WASU Afternoon News Updates

In local news, the Turchin Center for visual arts will observe its 20th anniversary on Friday. According to the Watauga Democrat, a celebration will take place on Friday, May 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. as a part of Downtown Boone’s “First Friday.” The event will include art exhibitions in six galleries, live music, art-making stations, refreshments and a cash bar. The event is free and will be open to the public. 

In state news, a Roanoke Rapids firefighter was charged with with statutory rape and indecent liberties with a child. According to WRAL, Matthew Monroe Norton was arrested on April 28 and charged with one count of statutory rape and one count of of indecent liberties with a child. Norton was issued a $500,000 secured bond. The investigation remains ongoing. 

In national news, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it made a record number of arrests and seizures in a coordinated effort to target fentanyl and opioid sales on the dark web. According to NPR, the operation began in October 2021 and spanned the United States, Europe and South America. Authorities arrested 288 people and seized 85 kilograms of drugs, 117 firearms and $53 million in cash and online currencies. 

And now for a special weather report powered by Booneweather.com. Today will be a mostly cloudy day with some spotty rain in the morning and a high of 49 with a low of 36. Winds will range from 15 to 25 miles per hour. Some gusts are expected to be up to 40 miles per hour so make sure to bundle up! For 90.5 WASU, I’m Andrew Rice.

Good afternoon everyone, my name is Jenna Guzman here with your afternoon news break for May 2nd, 2023. Let’s get started.

In local news, a new gallery exhibit will be featured in the Jones House. According to the Watauga Democrat, the gallery will feature images of animals which were photographed over the past century and a half. The images are all courtesy of the Digital Watauga Project. The exhibit will be in the Jones House from May 3rd to May 30th. The opening reception will be held Friday, May 5th from 5 to 7 P.M. According to the Watauga Democrat, the Digital Watauga Project will be donating 20% print sales revenue to the Watauga County Humane Society.

In state news, more than half of the buildings on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus contain lead. According to WRAL, after water testing on all of the campus’ buildings was completed after almost a year, it was found that 149 buildings out of the 262 buildings tested had lead detected in water fixtures. Vice Chancellor for Institutional Integrity and Risk Management George Battle told WRAL that "We started remediation of those fixtures where we found lead during the testing so that process continues.” In addition to this, the school will now test buildings built before 2014 every three years starting next year.

In national news, a new mystery balloon has been spotted. According to NBC News, the U.S. military is tracking a balloon that flew over Hawaii last week. Three U.S. officials told NBC News that they do not know who owns it, however, it does pose a threat as it is not “communicating signals.” According to NBC News, it is unclear whether or not the balloon is a weather device. The balloon also appears to not be controlled by someone or something. It is now headed in the direction of Mexico. Officials are still investigating who this object belongs to.

Now onto sports.

Good afternoon everyone! My name is Andrew Travers and this is your final Tuesday afternoon sports break of the spring semester.

In App State sports news, the Mountaineer baseball team will be in action here in Boone later today as they take on ETSU at 6 PM. The Mountaineers enter the game with a record of 21-19 overall and 11-9 in Sun Belt Conference play. The team is coming off a three-game conference series with JMU this past weekend, where they won the games on Friday and Sunday and lost the game on Saturday.

The NBA playoffs continue tonight as games are beginning to shift into the Conference Semifinals. Recapping the action from last night, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics, with James Harden finishing with 45 points for the Sixers and Jason Tatum finishing with 39 points for the Celtics. The second game of the night finished with the Denver Nuggets beating the Phoenix Suns. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had a standout performance, finishing with 39 points and 16 rebounds in the game. Tonight’s matchups will see the Miami Heat taking on the New York Knicks at 7:30 PM, and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Golden State Warriors at 10 PM.

And finally in NFL news, Super Bowl 57 was just named the most watched U.S. television broadcast of all time according to recent ratings provided by Nielsen. According to ESPN, the data from Nielsen that was released today shows that the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on February 12th brought in an average of 115 million viewers. This is almost two million more viewers than Nielsen’s previous estimate of viewership for the well-known sporting event.

That is all for sports, thank you to everyone who listened to my sports breaks throughout the semester. Now, here’s your weather forecast.

