North Carolina

Body of beloved eastern North Carolina firefighter returns home

Published

9 months ago

June 26, 2025

Body of beloved eastern North Carolina firefighter returns home

EDGECOMBE COUNTY (WTVD) — A mother prepares for her son to return to the Triangle.

Jaywon Lyons, a beloved eastern North Carolina firefighter, died earlier this month after a water incident while on vacation.

“He loved family. He loved to travel. He was just… he was liked by a lot of people,” said Roshawnda Daniels.

Daniel’s eldest son, 25-year-old Lyons, had the passion to serve others.

He served proudly with Edgecombe County Emergency Management, Legget Volunteer Fire Department, and the Red Oak Community Rural Fire Department.

Daniels told ABC11 that Lyons also helped with wildfires in California and Western North Carolina, helping crews respond to Hurricane Helene.

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“He was an adrenaline junkie. He loved it. He lived for this,” said Daniels.

On June 6, while Lyons was on vacation with his girlfriend and her family in the Caribbean, his mother received an earth-shattering phone call. Lyons was in the hospital due to a snorkeling incident.

“He had a pulse when he got to the hospital. They said the hospital wasn’t equipped to handle the situation. So she called me. I got a job, got his insurance information…We had a flight booked to come pick him up, take him to Miami,” said Daniels.

She said Lyons was stable for a while, but things took a turn for the worse, and he did not make it. It’s the second tragedy to hit her family; her youngest son, Jaleal, was murdered at 19 years old.

“I just got to looking at it now, is Jaleal left first. Jaywon missed his brother. He couldn’t take it no more – they were so close,” said Daniels.

She said the brotherhood of firefighters has wrapped their arms around her family, helping to get her son back home and honoring him at the fire station.

Now, Daniels will carry on his legacy and ensure her granddaughters know just how great their father was.

“If nothing else, that he loved them. Even though he’s not here, he’ll always be watching over them, “said Daniels.

There will be an escort on Thursday to bring him home at 8 am.

The funeral service and viewing will be held on Saturday at Edgecombe Community College.

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North Carolina

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

Published

12 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

An North Carolina State University professor is back home Monday night after he was trapped in the Middle East as war with Iran broke out.

Rich Spontak was stuck in Qatar while traveling from Bangkok to Spain and was forced to stay in the country for about a week. Several travelers were trapped for days in the Middle East after Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several defense leaders were
killed in joint strikes by the United States and Israel.

Spontak, like many travelers, found himself stranded in the Middle East after the initial attacks, which quickly entangled more surrounding countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where seven U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory attacks from Iran.

Spontak said there were times he thought he wouldn’t make it out.

“I would just keep looking out and looking for the missiles,” Spontak said. “Some people that I met along the way were hit by shrapnel from the missles. It was dire.”

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace on Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.

Lilia Austin, a Chapel Hill woman who was part of a group of 100 women who went to Israel for a trip the day before Khamenei was killed, also returned home on Sunday after she left Israel through Egypt.

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North Carolina

Gov. Stein proposes $1.4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina

Published

24 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Stein proposes .4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — With North Carolina still without a new state budget, Gov. Josh Stein is urging state lawmakers to approve a $1.4 billion “Critical Needs Budget.” Stein says this budget will address the state’s most urgent priorities while the General Assembly works on a full spending plan.

“North Carolina has gone nearly two and a half years without passing a new state budget – the only state in the country to finish 2025 without one[…]This budget invests in critical public safety, education and health care services for the people of North Carolina that cannot wait,” Gov. Stein said in a press release Monday.

A major part of Stein’s proposal is $319 million to fully fund Medicaid, which provides health coverage to over three million North Carolinians. This program also supports rural hospitals, nursing homes and statewide health care providers, per the release.

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The “Critical Needs Budget” would target public safety staffing and pay. According to the governor’s office, North Carolina currently ranks 49th in starting salaries for state troopers and correctional officers, and low pay has contributed to staffing shortages and vacancy rates. This budget would bring pay raises to correctional officers, law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers and more.

Stein’s proposed budget calls for raising starting and average teacher pay, as well as increasing pay for senior teachers and other education staff. The governor’s office said the state remains in the bottom 10 nationally in average teacher pay.

The budget proposal also includes pay increases for state employees and a cost-of-living adjustment for retired state employees, citing rising inflation costs and increasing health care premiums. Stein’s plan also includes targeted funding to maintain essential services, such as support for child care access and affordability.

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North Carolina

The North Carolina Arboretum’s “Spring Into the Arb” returns for year two

Published

2 days ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

The North Carolina Arboretum’s “Spring Into the Arb” returns for year two

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The North Carolina Arboretum has announced a new season of “Spring Into the Arb!”

The “Spring Into the Arb!” is in its second year, with its series of plant shows and sales, science and nature activities, music, and art, allowing people to reemerge and reconnect with nature.

The season begins with Nature Play Day on Saturday, March 14, continuing through April, May, and June with new activities every weekend.

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According to a news release, throughout the season, guests can enjoy the following:

Asheville Orchid Festival, annual Ikebana and Rose shows
Purchase plants at the Spring Plant Sale and Market
Get back to their native roots with Native Azalea Day, Mountain Science Expo, and Nature Play Day

The series culminates with Bonsai in the Blue Ridge in June, according to the release.

The release says guests and members are invited to drop in on the newly-opened Arbor Eatery in the Arboretum’s Education Center, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Hours extend to 5 p.m. beginning April 1.

Spring Into the Arb events and programs are included with the regular Arboretum parking fee of $25 per vehicle. Arboretum Society Members get in free.

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According to the release, additional admission is required for the Asheville Orchid Festival and Bonsai in the Blue Ridge.

A full list of the Spring Into the Arb 2026 events includes: