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Arctic cold coming to the Carolinas

Winter weather is in the forecast for the next couple of days, including some of the coldest temperatures in recent memory. Cold arctic air will swing south into the Carolinas late Monday, with record low temperatures possible overnight Monday and into Tuesday – around 8 degrees. It also will be windy, with gusts up to 30 miles per hour, and the wind chill could make it feel below zero early Tuesday.

Sunday morning actually hasn't been as cold, with temperatures in the low 30s, compared to 19 on Saturday.  But there was rain in Charlotte, and freezing rain to the north.  Sunday's high was expected to be around 45 and  temperatures were expected to stay in the 40s overnight Sunday and into Monday. Snow is likely overnight tonight in Asheville and the mountains.

Monday will be sunny with a high of 42, then temperatures will start to fall Monday afternoon. Tuesday’s high will be in the low 20s. The air mass will shift back to normal by the end of the week, returning day time temperatures to the 50s.

FLU DEATHS ON THE RISE

The number of deaths from flu is rising as the winter flu season gets into full swing in the Carolinas. Five more people died of flu in North Carolina during Christmas week – the most for a single week this season. South Carolina reported three more flu deaths that week. North Carolina’s department of Health and Human Services says 13 people have died of flu across the state since October. Nine have died in South Carolina, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.  More information: http://www.flu.nc.gov/ and http://www.scdhec.gov/flu

GOVERNOR'S ESTATE AUCTIONED

The estate of early 20th-century Governor Thomas Walter Bickett is up for auction this weekend in Winston-Salem and on the Internet.  Auctioneer Chandler Eshleman told the Winston-Salem Journal that Bickett's sole living heir decided to sell the items because she has no family to pass them to. He did not give her name.  Bickett was born in Monroe and served as governor from 1917 to 1921. The auction of more than 1,000 items includes jewelry, silverware and Bickett’s vast art collection. It started Saturday and continues Sunday at The Gallery on 1st Street in Winston-Salem and online at Eshleman's website,  liveauctioneers.com.

PEDESTRIAN KILLED ON I-85

A pedestrian was struck and killed Friday night by a tour bus on Interstate 85 in Charlotte. Investigators say the person was walking on the highway around 10 o’clock, in the southbound lanes near the Brookshire Boulevard exit.  Paramedics said the victim died at the scene. The person's name has not been released. Police are investigating.

NEW S.C. JOBS STILL IN THE FUTURE

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley bragged last month that more than 40,000 new jobs with 301 economic development projects have been announced during her tenure. But when will they get here? Officials can’t say how many of the promised jobs have already become reality. They say many employers won't fill those jobs for years and some plans will simply fall through. Companies generally have five to seven years to fulfill their commitments, depending on the incentives contracts they sign. South Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt says announcements represent a jobs pipeline.

CHIMNEY ROCK TO CLOSE FOR ROAD REPAIR

Chimney Rock Park in Rutherford County will close for a month this winter so workers can repair the road leading to the state park. Park officials told the Citizen-Times of Asheville that the park's would close some time before the end of January.  Crews will build a new retaining wall on part of the road that failed in early May because of heavy rains.  Park Superintendent James Ledgerwood says delays for snow would probably keep the park closed for about a month.  Officials chose winter when there are fewer visitors to the park, known for incredible views from the top of its 315-foot tall boulder.