Charlotte North Carolina News

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (FOX 13) – Despite the devastation from Hurricane Michael, the Halloween festivities went on. Heather D’Agostino Piddington shared a Facebook image of her daughter trick-or-treating through their Panama City neighborhood, which was torn apart by the hurricane. The sun is seen setting in the background as 4-year-old Alivia set out to collect candy. She walked on the street, which was lined with debris and trash. It didn’t damper her spirits though, her mother said. Alivia’s…

A new estimate from the Office of State Budget and Management shows that Hurricane Florence caused close to $17 billion in damage when it made landfall in September, up from the original $13 billion estimate. The storm, which saw tropical storm-force winds up to 99 miles per hour in some areas of the state, left hundreds of thousands of people without power. In the six weeks since, more than 130,000 have registered with FEMA for…

Authorities in Union County have filed criminal charges against the mother of a 1-year-old boy who drowned last month in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Florence.  The Union County Sheriff’s Office said Dazia Lee, 20, of Charlotte is charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and driving on a closed (or unopened) highway. Lee told news outlets that she saw barricades near a flooded bridge on Highway 218, but also saw other people drive across the bridge.  In a…

The mother of a 1-year-old who drowned during Hurricane Florence has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, the Union County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday. Dazia Ideah Lee, 20, was served with a summons for a November court date, the sheriff’s office said. She has also been charged with driving on a closed or unopened highway. Lee was driving with her son, Kaiden Lee Welch, in wet weather on the night of Sept. 16, when Union County…

Two major hurricanes hit North Carolina in the last month, and, while the damage was severe to some parts of the state, damage from flooding in the Charlotte area was less than it would have been a decade ago. That wasn’t by accident — in fact, it was years in the making. It all started in 1999 after Tropical Storm Jerry. Homes flooded in Charlotte and the storm caused $5 million in property damage. But…

A second South Carolina law enforcement officer died, several weeks after what police call an ambush attack in Florence.  Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said Deputy Farrah Turner died yesterday from injuries related to the shooting Oct. 3.  Turner had been hospitalized since the attack. Boone called her “an ultimate professional, excelling at everything she did.”  Turner was among seven law enforcement officers shot by 74-year-old Frederick Hopkins, who opened fire without warning when the…

MEXICO CITY (AP) – Hurricane Willa grew into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm and swept toward Mexico’s Pacific coast with winds of 160 mph (260 kph) Monday, threatening a stretch of high-rise resort hotels, surfing beaches and fishing villages. The hurricane was expected to pass over or near the Islas Marias – a set of islands about 60 miles offshore that include a nature preserve and a federal prison – early Tuesday, then blow…

The Lynx Blue Line light rail and Gold Line streetcar will return to full service Monday, the Charlotte Area Transit System said Sunday. In a tweet, CATS said normal service would return to uptown, South End and between uptown and NoDa. A fallen tree damaged overhead wires that provide electricity and communications to the trains when the remnants of Tropical Storm Michael blew across North Carolina, according an Oct. 16 Observer report. CATS previously had…

FLORENCE, SC (FOX 46 WJZY) – The Richland County Sheriff’s Office says they found nearly 400 shell casings and more than 126 guns at the home of the Florence, SC man accused of shooting seven police officers, killing one.  On Tuesday, Sheriff Leon Lott announced that the scene at the home in the Vintage Place community where 74-year-old Frederick Hopkins ambushed law enforcement officers on Wednesday, Oct. 3, has been fully processed.  The Sheriff said this…

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina legislators are spending $400 million to speed recovery from Hurricane Florence and setting aside another $450 million for upcoming needs, temporarily setting aside the sharp partisanship that’s typified government. Legislators on Monday approved a second emergency spending plan a month after Florence slammed into the state. Lawmakers set aside $50 million to match federal disaster relief funds during a special session last week. The new package includes $95 million…

College students, small business owners, families with young children and rural hospitals and fire departments are just some of those now eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars in state hurricane recovery money. The N.C. General Assembly voted Monday night to approve $850 million in Hurricane Florence relief, including $400 million that can be spent right away and $450 million that state leaders will decide in the coming months how to spend. That’s on top…

It could be a week before full light rail and streetcar service is restored in Charlotte, due to damage caused by Hurricane Michael last Thursday. Meanwhile, the city says at least 50 streets remain completely or partially blocked.  Service on the Lynx Blue Line has been limited since a tree near 12th Street fell on the overhead lines that power the trains. Charlotte Area Transit System says it will continue running buses for at least…