North Carolina

What’s the best way to pick a nursing home for a loved one?

Published

3 years ago

July 5, 2022

What’s the best way to pick a nursing home for a loved one?

By Thomas Goldsmith

When the time comes close to to decide on a nursing dwelling for a beloved one, the best path is to go to a number of services and speak with directors, employees, and residents, in response to folks conversant in this transition.

However for a lot of households, the necessity for a nursing house is an pressing one, precipitated by a fall or a catastrophic sickness that has all of the sudden rendered a beloved one unable to manage at dwelling.

A number of on-line assets may also help people who find themselves in search of the absolute best care. It’s in style to “do your individual analysis” on decisions comparable to this, however it may be troublesome to seek out the time and experience to look into nursing houses, particularly since many individuals enter the long-term care system in disaster.

Public and nonprofit specialists helped North Carolina Well being Information compile a listing of some sources of details about expert nursing services throughout the state.

That is the final of three tales on a brand new report from the Nationwide Academies of Science, Engineering and Drugs.

The sweeping new report on nursing houses created by a blue-ribbon committee of the Nationwide Academies accommodates broad criticism on the present state of look after older folks and people with disabilities.

The assembled knowledgeable members of the committee that produced the report, “The Nationwide Crucial to Enhance Nursing House High quality,” included specialists from the fields of nursing, veterans affairs, well being economics, household medication, geriatrics, well being care coverage, vaccines, public well being and most cancers analysis.

Dr. Philip Sloane is a professor of household medication and geriatrics at UNC-Chapel Hill and a member of the panel that created the report. Every of the specialists gave a stamp of approval to every of the panel’s conclusions, Sloane stated.

So, if the establishment of nursing houses wants enchancment, what particular steps does the report suggest to make possession and operations extra clear for the general public?

In a single proposal sure to obtain pushback from business, the committee recommends that the federal Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies ought to have full entry to Inside Income Service tax returns of firms that play a job in a nursing dwelling’s operation.

In lots of instances, the individual or company in possession of a nursing dwelling additionally owns firms that offer enterprise administration, pharmacy providers, meals preparation, safety and different must the ability. That can lead to a convoluted construction that’s laborious to evaluate and that makes any authorized motion towards the nursing dwelling laborious to pursue.

The presence of legally separate companies owned by the nursing houses guardian company could be utilized by Medicare and Medicaid in an annual audit of a facility’s dwelling workplace and associated firms, in response to the committee’s advice.

Moreover the committee recommends that:

Potential house owners of a talented nursing facility needs to be prevented by new rules from shopping for, operating or managing new services if information present they’ve a historical past as house owners of working different houses, in any state, that chronically had low staffing or poor high quality.
Enforcement of legal guidelines and guidelines on nursing houses ought to transcend the extensively used civil financial penalty. These efforts ought to make extra use of treatments that embody having company chains enter integrity agreements, disallowing new residents, mandated programs of correction, set up of short-term managers, and ending contracts with Medicare and Medicaid.
A brand new Early Detection Job Power made up of federal and state regulators, folks from the Facilities for Illness Management and prevention and the U.S. Justice Division ought to maintain a unbroken eye on nursing houses’ efficiency based mostly on information collected on staffing ranges, a file of time spent by a facility’s medical director, inspection applications and the federal justice division’s assessments. The duty power would be capable to ship “strike groups” into nursing houses with particularly pressing issues. An identical follow was utilized in western North Carolina early within the COVID pandemic.

As well as, the report says folks ought to be capable to search info on the Nursing House Evaluate website not solely by a facility’s identify, but in addition by any chain or widespread possession.

Learn Half 1 of our sequence right here, and Half 2 right here.

Look to the celebs

For these starting the method, the five-star score system provided by the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies, or CMS, is price consulting however needs to be supplemented from different sources, stated Invoice Lamb, a board member of the advocacy group FOR, or Buddies of Residents in Lengthy Time period Care.

“A five-star score means you continue to want to have a look at extra info,” Lamb stated in a cellphone interview. “However if you happen to’ve acquired a two-star or one-star or particular focus facility, there’s one thing happening there.”

Particular focus services are nursing houses with information that present they’ve fallen brief in caring correctly for residents throughout lengthy durations. If federal regulators make that willpower, the middle in query can discover itself going through extra frequent inspections, ponying as much as pay fines inside a wide range, and dropping reimbursement from each Medicare and Medicaid.

