Valve maintenance and radiation-area access failures follow earlier problems reported by WCAB News. NRC rated the latest violations as having very low safety significance. An inadequate maintenance procedure left a containment isolation valve unable to fully close at Duke Energy’s McGuire Nuclear Station, while a separate inspection found a radiation-area door lock fell apart when employees tested it, according to a federal report reviewed by WCAB News. The Nuclear Regulatory

Updated guidelines affect how courts calculate payments, but existing orders will not change automatically. North Carolina’s updated child support guidelines take effect Jan. 1, 2027, changing how courts calculate payments based on parents’ incomes and the cost of raising children. For families already paying or receiving support, the new guidelines do not automatically change an existing court order. A change requires court action. The Conference of Chief District Court Judg

Sheriff’s Office says Jeffrey Michael Minton told detention officers he had killed his grandmother; deputies found Shirleen Prichard, 78, dead at her home. A Hiddenite man was charged with first-degree murder Oct. 13 after authorities said he walked into the Alexander County Detention Center and told officers he had killed his grandmother. Jeffrey Michael Minton, 34, voluntarily made the statement to officers on duty in the detention center lobby, according to a statement fro

Commissioners approved Wooten’s resignation, appointed Kehler and Frye, and accepted unspecified adjustments after closed session. McDowell County commissioners approved two leadership appointments during an Oct. 1 special meeting, naming Will Kehler interim county manager and Maggie Effler Frye register of deeds. The board also accepted former County Manager Ashley Wooten’s resignation and separation agreement. Later, commissioners approved unspecified “adjustments” followin

Council debates repairs to existing building as Hilltop Road reconstruction moves toward year-end completion. The Black Mountain Town Council approved a resolution supporting efforts to secure funding for public safety facilities on Oct. 12, following a debate over whether the town should repair its existing building or pursue a new facility on state-donated land. Council members said the town is pursuing a $15 million grant for a combined public safety facility on North Fork