Wineries could be coming to Charlotte
Mecklenburg County
Charlotte City Council voted in favor of a petition Monday night to allow wineries to open in the city. Producers who make wine, cider or mead on property would follow the same zoning rules that breweries follow. Previously, zoning required that alcohol production only occur in industrial areas. The vote in favor of the amendment came from a petition circulated by Bold Rock Cider Company which argued that adding wineries and cideries to the thriving craft brewery scene would draw people to urban neighborhood for shopping and recreation.
Source: WSOC-TV
American Pickers coming to N.C.
Wake County
The hit show American Pickers is looking for collectors in North Carolina to agree to be on the program. Producers of the History Channel program say that hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz will be in N.C. this spring and want to meet people with a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques, but not flea markets or stores. The show features the hosts offering to purchase and restore relics of American and state history. For more information contact the show at [email protected].
Source: History Channel
Davidson County fights cyberattack as data held for ransom
Davidson County
Davidson County Commissioners held an emergency meeting in Lexington Monday to discuss a cybersecurity breach in the county’s computer system. The attack affected 70 of the system’s 90 servers, encrypting their data so it cannot be accessed. Investigators are in contact with the FBI and say the information is being held for ransom but did not say how much money the attackers want. Officials did say that resident and employee private information was not put in jeopardy. The county said that they are working around the clock to first restore 911 emergency information, and then additional data. They expect the fix to take anywhere from a few days to a few months.
Source: WXII-TV
Missing Fort Bragg family located
Cumberland County
Spc. Travis W. Reynolds, of Fayetteville, his wife and their 19-month-old son have been located at a campsite in Tennessee after relatives reported them missing last week. Officials at Fort Bragg say Reynolds has been absent without leave (AWOL) for almost a month. A 35F intelligence analyst with the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, Reynolds reportedly left voluntarily and has been marked AWOL since Jan. 17. Officials have not said if Reynolds will be charged.
Source: Fayetteville Observer
“Three Billboards” gets international acclaim
Jackson County
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri” won five awards over the weekend at the British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Leading Actress (for Frances McDormand). The movie was shot mostly in Black Mountain and Sylva in the western part of North Carolina. The film also won four Golden Globe Awards last month and is nominated for seven Academy Awards.
Source: Variety
Two arrested after hit-and-run
Macon County
The Macon County Sheriff’s Office says that James Fred Hurst and Kathy Fay Nicole Atcheson were arrested Monday morning after numerous tips from the community revealed their location. The two are charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash happened just over a week ago that left Jesus Ruiz Soriano in critical condition. The two also face breaking and entering charges and are being held on $20,000 bond.
Source: WLOS-TV
Cub Scouts of Western N.C. accepts first girls
Avery County
Cub Scouts of Western North Carolina had its first girls join the pack this month. Everleigh Gittings, 6, Katherine Garrett, 7, Asa Smith, 6, and Sophia Rarick, 6, were recently welcomed as members of Pack 26 in a service at Avery’s Creek United Methodist Church in Arden. Smith’s father is a pack leader, her mother is a den leader, and her brothers are both members of the pack. In October 2017, the Boy Scouts of America announced it would start allowing larger packs to admit girls into the Cub Scouts, which is comprised of younger people, and for older groups, the organization will launch a new program for girls using the same curriculum as Boy Scouts.
Source: Asheville Citizen Times
Inaugural Bigfoot Festival set for September
McDowell County
Mark your calendars because the first Western North Carolina Bigfoot Festival has been scheduled for Sept. 8 in Marion. The event is being planned by Bigfoot 911, a group of researchers in N.C. who work to prove the creature’s existence. They gained national recognition when they posted an alleged sighting online over the summer. Organizers say they will have food, children’s entertainment, displays, Bigfoot experts and a “calling contest” at the festival.
Source: Charlotte Observer
Hatteras goes dark
Dare County
North Carolina’s landmark Cape Hatteras has gone dark for a month as lighting repairs are being made to the lighthouse. A wave of storms in early January appeared to have caused lighting issues. The National Park Service manages the lighthouse itself, while the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the operation of the light. The Aids to Navigation Teams in Wanchese sent an electrician to the site once the damage was reported the weekend of Jan. 13. Since then, the parts needed to make the repair have been ordered, however there is not yet an exact time frame of when the repair will be complete.
Source: Coastal Review Online
Social media posts threaten several Pitt County schools
Pitt County
A social media post threatening violence at South Central High School and J.H. Rose High School went viral on Monday. The photo was an altered version of one originally posted on Snapchat by a student in South Carolina shortly after the mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla. The original photo showed the student holding a rifle with a caption that read “Florida Round 2.” That student was arrested. A post distributed on Snapchat Monday showed the same image with a caption that read “South Central High Monday 2:45,” prompting officials to increase security there and other schools.
Source: Daily Reflector
Chowan University welcomes new president
Hertford County
Chowan University in Murfreesboro is welcoming a new leader. Dr. Kirk E. Peterson was formally introduced as the 23rd president in Chowan’s storied 170-year history. As of June 1, he will take the reins from current Chowan President Dr. Chris White, who will transition over to the role of chancellor. That move was announced last year.
Source: Roanoke-Chowan News Herald
