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States Of Emergency In Effect After North Carolina Storms
States of emergency are in effect for portions of North Carolina still trying to dig out from severe storms earlier in the week.
A statement from Gov. Roy Cooper's office on Wednesday said the town of Marshall has declared a state of emergency after authorities say a submerged sewer line which travels under the French Broad River is believed to have broken.
The governor's office also said local states of emergency are in place in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Rutherford and Wilkes counties due to the storms. The formal declaration enables jurisdictions to seek state or federal aid if needed.
About a dozen secondary roads remain closed in Catawba, Caldwell, Cleveland and Wilkes counties due to downed trees or power lines.
Utility Worker Clearing Storm Debris In North Carolina Dies
A North Carolina sheriff says a utility worker has been killed after cutting a tree which had fallen on a power line following a severe storm.
Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman says that 31-year-old Brian Keith Wilmoth was cutting the tree Wednesday morning in Taylorsville. His is the first confirmed fatality tied to the storms that rolled through the area on Monday.
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Will Acquire High Point Regional Health
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem is set to acquire High Point Regional Health. The deal announced Wednesday comes at a time when many companies in the industry are consolidating.
High Point Regional is a private, not-for-profit health care system that serves more than 300,000 patients annually in the Triad.
It's been part of the UNC Health Care System since 2013.
Wake Forest Baptist Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Terry Williams says right now there's a lot of financial pressure on medical facilities, and consolidation makes economic sense.
The announcement comes shortly after Wake Forest Baptist closed on a lease agreement with Wilkes Medical Center in July. The deal with High Point Regional is expected to be finalized next summer.
NC Rep. Brisson Says He's Officially Joining GOP
A Democratic state legislator from rural North Carolina is officially joining the Republican Party.
Six-term Rep. Bill Brisson of Bladen County told WECT-TV he would file paperwork to change his voter affiliation later Wednesday.
The switch means Republicans will have 75 of the 120 House seats. Democrats would have to pick up four seats to end the GOP's veto-proof majority.
Brisson routinely voted with House Republicans, particularly on legislation like the budget and redistricting and overriding some of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes.
Police: College Student Forced Girl To Send Nude Photos
Police have accused a Triad college student of forcing a 12-year-old Virginia girl to send him nude images and videos and threatening to send them to people she knew.
The Apex Police Department charged 18-year-old Royce Andrew Reddix on Oct. 13 with eight counts of first-degree exploitation of a minor and a count of exploitation. Reddix is on interim suspension from North Carolina A&T State University.
A search warrant said a report was filed with the Salem, Virginia, Police Department in July by the girl's parents. They said she had been forced to produce the images using an app and the suspect threatened to send them to people she knew unless she produced more. The suspect posed as a 12-year-old girl on the app.