Two Hospital Board Members Resign Over HCA Frustrations

(Transylvania County, NC) -- Two board members at a western North Carolina hospital are quitting due to concerns over HCA Healthcare. The company now owns Transylvania Regional Hospital, which the members claim they were excited about at first. An op-ed published in the Transylvania Times yesterday reveals the board has been given no ability to play an impactful role, as doctors have exited Transylvania Regional in mass. An HCA spokesperson says the community can be confident it's an excellent hospital.

Suspect Arrested For Madison County Murder

(Madison County, NC) -- Investigators are accusing a man of using an unusual weapon in a Madison County homicide. The sheriff told WLOS-TV that a 51-year-old suspect allegedly used a bow-and-arrow to kill a man near Madison Middle School Wednesday. The suspect is facing murder charges.

Donations For Flood Relief Pass Million-Dollar Mark

(Haywood County, NC) -- A flood donation drive is over the seven-figure mark. A United Way executive director told WLOS-TV that donations to the Hope for Haywood relief fund crossed over one-million-dollars this week. The money will go towards those who were impacted during flooding brought on by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred last month.

COVID Hospitalizations Drop To Month Low

(Raleigh, NC) -- North Carolina's COVID hospitalizations are at a month-long low. Health and Human Services reported yesterday that hospitalizations dropped to just over 32-hundred, a number not seen since August 21st. The daily average of new COVID cases also dropped under six-thousand for the first time since late August.

Two Sought In Buncombe Armed Robberies

(Buncombe County, NC) -- Two suspects are wanted for multiple armed robberies in Buncombe County. Deputies are looking for Darius and Tommie Holloway. Both are connected with a robbery in Candler around two-months ago. Another happened in the Leicester area on Wednesday.

Asheville Named NC's Top City With Rudest Drivers

(Asheville, NC) -- A new study shows Asheville drivers are the rudest in the state. An insurance comparison website, Insurify-Dot-Com, recently compared rude behavior traffic citations for four-million drivers across nearly 870-cities. Around 27-drivers-per-thousand in Asheville have one or more rude violations on record, which is the highest rate in North Carolina. Citations include hit-and-run, tailgating, and failure to yield.

CMPD: Officer Shot Woman Who Tried Running Him Over

(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is investigating an officer-involved shooting in south Charlotte. The police chief says an officer was forced to shoot a woman yesterday when she tried to run over him with a car on Tyvola Road. The officer initially responded after hearing reports the woman was firing shots at the owner of a beauty store. The suspect was seriously hurt, but no other injuries were reported.

Massive Cabarrus County Theft Operation Busted

(Cabarrus County, NC) -- A massive theft operation is being investigated in Cabarrus County. Investigators uncovered 400-thousand-dollars'-worth of stolen merchandise from retail stores across the area inside a Harrisburg home. Five people were arrested for various charges in the case. The suspects were allegedly attempting to sell items like power tools, baby items and small appliances online for a profit.

Hotel Closing For Tent City Homeless

(Mecklenburg County, NC) -- A program to help residents of uptown's former tent city is ending next week. The homeless population living there was offered hotel space after they were forced to leave the encampment due to a rat infestation earlier this year. A county official told NBC Charlotte that nearly 40 people have since gone on to find permanent housing. Over 50 have moved on to unsheltered homelessness because of bad or illegal behavior.

CMS Principal Dies

(Charlotte, NC) -- A longtime educator in Charlotte is being mourned. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Association of Educators confirmed yesterday that Harding High School Principal Eric Ward, Senior died this week. He spent over two decades working for CMS. There's no reason for cause of death.

Panthers Stay Undefeated

(Houston, TX) -- The Panthers' hot start to the season is continuing. Carolina pulled away in the second-half to defeat the Texans in Houston last night. Sam Darnold passed for over 300-yards, while the Panthers' defense held Houston to under 200 total yards. Running back Christian McCaffrey was forced to leave the game early with a hamstring injury.

