North Carolina
WNC camp appeals license revocation by state officials after 12-year-old camper death
A high-end outdoor therapy camp is once again trying to stop the state from revoking its license by filing a petition with the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings on July 8, about eight days before its license is set to be taken after the death of a 12-year-old camper.
Trails Carolina, based in the Transylvania County community of Lake Toxaway, more than an hour from Asheville, submitted a petition for a contested hearing to challenge the revocation of its operating license, a spokesperson with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed with the Citizen Times July 12.
“NC DHHS does not comment on pending litigation,” spokesperson Hannah Jones said. “We suspended their admissions and then sent them a notice to revoke their license. They cannot operate at this time.”
The closed therapy camp claims N.C. DHHS’s move to revoke its license was “without a reasonable or sufficient basis” and is “detrimental to the health or safety of the children who would otherwise be in (Trails Carolina’s) care.”
More: State: despite corrective action will revoke Western NC camp license after NY child death
N.C. DHHS “exceeded its authority, acted erroneously, failed to use proper procedure, and acted arbitrarily and capriciously in its investigation and suspension of admissions,” the petition stated.
Trails Carolina Executive Director Jeremy Whitworth was put on notice of the “intent to revoke” in a May 17 letter sent by N.C. Mental Health Licensure and Certification Section Chief Robin Sulfridge. The letter stated DHHS found five deficiencies under state regulations.
The camp then had 60 days to file this petition. The license is also set to be revoked after that same period. A spokesperson for Trails Carolina declined to comment on the petition.
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These sanctions follow the Feb. 3 death of a 12-year-old camper, whose autopsy concluded he died of asphyxiation because of the way camp staff had him situated in a single-person tent called a “bivy.” The camp was temporarily shut down by state health regulators the following week and in April lost its accreditation from Association for Experiential Education, a nonprofit certifying organization.
An N.C. DHHS report released in the spring revealed interviews with staff who felt they and the camp were at fault for the death. In its plan of correction sent to the state this spring, Trails Carolina detailed how it would avoid future harm to campers, but it also pushed back on some findings saying the plan’s submission “does not indicate full agreement.”
The boy was the second camper to die since 2014. Two former campers have sued in federal court, saying Trails Carolina failed to protect them from sexual assault by other campers.
Despite its petition, Trails Carolina still cannot operate, and the license revocation is still effective, DHHS spokesperson Kelly Conner said.
“They are appealing that,” Connor said over email July 12. “The (Office of Administrative Hearings) appeal process will now happen, and decision made on the revocation.”
More: Western NC camp facing probe for child death says court should dismiss sexual abuse suit
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
Sunday’s matchup will be a step down in competition, as the North Carolina Tar Heels’ recent schedule has featured Michigan State, Kentucky, and Georgetown in the last four weeks. With all due respect to the USC Upstate Spartans, they are not in the same class as any of the three teams mentioned above.
North Carolina’s coaching staff and personnel should not view this game as a pointless outing, as the Tar Heels can utilize this matchup to continue developing key features that will serve them well down the road.
With that being said, here are a couple of expectations for North Carolina in a home matchup against USC Upstate.
Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar Should Continue Dominance
The Tar Heels’ frontcourt, consisting of Veesaar and Wilson, has been the team’s driving force on both ends of the floor. That trend should continue on Saturday against USC Upstate, as the Spartans are an undersized team, with their tallest player at 6-foot-9.
This season, Wilson is averaging 19.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 53.2 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Veesaar is averaging 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting 63.6 percent from the field.
Both players could total career highs in points and rebounds in this game, which could easily translate to 20+ in each category.
Another Steppingstone for the Backcourt
North Carolina’s backcourt produced a complete group effort against Georgetown on Sunday, with Kyan Evans and Derek Dixon having standout performances. Evans totaled seven points and four assists, which all occurred in the opening minutes, but it set the tone for the Tar Heels. Dixon scored 14 points, while shooting 5-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range.
Head coach Hubert Davis highlighted both players’ performances against the Hoyas during his postgame press conference.
- “I thought the start that [Kyan Evans] had was huge for us,” Davis said. “I mean, it’s not just the shots that he made. He was confident, he was aggressive, he was on point. It’s been five out of eight games where he’s gotten into foul trouble, so we’ve [got to] find a way to keep him out there on the floor.”
- “I really like [Kyan] and Derek [Dixon] on the floor at the same time,” Davis continued. “I’ve always said that I love multiple ball handlers. You can’t take us out of our offense. And with those two, with the way that Georgetown was switching defenses, we always had somebody that can handle the basketball and get us into a set and get us organized.”
That was the first time in weeks where Evans was playing with complete confidence and was not hesitant shooting the ball from the perimeter. As for Dixon, it was the second straight game the freshman guard played a monumental role in the team’s win. Both players have an opportunity to replicate that level of production on Saturday.
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(WLOS) — North Carolina has approved film and entertainment grants for two television series and an independent feature-length film.
According to a release from Gov. Josh Stein, this is expected to create nearly 5,000 jobs and spend more than $113 million during production.
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The productions include season two of “The Hunting Wives,” approved for an award of up to $15 million, filming around Lake Norman and Charlotte, and the new series “RJ Decker” in New Hanover County, which was approved for an award of up to $11.6 million.
The independent thriller “Widow,” which was approved for an award of up to $1.8 million, also recently completed filming in Davidson, Forsyth, Stokes, and Yadkin counties.
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“We are excited to have these new productions in North Carolina creating 4,900 jobs for our state’s crew and film-friendly businesses,” Stein said in the release. “North Carolina remains a top state for film, and these grants enable us to continue our strong tradition of TV and film production excellence.”
Additionally, the romantic comedy film “Merv,” which was filmed in New Hanover County and received a North Carolina Film grant, released on Amazon’s Prime Video on Dec. 10.
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Other productions that were recently filmed in North Carolina include the films “Christy” and “Roofman,” as well as the popular series “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
“These productions bring direct economic benefits and also raise the state’s visibility among audiences, leading to increased tourist activity and visitor spending over time,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley.
North Carolina coach Bill Belichick has fired offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer.
“We want to thank Coach Kitchens and Coach Priefer for their commitment and many contributions to our program and student-athletes,” Belichick said in a statement, per ESPN. “We wish them both nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”
Kitchens, the former Alabama quarterback and head coach of the Browns in 2019, was the Tar Heels’ interim coach in 2024.
Belichick brought Priefer to UNC after two decades in the NFL, and two years out of football.
Under Kitchens, North Carolina’s offense ranked 119th in scoring (19.3 PPG) and 129th in total offense (288.8 YPG).
The Tar Heels finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the ACC.
Kitchens won Alabama’s Mr. Football honor in 1992 as the quarterback at Etowah High School.
Kitchens shared the quarterback duties at Alabama with Brian Burgdorf in 1995 before taking over full-time under center for the Crimson Tide in the 1996 and 1997 seasons.
After three more college stops, Kitchens entered the NFL as the Dallas Cowboys’ tight-ends coach in 2006 and stayed in the league for the next 17 seasons, including as Cleveland’s head coach in 2019, when the Browns went 6-10.
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