MANTEO, N.C. (WITN) - Awaiting an official report on the cause of Sunday afternoon’s plane crash off the coast of Carteret County, friends and family of the victims have begun their grieving process.
Charlie Snow is a long-time friend of Teen Rawls, who has been identified as the pilot of the downed private plane. More than the pilot of that PC-12 plane, Rawls was a father, husband, and friend to most people he met. That’s what Snow remembers. “This is an amazing man,” Snow says. “If that circumstance could have been avoided or it could have been fixed, he’s the one guy that I would want to be in the pilot seat.” The two friends flew countless hours together in the cockpit, making memories that Snow holds on to now more than ever. Snow recalls dinners with Rawls’ family, including Rawls’ wife Karen, daughter Brittany, and son Jeffrey, who also was a victim of the crash. “The last thing in the world they ever worried about, I assure you, was that he would go down in an airplane. He’s been doing it too long,” Snow said. Teen Rawls was such a fan of planes that he lived less than ten minutes from the airport in Greenville. Snow says Rawls was the most natural pilot he has ever seen. “He was a man doing his job. He did it very, very well,” Snow said. “He was very, highly qualified, as qualified as you would ever want in the cockpit of an airplane when you are with a lot of people like that.” According to Snow, Rawls was the kind of person that greeted everyone with a smile and never had a bad thing to say about another person. “I’d change nothing about him and I want people to understand that. He’s that kind of person, he was,” said Charlie Snow. Over the weekend, dozens of small businesses in the Down East community are planning to raise money for the victims’ families. For now, Snow says he is respecting Teen Rawls’ family’s privacy, but when they are ready to receive him, he is prepared for an embrace.
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WILLIAMSTON, N.C. (WITN) - 2022′s Great Bike Giveaway kicked off Wednesday afternoon. The contest offers families one month to enter their bid for a special bike.
A Martin County family was the recipient of a specialty bike last year. Alston Bullock spent Wednesday morning taking laps around the front yard on his prize. Squeals of pure excitement were heard from Alston Bullock as he was strapped into the bike, perfect for his needs. With his brother, Kevin Bullock behind him, the Williamston teen is riding in style. “The bike helps with outdoor fun,” Alston Bullock’s mother Monica said. “He gets to come outside and enjoy time with his brothers. He’s not sitting in his wheelchair watching them, he’s actually riding around with them.” The opportunity was made possible by a generous donor and Friendship Circle’s national Great Bike Giveaway campaign. “Having a child with special needs is challenging enough. It’s a 24/7 job,” Friendship Circle Director Bassie Shemtov said. “So, Friendship Circle really comes in and wants to be there as a family member.” Entrants have three ways to earn their gifted bikes: by voting, drawing, or fundraising. Alston Bullock came close to missing out on the opportunity last year until a mystery miracle saved the day. “We had one donor that donated pretty much the entire bike cost on the very last day,” Monica Bullock said. The total cost of the bike was more than $1,500. Monica Bullock suspended physical therapy and other services as the threat of the pandemic took hold, trying to keep her son safe from COVID exposure. With his bike, Alston Bullock is able to work on those skills safely. “He’s getting the range of motion in his legs. He’s getting the exercise he needs,” Monica Bullock said. Always trotting along is Kevin, who is happy to lend a hand to his older brother. And he also gets something in return. “It feels good to know that I have a good brother just like him and to know that he’s one of the best brothers ever,” Kevin Bullock said. They are brothers and bicycle buddies, bonding over their shared love of spending time together. The good news train keeps rolling for Alston. He has been granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They are going to fund a fully functional, adaptive gym space in which the 15-year-old can play with his brothers and have therapy with his specialists. Entries for Friendship Circle’s Great Bike Giveaway are open until March 16th. Registration information can be found here.
PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - More North Carolinians died from car accidents in 2021 than any other year.