A brand new report analyzing the state of the U.S.’s nursing houses from the Nationwide Academies of Science, Engineering and Drugs, “The Nationwide Crucial to Enhance Nursing House High quality,” raises questions in regards to the worth of the federal star score system, obtainable on the Nursing House Evaluate web site.

“Though the five-star composite measure appears to have face validity and predictive validity on the extremes, the proof is blended as as to if the star rankings are useful to shoppers selecting amongst nursing houses which are nearer to common,” the report says, citing tutorial research that increase typically provocative questions in regards to the system.

There’s the unlucky risk that facility house owners with data of the system would possibly put together info designed to provide a selected score.

“A part of the problem of the present score system is that each staffing and high quality measures are based mostly on self-reported information from nursing houses, which may permit for ‘gaming’ the place nursing houses may falsify their information or use questionable methods to enhance scores,” the report says.

In different phrases, well-ranked houses are seemingly good, whereas poorly-ranked houses ought to seemingly be prevented. For houses ranked in the course of the pack, the standard will be laborious to find out.

See for your self

Lamb and different specialists throughout the board emphasize the significance of in-person visits.

“Making an appointment to go to nursing houses and speaking to employees and residents can also be necessary,” stated spokeswoman Summer time Tonizzo from the North Carolina Division of Well being and Human Companies.

Adam Sholar, CEO of the nursing dwelling commerce group North Carolina Well being Care Services Affiliation, is on the identical web page.

“Personally, I’d suggest that households make an appointment to go to close by nursing services to allow them to see first-hand what sort of care is being supplied,” Sholar stated. “Private visits will let you know much more in regards to the employees, the services, and the tradition than anything.”

Nevertheless, folks conversant in the business warning guests to not place a lot significance on facilities such because the well-appointed foyer of a nursing dwelling. The day-to-day remedy of residents takes place out of sight of any such trappings.

Take a deeper dive into the information

The location information.medicare.gov, maintained by CMS, is probably going probably the most informative software, however may also be probably the most troublesome to make use of. Its spreadsheet information can provide shoppers with particulars a few facility’s stage of staffing at specified jobs, charge of turnover, inhabitants, deaths from COVID-19 and far more. These unfamiliar with Excel or different spreadsheet software program might want to learn to use it by themselves, or get assist with it.

Nursing House Evaluate lets guests test attainable locations towards competing services. It’s run by the federal Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies and points the 1 to five star rankings for services.

This website focuses on seeing how one facility stacks up towards one other, or with just a few, so it’s not all the time the best place to get info. Nevertheless, as famous within the Nationwide Academies report, the star score system is a helpful solution to decide a basic stage of high quality, particularly within the decrease and 4 to five star ranges.

The state NC DHHS’s Division of Well being Service Regulation Nursing House Licensure and Certification Part net web page permits shoppers to seek the advice of inspection stories for services within the state, together with statements of deficiencies which are generated when there’s an issue and the corresponding plans of correction. A no-frills checklist of services is on the DHHS website — click on on “nursing houses, transportable doc type.”

There are additionally common postings of the facilities with “deficiencies.”

Return in time

Amongst different assets, the state nursing dwelling licensure and certification part, which receives about 2,000 nursing dwelling complaints a yr, maintains a listing of facilities which have been cited for deficiencies in care.

These concerned with a selected nursing dwelling can study information from the close to previous or going again a number of years. For instance, somebody trying into the Citadel Salisbury would discover that regulators cited the nursing dwelling in March for failing to guard a feminine resident who complained {that a} male resident had repeatedly provided her cash for intercourse.

Residents or caregivers can file complaints about incidents which have occurred up to now yr and that contain issues recognized in state or federal rules. Different types of considerations might be dealt with by one other company.

Though nursing houses are licensed and function below federal rules, when there’s a criticism, it’s state DHHS and native county workers who perform inspections that type the chief foundation of citations and penalties from the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies.

Different info sources:

The Kaiser Household Basis has reams of details about expert nursing services, from nurse staffing to personal and nonprofit possession. A latest difficulty temporary sums up what states have performed to handle shortages in nurses at expert nursing services.

