Month: October 2018

Supply, N.C. — A neighborhood has canceled trick or treating this Halloween. Lisa Hildebrand, secretary of the Lakes of Lockwood property owners association, said hundreds of trick-or-treaters typically flock to the Supply neighborhood because it is safe and well lit. After a community meeting, neighbors agreed the sinkholes pose too large a risk to allow children to trick or treat there this year. “We just don’t want any children hurt,” Hildebrand said. “We have regrets…

By Natalie Matthews, WRAL.com editor Union County, North Carolina — A Charlotte mom has been charged in the death of her 1-year-old son after she allegedly drove around a barricade before her car was overcome with floodwaters during Hurricane Florence, authorities said. HELPFUL LINKS: Videos, images by city Get help, give help | Lives claimed by Florence Dazia Ideah Lee, 20, faces one count of involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor charge of driving on a…

Wildfires tearing through the Western U.S. in recent years have burned whole communities to the ground, claimed countless lives and busted government firefighting budgets. The destruction looks and feels unprecedented — and compared to the last several decades, today’s fires are extremely destructive and expansive, according to satellite data and other measures cited by Utah State University researchers. But in a new study published by the American Geophysical Union journal Earth’s Future, those researchers argue…

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) — Governor Roy Cooper signed an Executive Order on Monday taking aim at the effects of climate change, and vowing to “kickstart” a statewide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “A strong clean energy economy combats climate change while creating good jobs and a healthy environment,” Cooper asserted at a news conference on the SAS Software Campus in Cary. “With historic storms lashing our state, we must combat climate change, make our…

UNION COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — A mother in Union County has been charged in the drowning death of her 1-year-old son after she drove around a barricaded road during Hurricane Florence and her child was swept away in floodwaters. Dazia Ideah Lee, 20, of Charlotte has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor driving on a closed or unopened highway. Union County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Underwood said Lee and her child, Kaiden Lee-Welch, were…

PENDER CO., N.C. (WTVD) — More than a month after Hurricane Florence devastated North Carolina, a major highway remains closed. Water from Florence turned US-421 near Wilmington into more of a river than a road. In addition to covering the pavement, the flood water caused significant damage to the area. North Carolina Department of Transportation is building a temporary bridge that will allow traffic to once again use US-421. Crews hope to open the temporary…

As Hurricane Florence charged toward the Carolinas in September, people and pets were evacuated in an effort to save their lives. Two of the dogs that safely escaped the deadly storm were supposed to return to South Carolina, but they never made it back. Whiskey and Humphrey were killed. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office said the dogs were shot and killed after they got into a fight with another dog on Oct. 19, the Knoxville…