This preliminary data comes from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, which says 1,755 people died in traffic accidents last year. The previous record stood at 1,704 deaths in 2007. These numbers follow a nationwide trend of distracted driving causing an uptick in deaths. During the pandemic, travel took on a different definition. More people utilized cars as their primary mode of transportation to avoid highly trafficked public spaces like airplanes. However, more folks behind the wheels and on the roads brought more fatal accidents. “Nobody is really ever happy to see you, but it’s just part of the business,” tow truck driver Noah Harrison said. Getting behind the wheel comes with major responsibilities. “You are essentially the pilot of a, sometimes two-ton guided-missile down the roadway where you have other two-ton guided missiles beside you,” Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell said. In the past year, Harrison says he’s been called out to scenes ranging from fender benders to tragic accidents one to three times a week. Through grants and programs like the Booze It and Lose It campaign, the state is looking to increase highway surveillance, looking to the pandemic as a blueprint. “Much like we’re dealing with COVID, we can look to some of those public health solutions to help address the issue,” Ezzell said, adding “We need layers of protection.” For the safety program, that means starting with public education on road safety and design. “Those are simple steps we can take to save a life,” Ezzell said. While the overall trend moved upward for fatal accidents, the data decreased year to year in some specific types of crashes. Fewer traffic deaths related to pedestrians and cyclists were reported in 2021 than in 2020. However, this Super Bowl weekend, the roadways have a chance to turn even deadlier. “Anything after about midnight, you can guarantee there’s going to be alcohol involved somewhere along the line,” Harrison said. “Those are usually your worst wreck... late at night, somebody drinking or leaving the bar.” People are encouraged to utilize resources like ridesharing programs or designated drivers. If you are hosting, Ezzell suggests cutting off alcohol for your guests after halftime and taking some responsibility in making sure everyone has a safe way home.
PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A Pitt County community center cooked up homemade soups on a chilly weekend as part of a fundraiser to help those in need.
“I guess the groundhog might have been right this time,” said Bill Kazda, a Joy’s Soup Kitchen customer. Falling temperatures ushered in what some say is the perfect weather for soup, which the chef at Joy’s Soup Kitchen claims he mastered. “They started calling me Soup-erman,” said Chef Tom Quigley. Quigley hosts a weekly soup making competition. After he gained traction online, people wanted a taste for themselves. So by selling jars of his soup, Quigley uses the revenue to continue cooking and provide the meal services. “It was just a huge success, and people started saying, ‘Well, what do you got next?’” said Quigley. He expanded the operations of the soup kitchen by launching the Joy’s Community Center, where he plans to offer free classes to Pitt County residents each Wednesday. “If there is a service out there that benefits the people in here, I want it in here,” said Quigley. “You might live all the way on the other side of town and you might need the services that this building can offer you. We are all inclusive with the soup, and all inclusive in every walk of life, too.” As a born and raised Bostonian, Quigley talked about how he introduced his home style of food to Pitt County. “All of the soups that I’m cooking are New England specials, not southern specials,” said Quigley. “So, it gives them a little extra treat for that.” With something new on the menu for each fundraiser weekend, it’s hard to choose a favorite. “We got the brisket and the bean and bacon.” said Kazda. “Brisket was better, but of course, they were both great.” “Soup-erman” is taking care of his community, one jar at a time. The next chance to take part in the Joy’s Community Center’s free class offering is February 9 from 6:15 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
GRIMESLAND, N.C. (WITN) - Dozens of family members and friends of Brandon Hardy, who authorities said was shot and killed at a home on Alvin Road in Grimesland on New Year’s Day by Robert Green, continued calls for justice after the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office gave their findings to the District Attorney last Thursday.
A march was held in Grimesland on Saturday. “Until anybody walks in my shoes, they can’t tell me anything,” said Belinda Anderson, Hardy’s mother. The two-page summary of the investigation by the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office says Belinda Matthews, who both men were seeing, had invited Hardy over. The summary details Hardy’s shooting death but protesters say there’s more to the story. The family announced on Jan. 27 they reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and has heard from them. They have requested additional information before they move forward. “This family wants justice. That’s all the family is asking for,” said the spokesman for the family. Hardy’s nieces, nephews, and his child, all held signs calling for justice. “Seven from me, three from my sister, one was his. So, it’s a lot of them,” said Brittany Hardy, Brandon Hardy’s sister. As the family waits for answers after reaching out to federal officials, Hardy’s mother, Belinda Anderson, said she’s been crying since the day he died. “I’ve cried from January first up to today,” said Anderson. “Today is the first day I haven’t cried. I’m going all the way for mine. That was my only son, I have to do it.” The family said they plan to protest again at the Pitt County Courthouse on February 25.
