City of Morganton Electric crew members are helping restore power in South Carolina. Three Electric Services Department workers left Saturday morning to work in the Grand Strand area to help restore power to several thousand residents after Hurricane Matthew passed through the area. Randy Chester, Underground Supervisor, Alan Clark, Senior Lineman 3, and Matthew Ledford, Junior Lineman 1 volunteered for the job after ElectriCities and the American Public Power Association asked the City of Morganton and other public power providers in the Carolinas to provide assistance to Santee Cooper, an electric and water utility company owned by the state of South Carolina that provides power to more than 2 million SC customers. The 3 man crew is expected to be gone 5-7 days and if additional help is needed in South Carolina or Eastern North Carolina, the city plans to send other crews.

A 911 hang-up call leads to a Marion woman charged with assault and drug possession. McDowell County Sheriff 's officers responded at 2:45am September 27th to a Nebo residence, where they charged 24-year-old Brett Kaitlin Raines with assault inflicting serious injury, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Officers arrived at the scene to find Raines exiting the vehicle, while the victim, 30-year-old Ashley McPeters of Marion was sitting in the driver's seat. Reports say the two had been involved in an altercation, whenever Raines allegedly cut McPeters on the leg. McPeters was transported to McDowell Hospital for treatment. Deputies also discovered a cloth bag containing syringes and .10 grams of meth lying on the ground beside the passenger side of the vehicle.

This morning at 10:05 AM WMNC AM 1430 will host a "Meet the Candidates Forum", for candidates in the Burke County Commissioner race. Candidates will be allowed a 3 minute opening statement and a closing statement of 2 minutes. Questions will originate from WMNC News and from the public by phone at 437-0521 or e-mail www.wmnc@bellsout.net. The forum will be replayed Sunday night about 6:40 on The Big Dawg 92.1 and on the internet from our website www.bigdawg92fm.com at the same time.