TROOPER BROTHERS-FATAL CRASH

NC trooper, driver killed in traffic stop crash

MOORESBORO, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina State Highway Patrol says a trooper and a driver were killed when the trooper’s brother, also a trooper, hit the stopped patrol vehicle as he arrived to help. The crash happened Monday night in the Mooresboro area. The highway patrol says Trooper James Horton was responding to help his brother, Trooper John Horton, with a traffic stop when he lost control and hit the stopped patrol vehicle, which then struck Trooper John Horton and the driver. Officials say Trooper John Horton and the driver both died. Trooper James Horton was treated at a hospital and released. Patrol spokesperson First Sgt. Christopher Knox says it’s not yet known whether the crash was weather-related.

REDISTRICTING-NORTH CAROLINA

Little time to rule as N. Carolina remapping trial begins

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A fast-moving redistricting trial over North Carolina’s new congressional and legislative maps has started. Three state trial judges started hearing evidence Monday offered by lawyers for plaintiffs in lawsuits that allege district boundaries approved by the Republican-controlled legislature in November are tainted by extreme partisanship and racial bias that favor the GOP.  Republicans say the lines are lawful, crafted using a transparent process that avoided racial and partisan data. The state Supreme Court told the judges to rule by Jan. 11. Appeals are expected to follow. This year’s primary already has been delayed from March to May while these lawsuits are heard.

AP-US-WRIGHT-FLYER-WRONG-

Records: Wrong Wright brothers plate flew through approval

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Public records reveal the backward Wright Flyer at the center of an embarrassing license plate mistake in Ohio last year flew through the approval process with little to no discussion. Emails and images provided to The Associated Press through a public records request show designers at the Ohio Department of Public Safety fussed over such issues as color saturation, centering and image placement. The Ohio State Highway Patrol tested the license plate’s lettering for readability. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike and Fran DeWine  controlled the imagery’s overall messaging. But the Wright brothers’ historic plane was pretty much there from the outset.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PRISONER DEATH

NC prisoner with virus dies; state cases reach daily record

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina prisoner with COVID-19 died over the weekend. The Department of Public Safety announced on Monday that the unnamed male offender in his late 70s at Greene Correctional Institution died at a hospital on Saturday. The department says he wasn’t vaccinated. Prisoners are encouraged but not required to receive COVID-19 vaccines. An initial review shows COVID-19 was likely the cause of death or at least a contributing factor. The death marked the first offender death related to the virus since May. Statewide there were over 19,600 positive COVID-19 cases reported on Saturday. That marked the third record one-day increase for the pandemic last week.  

ROAD RAGE-SHOOTING DEATH

Police: Motorcyclist shot, killed in road rage incident

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina police department says motorcyclist was shot and killed in what’s being described as a road rage incident. A news release from the Fayetteville Police Department says officers sent to a location in the center of the city at around 12:31 p.m. Monday found that an unidentified man riding a motorcycle had been shot. A preliminary investigation showed that the driver of a truck was involved in an apparent argument with the motorcyclist before the man was shot. Police say the victim was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his wounds. Police are trying to notify relatives before releasing his identity.

BC-US-WINTER-WEATHER

School, work, travel can wait as snow blankets U.S. capital

WASHINGTON (AP) — A winter storm packing heavy snow has closed government offices and schools in the nation’s capital and surrounding suburbs. Monday’s storm dumped between 6 and 11 inches of snow six and grounded the president’s helicopter. Travel was treacherous and more than 500,000 customers lost power. More than half the flights were delayed or canceled Monday morning at Washington’s three major airports. President Joe Biden had to ride by car to the White House from Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland. 

LOTTERY TICKET

Someone is yet to claim a $1 million lottery ticket in NC

LEWISVILLE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lottery officials say that someone is yet to claim a $1 million ticket that was bought in Forsyth County. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the Mega Millions ticket was bought on New Year’s Eve. The North Carolina Education Lottery said in a news release that the $2 ticket was bought at a Circle K in Lewisville. The ticket matched numbers on five white balls. The odds of winning were one in 12.6 million. People who have a winning ticket must claim their prize within 180 days. 

DOUBLE FATALITY

Police: 2 men found shot to death in Durham parking lot

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say that two men who were found shot to death in a parking lot in Durham. The Raleigh News & Observer reports that the men were found early Sunday morning near the Interstate 40 interchange and Research Triangle Park. Police found the men after responding to the report of a shooting at about 1:35 a.m. Police have not released any additional information about the incident or the men who died. But they’re asking anyone with information to provide it to detectives. 

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