Homeland Security Head Visits NC To Talk ICE
(Raleigh, NC) -- The new acting secretary of Homeland Security is criticizing some North Carolina sheriffs for their refusal to hold detainees for ICE. Chad Wolf visited with Republicans in Raleigh yesterday, where he said local officials are placing the welfare of criminal aliens over the welfare of the American people. Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a bill this year that would force sheriffs to hold ICE detainees. Sheriffs in Buncombe, Mecklenburg and Wake are some of those in opposition to the ICE effort. Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest said the sheriffs are shirking their responsibilities for purely political reasons.
Fire Not Expected To Spread At Cold Mountain
(Pisgah Forest, NC) -- A fire in the Pisgah National Forest isn't expected to spread at this point. The Forest Service is keeping a close eye out today on the smoldering remains of a fire that spread over 220 acres at Cold Mountain. Most of the wilderness area that had been closed since the flames started last Thursday are now open for use. The area east of Deep Gap, including the Cold Mountain Summit Trail, is still closed. Investigators are still trying to figure out how the fire started.
State Receives Grant To Fight Opioid Overdoses
(Raleigh, NC) -- The Justice Department is awarding the state with money to help prevent opioid overdoses. Governor Roy Cooper announced Monday that the Health and Human Services Department is receiving six-and-a-half-million-dollars that will eventually be scattered into the hands of local law enforcement and court systems. The hope is to use the money to fund pre-arrest or pre-conviction diversion programs, provide jail-based medication assisted treatment and to educate on overdose prevention. Jails in Durham and Buncombe already provide medication assisted treatment that's considered successful.
Suspect Arrested After Businesses Spray-Painted
(Asheville, NC) -- A suspect is facing charges for allegedly vandalizing over 30 businesses in Asheville. Kurt Tennant is accused of spray painting the letters S-E-C-S last week on buildings that include the Asheville Art Museum, the Biltmore Building and the Diana Wortham Theatre. He was charged with 32 total counts of damage to property. The property owners are stuck with footing the bill to remove the paint, according to city ordinance.
Correctional Officer Charged For Having Sex With Inmate
(Swannanoa, NC) -- A Public Safety correctional officer is accused of having sex with an inmate at the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women. Sergeant Mark Stout was arrested last Friday for alleged acts that happened from September into October of this year. The Citizen-Times reports his charges include six felony counts of sex acts by a government employee. Stout was already on leave for something unrelated.
Non-Profit Helping Provide "Hope for the Holidays"
(Asheville, NC) -- An Asheville non-profit is doing its part to make sure students in Buncombe County have some happy holidays. WLOS-TV says volunteers at Hearts with Hands joined together last night to prepare packages of presents, food and hygiene products for students in need. It's the first edition of the Hope for the Holidays event. The gifts will go out to students on December 7th, with more items also being donated to people in the Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian.
CMPD Chief Wants Others To Step Up
(Charlotte, NC) -- CMPD's police chief is urging others to step up in the fight against violent crime in Charlotte. The number of homicides this year in the Queen City is almost at 100, and Chief Kerr Putney says it's in part due to repeat offenders. He told NBC Charlotte yesterday that the police department can't do everyone else's jobs. Putney wants to see what's being done in the justice system. The number of violent crime arrests and illegal guns seized are both reportedly up in 2019 compared to last year.
Sheriff: Ten-Year-Old Accidentally Shot By Friend
(Lancaster County, SC) -- Lancaster County investigators say a ten-year-old boy was accidentally shot to death by his friend. It was almost two weeks ago when Dylan Twitty was shot in a mobile home off Memorial Park Road. His ten-year-old friend reportedly found a pistol under a mattress before accidentally firing the weapon while the two played in the living room. There was no one else home at the time. A parent of Twitty's friend was arrested last week for unlawful neglect of a child.
North Charlotte Home Fire Considered Arson
(Charlotte, NC) -- An early Monday morning fire in north Charlotte is being called an arson. Flames tore through the attic area of a home on Norris Avenue around 6:30 a.m. Firefighters had everything under control in half-an-hour, but not before around 20-thousand-dollars in damage was done. Investigators believe the blaze was intentionally set.
Chester Man ID'd As Shoplifter Killed By Police
(Chester, SC) -- Details are still emerging from a deadly officer-involved shooting at a Walmart in Chester. Investigators say an alleged shoplifter at the J.A. Cochran Bypass store was shot in a confrontation while police officers were on regular safety patrols Saturday morning. The suspect was identified yesterday as 28-year-old Ariane McCree of Chester. No officers were injured.
Remains Of Gaston County Soldier Return Home
(Gaston County, NC) -- A Gaston County man who went missing while serving in the Korean War will be laid to rest this weekend. The remains of U.S. Army Corporal Earl Duncan made it to the Charlotte-Douglas Airport on Saturday, almost 69 years after he disappeared during a battle in North Korea. The family told WSOC-TV that they found out about a DNA match in September. A service is coming up at Gaston Memorial Park this weekend.
