Five people are dead - including two children — after a sport-utility vehicle struck a tree and caught fire Friday night in Spencer, in Rowan County, northeast of Charlotte. The Charlotte Observer reports that one other child has been declared brain dead since the wreck on South Rowan Avenue. Nine people were in the SUV when it crashed – all family members from Salisbury and Spencer.
SHOOTING AT GUN SHOW HURTS 3
A big gun show at the North Carolina state fairgrounds in Raleigh is prohibiting private gun sales this weekend after an accidental shooting injured three people. Fairgrounds police said a 12-gauge shotgun fired as its owner removed it from its case at a security checkpoint Saturday. The shooting came at the entrance to the Dixie Gun and Knife Show, which draws thousands of people to the fairgrounds in Raleigh. Two bystanders were treated at a hospital for minor injuries and a security guard also was struck in the hand, after they were hit by shotgun pellets. Shotgun owner Gary Lynn Wilson of Wilmington said he brought the weapon in hopes of finding a private buyer. The Raleigh incident was one of three accidental shootings at gun shows around the country this weekend. Other incidents came in Indiana and Ohio.
WINTHROP INVESTIGATES FRATERNITY HAZING
A Winthrop University fraternity is barred from holding events as campus police investigate complaints of hazing. The Herald of Rock Hill reports that Winthrop University's chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha is suspended until further notice. University officials said Friday the campus chapter of the nation's first collegiate fraternity for black men was engaging in verbal hazing.
DAVIDSON PLANS $15M SPORTS COMPLEX EXPANSION
Davidson College basketball fans will see big changes when they go to games next year. The college plans to break ground as early as this spring on a $15 million expansion of its Baker Sports Complex, including a new ticket office and a new main entrance for fans walking from town or the parking lot. Our news partner DavidsonNews.net reports the expansionalso will add basketball practice courts, offices, and dance studios. College officials say the project will “alleviate scheduling burdens” on current space. It also could help with recruiting for basketball and volleyball.