North Carolina

‘Brings the kids together.’ Apex community mourns loss of 10-year-old killed in scooter accident

Published

1 year ago

May 31, 2023

‘Brings the kids together.’ Apex community mourns loss of 10-year-old killed in scooter accident

Many hours have passed and the pain is still fresh in an Apex community after the death of a 10-year-old boy who was hit by a driver while riding a scooter on Woodell Crest Drive on Monday.

“She’s still shocked,” Arun Dhama said. “She can’t take the fact that she doesn’t have a friend anymore. He’s one person who brings all the kids together, play outdoors.”

Dhama said his daughter was outside playing with Ayaan Vachery when it happened. Vachery was a fourth-grade student at Combs Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh.

“We’re just praying for them, for the parents to be strong,” Dhama said. “It’s not easy to lose a son that age.”

While support was available for students at the elementary school, Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert called on the entire community to pray for all of those impacted by Monday’s incident.

“I visited with neighborhood community members yesterday evening to offer my condolences and support, and it is apparent that there are many concerns and questions,” Gilbert said in a statement on Tuesday. “Additional information requests surrounding traffic safety concerns are being researched and will be provided accordingly.”

Apex Police said they couldn’t locate any speeding complaints specific to the Woodall Estates neighborhood, nor is there any record of a traffic calming request from the neighborhood, which typically beings the process for studying a street for speed bumps.

The investigation is ongoing, including more details about the driver, what type of scooter was involved and whether or not the child was wearing a helmet.

RELATED | Scooter crashes increase in North Carolina and many go unreported

Meanwhile, the green markers on Woodall Crest Drive is a harrowing visual reminder of safety.

“If (kids biking, outdoor activities) is also not safe, what else can kids do?” Dhama said. “Number one thing immediately, some road blockages. Speed bumps, some kind of speed-reducing tools. Then having some marks that say no parking on that side of the street because if you notice, it’s creating some kind of blind spot.”

Dhama said with more homes being built by the neighborhood, another concern is more cars on the street.

Neighbors said they plan to be at the next town council meeting on June 13th to discuss traffic safety.

WATCH | Scooter crashes increase in North Carolina

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North Carolina

USC Trojans Predicted to Flip Recruits from Utah, North Carolina Before Signing Day

Published

3 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

USC Trojans Predicted to Flip Recruits from Utah, North Carolina Before Signing Day

The USC Trojans are in pursuit of flipping two class of 2025 recruits, Nela Tupou and Alex Payne. Can the Trojans flip one or both of these players before national signing day?

Nela Tupou Player Profile

USC Trojans Projected to Flip, Nela Tupou / @lul_nelaa on Instagram

Nela Tupou is a 6-4, 220 pound tight end/defensive end out of Folsom, California. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the 43rd-best ATH in the class of 2025 per 247Sports.

Tupou committed to the Utah Utes in February of 2024, but he just recently visited USC last weekend for the Trojans’ 28-20 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

On3 is now predicting that Tupou will likely flip this commitment from Utah to USC.

Alex Payne Player Profile

USC Trojans Projected to Flip, Alex Payne / @usc.today on Instagram

Alex Payne is a 6-5, 265 pound offensive tackle out of Gainesville, Florida. He is rated as four-star recruit and ranked as the 16th-best offensive tackle in the class of 2025.

Payne committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels in January of 2024, but he as well as Tupou, visited USC last weekend.

In 247Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy’s updated crystal ball prediction, he had Payne flipping his commitment from North Carolina to USC. Loy has a good track record of predicting where recruits will end up as his all-time hit rate for predicting recruits’ final destinations is 81.64 percent.

USC Bolstering Up Offensive Line to Go Along With Weapons

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Quinten Joyner (0) runs the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

One of the glaring holes for the USC Trojans this season has been the offensive line. For USC to bounce back next season, they will have to get much better in the trenches. This has been exposed in their first season in the Big Ten. Landing Tupou, who can both be a factor in the run blocking scheme as a blocker, and Payne, one of the top tackle prospects in the country, would go a long way for next season and the future of the program.

Barring a flurry of transfer portal decisions, the Trojans will have an abundance of skill position talent coming back next season.

Freshman running back Quinten Joyner has been the second best back this season behind senior running back Woody marks.

Four of the Trojans five leading receivers are sophomores. Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Duce Robinson all have shown flashes of potentially being a number one wide receiver next season.

Add in the Trojans starting sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava and they have one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. If USC continues to address the offensive line in the last days of the 2025 recruiting cycle and in the transfer portal this offseason, the Trojans could be a dangerous team next season.

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MORE: USC Trojans Women’s Basketball Star JuJu Watkins Makes Name, Image, Likeness History

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North Carolina

School closings, delays in Western North Carolina, Friday, Nov. 22

Published

11 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

School closings, delays in Western North Carolina, Friday, Nov. 22

Some school systems in Western North Carolina are closed Friday, Nov. 21, due to winter weather.

Avery County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
Graham County Schools: Closed, workday for staff.
Madison County Schools: Closed, optional teacher workday.
Mitchell County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
Watauga County Schools: Two-hour delay.
Yancey County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.

This story will be updated

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North Carolina

North Carolina has some of the highest STD rates nationwide, report says

Published

21 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

North Carolina has some of the highest STD rates nationwide, report says

NORTH CAROLINA (WBTV) – North Carolina has some of the highest STD rates nationwide, according to a new study by the U.S. News & World Report.

The report analyzed the highest combined rates of three major sexually transmitted infections: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis.

As far as the 10 states with the highest STD rates, N.C. ranked No. 7.

The data

According to the report, the state’s total STD rate is 911.5 per 100,000. That has actually decreased by -0.3% since 2022.

Rates for the three major STDs are:

Chlamydia: 607.9 per 100,000
Gonorrhea: 243.2 per 100,000
Syphilis (cumulative): 60.4 per 100,000

South Carolina

South Carolina also has some of the highest STD rates in America, according to the report.

Ranked at No. 8 for the 10 states with the highest STD rates, the state’s total STD rate is 882.8 per 100,000. That has decreased by 10.9% since 2022.

Rates for the three major STDs are: