NAACP- INNOCENCE CLAIM

Man still seeking pardon, compensation after leaving prison

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man who served 26 years in prison for a murder he said he didn’t commit is still seeking a pardon and compensation. Dontae Sharpe told The Raleigh News & Observer on Friday that he wants to be able to support a family that includes his daughter and two grandchildren. He said he also wants to help out his mother after she spent her savings sending him money in prison and trying to prove his innocence. North Carolina’s governor currently holds the power to trigger compensation by granting a pardon. Sharpe was 19 when he was sent to prison for the 1994 murder of 33-year-old George Radcliffe. He was released from a Pitt County courtroom in 2019.

WALLET FOUND-LAKE

Woman reels in wallet from 1980s while fishing, seeks owner

ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. (AP) — A woman in North Carolina says she’s searching for a man who lost his wallet in a lake in the mid-1980s. WRAL reports that Sarah Foor and her husband were fishing Saturday at Jones Lake State Park near Elizabethtown when she reeled in the wallet. Inside she found a faded driver’s license, a library card and an array of expired credit cards. The wallet also held a senior photo that’s dated from the 1983-84 school year. The back reads: “Mickey, you’re a very special person to me. Love always, Sharon.” The wallet had 50 cents inside. But she still considers it a treasure. Foor reached out to WRAL for help in finding the man. He was not identified.

LOTTERY PRIZE SPLIT

Nearly 10,000 winners to split $3.6M NC lottery jackpot

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly 10,000 winners of a North Carolina lottery game will split the $3.6 million jackpot. The Charlotte Observer reported that the 9,307 players won the Carolina Pick 3 in a drawing on Friday. All of the winners chose the same numbers: 0-0-0. Each beat odds of 1 in 1,000. Prizes will vary depending on how much people pay for a ticket. Players who paid 50 cents get $250 before taxes. Those who paid $1 get the top prize of $500. Lottery officials said that playing the same three numbers is a popular way that people play the game. Winners have six months to claim their prizes.

FSU-TUITION DEBT

Fayetteville State clears tuition debt for nearly 1,500

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Fayetteville State University has used pandemic relief funds to clear $1.6 million in tuition debt for nearly 1,500 students. The Fayetteville Observer reported Sunday that the historically Black school utilized money from the federal legislation that’s known as the American Rescue Plan. Signed into law in March, it provided nearly $40 billion to higher education institutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. FSU cleared tuition that was not covered by federal student grants or loans. The school also plans to use $4.7 million in federal funds to provide free summer classes to 1,400 undergraduates through the summer of 2023.

CHILDREN SHOT

6 charged after shootings leave girl dead, 2 boys injured

STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say that six people are facing charges in connection to two possible drive-by shootings that left an 8-year-old girl dead and two other children injured in Statesville. WBTV reported Friday that the teens who’ve been charged range in age from 17 to 19. Police said the two possible drive-by shootings happened within the same neighborhood on June 28. The 8-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy were shot around 7 p.m. that day. Police who were investigating said they heard gunshots nearby and that a 10-year-old child was injured. The girl who died has been identified as 8-year-old Ah’Miyahh Howell. The 7-year-old boy remained in the hospital with serious injuries. The 10-year-old was injured but expected to be okay.

ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES-VIDEO

N Carolina man accused of torturing animals, posting videos

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — A sheriff’s office says a North Carolina man is facing multiple charges after investigators connected him to videos that showed him abusing and killing small animals. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office says Caleb Daniel Dewald is charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty. Specifically, the sheriff’s office accuses Dewald of abusing three squirrels and a possum. Two warrants say Dewald captured a squirrel in 2018 and a possum in 2019 in metal cages. They say the 19-year-old from Winston-Salem submerged the animals into containers filled with water.

NC ZOO-GRIZZLY BEAR

Beloved bear from Yellowstone dies at North Carolina Zoo

ASHEBORO, N.C. (AP) — A grizzly bear identified as a nuisance at a national park before finding a new home at the North Carolina Zoo has died. Officials at the zoo say Tommo died this week at the age of 31. He lived at the zoo for 26 years. A news release on the zoo’s website says Tommo arrived at the zoo in 1995 after being identified as a “nuisance bear” in Yellowstone National Park. The bear was relocated twice by the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. The North Carolina Zoo gave him a home. According to officials, Tommo’s quality of life quickly declined to the point where it was decided to euthanize him.

PIPELINE LEAK-FINE

Colonial Pipeline could face fine after leak in N Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Colonial Pipeline faces a fine of $200,000 a day if it fails to improve the way it detects leaks in its U.S. pipeline system. That’s according to an agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Charlotte Observer reports that the warning of possible fines follows a massive gasoline leak in North Carolina. Colonial is under an order to find and use a better leak detection system across its entire network. There have been several newly disclosed leaks over the years. Meanwhile, a state lawmaker says Colonial faces separate potential action by the state Department of Environmental Quality for the August 2020 leak in Mecklenburg County’s Oehler Nature Preserve.