Scientists sighted North Atlantic proper whale #4904 with a extreme entanglement off the coast of North Carolina throughout an aerial survey. Photograph by Clearwater Marine Aquarium Analysis Institute
Jan. 13 (UPI) — Marine officers mentioned an entangled juvenile North Atlantic proper whale found off the coast of North Carolina will possible die from accidents.
An aerial survey staff from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium noticed the whale on Jan. 8 about 20 miles east of Rodanthe, N.C. The staff mentioned Thursday it appeared the whale, believed to be a 4-year-old juvenile feminine, was entangled in a number of wraps of line across the mouth and tail.
“After reviewing documentation of this new entanglement case, Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries biologists have made a preliminary dedication that it meets the standards of a ‘critical damage,’” a press release from NOAA Fisheries mentioned. “This implies the whale is prone to die from this damage.”
Scientists with the New England Aquarium recognized the whale as proper whale #4904, the daughter of proper whale #1204, an grownup feminine named “Spindle.” That whale was lately seen with a brand new calf off St.Catherines Island, Ga.
“The final identified sighting of proper whale #4904 was in Might 2022 in Massachusetts Bay, and she or he was not entangled at that time,” the NOAA mentioned. “NOAA Fisheries and our companions reviewed preliminary pictures from Jan. 8. They present her to have quite a few wounds throughout her physique and whale lice on her head.”
The NOAA mentioned the entanglement response groups didn’t mount a response on the preliminary sighting as a result of it was too late within the day and the whale was too removed from shore.
If situations did allow, NOAA Fisheries mentioned it will have labored with approved responders and skilled consultants to resight her.
Gib Brogan, director of the nonprofit ocean conservation group Oceana, mentioned in an emailed assertion that the U.S. authorities ought to undertake safeguards to eradicate the chance of entanglement in locations the place proper whales are identified to swim.
“It is discouraging and irritating to see yet one more North Atlantic proper whale entangled in fishing gear,” Brogan mentioned. “We all know that fishing gear entanglements are a prime menace to this critically endangered species and this entanglement is the results of continued mismanagement of this danger.”
NOAA additionally reported a male proper whale calf, estimated to be no quite a lot of weeks outdated, was discovered useless on Jan. 7 close to Morehead Metropolis, N.C., after consultants prompt it seemed to be underweight and in comparatively poor well being.
The report comes after the NOAA found the primary orca whale ever to scrub up useless on a Florida seaside on Wednesday. The 21-foot grownup, feminine orca, extra generally often known as a killer whale, was found caught on a sandbar in Palm Coast.
NEWPORT, N.C. (WBTV) – A registered sex offender is facing more charges after he allegedly escaped while on a work release assignment in North Carolina on Thursday.
State prison officials said 44-year-old Kevin Leonard Worsham Jr. was on work release when he left his assignment in the small town of Teachey in Duplin County.
He returned on his own to the work release location early Friday morning and was arrested, according to officials.
Worsham has a criminal history dating back to 2004, including a past conviction that required him to register as a sex offender.
His current sentence came after he – being a registered sex offender – failed to properly report an address change. Prison records show he was convicted of the offense in Gaston County, and was expected to be released in December 2025.
Now that he is back in custody, Worsham is facing new felony escape charges.
He was being held in the minimum-security Carteret Correctional Center in Newport, but after his escape, he will be housed at Central Prison in Raleigh.
Charlotte man accused of killing teen given bond after it was initially denied, records show
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DALLAS — Lexi Donarski had 15 points, Alyssa Ustby scored 12 and matched her career-high with 18 rebounds and No. 14 North Carolina rolled to a 64-33 victory over SMU on Thursday night.
Donarski did her damage from 3-point range, sinking 5 of 6 attempts for the Tar Heels (16-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Ustby collected her seventh double-double of the season with five of them coming in the last six games.
Indya Nivar had 11 points and Maria Gakdeng totaled 10 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina, which has won three in a row and 6 of 7.
Kaysia Woods scored 12 to lead the Mustangs (10-8, 2-4).
Nivar had nine points in the first half as North Carolina turned a 13-6 first-quarter lead into a 31-14 advantage at halftime. The Tar Heels shot just 39.4% from the floor before the break, but that looked red-hot compared to SMU, which shot 13.8% overall (4 for 29).
Donarski hit her only two shots of the third quarter — both from beyond the arc — and the Tar Heels led 44-22 heading to the fourth.
Woods had five points in the final period to help SMU top the 10-point mark in a quarter for the first time in the game.
North Carolina guard Alyssa Ustby dribbles during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against SMU, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Dallas. Credit: AP/LM Otero
SMU allowed the biggest comeback in NCAA women’s basketball history its last time out when the Mustangs saw a 32-point lead with 1:37 left in the first half turn into a 72-59 loss to Pittsburgh. SMU was outscored 28-0 in the third quarter and 26-10 in the fourth.
North Carolina travels to play Pittsburgh on Sunday. SMU travels to play No. 3 Notre Dame on Sunday.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – As wildfires ravage parts of Los Angeles and Southern California this month, federal, state, and local authorities have mobilized resources to combat the flames and assist affected communities.
Their response echoes the efforts made in North Carolina just months ago, when Hurricane Helene left widespread devastation in its wake.
A viewer named Dina asked the following question: “Why is the federal government covering 100% of the recovery costs for the California wildfires, but not doing the same for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in North Carolina?”
Her question relates to a claim being spread around social media that the government is allegedly paying for 100% of the damage in California, but not in North Carolina.
WBTV’s Fact Check team investigated the claims and found them to be false.
Here’s what we found.
On Tuesday, Jan. 14, President Joe Biden announced that the federal government would cover 100% of certain wildfire recovery costs in California for the next 180 days.
“The federal government is going to cover 100% of the cost for the next 180 days for things like firefighter overtime pay, debris removal, temporary shelters … It’s going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles back to where it was,” Biden said during a press conference.
Typically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, aka FEMA, covers 75% of disaster recovery costs, with the remaining 25% funded by state and local governments. However, under federal law, the U.S. president has the authority to increase the federal cost-share for recovery efforts.
Turns out, less than a week after Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina in September 2024, President Biden and FEMA announced that the same adjustment was made for Helene recovery in North Carolina.
Put another way: North Carolina has also had 100% of public recovery funds covered by the federal government since Oct. 2, 2024.
A release from the North Carolina governor’s office and FEMA explained how the president raised the federal contribution from 75% to 100% for the first 180 days of recovery. (The same time period that was just established in California).
After the six-month period, the cost-share for public assistance projects was increased from 75% to 90%. Click here to read the official FEMA release about this.
—> North Carolina Red Cross volunteers deploy to support wildfire victims in California
President Biden’s decision to increase the federal cost-share for California wildfires is consistent with the aid provided to North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.
Claims that the federal government is covering a higher percentage of recovery costs in California compared to in North Carolina are false. Both states received identical cost-share adjustments.
If you have further questions or claims you’d like us to investigate, feel free to reach out to us at factcheck@wbtv.com.
—> State releases names of 104 Helene victims in North Carolina for 1st time: See list here
Copyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.
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