2021 Durham Crime Report Shows Fatal Shootings Up, Other Violent Crime Categories Down

(Durham, NC) -- The Durham Police Department released its latest crime statistics on Thursday. The report showed that the number of people killed by gunfire so far this year is up over the same period in 2020. It examined 2021 gun deaths from January 1st through September 18th. It found that 32 people were shot to death during the eight-and-a half-month period, compared to 22 last year. However, the report also discovered that crimes in other areas, such as robberies, assaults and property crimes, were down.

Frustrated Wake County Residents Voice Strong Criticism Against D.A., Law Enforcement During Criminal Justice Reform Forum

(Wake County, NC) -- Dozens of frustrated citizens aired their grievances about law enforcement during a public forum Thursday night in Wake County. The meeting, organized by the victims advocacy group 'Emancipate NC,' was called to discuss criminal justice reform. Most of the criticism was aimed at District Attorney Laurrin Freeman as well as a Raleigh Police detective who got over a dozen people sent to jail on fraudulent drug charges. The in-person panel discussion at the Chavis Community Center also focused on prosecution and racial equity in Wake County.

Teen Placed In Juvenile Detention After Making Bomb, Shooting Threats Against Schools

(Johnston County, NC) -- A 17-year-old high school student is in custody at a juvenile detention center in Johnston County and more arrests are expected after multiple threats of violence were made against schools on social media. Authorities say threats of shootings and bombings appeared on social media Wednesday against 10 schools in five counties, including Johnston, Cumberland, Nash, Harnett and Wake. The threats prompted several schools to be placed on lockdown. Investigators later found none of the threats to be credible.

NC COVID Key Metrics Appear To Be On Steady Decline

(Raleigh, NC) -- COVID-19 key metrics in North Carolina were down again on Thursday. HHS reported there were five-thousand-953 new cases yesterday, a decrease of 335 from Wednesday's total. There were also three-thousand-231 people in the hospital, down 169 from the day before. In addition, North Carolina's test positive rate was down to about nine-percent.

Start Up Company Already Raised Millions To Treat Blindness

(Raleigh, NC) -- A start-up company in Raleigh, which claims to have developed a genetic treatment for blindness, has already raised over 19-million dollars in seed money. Opus Genetics says it plans to use the funds to begin clinical trials on two gene therapy treatments for blindness. The trials are expected to begin within the next few months.

Mount Tabor High School Student With Gun Arrested

(Winston-Salem, NC) -- A student is accused of bringing a gun to Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem. Authorities found the weapon in the student's backpack yesterday after receiving a tip. They did not say whether it was loaded. No one was hurt. The student, who's a juvenile, was arrested and is expected to be charged with possessing a weapon on campus.

School Leaders Host News Conference Addressing Firearms Issue

(Winston-Salem, NC) -- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is addressing the recent spike in firearms incidents on campus. Superintendent Tricia McManus says in the first five weeks, four firearms and three BB guns were found, most recently yesterday at Mount Tabor High School. She says students who bring a weapon on campus are automatically suspended for 365 days. McManus also says they're hiring more counselors and social workers, and that the district is working with a security consultant to make improvements districtwide.

Tropical Storm Sam In The Atlantic

(Undated) -- We may have the next major hurricane in the Atlantic by the end of the week. Tropical Storm Sam is churning away, and Dr. Jack Bevins with the National Hurricane Center says we could be talking about a hurricane very soon. He says Sam is too far out in the Atlantic to know what impacts might be felt along the east coast. Bevins says 2021 has been particularly busy, and that it's unusual to have 18 named storms by this point in the season.

Medical Marijuana Bill Vote May Come In 2022

(Raleigh, NC) -- A bill to legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina could be put on the back-burner until next year. State leaders say the budget and redistricting process are their priorities right now. The bill would allow marijuana to be used for debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, P-T-S-D and epilepsy.

Woman Found Assaulted To Death In High Point Home

(High Point, NC) -- High Point police are investigating a deadly assault. Twenty-six-year-old Linda Jean Huntley was found dead inside a home on the 700-block of Gaines Avenue on Wednesday night. The suspect was tracked down in Thomasville and arrested. Twenty-nine-year-old Michael Dingle was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and malicious conduct by a prisoner. Police believe this was a domestic incident.

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Jamie Martin