Annual Thanksgiving Parade In Uptown
(Charlotte, NC) -- More than 500 community volunteers are making last minute preparations for the Novant Health Thanksgiving Day Parade in uptown. Organizers expect more than 100-thousand people to come out to the event. Floats, costumed characters and marching bands will make the mile-long journey on Tryon Street from 9th to Stonewall beginning at 9 a.m. Anyone attending is urged to get there a couple of hours early to get a good spot.
Shooting At Durham Health Clinic Called Murder-Suicide
(Durham, NC) -- Durham Police say a shooting outside a health clinic Monday morning was a murder-suicide. Investigators say 33-year-old Lequintin Ford shot 28-year-old Victoria Amanda St. Hillaire in the parking lot of the UNC Family Medical Center then killed himself. St. Hillaire worked at the center and the two had dated before she got a court order to keep Ford away from her and her children. The health center on Mayfair Street was closed after the shooting and it will remain closed all week.
Raleigh Police Grab Suspect Soon After Gas Station Holdup
(Raleigh, NC) -- Raleigh Police caught an armed robbery suspect right after the holdup Monday night. Police say a man with a gun held up a Shell station on Spring Forest Road near Atlantic Avenue just before 11 p.m. A short time later officers had the suspect in custody. No one was injured in the robbery.
Fayetteville Woman Arrested After Running Stop Sign, Shooting At Police
(Fayetteville, NC) -- A 26-year-old woman is facing charges after allegedly running a stop sign and shooting at Fayetteville Police. Police say the woman ran a stop sign around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night, tried to get away officers and fired shots at the officer who chased her. When officers arrested her, they found a stolen gun and shell casings in her car.
Kitchen Explosion Prompts Wake Forest School Evacuation
(Wake Forest, NC) -- A Wake Forest elementary school was evacuated Monday morning after an explosion in the kitchen. A spokesman says leaders evacuated the building after an oven malfunction blew out a panel on a gas stove at Jones Dairy Elementary School. The blast didn't start a fire and it was later determined there was no danger to students or staff. A repairman was called to fix the problem and everyone was back inside by noon.
Top-Six Unchanged In Hoops Coaches' Poll
(Undated) -- Duke remains on top of college basketball's Top-25 Coaches Poll and UNC is number four. Duke is followed by Louisville, Michigan State, UNC, Kansas, and Virginia. Those teams filled the top six spots in last week's poll. The Blue Devils host Winthrop on Friday and the Tar Heels play at Alabama Wednesday night.
NC Marine Wanted For VA Homicide
(Franklin Co., VA) -- A Marine who left his post at Camp Lejeune [[ luh- JERN ]] last month is now on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Twenty-two-year-old Michael Alexander Brown is accused of killing his mother's boyfriend on November 9th near Roanoke, Virginia. A ten-thousand-dollar reward is being offered for information that leads to his arrest. Authorities say he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Winston-Salem Police Investigate Sexual Assault In Front Yard
(Winston-Salem, NC) -- Police are investigating reports of a sexual assault in the front yard of a home in Winston-Salem. It happened around 7:30 Friday morning on Colton Street, near Clemmonsville Road. The victim's dad tells FOX 8 she was walking to the school bus when a bald man with a goatee and hoop earrings assaulted her in a front yard. Investigators are currently reviewing surveillance footage. Anyone with information is urged to call Winston-Salem PD.
Reidsville Woman Accused Of Pretending To Be Attorney
(Rockingham Co., NC) -- A Reidsville woman is accused of pretending to be an attorney. Mary Powell was arrested on two counts of practicing law without a license. Rockingham County sheriff's deputies say she agreed to be the attorney for someone she knew who was dealing with a civil issue. They say Powell presented herself as an attorney in court on October 30th and November 6th. She's behind bars on a five-thousand-dollar bond.
Elderly Man Dies After Hit Bay Car with Frosted Windows
(High Point, NC) -- An elderly man is dead and his wife is recovering after they were hit by a car with a frosted windshield. The accident happened Thursday morning on Dover Place in High Point. Police say the driver's windshield was still frosted from the cold weather. Eighty-year-old Ronald Adams died of his injuries on Sunday, and 77-year-old Miriam Adams was released from the hospital. The driver, Dana Dollaeye, was charged with careless and reckless driving. More charges are possible.
Most Googled Thanksgiving Recipes Across America
(Undated) -- A new report is taking a look at the most popular Thanksgiving dishes across the U.S. According to data from Google Trends and compiled by Satellite Internet, the most searched-for recipe in North Carolina this month was Mac n Cheese. America's most-googled Thanksgiving recipe, as a whole, was mashed potatoes. Only four states made turkey their top search: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Hawaii.