North Carolina
Pet care service company provides livable wage
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — For the last 15 years, the N.C. General Assembly has not granted a pay raise for minimum wage workers at the beginning of the year.
As a result, North Carolina is one of about 20 states that will not see a boost in its minimum wage, remaining at $7.25 an hour.
A Chapel Hill man feels fortunate he’s working for a company that provides a livable wage.
“Just starting my morning cup of tea, which is very important for an Englishman,” Robert Kelly said.
Kelly starts his day around 7:30 a.m. He has a cup of tea and chats with his pups.
“Just finished my morning snack, which is an apple, which my dog, Brighton, loves apples. Named after my favorite soccer team in England, Brighton and Hove Albion,” Kelly joked.
And before you know it, the London native is out the door.
“But because it’s a bit boggy and rainy out on the trails, I need to put boots on,” Kelly said.
Kelly works for Walk and Wag — a pet care service.
He works 40 hours each week, caring for around 10 clients a week, ranging from dogs, cats, chickens and even dragon lizards.
Kelly says caring for domestic animals full time affords him a great lifestyle.
Working at a pet care company allows Robert Kelly to work mostly from home. (Spectrum News 1/Jatrissa Wooten)
“We’ve lived in this house since about 2007 when we moved back here from France. We’ve actually owned the house since about 1996,” Kelly said.
Prior to this, Kelly was a DJ then a teacher making a mediocre salary. But Walk and Wag allows Kelly to stay in his home.
“My property taxes in Chapel Hill (are) off the bloody charts,” Kelly said.
Working for the pet care company, Kelly says it’s like having a 9 to 5 job with a lot more freedom and flexibility.
Team members are available 365 days a year but can choose whether they want to work part or full time.
“In the same sort of geographic area of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, little bit of Durham, too,” Kelly said.
Kelly says he hates that North Carolina did not raise its base salary.
“Disgusting that the minimum wage is $7.25,” Kelly said.
The pet care team member explains double that amount still isn’t enough.
“But even $15 or $16, frankly, I think it’s too low,” Kelly continued. “But I’m European, so, you know, I have a different take on these things.”
Kelly says he lucked out with Walk and Wag and says not only does he receive more than a livable wage doing something he loves, he gained family.
“So much of it is not just about how you relate to the pet, but it’s how you relate to the owners, because you become part of their extended family,” Kelly said.
In 2021, the legislature raised most state employee minimum wage to $13 an hour and $15 by the following year.
Lawmakers had set the goal of raising public employee minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2018 but have not publicly considered any bills that would raise the private sector minimum wage.
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North Carolina
Broncos Warned Not to Draft Highly-Touted RB
![Broncos Warned Not to Draft Highly-Touted RB Broncos Warned Not to Draft Highly-Touted RB](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6732,h_3786,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/01jky1hnrmqepe812m08-b5741eff534f8056951c0b61a8e67021.jpg)
Almost assuredly, the Denver Broncos will select a running back in April’s NFL Draft. However, that running back, according to Bleacher Report, should not be North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton.
The digital media giant recently categorized Denver as the “worst fit” for Hampton, a fringe first-round prospect.
“Back-to-back running backs near the top of the draft isn’t normal by today’s standard, unless we’re discussing fantasy football,” the BR article states. “Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs were outliers in the 2023 draft. Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton aren’t as explosive as those two. Beyond that blip, two running backs haven’t been drafted in the top half of the round since Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey in 2017.
“Hampton’s case is more interesting than Jeanty’s because he’s more of a powerful, downhill runner who needs the right system to serve as a hammer for some squad. Make no mistake, the 220-pound ball-carrier has some juice. But no one should ask him to be working laterally then asked to burst downfield. He’s going to punish those along the way or run past them as they wear down. The two-time first-team All-American needs to be utilized in a scheme where he can be a workhorse.”
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Hampton was a three-year contributor for the Tar Heels, compiling 4,200 yards from scrimmage (3,565 rushing, 635 receiving) and 40 total touchdowns. The 6-foot, 220-pound back, “rumored to have 4.4 speed,” finished with a career 5.7 yards-per-carry average.
