An early morning shooting Thursday, leaves a Morganton man dead. Vernon Eugene Dale, 46, was found by Burke County Sheriff's deputies deceased from an apparent gunshot wound at his home inside Shady Acres Mobile Home Park on U.S.64. A press release states two other adults and two small children were at the home when the shooting occurred. The subject who admitted shooting Dale claimed the act was in self-defense. No arrests have been made; however, the Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division and the SBI have conducted a search of the crime scene. Results of their investigation will be turned over to the DA's office to further determine appropriate charges. Burke County EMS, Brendletown first responders, and the Medical Examiner also provided assistance at the scene.

Sunrise Global Marketing, LLC, manufacturers of Greenworks Tools, will locate a distribution facility and bring 187 new jobs to Burke County. The company will locate in the former HHG building on Causby Road with a $10 million investment in equipment and the 510,000-sq.ft.facility. The company, which relocated their North American headquarters to Mooresville in 2016, is growing as the market share for battery powered outdoor power equipment grows. The project was supported by the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Burke County, and the City of Morganton.

The Appalachian Regional Commission announced the award of a grant in the amount of $277,450 to the City of Morganton for a project to improve infrastructure to the western gateway of downtown. the grant requires a dollar for dollar match from the city. The total project is estimated to exceed $555,000 and will result in improved services to 9 businesses and 64 households. The City of Morganton will use the funding to install upgraded waterline and sewer, new sidewalk and lighting fixtures along North Green Street and adjacent roads bordering the north side of the city's central business district.