Fire marshal: 11,000 chickens destroyed in overnight fire

TAYLORSVILLE — A North Carolina fire marshal says a large fire destroyed a chicken house and killed 11,000 birds.

News sources report Alexander County Fire Marshal Russell Greene says the fire on Thursday morning caused an estimated $300,000 in damages. Investigators say the fire was accidental and probably electrical, but an exact cause has not been determined.

Firefighters managed to save a nearby chicken house, limiting damage and saving the chickens inside.

District attorney: Deputy justified in fatal shooting

BOONE — A North Carolina district attorney says a deputy was justified in the fatal shooting of a man who had attacked him in March.

Watauga County District Attorney Seth Banks says in a statement released on Thursday that it was necessary for Deputy Adam Gregg to use deadly force in self-defense in the shooting on March 30.

The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office says when Gregg spotted a suspect in some attempted break-ins east of Boone, 22-year-old Andrew John Mason attacked him. According to Banks, Mason knocked a stun gun out of Gregg’s hand and began hitting the deputy him in the face and kicking him.

Banks said Mason reached for Gregg’s holstered service weapon before Gregg pulled out the gun and shot Mason, who died at a local hospital.

Witness tells NTSB plane flew erratically before fatal crash

ASHEVILLE — A preliminary report by federal investigators says a single-engine plane was seen flying erratically before it crashed in a cow pasture in North Carolina, killing two licensed flight instructors onboard.

News outlets report the initial findings from the National Transportation Safety Board show a private pilot watching the plane from his truck saw it enter two stalls and a spin before it disappeared from view.

According to the NTSB report, flight tracking data showed the airplane completed “a series of spiral descending turns” before it landed at an airport at 10:22 a.m. on June 26. The plane took off again at 10:26 a.m. and crashed about two and a half minutes later.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the plane was a Rans S-6 Coyote II light sport aircraft.

Official’s email tells health plan leaders to ‘burn in hell’

GREENSBORO — An executive with a North Carolina hospital has sent a scathing email to the leaders of the State Health Plan describing them as “sorry SOBs” and telling them to “burn in hell.”

News sources report Cone Health assistant director of finance Frank Kauder made the comments in a July 1 email to the health plan’s board of trustees. Cone Health CEO Terry Akin announced that same day that the hospital would not join the plan.

Kauder told WXII in Winston-Salem that he wrote the email because he’s angry about proposed cuts to the state health plan.

State Treasurer Dale Folwell said board members were “saddened and disappointed” by the email. A statement from Cone Health said it disagreed with the tone and content of the email.

Police: Man killed when car crashes into animal hospital

GASTONIA — Police say a North Carolina man was killed when his SUV crashed into an animal hospital.

Gastonia police told news sources 28-year-old Jonathan Wilson of Dallas was killed when his vehicle hit the building early Thursday morning.

A statement by police says the car Wilson was driving apparently was traveling at a high rate of speed when it went out of control, left the road and hit the corner of Eastridge Animal Hospital.

The manager of the animal hospital says there were four dogs and a cat in the hospital at the time of the crash, but none was hurt.

Police charge 2 in fatal Steak n’ Shake robbery

CHARLOTTE — North Carolina police have charged an ex-convict and a woman with murder in a fatal Steak ’n Shake robbery attempt.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said that 30-year-old Eddie Doh also was charged with attempted murder, assault and armed robbery. They say more charges could come once he’s released from the hospital, where he was brought after police shot him.

The department said in a news release Thursday that 26-year-old Kiara Monique Murphy was arrested Wednesday in connection with the shooting that killed 48-year-old employee Darnell Harris and wounded 53-year-old Robert Carpenter Jr.

Steak ’n Shake employees told news outlets a masked man entered the restaurant and began firing Tuesday.

The Charlotte Obersver reports Doh previously pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to first-degree murder in 2013 and was released in January after spending years in prison.

UNC announces new interim chancellor for the School of Arts

WINSTON-SALEM — The University of North Carolina announced their new interim chancellor for the School of Arts.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports Brian Cole will take over as interim chancellor, replacing Lindsay Bierman. President of the UNC System Bill Roper made the announcement Wednesday.

Bierman was chancellor for five years and was appointed to be the new chief executive officer of UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina.

Cole has been the current dean of the School of Music since 2016, where he oversees operations at the schools and programs at the graduate, undergrad and high school level. He has also been executive director of two pre-professional graduate institutes at the school — the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute and the Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute.

Cole will take over August 1.

Information from: Winston-Salem Journal, http://www.journalnow.com

NC hotel carbon monoxide levels not high at time of deaths

ASHEVILLE — Tests have found that carbon monoxide levels weren’t elevated at a North Carolina hotel shortly after two guests were found dead last month.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports three tests by the city’s fire department found no elevated carbon monoxide levels in the Best Western room where 28-year-old Jacob Galloway and 39-year-old James Landreth were staying.

The North Carolina men were visiting the area for a rugby tournament and had celebrated their victory June 8. They were found dead the next day by another person staying in the room. A search warrant says police found no indication of drug use or foul play.

A Friday statement by Asheville police says authorities are still awaiting final autopsy and toxicology reports. It said those may take up to eight months to complete.

Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com

NC officer shot in drive-by while probing separate drive-by

HENDERSON — A North Carolina police officer has been shot and wounded in a drive-by while investigating a separate drive-by.

News outlets report Henderson police say the officer was shot early Thursday while conducting interviews related to the Wednesday shooting that wounded a man. Police say the officer has been hospitalized. Details of the officer’s condition are unclear.

Authorities didn’t immediately release the identities of those involved. State Highway Patrol and local authorities are investigating.

3 NC electric coops get $22M total for hurricane damage

RALEIGH — Three North Carolina electric cooperatives will share more than $22 million as reimbursement from the state and federal governments for systems damaged during Hurricane Florence last year.

The state Department of Public Safety says the Carteret-Craven, Four County and Tideland electric cooperatives will receive the money as reimbursement.

High winds, rain and flooding caused by the hurricane damaged poles, lines and transformers.

The cooperatives provide electrical service to Beaufort, Bladen, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Duplin, Hyde, Jones, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Sampson and Washington counties.

Four County Electric Membership Corp. will receive more than $11 million, and Tideland will receive more than $9 million. Tideland will receive about $2 million.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay more than $16 million of the cost. North Carolina’s share is more than $5.5 million.