A high-speed chase Wednesday let to the arrest of a Morganton man. Morganton Public Safety officers charged 41-year-old Ronald Ray Billinga of Propst Road with numerous charges including resisting, delaying, or obstructing, DWI, and with having an open container after consuming alcohol. Reports say officers began pursuing his vehicle after Billings reportedly ran a red light at the intersection of Sanford Drive and Independence Boulevard. Billings stopped briefly in the parking lot of K-Mart, but became aggravated at the officer's commands to turn off his vehicle. Reports state Billings fled from the parking lot onto Bost Road - with speeds up to 83 MPH. Authorities were able to detain Billings on Warrior Fork Trail where he backed his vehicle into a ditch. Billings received a $40,000 secured bond, and was transported to the Burke Catawba Confinement Facility. Other charges Billings faces - driving left of center, speeding to elude arrest, reckless driving, failure to heed light or siren, driving during revocation, speeding in excess of 45 MPH, and a traffic control device violation.

Firefighters have fully contained the Paddy's Creek wildfire neat Linville Gorge, north of Lake James in Burke County. Old NC 105 will reopen at 4 this afternoon. Crews are working to put out remaining hot-spots and will continue to monitor the 10-acre fire this weekend. The wildfire is located in an area that underwent prescribed burns 3 and 6 years ago to reduce fuels and restore wildlife habitat. This reduction in fuels helped slow the spread of the fire. The US Forest Service is leading fire response efforts, with assistance from Burke County REACT, North Cove VFD and the NC Forest Service.

1762 people cast ballots Thursday as early voting continued in Burke County. The total since October 20th is 12,901 that have voted at the 5 Burke County voting locations. 4725 Democratic ballots have been cast with 4993 Republicans, 3152 Unaffiliated and 31 Libertarians. Early voting continues through Saturday November 4th.