WASHINGTON, N.C. (WITN) - More than a century and a half ago, thousands of enslaved African Americans journeyed through the secret trails of the Underground Railroad, many passing through Eastern Carolina in their pursuit of freedom.
One of the most prominent roadways in North Carolina ran through the coastal area of Washington, as the Tar-Pamlico River was a heavily trafficked mode of transportation to northern areas. James Jones was inspired by the stories of the brave men, women, and children that sought their freedom in the 1800s. Jones directed the film Freedom of NC, which tells those stories in the historic spaces they would have occurred in throughout the East. “It’s all about creativity,” Jones said. The process of creating the film was no easy feat for Jones, especially as the COVID pandemic restricted all filming schedules. “As the whole world was shut down, it just gave me a chance to be able to review what I had and go over my script and make changes... leading on to the new plantation that we were going to be able to shoot on,” said James Jones, Freedom of NC director. The “new plantation” he refers to is the Historic Hope Plantation, located less than five miles west of Windsor. “We wanted to do something to give back to the people that are here as well,” Jones said in reference to locals of Washington. This caused him to scout the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum as his opening scene location. To fill in the gaps of his plotline, Jones needed an expert in Beaufort County history. “The history we document here is how freedom seekers got from those plantations with the help of abolitionists who were white, Black, Native American, people from all walks of life,” Leesa Jones, Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum executive director and historian said. Motifs of history were interwoven with the plotline. Leesa Jones’s favorite is inspired by flowers with a secret meaning. “I could have just a handful of sunflowers and that big brown spot was called an eye,” Leesa Jones said. "That could simply indicate that there were too many eyes watching and so the movie accurately portrays that.” In Washington, people will see the showing of Freedom of NC at the Historic Turnage Theatre on Feb. 26th, as part of their Black History Month celebrations. “I’m very proud of doing it and bringing it back here because this is where it started and you can really see what was transpiring during that time,” James Jones said. This month, in his celebration of Black history, James Jones wants to focus on more than just the adversities of his ancestors. He honors the stories of Washington-based ancestors, and he hopes his work inspires other young Black creators to achieve what he calls “Black excellence.” That starts, James Jones says, by putting himself out there, efforting to reach his dreams. When the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum is not the backdrop of Jones’s filmmaking, it serves as an educational tool for area students and visitors. There, they have the opportunity to see primary documents from Beaufort County in the 1800s, when thousands of enslaved people sought their freedom. Due to a volunteer shortage from the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum is working on an abbreviated schedule. The museum is open Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for tours of its collection.
MARTIN, BERTIE COUNTIES, N.C. (WITN) - As roadway preparations continue, First Alert meteorologists forecast that this weekend’s system will bring several inches of snow to Eastern Carolina’s northern counties.
North Carolina Department of Transportation crews loaded up their brine tanks Friday and took to the roadways one last time before the snowfall. The salt and water mixture, they hope, will withstand rainfall and bond with the pavement overnight, reducing the chance of ice formation. “It’s a little unusual,” maintenance engineer Andy Mulder said. Mulder has been with the department for about 30 years and he says he can’t remember three weekends in a row that they had to be out treating the roads. “Maybe we’ll get better each time,” Mulder said. Due to the consecutive hits to the counties’ stockpiles of salt for their brine, an additional order was placed and delivered on Wednesday. With over 100 tons of additional salt, the crews were well stocked for their treatments. “So far we’ve applied about 20,000 gallons of brine in Martin County and close to 15,000 gallons in Bertie County,” Mulder said. When mixed at the DOT maintenance yard to a salinity of about 23%, the brine is ready to spray on the roadways. It aims to keep roads from freezing over for those who will need to be on the roads, like Maleek Gilbert. “As far as we know, we have to be in for work tomorrow,” Gilbert said as he refueled his GFL truck in Bertie County. “It’s difficult, but if we have to work then we have to go get it.” To “go get it” safely, Mulder and his team will be ready bright and early. “We will report in around 6 a.m. tomorrow morning and begin plowing snow if there is any accumulation on the roadways,” Mulder said. If you have to be behind the wheel this weekend, you are urged to be cautious. “You just have to go 10 miles under the speed limit,” Gilbert said. “If not, you could be going the speed limit and have an accident.” One concern over the pretreatment of the roadways is the forecast of precipitation. Before we see snow, we will likely see rain. Mulder said, ”With less than a half-inch of rain and by us brining today, so near the event, we feel like we’ll have some effectiveness from the brine.” If there are any trouble spots, there is plenty of salt left over to treat it. Mulder anticipates his crews will use around 70 tons of salt to prepare.
PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - For the third week in a row, North Carolina Department of Transportation maintenance crews are loading up their trucks and preparing roadways for winter weather.
Thousands of gallons of brine have been sprayed on Eastern Carolina roadways ahead of the weekend. Due to using so much salt, the Pitt County branch of the DOT has had to order more. Still, the department is fully stocked and ready for the incoming weather. “We’ve got some trucks that hold 1,600 gallons all the way up to some that hold 5,000 gallons,” Jordan Davenport, Pitt County maintenance engineer said. The trucks can apply the brine at a rate of 40 gallons per lane, per mile. The agency is treating roads as a precaution for freezing temperatures and forecasted snowfall, but before the snow, ENC residents should see rain. The rainfall could threaten their work. “It’s kind of a cheap insurance, if you will, that even if some of it washes away, some of it will stay and bond to the pavement and prevent ice from forming there,” Jamie Kritzer of the Raleigh DOT branch said. The brine is good for the roadways because it reduces the possibility of ice formation. But it isn’t good for cars. “We’ve seen a lot of dirty cars,” Eric Bailey with A Perfect Shine Everytime car wash said. “We have to rinse them down really good, twice, before we wash them.” Bailey and his team of car washers use a special wax cleanser to keep the salt from rusting the exterior metal. “We called the truck two weeks ago to get some more,” Bailey said. “It’s getting challenging, but it’s our job. We’ve go to do what we’ve got to do.” When it comes to slick roadways, it’s better to be safe than sorry. “If you get a heavy rain after you treat, it can wash away some of your material, but if it’s just a light rain and for not a very long duration, it can still be effective,” Davenport said. “A lot of times we feel like we need to treat and that way we are as prepared as we can be leading into the event.” For another weekend, folks are encouraged to stay inside, far from behind the wheel.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - As the snow and ice melted in Eastern Carolina on Sunday, the eateries and shops that closed a day before due to weather reopened.
“Friday night we were actually open and when the weather got bad, we decided to close, just because we didn’t know how the roads were actually going to be,” said Victoria Jenkins, a manager at Tiebreakers in Greenville. “It was better to be safe than sorry to make sure that the staff was safe and could actually travel.” Jenkins says managers followed forecasts closely, making safety calls as necessary. With the roads clearer than before, the sports bar was full of mostly families and large groups, including the Hines family, who came in for an opportunity to get out. “We’ve been home for two days,” said Kimberly Hines. “Yesterday, we stayed home and took extra caution and didn’t go out on the roads.” On Saturday, the NFL Conference playoff games would have brought in big crowds. “It kind of hurt us because we probably would have been really busy,” said Jenkins. “But with today, being back open again, we’ve been really busy since we opened.” Hines’s son, Colton, was looking forward to seeing Los Angeles Rams take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tiebreakers management said they have a game plan, working to make back the revenue lost over the weekend from the weather. “If we get snow, I think we’ll always be open, but when there’s ice involved, that’s when it gets a little riskier,” said Jenkins. And as conditions improve, business is expected to go back to normal.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Many Pitt County residents tool to an infamous sledding hill on 5th Street to spend a snow day with the family.
“When we heard we were going snowboarding, we really wanted it because we just love it,” said Jacob Oliver, bundled up in snow pants. His sister, Isabella, added, “We brought a pool floatie. That just popped a couple of minutes ago. And we brought a couple of bougie boards.” All of these toys had a purpose, taking the Oliver siblings down the hill as fast as possible. Across the way, Jakob Jensen was prepping for a self-acclaimed world record: a “quadruple-decker dad sled down the hill.” After wiping out with his pals he said, “We brought the kids out here and we thought well we can’t let them have all the fun. The dads and the moms have got to get in on all the action.” Anything can be a sled on this hill when you use your imagination. “We don’t actually have one of those real circular sleds,” said Isabella Oliver, “but I think a bougie board works best, especially if you have a slick path like the ones that we’ve been making.” Slick paths are great for sledding, but not for driving. If you need to travel to reach your family fun site, drive the roads slowly and carefully. |
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