Today’s weather is courtesy of Booneweather.com. Today is a windy day, with a wind advisory currently in place, with a high of 53 degrees and a low of 36. For the last time of this semester, for 90.5 WASU-FM, my name is Jenna Guzman, and thank you for listening to all of the news breaks I've been a part of.

In local news, a historic photo was transformed into a mural. According to the Watauga Democrat, the photo-turned mural is of community members from Junaluska which is estimated to be dated to the 50s. According to the Watauga Democrat, the mural was installed on a building in Junaluska this month. Having this mural put up was a collaborative effort between the Junaluska Heritage Association, members of App State faculty and staff, along with Dr. Chip Thomas, a physician who has worked with the Navajo nation for over 30 years. Thomas, who is also a street artist, helped paint the mural onto the building, which is located at the intersection of Church and Tremont Street.

In state news, the North Carolina Supreme Court has modified several laws regarding voting. According to CBS17, the first change is that the state’s voter ID law has been reinstated, which was passed five years ago. The second change is in regard to voting rights. According to CBS17, the court has decided to end voting rights for felons who “are out of prison but still serving probation or parole.” Finally, the court overturned a gerrymandering decision in the state.

In international news, Ukraine was hit with “the deadliest strike” from Russia. According to the New York Times, a rocket hit an apartment this morning in the center of Ukraine. This attack killed over 20 people and injured dozens more, making it “The deadliest attack”.  According to the New York Times, this attack is the first large attack against civilians in over a month.

Now onto sports.

As always starting with App State sports the App State softball team will be traveling to Harrisonburg Virginia to face off in a three-game set with JMU. Games start this afternoon at 4 followed by a game Saturday at 1 and one Sunday at 1 as well. App State Baseball is also in action vs JMU but at home instead for their three-game series. Games start this afternoon at 6 followed by a game Saturday at 3 and a game Sunday at 1.

 In local professional sports, the Carolina Panthers selected Alabama quarterback Bryce Young With the first pick in the NFL draft. This marked the second time that the Panthers have had the first pick in the NFL draft, and the second time they have used it for the Quarterback position. Following the selection of Cam Newton back in 2011.

Also happening around North Carolina professional sports the Carolina Hurricanes continue their series against the New York Islanders tonight with game 6 of the 1st round. The puck drops at 7 PM. More action also happening in the NHL playoffs is the Bruins and Panthers at 7:30, the Stars and Wild at 9:30, and the Avalanche and Kraken at 10. 

The NBA playoffs are also in action this afternoon with the Kings and Warriors facing off at 8, and the Grizzlies and Lakers at 10:30. That's it for me, as always I hope everyone has a great rest of their Friday, then a wonderful weekend.

From Booneweather.com, today is a cloudy and warm day with a high of 66 degrees and a low 49. There will also be some thunderstorms later today.

In local news, a celebration for what would have been Robert Dotson’s 100th birthday will take place on May 13. According to the Watauga Democrat, the event will gather to celebrate the flatfoot dance legend at the Historic Apple Barn in Valle Crucis. The event will feature workshops, a documentary film showing, a potluck dinner, a square dance and performances by the Green Grass Cloggers. 

In state news, the NC State police chief announced Thursday that a student’s body was found in the woods near Lake Raleigh Wednesday night. According to WRAL, the death of Ben Salas is being investigated as an apparent suicide. This is the eleventh student death at NC State this school year and if the cause of death is determined to be a suicide, it will be NC State’s sixth student death by suicide this school year. 

In national news, Jerry Springer died at age 79 on Thursday. According to AP News, the one-time mayor and weekday afternoon television show host died peacefully in his Chicago home after a brief illness. Springer’s show was seen as a phenomenon, at times surpassing Oprah Winfrey’s show in ratings. After more than 4,000 episodes over a 27-year span the show ended in 2018. Throughout his life, Springer flirted with politics becoming the mayor of Chicago before resigning after a year. Now to sports. 

The NBA playoffs provided an exciting night of basketball action last night, as two first-round teams won their respective series. The New York Knicks put away the Cleveland Cavaliers winning game five by a score 106-95 and finished the series with four wins and one loss. Jalen Brunson led the scoring for the Knicks in the final game of the series, finishing with 23 points and four rebounds. The other series that concluded last night was the 8th-seed Miami Heat finishing off the first place Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat beat the Bucks by the final score of 128-126 and won the series overall with four wins and one loss. Miami was aided by another big performance from Jimmy Butler, who finished with 42 points last night. The lone game on the schedule tonight is Game 6 of the series between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics currently lead the series 3-2 and can finish the series tonight with a win in Atlanta.

