North Carolina News – August 23

North Carolina News – August 23

TROPICAL WEATHER-FRED

Officials: 5th person found dead after N. Carolina flooding

CRUSO, N.C. (AP) — Officials have found a fifth person dead after flooding in western North Carolina. Haywood County Emergency Services announced in a Facebook post that they found the fifth victim, Frank Lauer Sr., 74, of Cruso on Sunday. It was the fifth day of rescue efforts in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fred. Four others from the town of Cruso that were found dead were identified as 86-year-old Frank Mungo, 68-year-old Franklin McKenzie, 73-year-old Judy Mason and 83-year-old Charlene Mungo. Officials say one person is still missing and search efforts are continuing. As recently as Thursday, 20 people had been unaccounted for.

OBIT-ROBERTSON

Jeanne Robertson, North Carolina humorist, dies at 77

ELON, N.C. (AP) — Jeanne Robertson, who parlayed her appearance in the Miss America pageant into a career as a speaker and humorist, has died at the age of 77. Her death was announced by Elon University, where she served as a trustee. A cause of death was not released. Robertson became Miss North Carolina at age 19, and won Miss Congeniality at the 1963 Miss America pageant. Her pageant experience and her 6-foot-2-inch frame often provided fodder for her comedy routines, delivered in her Southern accent. She taught physical education in North Carolina for eight years after graduating from Auburn University in 1967.

WAR VETERAN HONORED

Flags ordered to half-staff to honor North Carolina veteran

SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has ordered American and North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff on Monday to honor a military veteran. The Salisbury Post reports local native Henry E. Ellis was killed on Nov. 30, 1950, in what is now North Korea. For about 70 years, Ellis was listed as killed in action although his remains hadn’t been found. Last September, a Department of Defense medical examiner determined remains found in 2012 to be Ellis. A funeral with full military honors is scheduled for Monday on the campus of the Salisbury VA.

TROPICAL WEATHER-FRED

Search continues for missing persons in North Carolina flood

CRUSO, N.C. (AP) — Hundreds of searchers continued combing through debris looking for four people who remain unaccounted for after flooding in western North Carolina. Haywood County Emergency Services issued an update Saturday on search and rescue efforts. The number of missing individuals dropped from five to four. As recently as Thursday 20 people had been unaccounted for. The death toll remained at four, all from the town of Cruso. Two of those who died were identified Saturday as 73-year-old  Judy Mason and 83-year-old Charlene Mungo. Officials said more than 200 searchers were deployed Saturday, the fourth day of rescue efforts in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fred.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CAMPUS

Cluster of COVID-19 cases reported at UNC dormitory

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Some students at University of North Carolina dormitory have been placed in isolation after officials identified a cluster of COVID-19 cases. The university said Saturday that a cluster of at least five cases has been identified at Avery Residence Hall. The announcement comes a day after university officials said that unvaccinated students will now have to be tested twice weekly. The initial requirement was once a week. Earlier this month, university officials announced a cluster of cases connected to an event at the school of pharmacy. The university says 87 percent of students report that they have been vaccinated.

WOMAN’S BODY FOUND

Body of missing woman found in North Carolina lake by boater

LEXINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff’s office says a woman’s body has been found in a lake. News outlets report the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman as Laura-Michelle Trent. Officials say Trent had been missing since Monday and was last seen at the Yadkin River Access under the bridge on U.S. Highway 64, near the Davidson-Davie county line. The sheriff’s office says her body was recovered from High Rock Lake just after 11 a.m. Friday. Trent’s body is being sent for an autopsy, and the sheriff’s office is looking into her death.

LAW ENFORCEMENT IMPERSONATORS

Two accused of impersonating federal officers, robbing home

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Authorities have accused two North Carolina men of impersonating federal law enforcement officers and robbing a home. The  Forsyth County Drug Task Force says 41-year-old Freddie Wayne Huff II of Lexington and 27-year-old Rahain Antoine Deriggs of Jacksonville face multiple charges, including robbery with a dangerous weapon and kidnapping. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that police responded on May 28 to a report of a burglary and armed robbery in which two men suspected of posing as federal law enforcement officers forced their way into a home, restrained the seven people inside and stole multiple items.

TROPICAL WEATHER-ATLANTIC

Coastal evacuations urged as Hurricane Henri heads north

Henri is now a hurricane. The National Hurricane Center issued an advisory late Saturday morning upgrading the tropical storm to a hurricane. Storm surge, hurricane conditions and rainfall that could cause flooding began threatening the Northeast region Saturday. Henri is expected to make landfall on Long Island or in southern New England by Sunday afternoon. New York hasn’t had a direct hit from a major hurricane season storm since Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc in 2012. New England’s last hurricane was in 1991, with the deadly Bob. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for parts of the state and urged people to heed warnings.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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