The nationwide non-profit investigative newsroom ProPublica additionally has particularly sturdy info and prides itself on retaining its itemizing updated. Their information website Nursing House Examine additionally combines info from completely different ranges of companies. For instance, a ProPublica itemizing reveals two North Carolina nursing houses as among the many most closely fined nationally throughout a three-year interval. They’re Citadel Salisbury with $700,000 in fines and the Carolina Rehab Middle of Cumberland, with $604,000.

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by Thomas Goldsmith, North Carolina Well being Information
July 5, 2022

<h1>What’s one of the best ways to choose a nursing dwelling for a beloved one?</h1><br /> <p class=”byline”>by Thomas Goldsmith, North Carolina Well being Information <br />July 5, 2022</p><br /> <br /><br /> <h4 id=”h-by-thomas-goldsmith”><robust>By Thomas Goldsmith</robust></h4><br /> <p>When the time comes close to to decide on a nursing dwelling for a beloved one, the best path is to go to a number of services and speak with directors, employees, and residents, in response to folks conversant in this transition.</p><br /> <p>However for a lot of households, the necessity for a nursing house is an pressing one, precipitated by a fall or a catastrophic sickness that has all of the sudden rendered a beloved one unable to manage at dwelling. </p><br /> <p>A number of on-line assets may also help people who find themselves in search of the absolute best care. It’s in style to “do your individual analysis” on decisions comparable to this, however it may be troublesome to seek out the time and experience to look into nursing houses, particularly since many individuals enter the long-term care system in disaster. </p><br /> <p>Public and nonprofit specialists helped North Carolina Well being Information compile a listing of some sources of details about expert nursing services throughout the state.</p><br /> <div class=”wp-block-group has-secondary-background-color has-background”><br /> <p><em><robust>That is the final of three tales on a brand new report from the Nationwide Academies of Science, Engineering and Drugs.</robust></em></p><br /> <p>The sweeping new report on nursing houses created by a blue-ribbon committee of the Nationwide Academies accommodates broad criticism on the present state of look after older folks and people with disabilities.</p><br /> <p>The assembled knowledgeable members of the committee that produced the report, “<a href=”https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26526/the-national-imperative-to-improve-nursing-home-quality-honoring-our”>The Nationwide Crucial to Enhance Nursing House High quality</a>,” included specialists from the fields of nursing, veterans affairs, well being economics, household medication, geriatrics, well being care coverage, vaccines, public well being and most cancers analysis.</p><br /> <p>Dr. Philip Sloane is a professor of household medication and geriatrics at UNC-Chapel Hill and a member of the panel that created the report. Every of the specialists gave a stamp of approval to every of the panel’s conclusions, Sloane stated.  </p><br /> <p>So, if the establishment of nursing houses wants enchancment, what particular steps does the report suggest to make possession and operations extra clear for the general public? </p><br /> <p>In a single proposal sure to obtain pushback from business, the committee recommends that the federal <a href=”https://www.cms.gov/”>Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies</a> ought to have full entry to <a href=”https://www.irs.gov/”>Inside Income Service</a> tax returns of firms that play a job in a nursing dwelling’s operation. </p><br /> <p>In lots of instances, the individual or company in possession of a nursing dwelling additionally owns firms that offer enterprise administration, pharmacy providers, meals preparation, safety and different must the ability. That can lead to a convoluted construction that’s laborious to evaluate and that makes any authorized motion towards the nursing dwelling laborious to pursue.</p><br /> <p>The presence of legally separate companies owned by the nursing houses guardian company could be utilized by Medicare and Medicaid in an annual audit of a facility’s dwelling workplace and associated firms, in response to the committee’s advice.  </p><br /> <p>Moreover the committee recommends that:</p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>Potential house owners of a talented nursing facility needs to be prevented by new rules from shopping for, operating or managing new services if information present they’ve a historical past as house owners of working different houses, in any state, that chronically had low staffing or poor high quality. </li><br /> <li>Enforcement of legal guidelines and guidelines on nursing houses ought to transcend the extensively used civil financial penalty. These efforts ought to make extra use of treatments that embody having company chains enter integrity agreements, disallowing new residents, mandated programs of correction, set up of short-term managers, and ending contracts with Medicare and Medicaid.  </li><br /> <li>A brand new Early Detection Job Power made up of federal and state regulators, folks from the Facilities for Illness Management and prevention and the U.S. Justice Division ought to maintain a unbroken eye on nursing houses’ efficiency based mostly on information collected on staffing ranges, a file of time spent by a facility’s medical director, inspection applications and the federal justice division’s assessments. The duty power would be capable to ship “strike groups” into nursing houses with particularly pressing issues. An identical follow was utilized in<a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2020/06/10/new-strike-teams-used-to-fight-covid-in-long-term-care/”> western North Carolina early within the COVID pandemic</a>.