North Carolina News – January 5

AP-US-ATLANTIC-COAST-PIPELINE

Regulators get plan for undoing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The developers of the now-canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline are laying out plans for how they want to go about unwinding their work and restoring disturbed land. In a filing with federal regulators made public Tuesday, the pipeline company proposed an approximately 24-month timeline for efforts West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. Progress on the pipeline project ranged from none to essentially complete in some areas. The plan outlines where the company plans to clean up felled trees and where they plan to leave them behind, and it proposes abandoning the approximately 31 miles of installed pipe in place.

BC-NC-GOATS KILLED

Police: Nearly a dozen goats have been shot and killed

RAMSEUR, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say they’re investigating after nearly a dozen goats were shot and killed. The Raleigh News & Observer reported Tuesday that the incident occurred in the Ramseur area in Randolph County. The sheriff’s office said it had been called after a livestock owner reported finding several dead animals over the weekend. The department said that eleven goats were likely killed on Saturday afternoon. That number includes five baby goats that died. The area where the goats were killed is roughly 60 miles (97 kilometers) west of Raleigh. Authorities are still seeking information about the deaths.

BC-NC-RARE COIN COLLECTION

Rare coins found on Outer Banks to be displayed at museum

HATTERAS VILLAGE, N.C. (AP) — A museum in North Carolina plans to exhibit a collection of coins that were found on the Outer Banks. The coins date as far back 221 BC and originated in places as far away as Spain and Egypt. The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday that the 55 coins are currently kept in a back room of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Depending on state funding, there are also plans to create an app that displays each coin the history behind it. The late William Sell and his wife, Catherine, of Pennsylvania collected the coins over decades. Some could have been lost in a shipwreck, separated from pirates’ loot or left as part of a ship’s ballast.

AP-NC-HELICOPTER RANSACKED

Police: Man ransacked, stole items from hospital helicopter

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say that a man has been accused of stealing medical equipment form a helicopter that was parked at a hospital. The Raleigh News & Observer reported Monday that the incident occurred on New Year’s Day at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Asheville police said that they arrested Jason Alan Roland and charged him with breaking and entering and damage to property. They said the interior of the aircraft had been ransacked and that at least two thermometers and other equipment was reported missing. Roland is being held at the Buncombe County Detention Center with a $4,000 secured bond. It’s unclear if he has hired an attorney.

BC-NC-FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE

Former state Supreme Court chief justice joins law firm

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The first Black woman to serve as chief justice of North Carolina’s Supreme Court has become a partner in the law firm McGuireWoods. The firm said in a statement on Monday that Cheri Beasley will work in the firm’s Raleigh office in its litigation and appellate groups. Beasley recently stepped down from the court, which she joined in 2012 after serving on state trial and appellate benches. Last summer, she publicly called out racial disparities in the nation’s judicial system. McGuireWoods Managing Partner J. Tracy Walker IV said that Beasley “is a distinguished jurist who has dedicated her career to ensuring our justice system works for everyone.”

FATAL CRASH-FIREFIGHTER

Off-duty firefighter dies following crash in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An off-duty firefighter has died due to injuries he sustained when his car overturned during a car crash in North Carolina. News outlets report multiple vehicles were involved in the traffic accident Sunday in Raleigh. Raleigh Fire Lt. Herman Gregory Ellis was the sole occupant in his car during the crash. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. The Raleigh Fire Fighters Professional Association said in a Facebook post that Ellis was a dedicated father and a friend to many. He had worked with the city’s fire department for more than a decade.

JUVENILES-CAR CHASE

Authorities: Juveniles rammed police car with stolen vehicle

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say a group of juveniles in a stolen vehicle rammed a police car before leading authorities on a chase. Winston-Salem police say officers attempted to block in a vehicle that was reported stolen Monday morning when the occupants of the car accelerated and rammed a squad car. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the vehicle drove off and officers chased the car across the city. Police say the pursuit ended when the stolen vehicle hit a curb at a high rate of speed and blew out its tires. Four juveniles were captured after a short foot chase. Nobody was injured. The suspects weren’t named.

AP-NC-VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH CAROLINA

COVID-19 hospitalizations hit record high in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — COVID-19 hospitalizations and test positivity rates both are reaching record highs in North Carolina. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Sunday there were a record-high 3,576 people hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s according to data reported by 95% of the state’s hospitals. Two weeks ago, there were 2,783 people hospitalized with the virus. That’s a difference of 793 people. On Friday, the last day for which data is available, the state’s health department says 13.6% of COVID-19 tests came back positive. That brought the seven-day average of daily testing results to 14.2%, the highest rate since at least April.