Even though a lot of these puppies are sold in small, independent pet stores, they aren’t bred by the pet store owners. … Continue Reading
North Carolina man dies two weeks after an explosion at his home
WEDDINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina say an 82-year-old man has died two weeks after an explosion at his home. The Union County Sheriff’s Office said reports came in on Nov. 17 of an explosion at a Weddington home that was felt across the county. First responders found severe damage to part of a home. County officials said a man and woman were taken to hospitals and the wife was treated and released. Union County announced that Wesley Decker, who sustained extensive burns in the explosion, was receiving care at a long-term care facility when he died Friday. The Fire Marshal’s Office determined that there was an accidental fuel-air explosion in the garage, but the exact cause remains undetermined.… Continue Reading
Western North Carolina’s water system is finally back online after Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — More than 100,000 residents in western North Carolina are now allowed to drink and bathe with water from their home faucets. The change on Monday comes nearly two months after Hurricane Helene destroyed much of the local water system. Clay Chandler is a spokesman for Asheville’s Water Resources Department. He said tests of the water “were all clear” and that a boil-water notice was lifted. Asheville restored running water to most of its users by the end of October. But the city instituted a boil-water notice as workers brought the system back online and ran tests.… Continue Reading
Top aide for North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is resigning, adding to staff separations
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The top aide to North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson within state government is quitting. A state legislator who knows Brian LiVecchi says Robinson’s chief of staff and general counsel will resign effective next Tuesday. This marks another staff separation from the Republican nominee for governor following a CNN report last week stating he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board. Robinson has denied writing the messages that CNN says were from over a decade ago. Several of his campaign aides have also left their jobs. Robinson has remained optimistic about his electoral chances against Democratic nominee Josh Stein.… Continue Reading
10 homes have collapsed into the Carolina surf. Their destruction was decades in the making
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A slow-motion catastrophe has been playing out in the coastal North Carolina village of Rodanthe. That is where 10 houses have fallen into the Atlantic ocean since 2020. Three homes have been lost since Friday. The most recent collapse was Tuesday afternoon, when the wooden pilings of a home nicknamed “Front Row Seats” buckled in the surf. The destruction was decades in the making. Beach erosion and climate change had slowly edged the Atlantic closer to the homes. The threat is more insidious than a hurricane. Possible solutions won’t be easy or cheap. They include hauling in more sand or buying out expensive homes.… Continue Reading
Coach Dave Canales says Panthers aren’t considering trading QB Young after benching 2023 No. 1 pick
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales said he “absolutely” believes Bryce Young can still be a franchise quarterback, adding that the team has no plans to trade the 2023 No. 1 overall pick after benching him earlier this week. Canales said he believes the Panthers have a great situation at quarterback. Andy Dalton will start Sunday’s Week 3 game at Las Vegas. The 36-year-old journeyman quarterback walked out to the practice field on Wednesday with a big smile on his face, stopping along the way to sign a football for a fan. He took all of the first-team reps while Young was relegated to running the scout team.… Continue Reading
The Smoky Mountains’ highest peak is reverting to the Cherokee name Kuwohi
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — The highest peak at Great Smoky Mountains National Park is officially reverting to its Cherokee name more than 150 years after a surveyor named it for a Confederate general. The U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted on Wednesday in favor of a request from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to officially change the name Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi. The Cherokee name for the mountain translates to “mulberry place.” The park says Kuwohi is a sacred place for the Cherokee people and the highest point within the traditional Cherokee homeland. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America’s most visited national park, and Kuwohi is one its most popular sites, with more than 650,000 visitors per year.… Continue Reading
‘Firehose’ storm hits part of North Carolina and scientists see climate change
The Carolinas braced for a storm that forecasters warned could bring heavy rain — as much as 6 to 8 inches in some spots. But one narrow band got a “firehose” that dumped as much as 20 inches in a so-called 1,000-year flood that shocked many with its intensity. But the storm that left homes flooded, cars submerged and schools closed Tuesday across parts of North Carolina wasn’t really a surprise to scientists who have long said that such rainfalls are one marker of climate change. That’s because a warming atmosphere holds more moisture.… Continue Reading
Ex-Granville County sheriff’s convictions over falsifying training records overturned
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina appeals court has overturned a former county sheriff’s fraud and obstruction convictions from late 2022. A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of ex-Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins on Tuesday. Wilkins served as sheriff for 10 years and has been serving time in state prison. The intermediate-level appeals court said that allegations related to Wilkins falsifying his firearms training requirements didn’t meet the necessary elements for the obstruction and fraud charges. The ruling comes seven months after a subordinate to Wilkins had his obstruction convictions related to the training overturned. The ex-sheriff pleaded to unrelated crimes last fall.… Continue Reading
North Carolina’s coast has been deluged by the fifth historic flood in 25 years
Parts of southeastern North Carolina have been deluged by another historic flood. Highways in Brunswick County remained underwater Tuesday, a day after about 18 inches of rain fell at nearby Carolina Beach in 12 hours. Emergency workers brought food and water to people as they waited for the flooding to recede. But the same area has seen four other floods of a lifetime in the past 25 years from Hurricane Floyd in 1999, unnamed storms in 2010 and 2015, and the benchmark flood with 30 inches of rain from Hurricane Florence in 2018. Meteorologists says warmer temperatures from climate change allows the air to hold more moisture and heavier rains to fall.… Continue Reading