Category Archives: Triangle/Local

Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles secures Democratic nomination despite political fallout of train killing

Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles secures Democratic nomination despite political fallout of train killing

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Democratic mayor secured a comfortable win in a primary election despite days of intense backlash following the deadly stabbing of a young Ukrainian woman on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mayor Vi Lyles is seeking a fifth term but is coming under criticism after images of the attack sparked widespread outrage from President Donald Trump and others in the Make America Great Again movement. They say the killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska shows how Democrats are too soft on people with criminal records. Democrats who challenged her in the primary have also said the mayor’s response has been insufficient.… Continue Reading

Man accused of killing Ukrainian refugee on North Carolina train charged with federal crime

Man accused of killing Ukrainian refugee on North Carolina train charged with federal crime

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has charged a man with the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train. The charge means he could face the death penalty. Decarlos Brown Jr. has a lengthy arrest record with 14 prior criminal cases. He allegedly killed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska last month on a train in Charlotte. The case has sparked debate over crime and transit safety in such cities. North Carolina prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder. He now also faces a federal charge of causing death on a mass transportation system.… Continue Reading

Charlotte officials under fire after man with long criminal history kills Ukrainian woman on train

Charlotte officials under fire after man with long criminal history kills Ukrainian woman on train

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte, North Carolina, officials are facing criticism for failing to keep a man with a history of erratic behavior off the streets before he fatally stabbed a young Ukrainian refugee on a commuter train last month. Police say the 23-year-old woman who fled the war in Ukraine only to be killed in an apparently random attack in August was stabbed by a man with a long record of criminal charges and psychiatric crises. The suspect had served time in prison and been briefly committed for schizophrenia. The attack has emerged as a flashpoint in the debate over how cities are dealing with violent crime.… Continue Reading

Judge OKs settlement in North Carolina voter registration lawsuit by Justice Department

Judge OKs settlement in North Carolina voter registration lawsuit by Justice Department

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge has approved a settlement in a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department against North Carolina election officials. The lawsuit demanded officials collect missing identification numbers from what became more than 100,000 registered voters. U.S. District Judge Richard Myers signed the consent agreement Monday. The lawsuit accused the state board of violating the Help America Vote Act by not ensuring accurate registration records for federal elections. The state board had already started a project to address this issue in mid-July that included a public database and mailings. So far, more than 22,000 voter records have been successfully amended.… Continue Reading

Bottlebrush blooms, fall color make Clethra a versatile shrub

Bottlebrush blooms, fall color make Clethra a versatile shrub

I have many different species of plants in my landscape. However, I do not own a “Clethra alnifolia” or “sweet pepper bush” or “summersweet”. I bet if I were to ask brother Rufus if he planted one in his historic yard, he would say yes. Clethra is a native plant to Eastern North America including North Carolina of course. My expert friends on the Weekend Gardener tell us that Clethra is a choice shrub for the Tar Heel state’s growing conditions.… Continue Reading

Duke University pilot project examining pros and cons of using artificial intelligence in college

Duke University pilot project examining pros and cons of using artificial intelligence in college

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke University in North Carolina has launched an initiative to examine the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence brings to student life. The campus will hold discussions on the use of AI tools and present recommendations at the end of this fall semester. Some professors are embracing AI while others have banned it and are concerned that AI may hurt students’ ability to think critically and solve problems. Professors who allow the use of AI caution students that they still need to understand the topic. Some are assigning in-class writing projects or oral presentations to ensure students understand the material.… Continue Reading

Joseph McNeil, who helped spark a protest movement at a North Carolina lunch counter, dies at 83

Joseph McNeil, who helped spark a protest movement at a North Carolina lunch counter, dies at 83

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Joseph McNeil, a key figure in the civil rights movement, has died at 83. McNeil was one of four students who staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960. This act sparked similar nonviolent protests across the South. McNeil later became a two-star general. North Carolina A&T State University and his family announced his death on Thursday. McNeil had faced recent health challenges. The university’s chancellor said McNeil and his classmates had inspired the nation with their courageous, peaceful protest. Only one of the four protesters is now alive.… Continue Reading

Fayetteville State University sets record enrollment, retention gains

Fayetteville State University sets record enrollment, retention gains

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WPTF) – Fayetteville State University is experiencing another year of record enrollment while also posting some of the strongest academic gains in its history, school leaders announced Tuesday. For the fourth straight year, FSU reached an all-time high enrollment with 7,628 students, surpassing last year’s record of 7,100 by more than 500. The freshman class is the largest since 2007 with 820 students, who arrived with an average GPA of 3.32. The university also reported a 78% student retention rate, a 15-point increase since 2021.… Continue Reading

Find zen in your garden with zinnias

Find zen in your garden with zinnias

My mother-in-law, Jean Reeves, was smart, hard-working, industrious, caring and pretty. She loved gardening, and taught her equally pretty daughters about vegetables and flowers and how they co-exist in nature. When I fell in love with Melissa, I also fell in love with her parents’ extraordinary and expansive dairy farm. The vegetable garden was always spacious, pristine and yummy. Jean’s talent for growing flowers was equally as impressive. Her sizable zinnia garden was memorable for the vivid colors. I think a low flying plane would have flown around to get another look.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin still stirring up dangerous waves while it moves away from the East Coast

Hurricane Erin still stirring up dangerous waves while it moves away from the East Coast

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin has battered North Carolina’s Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes. The unusually large hurricane slowly began to move away from the East Coast on Thursday. Erin is not forecast to make landfall. Forecasters say it will slowly weaken over the next few days while turning farther out to sea. The menacing waves have closed beaches from the Carolinas to New York City on Thursday. Along the North Carolina shoreline, the storm breached sand dunes on Hatteras Island and damaged one waterfront motel. Parts of the main route linking the Outer Banks remain closed.… Continue Reading

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