</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p>As well as, the report says folks ought to be capable to search info on the<a href=”https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?providerType=NursingHome&redirect=true”> Nursing House Evaluate</a> website not solely by a facility’s identify, but in addition by any chain or widespread possession.</p><br /> <p><robust>Learn <a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/06/15/national-report-raises-overarching-questions-on-u-s-nursing-home-care/”>Half 1 of our sequence right here</a>, and <a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/06/21/when-a-loved-one-dies-at-a-nursing-home-families-face-mazes-and-mirages-in-search-for-answers/”>Half 2 right here</a>.</robust></p><br /> </p></div><br /> <h4><robust>Look to the celebs</robust></h4><br /> <p>For these starting the method, the <a href=”https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Supplier-Enrollment-and-Certification/CertificationandComplianc/FSQRS”>five-star score system</a> provided by the <a href=”https://www.cms.gov/”>Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies</a>, or CMS, is price consulting however needs to be supplemented from different sources, stated Invoice Lamb, a board member of the advocacy group FOR, or <a href=”https://forltc.org/”>Buddies of Residents in Lengthy Time period Care</a>. </p><br /> <p>“A five-star score means you continue to want to have a look at extra info,” Lamb stated in a cellphone interview. “However if you happen to’ve acquired a two-star or one-star or <a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2021/10/12/feds-put-special-focus-on-10-nc-nursing-homes-with-sketchy-performance-records/”>particular focus facility</a>, there’s one thing happening there.”</p><br /> <p><a href=”https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Supplier-Enrollment-and-Certification/CertificationandComplianc/Downloads/SFFList.pdf”>Particular focus services</a> are nursing houses with information that present they’ve fallen brief in caring correctly for residents throughout lengthy durations. If federal regulators make that willpower, the middle in query can discover itself going through extra frequent inspections, ponying as much as pay fines inside a wide range, and dropping reimbursement from each Medicare and Medicaid. </p><br /> <p>A brand new report analyzing the state of the U.S.’s nursing houses from the Nationwide Academies of Science, Engineering and Drugs, “The Nationwide Crucial to Enhance Nursing House High quality,” raises questions in regards to the worth of the federal star score system, obtainable on the <a href=”https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?providerType=NursingHome&redirect=true”>Nursing House Evaluate</a> web site.</p><br /> <p>“Though the five-star composite measure appears to have face validity and predictive validity on the extremes, the proof is blended as as to if the star rankings are useful to shoppers selecting amongst nursing houses which are nearer to common,” the report says, citing tutorial research that increase typically provocative questions in regards to the system.</p><br /> <p>There’s the unlucky risk that facility house owners with data of the system would possibly put together info designed to provide a selected score. </p><br /> <p>“A part of the problem of the present score system is that each staffing and high quality measures are based mostly on self-reported information from nursing houses, which may permit for ‘gaming’ the place nursing houses may falsify their information or use questionable methods to enhance scores,” the report says.</p><br /> <p>In different phrases, well-ranked houses are seemingly good, whereas poorly-ranked houses ought to seemingly be prevented. For houses <a href=”https://information.kff.org/attachment/issue-brief-reading-the-stars-nursing-home-quality-star-ratings-nationally-and-by-state”>ranked in the course of the pack</a>, the standard will be laborious to find out.</p><br /> <h4><robust>See for your self</robust></h4><br /> <p>Lamb and different specialists throughout the board emphasize the significance of in-person visits. </p><br /> <p>“Making an appointment to go to nursing houses and speaking to employees and residents can also be necessary,” stated spokeswoman Summer time Tonizzo from the North Carolina Division of Well being and Human Companies.</p><br /> <p>Adam Sholar, CEO of the nursing dwelling commerce group <a href=”https://www.nchcfa.org/”>North Carolina Well being Care Services Affiliation</a>, is on the identical web page.</p><br /> <p>“Personally, I’d suggest that households make an appointment to go to close by nursing services to allow them to see first-hand what sort of care is being supplied,” Sholar stated. “Private visits will let you know much more in regards to the employees, the services, and the tradition than anything.”</p><br /> <p>Nevertheless, folks conversant in the business warning guests to not place a lot significance on facilities such because the well-appointed foyer of a nursing dwelling. The day-to-day remedy of residents takes place out of sight of any such trappings.