North Carolina News – August 10

BC-NC-BASKETBALL COACH-FATAL PUNCH

Former assistant basketball coach sued over fatal punch

The mother of a New York tourist who was fatally punched has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a former assistant men’s basketball coach at Wake Forest University as well as the school itself. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in New York. Donna Kent of Raleigh is seeking compensatory, statutory and punitive damages against Jamill Jones as well as the university. Jones was sentenced in New York in July to three years of probation in the death of Sandor Szabo in August 2018. Authorities said Szabo, who may have been intoxicated, banged on the window of Jones’ SUV. Police said Jones got out, punched Szabo and sped off.

DOG KILLS FOX

Dog kills fox on family’s property in North Carolina

DALLAS, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 1-year-old pit bull and a rabid fox got into a tussle that ended up killing the fox after the animal appeared on the dog’s owners’ property in North Carolina. News outlets report the incident happened Thursday in Dallas, a town about 25 miles west of Charlotte. Gaston County police said in a news release that state health officials confirmed two days later that the fox’s remains tested positive for rabies. Police say the pit bull was up to date on her vaccinations for rabies. She also received a rabies booster shot. The fox is the fourth confirmed rabies case in Gaston County this year.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ERA OF UNCERTAINTY

For pandemic jobless, the only real certainty is uncertainty

CHICAGO (AP) — Millions of Americans who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are living with uncertainty as experts warn the recovery depends on how fast the public health crisis is solved. Some economists say it’s impossible to know what the unemployment rate will be at year’s end and what jobs will even exist in six months. That leaves many of the jobless in limbo as they struggle with overdue bills and depleted savings, wondering when — and if — they’ll earn another paycheck.

EARTHQUAKE-NORTH CAROLINA

5.1-magnitude quake hits North Carolina, causes minor damage

SPARTA, N.C. (AP) — Officials say an earthquake has shaken much of North Carolina, rattling homes, buildings and residents. The National Weather Service in Greenville said the 5.1-magnitude temblor struck Sparta at 8:07 a.m. Sunday, following a much smaller quake several hours earlier. The weather service said it was the largest earthquake to hit the state since 1916, when a magnitude 5.5 quake occurred near Skyland. There were no immediate reports injuries, but some minor damage to buildings in Sparta was reported. The U.S. Geological Service said the quake’s epicenter was about 2.5 miles (four kilometers) southeast of Sparta, just south of the Virginia-North Carolina border.

UTILITY WORKER-FATAL

Man marking underground utilities dies after hit by car

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Charlotte Police say a worker who was marking underground utilities has died after being hit by a car. Police say it happened early Saturday when 59-year-old Thomas Reynolds Porter Jr., was hit in southwest Charlotte. Authorities say while he was wearing a yellow reflective shirt, his back faced oncoming cars as he worked. Police say his company vehicle, with flashing warning lights, was parked in the driveway of a nearby business, “giving no warning for approaching vehicles.” Police say the driver immediately stopped and called 911. Police say the driver was not charged.

WIELAND COPPER-LAYOFFS

Wieland Copper to lay off 120 in Stokes County

PINE HALL, N.C. (AP) — Wieland Copper Products has announced it’s laying off 120 employees in Stokes County. The company says the layoffs will be at its Pine Hall, North Carolina, operations. Wieland is based in Ulm, Germany. It is one of the world’s largest copper tubing manufacturers. The company announced the cuts in a WARN Act notice to the North Carolina Commerce Department. The notice was submitted Monday and posted on the department’s website Friday. The company has 94 production facilities worldwide. That includes 25 in the U.S., with six in Illinois, for in California and three in Ohio. The Pine Hall facility is its only operation in North Carolina.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-REPUBLICAN-CONVENTION

North Carolina to relax 10-person limit for GOP convention

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina public health officials told the Republican National Committee that the party can have more than 10 people in a room to conduct official convention business while in Charlotte. The updated guidance eases indoor gathering limits Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper imposed in a recently extended executive order. President Donald Trump said he will deliver his nomination acceptance speech for the Charlotte convention but hasn’t committed to speaking to a crowd of people in person. Cooper previously denied Trump’s request to have a full-scale maskless convention in Charlotte. The RNC has estimated it would have no more than 500 delegates per day at the Charlotte Convention Center and the Westin hotel.

AP-US-ELECTION-2020-DOCTORS-REGISTERING-VOTERS

Doctors, hospitals launch voter registration efforts

BOSTON (AP) — Doctors, hospitals and medical students are ramping up efforts to register voters as part of a nationwide campaign this month. In Boston, an ER doctor has created thousands of voter registration kits for distribution at hospitals and doctor’s offices. Students at Harvard and Yale’s medical schools are planning to go head-to-head as part of a national voter registration competition among medical schools. And a Rhode Island doctor has launched an effort to provide hospital patients emergency ballots. Organizers say the wide-ranging efforts are crucial because voter registration is down in many states because of the coronavirus pandemic.