The moment that NFL fans have been waiting for is here. The first-round of the 2023 NFL Draft takes place tonight in Kansas City, Missouri. This is a particularly exciting night for the hometown Carolina Panthers, as they hold the first overall pick in the draft. The Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks round out the top-five of thirty-two selections that will be announced tonight. If you want to tune in to the draft, coverage will begin at 8 PM Eastern Time on ESPN.

That is all for sports. Now, here’s your weather forecast.

And now for a special weather report powered by Booneweather.com. Today will be mostly cloudy with rain developing throughout the afternoon.

First up, in campus news, The Appalachian reports that there are free moms on campus! News Editor Jenna Guzman detailed the efforts of the Free Moms, a volunteer group on campus comprised of parents and community members who give out free snacks, support and hugs to passing students on Sanford Mall. The group was started in the aftermath of COVID-19 and other tragedies across the UNC school system. Barbara Krueger, an 80-year-old volunteer, says “she wants students to feel loved and not feel alone, as well as for students to have a release through what the group has to offer.” The group is out on the mall every Thursday from 11am to 2pm until May 4th. Grab your free hugs, y’all!

Next, in local news, the Watauga Democrat reports that the King Street Farmers Market is back up and open for the season starting Tuesday, May 2nd. The market will feature more than 30 vendors this year, including produce and crafts, and will have such special events this year as Kid’s Art Day, Tomato Day, and a Year of the Trail celebration! The market will kick off their first day of the season with live music and select food treats.

Next, nationally, NPR reports that one of my personal favorite writers and figures in the culture sphere, Neil Gaiman, has released his first album of music to add to his pantheon of comic books and novels. Collaborating with Australian string band FourPlay String Quartet, the British author is excited to take his storytelling into a new space. Although, as he protests, whether it would be novels or comic books or film and television or plays or shadow puppets" — Gaiman says his job remains the same. The album is called Signs of Life. Inspiring!

Finally, the weather as ever from Booneweather.com. It’s more showers today with a high of 54 degrees.

In campus news, The Peel, App State’s literature and arts review magazine, will be having a release of their spring 2023 edition at the Nth Gallery off of King Street. The Nth Degree Gallery, located at 683 W King St, is home to artists studios, so it’s a pretty perfect fit for hosting the art of the Peel! The event will last from 6pm to 8pm on Friday, April 28th. Swing by, grab a copy, and see what App State’s writers and artists have been up to!

Locally, the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country will be celebrating a very important holiday next week. Of course, I’m talking about the double whammy of University Reading Day AND May the 4th, universally recognized as “May the Fourth Be With You” Star Wars Day. There will be a screening of A New Hope, the first Star Wars movie, at 7pm, on Thursday, May 4th. Get your Jedi on for the most intergalactic time of the year!

Nationally, Pope Francis has given women the right to vote in the next meeting of bishops at the Vatican. According to NPR,  For 2000 years, women have been denied a say in the decision making process of the Catholic Church. Francis has vowed to change that, at least in this voting body, ushering in five religious sisters to sit astride five priests in the Synod of Bishops, as well as 70 non-Bishop participants, of which half will be women and Franics hopes more than a few will be young people. A welcome change for one of the oldest institutions in the West.

Finally the weather as ever from Booneweather.com. We have rain on the forecast, but as the saying goes, with April showers brings your college, your station, your music, 90.5 WASU The App FM.

In local news, Brittany Luxton has been named the new W.A.M.Y. community action executive director. According to the Watauga Democrat, W.A.M.Y. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals and families struggling with poverty. Luxton started with the organization as a client in its Total Family Development before being promoted to Finance Director in 2012. Luxton is set to step into her new position on June 1. 

In state news, a Raleigh man was charged with kidnapping Tuesday afternoon following an AMBER alert that was sent out on Monday. According to WRAL, Dustin Taylor Oakley stole a car with 5-year-old Arielle Williams inside before driving an hour away to Lillington when police caught up with him. Oakley is being held on a $510,000 bond and will face a probable cause hearing on May 15. 

