North Carolina News – February 9

BC-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DISTANCE-LEARNING

Schools plan for potential of remote learning into the fall

After seeing two academic years thrown off course by the pandemic, school leaders around the country are planning for the possibility of more distance learning next fall at the start of yet another school year. President Joe Biden has made reopening schools a top priority, but administrators say there is much to consider as new strains of the coronavirus appear and teachers wait their turn for vaccinations. And while many parents are demanding that schools fully reopen, others say they won’t feel safe sending children back to classrooms until vaccines are available to even young students.

BC-NC-VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNC CELEBRATION

UNC-Chapel Hill faculty can teach remotely after celebration

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Leaders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say faculty members can teach remotely until Feb. 17 in light of the crowded and largely maskless celebration of the men’s basketball team’s victory over Duke University on Saturday. Hundreds of students rushed Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill to celebrate the 91-87 victory in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as variants of the virus spread across the country. UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Robert Blouin wrote in a message that students found to have violated he school’s COVID-19 Community Standards face disciplinary action.

BODY FOUND-SUITCASE

Sheriff: Woman’s body found in suitcase alongside river

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff’s office says a woman’s body has been found inside a suitcase near a river. Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker says a witness contacted Raleigh police Monday morning and reported seeing a body along a section of the Neuse River Trail. The case is being investigated as a homicide. A cause of death wasn’t immediately released. Baker declined to say whether the body is that of 28-year-old Brittany Samone Smith, a pregnant woman who was reported missing Thursday. Baker says the investigation is ongoing.

COLLEGE CAMPUS-FATAL SHOOTING

Trial set for lawsuit over shooting on Wake Forrest campus

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — A lawsuit filed over the shooting death of a Winston-Salem State University student on Wake Forest University’s campus has been scheduled for trial. The Winston-Salem Journal reported Monday that the court proceeding is set for Oct. 4 in federal court. Najee Ali Baker was WSSU football player from New York. He was shot to death in 2018 when he was leaving a party that was held at The Barn on Wake Forest University’s campus. Two men were charged in his death. Baker’s mother filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the school and a company that was providing private security. The lawsuit claims Wake Forest was negligent. School attorneys deny the allegation.

POLICE SHOOTING-NORTH CAROLINA

Police: Female shot by officer responding overdose call

GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say that an “armed” female has been shot and seriously hurt by an officer who was responding to a call about a drug overdose. The Charlotte Observer reports that the incident occurred early Monday in Gastonia. The woman’s name and condition have not been released. The Gastonia Police Department said in a news release that police received an overdose call. When officers arrived, police said they encountered a female armed with a gun inside the residence. Police said an officer shot the female. She was airlifted to a hospital. The shooting remains under investigation, and police have not said what led to it.

BC-NC-POLICE IMPERSONATOR-WOMAN HANDCUFFED

Police: N Carolina woman detained, handcuffed by fake cop

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Police in a North Carolina city are looking for a man posing as a police officer who they say detained a woman and handcuffed her and gathered her personal information. The Wilmington Police Department says in a news release that the woman was walking on a local street on Sunday when a man driving a Dodge Charger drove alongside her and said he was investigating a robbery. According to police, the when the woman refused to provide personal information, the man handcuffed the woman, gathered her personal information and then took off the handcuffs before leaving. Police say the woman wasn’t hurt.

WWII MORTAR ROUND

North Carolina man finds WWII-era mortar round in basement

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man’s discovery of a World War II-era mortar round in his home Sunday prompted police to close several area roads. Dr. Ralph Haynes, of Durham, told WTVD-TV that he found the 60 mm mortar round from 1942 behind a pillar in a basement crawlspace during a home renovation project. Haynes said he believes the shell had probably been there since the 1950s. Haynes said the mortar round still had its firing pin intact, so he carefully moved it to a separate garage before calling the Durham Police Department. The removal by the bomb squad prompted street closures for nearly two hours.

FATAL SHOOTING-CHILD

Girl, 10, fatally shot in North Carolina

HOLLISTER, N.C. (AP) — A 10-year-old North Carolina girl has died after being shot in what authorities say may have been the result of mishandling of a gun by a family member. WRAL-TV reports that Halifax County deputies were called to Bobolink Trail in Hollister at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday for a report of a juvenile being shot. By the time they arrived, they learned the girl had died from her injuries. Deputies said an investigation indicates that the girl may have been shot accidently by a relative who mishandled a firearm. No other details were immediately available.