Regional Briefs

By: JOURNAL STAFF AND WIRE REPORT
Published: December 07, 2010

Brutal temperatures to continue tonight

The bitter cold will continue throughout the region at least through tonight, forecasters said yesterday.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter-weather advisory for Ashe, Alleghany and Watauga counties, with snow showers likely through tonight with 2 to 6 inches of accumulation expected, the National Weather Service said.

Schools will open on a two-hour delay in Surry and Wilkes counties, and will be closed in Ashe and Alleghany counties.

High temperatures today will be in the mid-30s in Forsyth and Guilford counties with the wind chill making it feel about 26 degrees, said Ryan Ellis, a weather-service meteorologist in Raleigh. — John Hinton

City to lease equipment to Cat

The city of Winston-Salem will buy up to $1 million in wastewater-treatment equipment and lease it to Caterpillar Inc., for use in Caterpillar’s new factory here, the Winston-Salem City Council agreed last night.

The council unanimously approved the deal, which is part of the incentive package the city offered Caterpillar to build a plant in Forsyth County. The money for the equipment comes from a grant the city got from the Golden Leaf Foundation, which provides money to help areas of North Carolina where the economy relied on tobacco. — Laura Graff

King man charged in police chase

A King man was charged yesterday with attempting to hit two Winston-Salem police officers with his pickup and leading officers on a chase on roads blocked off for President Obama’s visit, authorities said.

Police were investigating a wreck about 12:15 p.m. on westbound Interstate 40 near Hanes Mall Boulevard. The highway’s right lane and the exit ramp were closed because of Obama’s speech at Forsyth Technical Community College.

The officers saw a pickup passing stopped cars on the shoulder. An officer tried to stop it, but it sped toward the officer, who got out of its path.

The pickup went onto I-40 west, then onto to U.S. 421.

Officers chased the pickup, with speeds reaching 75 to 90 mph, police said.

The truck left the highway at the Lewisville-Clemmons Road exit and the

driver tried to ram a police car. The pickup was stopped on Styers Ferry Road.

Tony Barahona Aguilar, 53, of 208 Crooked Run Drive, Lot 19, was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, careless and reckless driving, failure to heed the blue light and siren, speeding to elude arrest and other charges, Winston-Salem police said.

Aguilar was being held last night in the Forsyth County Jail with bond set at $250,300. — John Hinton

Judge is asked to stay his order

HIGH POINT — The state Attorney General’s Office has asked a trial court judge to delay the enforcement of his order preventing state agents and police from turning off certain types of sweepstakes machines while the order is appealed.

The office asked Guilford County Superior Court Judge John Craig to stay his order that found a portion of the ban on video or Internet-based sweepstakes machines that took effect last week unconstitutional. He ruled one catchall provision was too broad and infringed on free-speech rights.

The state has already asked the Court of Appeals to review Craig’s ruling. — AP

Plaques acknowledge amendments

RALEIGH —Four bronze plaques were unveiled yesterday inside the old Capitol building, each one identifying an amendment to the U.S. Constitution and when North Carolina ratified each of them.

The markers originated from the recommendations of a special committee looking at how to improve honors for blacks, women and American Indians in North Carolina history.

The state historical commission now wants to erect statutes honoring those groups on the square. — AP

McCullough pulls ahead in runoff

RALEIGH — Nearly complete results from the instant runoff race for the N.C. Court of Appeals show the second-place candidate overtaking the leading candidate from the first round of voting.

Doug McCullough has a roughly 6,700-vote lead over incumbent Cressie Thigpen with counting complete in 99 of the 100 counties. The only one left — Warren County — didn’t have enough votes cast to return the lead to Thigpen.

If the race stays close, Thigpen has until Thursday to ask for a recount. — AP