In national news, singer, actor and human rights activist Harry Belafonte died Tuesday. According to NPR, Belafonte broke racial barriers as a breakout star in the 1950’s who went on to claim EGOT status, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony throughout his lifetime. Belafonte died at his home in New York due to congestive heart failure.

Now to sports.

App State baseball is about to have a rematch against the second ranked D-1 team in the country. Following a series win against Ole Dominion at home this past weekend, the Mountaineers will play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Shelby tonight at 6PM. App State is looking to avenge their loss to Wake Forest earlier in the season, as they lost in front of a record breaking crowd in Boone, 10-4, back on April 11th. There will be free admission in Keeter Stadium for the game. 

The NBA playoffs are heating up, and a number of teams up 3-1 in a best of seven series are looking to close out their series. The New York Knicks are looking to advance against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7pm on NBA TV, the Los Angeles Lakers will have an opportunity to move on to the second round against the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:30 on TNT, and the Miami Heat have an opportunity to upset the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks at 9:30 on NBA TV. If the Heat wins, they would be the sixth eighth seed to ever make it to the second round. To end the night, the Sacramento Kings will try to keep home court advantage in a 2-2 series against the Golden State Warriors at 10pm on TNT. This has been your Wednesday morning sports break, and it is now time for your Boone weather report.

And now for a special weather report powered by Booneweather.com. Today will be a partly sunny day with some scattered afternoon showers and a high of 59 with a low of 42.

In local news, a pedestrian was killed Monday night in Sugar Grove. According to the Watauga Democrat, 57-year-old Tammy R. Wolfe was struck by a 2014 Forde Escape on U.S. 321 after attempting to cross the road. Wolfe died on the scene. The driver, 71-year-old Brenda Farthing, had no injuries and no charges are expected to be made. 

In state news, a man from Raleigh has been charged after stealing a car and abducting the child within it. According to the News & Observer, 28-year-old Dustin Taylor Oakley stole a dark blue 2003 Dodge Durango, which had a 5-year-old girl inside of it Monday night in Chapel Hill. After the vehicle was stolen, an amber alert was released. According to the News & Observer, the child was found an hour later at a Sheetz gas station in Lillington, Chapel Hill   and she was safe. Oakley was arrested and is now facing the charges of “first-degree kidnapping, felony larceny, misdemeanor larceny, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and felony possession of stolen goods.” He is in custody with a $510,000 bond and is expected to be seen in court today. According to the News & Observer, Oakley has a history of larceny and breaking and entering vehicles. 

In national news, President Joe Biden announced he will be running for reelection. According to the Associated Press, Biden had made his announcement today, saying he will “ finish this job.” Biden is the oldest serving U.S. president, and if given another term, he will be 86 years old by the end of it.

Now onto sports.

It was a big night in the NBA playoffs last night, with arguably the biggest game of the night being the matchup between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat won the game by a final score of 119-114 and were aided by a spectacular performance from forward Jimmy Butler. Butler finished the game with 56 points, setting a Heat playoff record for scoring. The first round continues tonight, with three games taking place. The Atlanta Hawks, who picked up a win in their last game, will play on the brink of elimination against the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. The Minnesota Timberwolves will also fight to stay in the playoffs as they take on the Denver Nuggets at 9 p.m. And finally, the night will conclude when the Los Angeles Clippers, who are also on the brink of elimination in their series, take on the Phoenix Suns at 10 pm.

Finally, in NHL news, the Carolina Hurricanes will once again be in action tonight, taking on the New York Islanders in the fourth game of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a win tonight, the Hurricanes will win the series over the Islanders and advance to the next round of the playoffs. If you want to tune in, coverage of this game will start at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Other NHL games in action tonight include the Minnesota Wild taking on the Dallas Stars at 8 p.m. and the Los Angeles Kings taking on the Edmonton Oilers at 9:30 p.m.

Today’s weather is courtesy of Booneweather.com. Today is a cloudy day with a high of 57 degrees and a low of 38.

From around campus, Beaver Scholars program propels App State grad’s health care career close to home. According to Appalachian Today , App State alum Lexie Farr, 22’ graduate became the first person in her family to graduate from college. App States’ Beaver Scholarship Program has provided her with this opportunity and she now has a leadership role at UNC Health Blue Ridge in Morganton. The Beaver Scholars program was established in 2019, and is the premier scholarship program in App State’s Beaver College of Health Sciences.

