Due to safety concerns because of the buildings instability, investigators were unable to conduct an in depth interior investigation into the cause of the fire on South Center Street in Hildebran Monday,  A press release from Burke County Office of Emergency Services states that the case is not closed and still is under investigation. Icard Fire and Rescue, with help from 21 other departments from Burke and surrounding counties fought the fire for several hours before the fire was brought under control. Adjacent buildings and a cell phone tower were saved. The SBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Burke County Sheriff's Office were requested to assist the Burke County Fire Marshal's Office with the investigation. Any information about the fire can be directed to the Burke County Fire Marshal's Office or Burke County Sheriff's Office.

Rotary Club of Morganton has named Barbara Norvell as its' Distinguished Person of the Year. The announcement made Wednesday by Rotary President Ron George at the Club's weekly meeting. Norvell, a Morganton native, was one of the founders of both the Morganton Service League and the Historic Burke Foundation. Her interest in historic preservation led to her appointment to the North Carolina Board of Historic Preservation. She was also involved in obtaining the Main Street designation for Morganton. Norvell attended the Rotary meeting on Wednesday accompanied by her husband Jerry, who was Rotary's Man of the Year for 2011. The Club changed the award this year from Man of the Year to Distinguished Person of the Year, making women eligible for the award for the first time. The banquet honoring the Distinguished Person of the Year will be held on Friday March 18th at 7pm at the Morganton Community House.

A Marion man currently in jail on multiple felony charges and under a multi-million dollar bond has now been charged with attempting to escape. 50-year-old Kevin Earnest Dalton is currently in jail on multiple charges of violation of a domestic violence protection order against his parents and his habitual felon status. Staff at the McDowell County jail found evidence of someone in Dalton's cell chipping away at the wall with obvious damage to a window. A search of the cell revealed two pieces of metal in Dalton's belongings. There were two other inmates in the cell with Dalton and an investigation will decide if they had any role in the case. Charges are still pending. Dalton is currently housed in the McDowell County jail under a $3,920,000 bond.

On Tuesday, Caldwell County Animal Control was notified by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health that a raccoon submitted for testing was infected with the rabies virus. On Monday a resident of Caldwell County contacted Animal Control and reported their dog killed a raccoon on Sunday. Animal Control found that the dog in question was not current on rabies vaccinations. Reports from the State Laboratory of Public Health stated the raccoon tested positive for the rabies virus. At this time the owners of the infected dog have surrendered the dog to Animal Control.

Governor McCrory announced Wednesday Downtown revitalization grants across the state. In Lincolnton, the grant will help spur downtown development by investing in several economic development programs, including substantial building rehabilitation and the downtown development fund. Other cities awarded grants for downtown revitalization include Morganton, Shelby and Rutherfordton. Contracts for these municipalities are pending.