NC) -- Early voting begins today for primary elections in North Carolina. Voters are able to cast early ballots now through May 14h. Same day registration is also being offered.
Teen Arrested In Rock Hill Triple Homicide
(Rock Hill, SC) -- Rock Hill police are piecing together details from a triple homicide. Three teenagers were killed in a shootout near Grandview Memorial Park late Tuesday night. A 17-year-old was arrested for murder, and is expected to be tried as an adult. A bond hearing is scheduled for today.
Panthers' Owner Passes Over Training Center Talks
(Rock Hill, SC) -- The owner of the Panthers is not discussing plans around the team's new training facility for now. Financial disagreements led to a halt at the new center in York County earlier this month. Carolina owner David Tepper spoke yesterday, but wanted to focus on the NFL draft rather than the new training location. The city of Rock Hill has requested to avoid discussing the issue in public.
Millions Spent For Hotels Used By Homeless
(Charlotte, NC) -- Efforts to help the homeless in Charlotte during the COVID pandemic cost millions. NBC Charlotte reports 15-million-dollars has been spent to use four Mecklenburg County hotels as temporary housing for the homeless since early 2020. Rooms were used for around two-thousand people. The health director says FEMA is expected to reimburse all expenses.
Fire Tears Through Vacant Hickory Factory
(Hickory, NC) -- The cause of a major fire is being investigated in Hickory. A vacant frame shop factory on 11th Avenue went up in flames early Wednesday morning. It comes less than two-months after a fire spread through another empty plant a couple of miles away. No injuries were reported from yesterday's fire, which officials still haven't pinpointed the cause.
CMPD Targets Reckless Bikers
(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is targeting dangerous bikers and ATV drivers across the Queen City. Officers have connected a group of riders to multiple violent acts over the past month. Two suspects were arrested for a shooting near Romare Bearden Park in mid-April that left one person paralyzed. Another investigation led to the seizure of 40-pounds of marijuana and over 20-grams of fentanyl.
Charlotte Man Arrested For Lake Wylie Murder
(Lake Wylie, SC) -- A Charlotte man is behind bars for a murder at Lake Wylie. Investigators say the victim died after being assaulted in the parking lot of the Papa-Doc's restaurant in early March. The suspect was arrested yesterday on charges of murder.
Waste Water Samples Show COVID-19 In North Carolina Has Doubled In One Week
(Raleigh, NC) -- Weekly data released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Wednesday, show that COVID-19 particles found in waste water have more than doubled within the past seven days. That represents a 707-percent increase since the beginning of April. The Agency also reported the number of new cases of the virus have increased by 38-percent, with more than 11-thousand-600 infections. 98-percent of all new cases of the virus are of the BA.2 subvariant.
Ft. Bragg Soldiers On Training Flight Treated For Heat Exhaustion
(Ft. Bragg, NC) -- The military is reporting several soldiers at Ft. Bragg were overcome by heat during training exercises yesterday. A base spokesperson said the incident happened during a flight aboard an 18th Airborne Corps aircraft. When the soldiers began to show signs of heat exhaustion, the plane immediately landed and they were treated on site before being transported to medical facilities. None of the injuries were considered to be serious or life threatening. The exact number of soldiers affected was not released.
Early Voting Starts Today At Polling Precincts Across North Carolina
(Raleigh, NC) -- Early voting gets underway today in North Carolina for the upcoming May 17th primary. Voters will cast ballots for candidates in a number hotly contested races, including the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Richard Burr and the 1st District Congressional seat, left vacant by the retiring the retiring Democrat G.K. Butterfield. North Carolina has been classified as an 'Open Primary State', meaning unaffiliated voters can cast ballots for either Republican or Democratic candidates. Early voting runs through May 14th.
North Carolina Awarded Over 3-Million To Help Activate New Suicide Prevention Line
(Raleigh, NC) -- The State of North Carolina has been awarded a 3-point-3 million dollar federal grant to aid in suicide prevention. According to HHS, funds from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, will be used to transition the state's 10-digit Prevention Life Line to an updated three digit 988-exchange. The new emergency number is set to be activated on July 16th.
NC State Big Man Ickem Eckwono Expected To Go High In NFL Draft Tonight
(Raleigh, NC) -- When the NFL Draft begins tonight, all eyes will be on NC State offensive lineman Ickem Ekwonu [[ EE-kehm eck-WAHN-ew ]]to see how high he goes in the first round. Some experts have already picked the 6-foot-4 320 pound left tackle to be the number 1 overall pick in the draft. The NFL Draft begins tonight at 8:pm Eastern.