1. The Saints all but ended the Panthers' playoff hopes in a dominant defensive performance
With all eyes on Bank of America Stadium Monday night, the Panthers' defense put up possibly their best game of the season against New Orleans. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't say the same as they struggled to move the ball consistently in a 12-9 loss that pretty much knocked the Panthers from playoff contention.
Cam Newton was held to just 131 passing yards, was sacked four times and threw an interception. The Panthers' only score came off a trick play in the first quarter when Christian McCaffrey threw a pass to reserve tight end Chris Manhertz.
PHOTOS: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints
Speaking of McCaffrey, the second-year running back set a new franchise record for scrimmage yards Monday, eclipsing the 1,636 yards set by DeAngelo Williams in 2008.
It's been over a month since the midterm elections, and with less than a month until the new congressional session in January, leaders in Union County say it's time to make a decision.
Union County's board of commissioners passed a resolution Monday that would require the state board of elections to certify Mark Harris as the winner, or immediately provide concrete proof that election fraud occurred. The state is currently scheduled to host an evidentiary hearing on potential ballot tampering on January 11, leaving the district without representation until the results are certified, or a new election is held and the winner of that contest is certified.
The resolution is purely symbolic – the commissioners who voted yes said they want to send a message to the state board of elections that they’re not happy about how the investigation is being handled.
“I’ve not seen a smoking gun,” Union BOC Chairman Richard Helms pushed at Monday night’s meeting.
CMPD was called to a reported shooting in the 7100 block of South Boulevard near the intersection with East Arrowood Road a few minutes before 11 p.m. Monday. When officers got to the scene, they found a man who had been shot multiple times.
Officers learned that the shooting happened about a half-mile away on Axminster Court and that the victim was taken to South Boulevard and called 911. The victim was taken to a Charlotte hospital where he was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning.
The district has now installed cameras on school bus stop arms to catch drivers who illegally pass a bus stopped for students.
Just in the last week, the district says there were nearly one dozen incidents of people who have driven around stopped school buses -- putting students in danger.
“Most of those infractions are in the morning when people are trying to rush and get to work,” said Bryan Vaughn, director of safety for the district.
In South Carolina, there’s a minimum of a $500 fine for violating school bus laws, but the district is hoping to go one step beyond that.
According to North Carolina Highway Patrol, emergency crews responded to a crash on Icard Ridge Road near Bulldog Lane around 7:30 a.m. The crash happened near West Alexander Middle School near the Bethlehem community.
According to state troopers, the bus was about a quarter-mile from West Alexander Middle School when a Toyota sedan crossed the centerline and hit the bus, which drove off the road and flipped onto its side. The driver of the Toyota was taken to Frye Regional Medical Center.
Troopers charged the driver of the Toyota, 56-year-old Kimberly Ann Austin of Taylorsville, with driving while impaired and driving left of center. A blood test was conducted; results are pending.