</p><br /> <h4><robust>Take a deeper dive into the information</robust></h4><br /> <p>The location <a href=”https://information.medicare.gov/”>information.medicare.gov</a>, maintained by CMS, is probably going probably the most informative software, however may also be probably the most troublesome to make use of. Its spreadsheet information can provide shoppers with particulars a few facility’s stage of staffing at specified jobs, charge of turnover, inhabitants, deaths from COVID-19 and far more. These unfamiliar with Excel or different spreadsheet software program might want to learn to use it by themselves, or get assist with it. </p><br /> <p><a href=”http://www.nursinghomecompare.gov”>Nursing House Evaluate</a> lets guests test attainable locations towards competing services. It’s run by the federal Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies and points the 1 to five star rankings for services. </p><br /> <p>This website focuses on seeing how one facility stacks up towards one other, or with just a few, so it’s not all the time the best place to get info. Nevertheless, as famous within the Nationwide Academies report, the star score system is a helpful solution to decide a basic stage of high quality, particularly within the decrease and 4 to five star ranges. </p><br /> <p>The state <a href=”https://www.ncdhhs.gov/”>NC DHHS’</a>s Division of Well being Service Regulation <a href=”https://information.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/nhlcs/index.html”>Nursing House Licensure and Certification Part net web page</a> permits shoppers to seek the advice of inspection stories for services within the state, together with statements of deficiencies which are generated when there’s an issue and the corresponding plans of correction. A no-frills checklist of services is on the <a href=”https://information.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/services/search.asp”>DHHS website</a> — click on on “nursing houses, transportable doc type.” </p><br /> <p>There are additionally common postings <a href=”https://information.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/services/outcomes.asp”>of the facilities with “deficiencies</a>.”</p><br /> <h4><robust>Return in time</robust></h4><br /> <p>Amongst different assets, the state nursing dwelling licensure and certification part, which receives about 2,000 nursing dwelling complaints a yr, maintains a listing of facilities which have been cited for deficiencies in care.</p><br /> <p>These concerned with a selected nursing dwelling can study information from the close to previous or going again a number of years. For instance, somebody trying into the <a href=”https://accordiushealth.com/places/north-carolina/central-north-carolina/the-citadel-salisbury/”>Citadel Salisbury</a> would discover that regulators <a href=”https://information.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/services/nh/2022/20220420-923354.pdf”>cited</a> the nursing dwelling in March for failing to guard a feminine resident who complained {that a} male resident had repeatedly provided her cash for intercourse.   </p><br /> <p>Residents or caregivers can file complaints about incidents which have occurred up to now yr and that contain issues recognized in state or federal rules. Different types of considerations might be dealt with by one other company.</p><br /> <p>Though nursing houses are licensed and function below federal rules, when there’s a criticism, it’s state DHHS and native county workers who perform inspections that type the chief foundation of citations and penalties from the <a href=”https://www.cms.gov/”>Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies</a>.</p><br /> <div class=”wp-block-group has-secondary-background-color has-background”><br /> <h4><robust>Different info sources:</robust></h4><br /> <ul><br /> <li>The <a href=”https://www.fb.com/LTCCC/”>Lengthy Time period Care Group Coalition</a> presents state-by-state spreadsheets that mix state and federal info on nursing houses. Right here’s <a href=”https://nursinghome411.org/states/nc/”>North Carolina’s</a>. </li><br /> </ul><br /> <div class=”wp-block-group”><br /> <ul><br /> <li>The <a href=”https://www.kff.org/”>Kaiser Household Basis</a> has reams of details about expert nursing services, from nurse staffing to personal and nonprofit possession. A latest difficulty <a href=”https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/state-actions-to-address-nursing-home-staffing-during-covid-19/”>temporary</a> sums up what states have performed to handle shortages in nurses at expert nursing services.</li><br /> </ul><br /> <div class=”wp-block-group”><br /> <ul><br /> <li>The nationwide non-profit investigative newsroom <a href=”https://www.propublica.org/”>ProPublica</a> additionally has particularly sturdy info and prides itself on retaining its itemizing updated. Their information website <a href=”https://initiatives.propublica.org/nursing-homes/state/NC”>Nursing House Examine</a> additionally combines info from completely different ranges of companies. For instance, a ProPublica <a href=”https://initiatives.propublica.org/nursing-homes/houses/h-345286″>itemizing</a> reveals two North Carolina nursing houses as among the many most closely fined nationally throughout a three-year interval. They’re Citadel Salisbury with $700,000 in fines and the <a href=”https://www.mfa.internet/middle/carolina-rehab-center-cumberland”>Carolina Rehab Middle of Cumberland</a>, with $604,000.</li><br /> </ul><br /> <div class=”wp-block-group”></div><br /> </p></div><br /> </p></div><br /> </p></div><div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> <div id="M815923ScriptRootC1332091"> </div> <script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.co.uk/n/e/newspub.live.1332091.js" async> </script>  </div></div> <p>This <a goal=”_blank” href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/07/05/whats-the-best-way-to-pick-a-nursing-home-for-a-loved-one/”>article</a> first appeared on <a goal=”_blank” href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org”>North Carolina Well being Information</a> and is republished right here below a Artistic Commons license.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cropped-favicon02.jpg?match=150percent2C150&ssl=1″ type=”width:1em;peak:1em;margin-left:10px;”><img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/?republication-pixel=true&submit=39926&ga=UA-28368570-1″ type=”width:1px;peak:1px;”> <p>

