COVID Update

Less than 50 new cases of COVID-19 in Burke County Tuesday as indicated by the Health Department’s online dashboard.

49 additional positives reports show, now amounting to 15-thousand-391 as Burke’s new total.

Figures show 867 cases remain active while 41 are still hospitalized.

McDowell County yesterday reports 30 new cases for a total of 8-thousand-372.

373 residents in McDowell are quarantined.

Murder Suicide Determined

The shooting death of a Newton couple has been ruled a murder – suicide by investigators.

Authorities discovered the bodies of 55-year-old Cindy Hull and 58-year-old Larry Brigham Friday night inside the offices of the Observer News Enterprise in Newton.

Hull and Brigham had both been reported missing earlier in the day, while the pair was found fatally shot inside the newspaper office after officers discovered their vehicles in the parking lot.

Earlier reports state the victims had been in a dating relationship, and authorities say the shootings appear to be an incident of domestic violence.

The investigation is ongoing however; anyone having information about the case needs to contact Newton Police at 465-7430 or the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at 465-8340.

Gibbs Sentenced

A Newton man is sentenced to a prison term of five to seven years this week during Catawba County Superior Court.

24-year-old Jakaylan Gibbs pleaded guilty to the attempted trafficking of opiates by sale.

Reports say the offense occurred in July 2019 when an undercover officer purchased heroin from Gibbs at a local restaurant.

The substance was tested by the US Drug Enforcement Administration and came back positive for fentanyl.

Newton Police was the investigating agency.

Prison Name Change

A prison in Swannanoa is slated for a name change to better reflect diversity.

The Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women is becoming Western Correctional Center for Women.

The name change comes after a review of the historical aspects of all state-owned or operated facilities.

The prison in Swannanoa is one of five in the state to get a name change.

According to the State Department of Public Safety, Swannanoa Correctional’s name was tied to the construction of the Swannanoa Tunnel that resulted in the deaths of numerous black offender laborers.

Prison officials say the change aims to better reflect the state’s diversity without negative historical connotations.

Plane Crash

A small plane crash killed two people in Western NC over the weekend.

Officials report a private single-engine aircraft crashed into a mountainside just north of Andrews on Sunday.

According to authorities, The Beechcraft B-35 had taken off from Western Carolina Regional Airport just before 8 Sunday evening, and within minutes Atlanta air control received a distress signal from the plane.

Multiple agencies searched for the downed aircraft throughout the day Monday, and crews located the wreckage Tuesday.

The plane’s two occupants were found to be deceased.

Their names have not been released pending notification of next of kin.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash.