Category Archives: Triangle/Local

Bragg to Liberty and back again: Ceremony to rechristen Army post once named for a Confederate

Bragg to Liberty and back again: Ceremony to rechristen Army post once named for a Confederate

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — First it was Fort Bragg, named in honor of a Confederate general. Then it was Fort Liberty. Now, the North Carolina Army installation is officially Fort Bragg again, only this time in honor of a World War II paratrooper and Silver Star recipient from Maine. A ceremony Friday celebrated the post’s new namesake, Pfc. Roland L. Bragg. President Donald Trump made restoring Confederate names a part of his reelection campaign. While some call it a cynical dodge, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the rededication honors an American hero and restores a name that soldiers knew and revered for over a century.… Continue Reading

Lighter winds help crews fighting wildfires in South and North Carolina

Lighter winds help crews fighting wildfires in South and North Carolina

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Lighter winds in South Carolina and North Carolina are helping firefighters battle blazes that caused evacuations and threatened hundreds of homes over the weekend. Firefighters kept a large blaze near Myrtle Beach from destroying any homes despite social media videos of orange skies at night and flames engulfing pine trees just yards away. The danger wasn’t over Monday. South Carolina officials banned almost all outdoor fires, including burning yard debris and campfires. In western North Carolina, firefighters were setting blazes to burn fuel and contain a wildfire in Polk County.… Continue Reading

USDA scholarship for students at North Carolina A&T suspended

USDA scholarship for students at North Carolina A&T suspended

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal scholarship aimed at boosting students from underserved and rural areas attending historically Black colleges and universities has been put on hold. The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended the 1890 Scholars Program, which provided recipients with full tuition and fees for students studying agriculture, food or natural resource sciences at one of 19 universities, known as the 1890 land grant institutions. It’s not clear exactly when the program was suspended, but some members of Congress first issued statements criticizing the suspension of the program on Thursday. A message seeking more detail was left Saturday with the Department of Agriculture.… Continue Reading

Snowy roads lead to hundreds of Virginia and North Carolina crashes as Arctic air brings record cold

Snowy roads lead to hundreds of Virginia and North Carolina crashes as Arctic air brings record cold

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Snowy roads led to hundreds of crashes throughout Virginia and North Carolina, including a series of crashes on an interstate highway involving more than 50 vehicles. Officials continued to ask people to avoid travel on Thursday to allow crews to work on the roads. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol says it responded to nearly 1,200 collisions statewide on Wednesday. Virginia State Police reported early Thursday that there had been nearly 500 crashes statewide since the storm began, including at least 45 involving injuries. An Arctic air mass is bringing widespread, record-breaking cold to the central United States and forecasters expected some locations to experience their coldest temperatures on record this late in the season.… Continue Reading

Winter-weary East Coast hit with another storm as temperatures plunge elsewhere

Winter-weary East Coast hit with another storm as temperatures plunge elsewhere

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The latest in a long line of winter storms is taking direct aim at the East Coast where heavy snow and some ice is forecast across several states. The storm that dropped snow in the Midwest promised to bring more misery to some places just starting to clean up from deadly weekend floods. The National Weather Service says snow totaling up to 10 inches is possible along the Atlantic Coast in Virginia, and significant ice could accumulate in parts of eastern North Carolina. More snow also is expected in Kentucky, where 14 people died in weekend flooding.… Continue Reading

Gov Stein declares State of Emergency in advance of winter storm

Gov Stein declares State of Emergency in advance of winter storm

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has declared a state of emergency as a major winter storm approaches, expected to bring snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the state starting Wednesday. State agencies, power companies, and local authorities are gearing up for potential power outages and hazardous road conditions. “We are taking every precaution to ensure the safety of North Carolinians,” Stein said. He noted that additional power crews are arriving from other states to support Duke Energy, municipal power systems, and cooperatives already preparing for the storm.… Continue Reading

What is a polar vortex? US gets a taste of the Arctic this week

What is a polar vortex? US gets a taste of the Arctic this week

The term “polar vortex” usually refers to the gigantic circular upper air weather pattern in the Arctic region, enveloping the North Pole. It is a normal pattern that is stronger in the winter and keeps some of the coldest weather bottled up near the North Pole. But at times some of the vortex can break off or move south, bringing unusually cold weather south and permitting warmer weather to creep up north. This week, parts of the U.S. are experiencing the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the U.S. and Europe.… Continue Reading

Flu season in the US is the most intense it’s been in at least 15 years

Flu season in the US is the most intense it’s been in at least 15 years

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. winter virus season is in full force, and by one measure is the most intense in about 15 years. One indicator of flu activity is the percentage of doctor’s office visits driven by flu-like symptoms. According to data posted Friday, that level last week was higher than the peak of any winter flu season since 2009-2010. So far this season, the CDC estimates, there have been 13,000 flu deaths — including at least 57 children. The flu has forced schools to shut down in some states. One Texas district closed for three days because 650 students and 60 staff were out one day last week.… Continue Reading

Friends say Army captain killed in midair collision was a ‘brilliant and fearless’ patriot

Friends say Army captain killed in midair collision was a ‘brilliant and fearless’ patriot

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Army captain who died in Wednesday’s midair collision of a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet was “brilliant and fearless” and “meticulous in everything she did,” friends and fellow soldiers said. Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach was identified by the Army Saturday as one of three soldiers killed in the crash near Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C. In all, 67 people died, including the jet’s 60 passengers and 4 crew members. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, had served as an Army aviation officer since July 2019, earning an Army commendation medal and an achievement medal after graduating from the University of North Carolina as a distinguished military graduate in the top 20% of ROTC cadets nationwide, her family said.… Continue Reading

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