Funding Expected For New Museum In Downtown Winston-Salem
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve close to $17 million for a new museum in downtown Winton-Salem.
The museum would provide a new home for SciWorks and the Children's Museum, which will officially merge this week.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports the new building will be on the site of the former Forsyth County Sheriff's office.
Plans include a new planetarium, large water play area, and a space for SciWorks indoor animals.
Lawmakers Poised To Expand Investigative Grand Juries
Legislation advancing through the North Carolina Senate would give new powers to investigative grand juries, a move that the attorney general has been pushing for nearly a decade.
A Senate judiciary committee passed a bill Thursday to enable the state to call witnesses and compel them to testify in cases of bribery or public corruption. The House approved the measure earlier this month.
Officials: 11-Year-Old Was Bit By Shark At Atlantic Beach
Officials say an 11-year-old boy was bit by a shark off the coast of North Carolina, the second incident in as many weeks.
WAVY-TV reports that Atlantic Beach fire officials say the shark bit the boy on his left foot Sunday around 2:30 p.m. while he was surfing near the Fort Macon State Park bathhouse.
The child reportedly had severe wounds and was taken to a hospital. He is expected to survive.
Severe Drought Creeps Into Western North Carolina
Drought is creeping into western North Carolina, with parts of four mountain counties now considered in a severe drought.
The National Weather Service says the dry stretch began in the spring after record-breaking rainfall in Asheville in November and December. Since the beginning of March, Asheville has received just half of its average rainfall.
The U.S. Drought Monitor has placed parts of Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Transylvania counties in severe drought. Ten other North Carolina mountain counties are in a moderate drought from McDowell County westward.
Authorities Investigate Possible Drug OD Death Of NC Inmate
North Carolina correctional officials say they have asked a sheriff's department to investigate the death of an inmate, who may have suffered a drug overdose.
Officials with the state Department of Public Safety said in a news release Sunday that a correctional captain found 31-year-old Justin Cauble unresponsive in his cell at Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville on Saturday night.
The release says staff performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and called emergency medical services, along with the Alexander County Sheriff's Office.
DPS spokeswoman Pam Walker says in the news release that Cauble may have died of a drug overdose. She says an internal investigation has begun and that the sheriff's office will investigate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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