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North Carolina

Snow drought ends: Parts of central NC gets first measurable snowfall in 2 years | Live

Published

9 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Snow drought ends: Parts of central NC gets first measurable snowfall in 2 years | Live

The North Carolina Department of Transportation gave an update Friday afternoon on its preparations and strategies for managing roadways before, during and after the winter storm.

Doug McNeal, division maintenance engineer for NCDOT’s Division 5, said NCDOT has been preparing for this during the past three days.

Division 5 covers Durham and Wake counties as well as surrounding counties up to the Virginia line.

“We’ve had about 65 salt-brine applicators out in the division. We’ve put out roughly 465,000 gallons in our division,” McNeal said.

Statewide, more than 3 million gallons have been put down.

“We’re expecting impacts across pretty much all of North Carolina. Right now, we’re transitioning to our response time,” McNeal said. “We’re starting to see a little bit of snow in the air … but it’s certainly going to get treacherous out there.”

He said 110 DOT trucks and motor graders are ready to go and an additional 150 contract trucks are loaded and staged.

“As it starts to roll in, we generally wait until you can see tracks in the road before we start taking in, applying salt,” McNeal said. “If you apply before then, it just bounces off the roads, so you need a little bit of material there to capture it but once we give it a little bit of time to activate, and we’re plowing from there.”

He said another concern with this storm is the potential for freezing rain.

“We’re seeing forecasts potentially up to a quarter-inch of ice in the area,” McNeal said.

They’ve also staged what McNeal called cut-and-shove crews.

“We’ll take and try to cut it back to the edge of the pavement and then push off everything else so that the lanes are open and then we come back after things warm up in a couple of days and clear it up from there,” he explained.

McNeal said Saturday would be a good day for people to sleep in and “enjoy that cup of coffee before you go out.”

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North Carolina

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein declares state of emergency ahead of winter storm

Published

20 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein declares state of emergency ahead of winter storm

(WGHP) — Governor Josh Stein declared a statewide state of emergency on Thursday evening ahead of a winter storm expected to sweep through the Piedmont Triad on Friday.

He is urging people across North Carolina to prepare for cold temperatures, snow and ice.

“This storm will likely bring significant impacts from snow, sleet and freezing rain in different parts of the state,” Stein said. “North Carolinians should pay close attention to their local weather forecast, make sure they are prepared with what they need at home before Friday afternoon and stay home if possible as ice on the roadways will likely create dangerous driving conditions.”