From around North Carolina, R. Kelly is placed in federal prison in Granville County. According to ABC 11, the dishonored R&B star, R. Kelly is now in a Granville County prison. He is serving a 30 year sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking. Kelly denies any wrong doings and is planning on appealing his conviction. As of right now, he is listed as an inmate at Butner Medium I Federal Correctional Institute. 

In national news, A South Florida man shot at 2 Instacart delivery workers who went to the wrong house. According to NPR, a man in South Florida shot at 2 people driving in a car on his property, accidently going to the wrong house for an instacart delivery. The resident states that he shot at the car after they drove over his foot. On April 15, Waldes Thomas Jr.(19) and Diamond Harley Darville (18) were having trouble figuring out the address for the instacart order they were delivering. They accidentally pulled into  Antonio Caccavale (43)’s house. His son approached the car as the teenagers tried to reverse out of the driveway, accidentally hitting a boulder. The teenagers told investigators that Caccavale aggressively went up to the car and grabbed at the driver’s side window. As they drove away, they heard gunshots. Caccavale says he told his son to tell the car to leave and then heard his son screaming for help. He came to his aid, saying that the car was erratically driving and hitting things in his yard. He also claims that the car sideswiped him on his foot and that's when he pulled out his handgun.  There are two bullet holes in the car and the rear passenger tire was flat. Police are unsure if there was a crime that occurred, and say "Each party appear justified in their actions based on the circumstances they perceived”.

According to Booneweather.com, today is going to be partly cloudy with a high of 56 and a low of 36, with early frost in the valley and slight wind.

In local news, the SGA president and vice president for the upcoming school year have been announced. According to The Appalachian, the winning president-vice president duo was JP Neri and Margaret-Ann Littauer. According to The Appalachian, the duo won with 59.83% of the votes, beating the opposing candidates 26.47% of the votes. Neri has been serving as a senator on SGA. Littauer on the other hand, who will be serving as vice president, has not had any SGA experience at App State. The duo told The Appalachian that although they don’t take office until the fall, they will start planning for the upcoming year shortly.

In state news, a furniture museum is opening in North Carolina. According to CBS17, the future furniture museum will be in High Point, where most furniture is made. The museum, which will be called The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame, will open in May. According to CBS17, different furniture companies will have their furniture on display for a certain amount of time, and then it will be switched to a different company’s work on display.

In international news, Len Goodman, a Dancing With the Stars Judge, died Saturday. According to the New York Times, Goodman died at age 78 in a hospice in England. He died surrounded by his family. According to the New York Times, Goodman had bone cancer. Goodman was best known for his time on BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing” and the spin off, “Dancing With the Stars.”

Now onto sports.

The Mountaineer baseball team won off a run-rule this past weekend, scoring 18 past Old Dominion on the road. With that win, the Mountaineers moved to 19-18 on the season, 9-8 in conference play, and have won four out of their last six Sun Belt series. Caleb Cross, who now moves to 4-2 on the season pitching, struck out the first four batters he faced, had seven strikeouts, all in 4.2 innings of work. Congrats to the baseball team on a great win.

As for the NBA playoffs, only one team has punched their ticket into the second round, as the Philadelphia 76ers swept the Brooklyn Nets in four games to none. They will take on the winner of the Celtics and Hawks, with the Celtics currently up 3-1 in the series over the Hawks. But, their have been some crazy results so far, as the #1 seeded Bucks out in the Eastern Conference are down 2-1 to the Heat, with game four taking place tonight at 7:30. The Lakers and the Grizzlies will also face off tonight, with the 7 seeded Lakers leading the series 2-1 over the Grizzlies. That game takes place at 10:00 tonight.

Also, the NHL playoffs have kicked off as well! There are four games for you tonight, with the first one between the Devils and Rangers starting at 7:00 EST today. The other games include the Maple Leafs vs. Lightning at 7:30, Golden Knights vs Jets at 9:30, and Avalanche vs Kraken at 10:00.

That’s all for sports, but here is your weather report.

Today’s weather is courtesy of Booneweather.com. Today is a clear and a bit of a chilly day with a high of 54 degrees and a low of 32.