Mt. Mitchell closes due to snow, ice, wind; October's lowest temperature recorded Wednesday

Mt. Mitchell State Park closed Thursday, Oct. 28, due to snow, ice and high winds. The weather station on Mt. Mitchell showed a temperature of 36 degrees, with a wind chill of 25 degrees and wind gusts of 22 mph, at of 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The low for the day was 35 degrees, recorded at 3:15 p.m., a…

Top treats: North Carolina's favorite Halloween candies

It's almost Halloween so let's talk candy. For North Carolina, the most popular Halloween candy is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. CandyStore.com, a major retailer for buying candy in bulk, studied candy sales data from the past 14 years to decide which Halloween candy is most loved in each state. For …

Richlands native pens children's book to bust stigma around ADHD

While the pandemic had many binge-watching shows in 2020, Richlands, North Carolina, native Jennifer Langston wrote a children’s book. Langston is a mental health therapist and clinical supervisor who now works with children, adolescents and adults. During her downtime away from helping clients nav…

Former New Bern chief of police to throw hat into mayor ring

Toussaint Summers recently retired as New Bern's chief of police in March. This week Summers made his second big announcement in a year -- he will throw his hat into the ring and run for New Bern mayor in the upcoming 2022 municipal elections. He became the city’s first Black police chief in 2011 b…

Ex-wife accuses Wilmington City Council candidate of domestic abuse

The former wife of a candidate for Wilmington City Council has accused him of physical and emotional abuse while they were married. Cat Halecki said in a Facebook post Wednesday that she was abused by Jonathan Uzcategui, a Republican running for Wilmington City Council in the Nov. 2 race. She said …

'He led this community from the heart': Hoke County mourns loss of Sheriff Hubert Peterkin

American flags attached to fire trucks blew in the somber drizzle outside the Cape Fear conference B Headquarters on Friday, Oct. 29. The rain didn’t deter the Hoke County community, friends, family and supporters of longtime Sheriff Hubert Peterkin from lining up outside. The 59-year-old Peterkin …

Giant new distribution center planned for Fayetteville. Is it Amazon?

A one-million-square-foot distribution center that will create more than 500 full-time jobs appears to be coming to Fayetteville. Local officials would not identify the prospective tenant, but city documents imply that the owner is Amazon. The proposed facility, nicknamed "Project Bronco," is expec…

Mayor Mitch Colvin to rescind Fayetteville's mask mandate, Cumberland's order remains

Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin is rescinding the city’s mask mandate effective Monday, Nov. 1. Colvin made the announcement Friday, Oct. 29, saying the decision was the result of the reduction in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. On Aug. 27, Cumberland County commissioners mandated masks for th…

Asheville Airport travelers return in force; plans to double terminal size move forward

Asheville Regional Airport is a busy place again. Passenger numbers have rebounded to higher levels than before the COVID-19 pandemic, surprising officials. While it may have been a speedbump to passenger numbers, the pandemic didn't stop the planning for construction of a new, $230 million termina…

Asheville Police execute search warrant in case of man found in Swannanoa River

Police are making progress in the homicide investigation of Benjamin Lee Hoffman II, whose body was found in the Swannanoa River Oct. 18. Police executed a search arrant Oct. 28 and collected what they describe as a key piece of evidence detectives believe will clear or support the allegation of a …