On Wednesday, Stein activated state resources to set into motion a cross-agency storm response and enable the potential of federal reimbursement if the event qualifies.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has begun brining roads. They will work around the clock in 12-hour shifts to plow and treat snow and ice until all state-maintained roads are cleared.

“State emergency officials are monitoring the situation and are prepared to assist the counties and municipalities if needed,” NC Emergency Management Director Will Ray said. “Residents across the state should be prepared to shelter in place. If the power goes out, be sure to operate generators outside and away from open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.”

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North Carolina

No. 24 Cal Women Beat No. 21 North Carolina State

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

No. 24 Cal Women Beat No. 21 North Carolina State

The 24th-ranked Cal women’s basketball team defeated a ranked opponent for the second time this season on Thursday night when the Bears knocked off No. 21 North Carolina State 78-71 at Haas Pavilion.

“I think this was one of the biggest wins for Cal women’s basketball in some time,” Cal coach Charmin Smith.

The Bears defeated then-No. 19 Alabama back on December 5 at Haas Pavilion, and on Thurday Cal beat a team that reached the Final Four last season.

Marta Suarez scored 17 points for Cal (15-2, 3-1 ACC.), and 14 of those points came in the first half when Cal took control late in the second quarter. Ioanna Krimili, Michelle Onyiah and Kayla Williams added 15 points apeice to help the Bears end the Wolfpack’s seven-game winning streak while keeping Cal unbeaten at home (11-0).

Krimili was just 6-for-18 from the the field, including 3-for-12 on three-pointers, but she hit one of the biggest shots of the game when she nailed a three-point shot with 4:57 left, 21 seconds after the Wolfpack had scored six straight points to close Cal’s nine-point lead to three points.

“She made it when we needed it, and we have a habit of doing that,” Smth said.

North Carolina State (11-4, 3-1 ACC) never got closer than four points the rest of the way and suffered its first conference loss despite 21 points from Aziaha James and 19 from Tilda Trygger.

Cal took the lead for good with 1:01 left in the third quarter, then held off every North Carolina State surge after that.

An important reason for Cal’s consistency throughout the game was the play of point guard Kayla Williams, who played all 40 minutes, shot 7-for-13 from the field and added six assists with just two turnovers while doing all the ball-handling chores and driving the lane to create opportunities for herself or others.

“I thought Williams killed us off the bounce,” North Carolina State coach Wes Moore said.

Williams may be the key to Cal’s success this season, because her strong play has come as a surprise to casual observers. She did not start any games for USC last season when she averaged 10.8 minutes, 2.6 points and 0.6 assists per game. After transferring to Cal, Williams has started every game for the Bears this season while averaging 33 minutes, 12.2 points and 4.6 assists to go along with 44.5% three-point shooting.

Thursday was the first time two top-25 women’s teams played a game at Haas Pavilion since Dec. 22, 2018, when 14th-ranked Cal lost to No. 1 UConn.

Cal led by eight points entering the fourth quarter, and the Wolfpack got as close as three points, but the Bears maintained the lead throughout. Cal had scored the final eight points of the third quarter to break away from a 52-52 tie to grab that 60-52 advantage after three quarters.

Cal held a 39-33 lead at halftime, thanks in large part to a one-minute shooting spree by Suarez. She hit three-pointers on three consecutive Cal possessions over a span of 56 seconds to cap a 16-0 Bears run that took Cal from a 22-14 deficit to a 30-22 lead with 5:22 left in the first half.

Suarez’s one-minute shooting spree seemed to change the complexion of the game. Cal never trailed after that.

“I was feeling it,” Suarez said.

Suarez was 4-for-4 from long range in the first half and had 14 points and 10 rebounds at intermission. The rest of the Cal team was just 3-for-12 on three-pointers, and Krimili was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc at halftime. Her one made three-pointer came from well behind the line with the shot clock running down.

Cal shot 44.4% from the field in the first half, while the Wolfpack made just 35.3% of its shots. Cal attempted just one free throw in the first half, and missed it.

NOTES: The top two scorers from North Carolina State’s Final Four team of last season are starters on this season’s Wolfpack squad – Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers.

Heading into Thursday’s action, Cal was averaging 10.1 made three-pointers per game, sixth-most in the country, and were making 37.8% of its three-point shots, which is 12th-best in the nation.

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