Sleet and freezing rain created icy roads and highways last night in Ashe, Watauga and Alleghany counties and parts of Wilkes County, causing more than 50 wrecks and some minor injuries, authorities said.
The wrecks happened on U.S. 421 near Deep Gap and the Tennessee border, on U.S. 321 near Watauga Lake, N.C. 194 near Todd and N.C. 89 near Low Gap, dispatchers said. Some vehicles rolled over.
The light sleet and patchy freezing rain formed ice on roads and highways because the ground temperature dipped below 32 degrees, said David Wert, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va.
A cold front will bring more rain into the region this morning with patchy ice on some roads, Wert said. There is a chance of drizzle this morning in Forsyth County with temperatures reaching to the upper 30s, said Laura Pagano, a meteorologist with the weather service in Raleigh.
The forecast for Christmas is mostly sunny in Northwest North Carolina, with highs in the 40s and 50s, Wert and Pagano said.
WSSU gets $408,567 grant to renovate Reynolds Center
Winston-Salem State University said yesterday that its Reynolds Center, which is the home of its School of Business and Economics, will be renovated through a $408,567 Title III grant.
The building was built in 1984 using a $3.1 million gift from the state, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and other donors.
The renovation includes the main lecture hall, selected classrooms, hallways, stairways and the restrooms. The upgrade comes as the school prepares for its 10-year reaffirmation of its accreditation with AACSB in 2010.
The lecture-hall project includes tables with laptop ports at each station, stationary chairs that are user friendly and ergonomically correct, and new carpeting throughout the room.
The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of the spring semester.
Girl Scouts get $250,000 gift from BB&T in honor of Allisons
COLFAX -- The Tarheel Triad Council Inc. chapter of the Girls Scouts said yesterday that it has received an unrestricted gift of $250,000 from BB&T Corp. in honor of Betty and John Allison.
John Allison is retiring as the bank's chief executive next Wednesday and as its chairman on Dec. 31, 2009. Betty Allison, his wife, has been a longtime Girl Scout adviser, supporter and leader.
The council said it would use the money to develop an information-technology network to improve communications among Girl Scout councils in the western half of North Carolina and York County, S.C.
The council said that the gift is the largest donation that it has received outside of capital-campaign contributions. The gift is being made in conjunction with the 2008 United Way of Forsyth County campaign.
The council said that it plans to dedicate, in Betty Allison's honor, a 50-acre tract of natural preserve that it owns behind its learning center in Colfax.
Craigslist helps Raleigh-area needy find assistance online
RALEIGH -- Some of the Raleigh area's needy are putting their pleas for help online, preferring electronic anonymity to panhandling.
Many people have posted requests for help on the local edition of Craigslist, the Web site that offers free classified ads. Some ask for used children's clothing, toys, holiday decorations and even rent money.
Other Craigslist users mark the posts with warnings to watch for scammers or even remove them.
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