Police have caught the two men they say killed a couple in Granville County, north of Durham yesterday. Edward and Eric Campbell are a father and son from Texas. Police in West Virginia pulled them over yesterday after they realized the car they were driving was stolen. Police say the father opened fire and wounded both officers. They took the men into custody and say the bodies of Jerome and Dora Faulkner were inside the truck. The officer’s injuries are not life-threatening.
More Sandbags Added To Help Save Topsail Homes
Another wall of sandbags is going up along north Topsail beach to save about 20 homes that might otherwise fall into the ocean within a year. The Raleigh News and Observer reports the town and homeowners are splitting the $2.6 million cost. The homes used to be a street back from the ocean, but the original beachfront homes were razed a decade ago as the beach eroded. A researcher at Western Carolina University told the newspaper North Topsail has long been one of the most hazardous islands for development.
School Choice Proponents Try To Expand Scholarships To Special Needs Students
School choice proponents will try to expand the state's scholarship program for students with special needs. The $8 million in state income tax credits allowed for donors in the fiscal year that began July 1 capped out seven weeks ago after 266 tax filers benefited from the credit toward their 2014 filings.
Raleigh And Columbia Based First Citizens Banks Now One Bank
First Citizens Bank based in Raleigh and First Citizens Bank based in Columbia are now one bank. Chairman Frank Holding announced today the merger is complete. He says that makes First Citizens the largest family-controlled bank in the country. The combined bank operates more than 570 branches in eighteen states.
Wild Turkeys Living On SC Golf Course Euthanized
Eighteen wild turkeys that roamed a golf course in South Carolina have been euthanized. That’s after state wildlife officials determined they weren’t native Eastern wild turkeys. The Hilton Head Island Packet reports residents of the gated golf course community complained that as many as 100 turkeys were a nuisance. They chased cars and pecked windows.
The state Department of Natural Resources originally planned to relocate the birds. But agency biologist Jay Cantrell says their aggressive behavior and abnormal coloring made them unfit for relocation. He says officials suspect the turkeys were bred with pen-raised turkeys at some point, raising concerns they could weaken the genetic line of "true" native wild turkeys.
Neighbors Of Eastern NC Hog Farms Sue
Several people living next to hog farms in eastern North Carolina have sued a major player in the state’s hog industry. The Charlotte Observer reports the lawsuits focus on Murphy-Brown. They say the company has failed to protect neighbors from the stench and wastewater sprayed on fields. The lawsuits ask for compensatory and punitive damages and injunctive relief. The company calls the lawsuits a diatribe against the hog industry and its perceived impact on society and the environment.
In Effort To Stop Flu Spread Visitors Younger Than 18 Banned From Local Hospitals
In an effort to prevent the spread of the flu, Carolinas Healthcare System and Novant Health are banning anyone 18 and younger from visiting patients at its hospitals. That ban goes into effect today. Health officials say cases of the flue or flu-like illnesses are at their highest level in North Carolina in more than five years.
Krispy Kreme Co-Founder Dies
One of the co-founders of Winston-Salem based Krispy Kreme doughnuts has died. William Rudolph served as the company’s first vice president. He founded Krispy Kreme with his brother Vernon in the 1930s. William Rudolph was 95.
Suicide Suspected In Death Of Lancaster Inmate
Lancaster County Police suspect suicide in the death of an inmate found unconscious in his cell at the county jail. They say in that 21-year-old Justice Keith Sampley was arrested Wednesday on charges including disorderly conduct and marijuana possession. Sampley was booked into the jail. About four hours after his arrest, deputies say he was discovered unconscious in his cell and couldn't be revived. Officials from the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division are investigating the death. Lancaster police say they won't comment further while that investigation is ongoing.