Caterpillar, Inc announced Thursday that it will close 5 plants, including three in the Carolinas. The company, by 2018, expects to close or consolidate 20 facilities, and trim 10,000 positions. The Morganton plant is expected to end production next year, eliminating 110 jobs, while the Newberry and Ridgeway plants will also close, affecting 400 workers.

According to the Burke County Sheriff's Office,the man found at Steels Creek Falls, off Highway 181, has been identified as that of a missing Connelly Springs Man, 56-year-old Richard Dale Triplett.  In a Sheriff's Office release this morning it was stated that the medical examiner was able to positively identify the body as Triplett's. There are no physical signs of trauma or foul play. An autopsy will be performed with a toxocology report and the investigation continues.

The woman, killed after being struck by two vehicles in Lenoir, has been identified. 47-year old Michelle Anne Holt of Wilkesboro was crossing Blowing Rock Blvd, just after 6am Thursday, when she was hit by an initial vehicle, according to Lenoir Police. Before emergency responders could arrive, Holt was struck by a second vehicle. She was pronounced dead at Caldwell UNC Health Care. Officers are looking for the second vehicle, which left the scene, a dark in color pickup truck. Anyone with information on the second vehicle should call Lenoir Police at 757-2100 or Crimestoppers at 758-8300. Calls to Crimestoppers are anonymous. The investigation is ongoing.

The McDowell County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's help in locating a wanted sex offender. 28-year-old Christopher Neil Chastain has been charged with violation of the sex offender registry, which is a felony. Chastain was released from prison last Friday, and advised that he would be living in McDowell County, but failed to report to the Sheriff's Office after three business days. He is described as a white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds and has brown hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Chastain is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 652-2235, the 911 communications center at 652-4000 or Crimestoppers at 652-7463.

A Valdese man has been charged in a theft at a Hickory business. 71-year-old Alvin Artina Johnson has been charged with one felony count of breaking and entering, and one felony count of larceny after breaking and entering. Hickory Police state the charges stem from last December's indictment from a break in at Big Time Bargains' in which several laptops and a cash register with money were taken. Police reports indicate that some of the items  were recovered - leading to Johnson's initial arrest. Officials say Johnson previously worked at the store and had knowledge of how to gain entry. An arrest of a second suspect is pending.