North Carolina Archives | Page 2 of 2

Jun62023 by Scott PelkeyNo Comments

Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Trigger Air Quality Alert

Weather

Smoke from Canadian Wildfires can be seen blanketing Asheboro near the Interstate on June 6th, 2023. (Scott Pelkey / RNN-North State Journal) ASHEBORO N.C. - Smoke from wildfires in eastern Canada has triggered a Code Orange Air Quality alert across much of North Carolina, and tomorrow will be worse with officials already issuing a Code Red Air Quality Alert for Wednesday. Wildfires have burned nearly one million acres over the past two weeks across Western Canada, producing incredibly large plumes of smoke that have stretched across the North American continent, making their way into North Carolina throughout today. The smoke plumes are so large that they were captured on NOAA weather satellite imagery on Monday and can be seen in the video below compiled by the Cooperative Insti...

Jun62023 by Randolph News NowNo Comments

State Launches Approval Process for Student and Government Employee IDs for Voting

Government

Credit - 24K-Production / Adobe Stock RALEIGH, N.C. (NCSBOE) — The State Board of Elections is encouraging eligible educational institutions and government agencies to apply to have their student and employee photo IDs approved for voting purposes in upcoming elections. Beginning with the 2023 municipal elections, registered voters in North Carolina will be asked to present photo identification to vote. Student identification cards issued by North Carolina public or private universities and colleges, as well as employee identification cards issued by state and local government entities and charter schools, are valid forms of photo ID for voting when approved by the State Board. Many other types of photo ID, including driver’s licenses, also will be accepted for voting. Howeve...

Mar292023 by Scott PelkeyNo Comments

Law Changes After Veto Overridden – Pistol Purchase Permits No Longer Required

Government

Handgun sits in display case in gun store (AS Photo Family / Adobe Stock) ASHEBORO NC - Individuals looking to purchase a handgun in North Carolina are no longer required to obtain a pistol purchase permit from the local Sheriff's Office after the NC General Assembly overrode Gov. Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 41. Senate Bill 41, also known as the “Guarantee 2nd Amendment Freedom and Protections,” was passed by the NC General Assembly and sent to Gov. Cooper on March 16th, 2023. Last Friday, Gov. Cooper vetoed the bill saying that "eliminating strong background checks will allow more domestic abusers and other dangerous people to own handguns and reduces law enforcement's ability to stop them from committing violent crimes. Second Amendment supporting, responsible gun owners know thi...

Dec212022 by Randolph News NowNo Comments

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $10.4 Million for On-Demand Transit in Rural Communities Across NC

News

Welcome to North Carolina sign at the state border (andreykr / Adobe Stock) WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the Biden-Harris Administration has awarded $10.4 million from the new Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (RURAL) to the North Carolina Department of Transportation to support the Mobility for Everyone, Everywhere in North Carolina (MEE NC) Project. The project will expand on-demand transit services for up to 11 rural communities across North Carolina: Henderson, Selma, Marion, Asheboro, Burlington, the City of Wilson, Rockingham County, the City of Sanford, Castle Hayne, Salisbury, and Rocky Mountain. The project will provide improved connectivity for these 11 rural communities by providing on-demand services that a...

Nov182022 by Randolph News NowNo Comments

Buckle Up. It Could Save Your Life – Thanksgiving Safety Campaign

Traffic & Roads

Traffic on I-73/74 near Asheboro (Stock Photo / Acme News Archive) RALEIGH N.C. (NC DOT) - Please buckle up if you’re driving or riding anywhere this Thanksgiving. That’s the message coming from the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program as part of this year’s Thanksgiving Click It or Ticket campaign. “This is traditionally one of the busiest times for travel, but we want people to get where they’re going safely,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “The sad truth is most of these deaths and injuries are preventable. If people wore seat belts every time they get into a vehicle, we would save so many lives.” The campaign, which runs from Nov. 21-27, aims to encourage motorists to buckle up through innovative and extensive enforceme...

Nov42022 by Scott PelkeyNo Comments

Early Voting Coming to an End, Ahead of 2022 Midterm Elections

Government, News

ASHEBORO N.C. - There is just a little over a day left to vote ahead of the 2022 mid-terms elections scheduled to take place on November 8th, 2022. Early voting in Randolph County runs today through 7:30pm and Saturday Nov 5th from 8am to 3pm. (View Early Voting Schedule Here) There is no early voting on Sunday Nov 6th or Monday Nov 7th as North Carolina Statute requires a break on those days, between the end of early voting and the start of the election. If you were hoping to vote by mail instead, the deadline to request a ballot ended on November 1st. So far since early voting started on October 20th, 2022, over 22,000 residents of Randolph County have voted early. Thats on par with the last mid-terms in 2018 where 26,000 residents voted early. The biggest question we're goin...

Jul192022 by Scott PelkeyNo Comments

Court Orders Asheboro Drug Co To Pay $300,000 In Fines & Stop Dispensing Controlled Substances

Local

ASHEBORO N.C. - The U.S. Department of Justice announced that a federal court entered a consent decree with Asheboro Drug preventing the pharmacy from dispensing controlled substances and ordering the business to pay $300,000 in fines. The consent decree, a type of agreement and court order, comes after an investigation found that pharmacists filled prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. According to a press release by the DOJ, Asheboro Drug and its pharmacists cooperated with the government’s investigation and agreed to pay the $300,000 civil monetary penalty and be bound by the consent decree of injunction. The injunction entered by U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles of the Middle District of North Carolina prohibits the defendants from filling certain “red ...

Jan242022 by Scott PelkeyNo Comments

NC 2022 Primary Turning Into A Confusing Mess

Government

ASHEBORO N.C. - Back on December 8th, 2021, we reported on the NC Supreme Court stopping candidate filing in all races and pushing the 2022 Statewide Primary Election from March 8th to May 17th. Now, it looks like that date may change again in what can only be called an unmitigated disaster involving multiple lawsuits, a dead map makers estranged daughter, a D.C. based watchdog group. What's Happened So Far September 2021 - A court ordered a redraw of the states election districting map as a part of a decision on a lawsuit filed by Common Cause, a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. That court said that the General Assembly had gerrymandered the map by "packing" democratic voters into a smaller number of districts and "cracking" republican voters into more districts. Legisla...

Jan182022 by Scott PelkeyNo Comments

Effects From Massive Volcanic Eruption in Tonga Recorded In NC

News

The Himawari-8 satellite, operated by our partners at the Japan Meteorological Agency, also captured this GeoColor imagery of the eruption as the sun rose over the region. (Image credit: NOAA) ASHEBORO N.C. - While our state was focused on snow and ice a major volcanic eruption occurred over 7,250 miles away in the Pacific Ocean and its effects were recorded all the way here in the triad. On Jan 15th 2022 at 4:10 (GMT), a massive volcanic eruption occurred on the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, in Tonga. The country, made up of some 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited and is home to some 105,000 people. The islands are located directly south of Samoa and about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and New Zealand. The volcano is located just 40 miles from Tonga’s capital. T...