North Carolina
Wildfire smoke causes Code Orange Air Quality Alert for much of North Carolina on Tuesday
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The air quality in central North Carolina is expected to be suboptimal Tuesday.
A Code Orange Air Quality Alert is in effect for nearly all of the ABC11 viewing area.
The air quality will be lessened due to ongoing wildfires in Canada. The same problem caused a rare Code Red last month.
The wildfires continue to burn causing problems for large portions of the United States.
Extensive swaths of the northern United States awoke to unhealthy air quality Monday morning or were experiencing it by midafternoon, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov Smoke and Fire map.
Fine particle pollution caused by smoke from Canada’s wildfires is causing a red zone air quality index, meaning it is unhealthy for everyone. The particles, known as PM2.5, are tiny enough to get deep into the lungs and cause short-term problems like coughing and itchy eyes, and in the long run, can affect the lungs and heart.
The EPA advises keeping outdoor activities light and short when air quality indexes reach above 150 on the agency’s map. On Monday afternoon, cities and regions hitting that mark included Lincoln, Nebraska; Peoria, Illinois; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Cleveland and Columbus in Ohio; Huntsville, Alabama; Knoxville and Chattanooga in Tennessee; Greensboro, North Carolina; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Syracuse and Utica in New York.
Sensitive groups, including people with heart and lung disease, older adults, children and pregnant women, should consider staying inside, advisories warn.
Although air quality was poor in the Chicago region earlier Monday, it has already improved to moderate quality and was expected to continue doing so throughout the day, Biggs said.
Relief from the smoke crossing the Canadian-U.S. border won’t be immediate, experts said. Large fires in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan are likely to keep churning out smoke throughout the summer and possibly into early fall, said Montana Department of Environmental Quality meteorologist Aaron Ofseyer.
“The worst is over with this round,” Ofseyer said. “Unfortunately there’s still a ton of wildfire smoke north of the border. Anytime we get a North wind we’re going to be dealing with Canadian wildfire smoke.”
Climate change and rising temperatures cause the environment to be more prone to wildfires, and more susceptible for air masses to become stagnant and stationary, explained Dr. Ravi Kalhan, a pulmonologist and professor of medicine and preventative medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
“It’s not normal,” he said of the repeated air quality alerts experienced by the Midwest this summer.
“We keep having these events. They’re not just one bad day a year,” Kalhan said.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre website reported 882 active fires, with 581 deemed “out of control,” as of Monday afternoon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
North Carolina
Machete-wielding, cinnamon bun-stealing North Carolina man arrested for armed robbery: police
An Asheville, North Carolina man wielding a machete was arrested for armed robbery after he allegedly stole a cinnamon bun from a grocery store before fleeing on foot, according to police.
The Asheville Police Department said 33-year-old Jeffrey Dewayne Bradburn has been charged with armed robbery, shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The department said in a press release that its officers responded to the grocery store at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday after receiving reports of an armed robbery.
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Jeffrey Bradburn allegedly stole a cinnamon bun from a grocery store while wielding a machete, according to Asheville, North Carolina police. (Buncombe County Detention Facility)
When officers arrived, a store employee alleged that a man had stolen a cinnamon bun and incense. When the man was confronted, the store employee said, he displayed a machete before running away.
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Asheville police responded to a grocery store after receiving reports of an armed robbery. (iStock)
Police canvassed the area for the suspect when they found a man, later identified as Bradburn, who matched the description and was eating a cinnamon bun.
Bradburn was arrested at the scene and charged with armed robbery, shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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The suspect was booked into a detention facility after the magistrate set his bond at $50,000. (iStock)
He was transported to the Buncombe County Detention Facility where he was held on a $50,000 bond.
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The Asheville Police Department encourages anyone with information about the incident to contact them at 828-252-1110, or by sending an anonymous tip by texting TIP2APD, or 847411.
A North Carolina chef has been named a finalist for a regional James Beard Award.
The annual awards honor the best in the culinary industry and are often referred to as “The Oscars of Food.” The Triangle has a legacy of taking home honors.
The finalists were announced Wednesday and despite many North Carolina chefs being named semifinalists in national and regional categories, only one chef moved ahead as a finalist.
Silver Iocovozzi of Neng Jr.’s in Asheville was named one of five finalists for the best chef in the southeast award.
The winners will be announced at the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
North Carolina chefs have a history of winning James Beard Awards. Lantern’s Andrea Reusing won best chef in the southeast in 2011. Ben Barker of Magnolia Grill won the same honor in 2000. Karen and Ben Barker of Magnolia Grill won outstanding pastry chef in 2003.
Raleigh’s Ashley Christensen, who won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2019, won the award for best chef in the southeast in 2014.
Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood in Durham won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2022.
NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) — It’s the season of pollen, spring temperatures, and it can also mean so some not so friendly neighbors coming out of the woodwork.
Pest control companies in the Triangle are already getting calls for complaints of fire ants. We tagged along with Will Adkins from Pest and Termite Consultants to a house in Knightdale. They showed us one medium-sized colony in the yard, estimated to be home to at least 50,000-100,000 ants.
Adkins says when it gets to be bad, it’s important not to try and clear it out yourself.
“We’ve had some old folks that say, oh, you know, just put a little gasoline on it that’ll take care of it, but that’s not very environmentally friendly,” Adkins says.
Instead, Adkins uses a bait in a ring around the mound to kill off the colony within 24 hours.
Red and black fire ants are both common in North Carolina, and can cause anaphylactic shock especially for vulnerable kids, elderly, and pets.
If you accidentally stumble upon their colony, getting away fast can help.
“They can’t fly like hornets or yellowjackets, they’re not going to be able to move to you as quickly so getting away from the mound is key, brushing them off is essential,” says NC State Entomologist Christopher Hayes.
Hayes says they’re also paying attention to hybrid fire ants, a potent combination of both red and fire ants spreading across the state.
SEE ALSO | NC homeowners encouraged to check now for bats, make repairs to keep them out
“Not only are they quick spreading and aggressive, but they’re more resistant to cold; they can spread in colder climates faster because they emerge sooner,” he explains.
In just the past decade their territory has expanded, to now include 77 out of 100 North Carolina counties, including portions of western North Carolina where it used to be too cold for them to inhabit.
Fire ant season typically lasts throughout the summer.
SEE ALSO | Climate Ready NC
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