Expert opinions vary. ESPN’s Matt Miller ranks Hampton as the third-best RB in a stacked 2025 class, while NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compares Hampton to Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson — that is, a “limited” one-cut runner.
“High-volume battering ram with a three-ingredient recipe of size, strength and aggression,” Zierlein wrote. “Hampton is a linear runner lacking creativity and wiggle, but once the gas is engaged, he runs like a downhill truck whose brake lines have been cut. He has the base, balance and power to batter tacklers and reignite runs after contact but he fails to recognize alternative run lanes that offer easier paths and more yardage. He needs to work on his pass protection but can create positive plays on swing passes and screens. Hampton is a tone-setting future starter who can handle a heavy workload, but he absorbs rare levels of heavy contact that could create durability or longevity issues if he doesn’t learn to pick and choose his battles.”
Pre-draft testing should ultimately determine Hampton’s value, but he’s a name to file away for a Broncos club that holds three top-100 choices (No. 20, No. 51, No. 85) and will be casting a wide-net to bolster its backfield this offseason.
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North Carolina
School delays in Western North Carolina, Wednesday, Feb. 12
![School delays in Western North Carolina, Wednesday, Feb. 12 School delays in Western North Carolina, Wednesday, Feb. 12](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/e1d78d18d18c0e71d5c7c4a0350b598687f50fe1/c=0-50-534-352/local/-/media/2017/04/07/CarolinaGroup/Asheville/636271427653938330-thebus.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Amazon van slides off a road snowy Knoxville street
Video captured the moment an Amazon van slid off a snowy road in Knoxville.
Some school systems in Western North Carolina are operating on delays Wednesday, Feb. 12, due to winter weather impacts.
- Avery County Schools: Two-hour delay.
- Mitchell County Schools: Two-hour delay.
- Watauga County Schools: Two-hour delay.
- Yancey County Schools: Two-hour delay.
This story will be updated
North Carolina
Clemson Tigers Reach Another Milestone with Victory over North Carolina
![Clemson Tigers Reach Another Milestone with Victory over North Carolina Clemson Tigers Reach Another Milestone with Victory over North Carolina](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2500,h_1406,x_0,y_121/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_clemson/01jksm3qk3m4typg7c4v.jpg)
The Clemson Tigers kept on rolling two days after upsetting No. 2 Duke, as they blew out North Carolina, 85-65, at Littlejohn Coliseum on Monday night.
Earlier in the day, the AP Top 25 voters finally put the Tigers back in the poll, as the Tigers were ranked No. 23.
The Tigers (20-5, 12-2 in ACC) didn’t have a let-down game against the Tar Heels, as forward Viktor Lakhin had 22 points, Chase Hunter had 19 points and Jaeden Zackery had 16 points. As a team, the Tigers made 12 3-pointers and shot nearly 50%.
But the win also allowed Clemson to accomplish something it rarely does — a blue-blood sweep.
The Tigers beat Duke and North Carolina for the first time since the 2019-20 season and for just the third time in the last 30 years, according to The State.
With the victory, the Tigers remain one game behind Duke in the ACC standings and in a tie for second with the Louisville Cardinals, which handed Clemson of its two league losses this season.
Clemson could have taken a step back against UNC, given all it accomplished by beating the Blue Devils last weekend.
The Tigers, unranked at the time, ran its streak of wins over AP Top 5 teams while an unranked team to give games. For perspective, it is not only the longest streak of its kind in Division I, but no team has done that four times in the 25-team AP poll era, which started in 1989-90.
The last time the Tigers beat a team as highly ranked as Duke was another Tobacco Road school, North Carolina. On Feb. 1, 2001, the Tigers upset the No. 1 Tar Heels, 76-65.
Clemson’s victory over Duke was its 14th win at home over a Top 25 ranked Duke team. It was also the Tigers’ highest ranked win over the Blue Devils since Jan. 9, 1980, when Duke was the country’s No. 1 team. At the time of that victory, Duke had a different coach. Mike Krzyzewski was still the coach at Army West Point.
Coach Brad Brownell recently claimed career victory No. 450 and is coming off taking Clemson to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980, when the program was led by Bill Foster.
Clemson has not made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances under Brownell. The Tigers was a No. 8 seed in ESPN’s most recent Bracketology.
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