VOLUME 10 ISSUE 50 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2026
NSJONLINE.COM
ERIK VERDUZCO / AP PHOTO
Alex Taylor, 23, and his dog Daisy make their way down a snowy hill in Charlotte on Saturday.
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Snow hits NC as winter bares teeth
BRIEF this week
House passes bill to end partial shutdown Washington, D.C. The House on Tuesday passed a roughly $1.2 trillion spending package to end the partial government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump and setting the stage for a debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding. The vote was 217-214 and wraps up congressional work on 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills, funding the vast majority of the government for the budget year ending Sept. 30. The last bill still to be worked out covers the Department of Homeland Security, where Democrats are demanding more restrictions on enforcement operations. Trump has said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
Jill Biden’s first husband charged with killing wife Wilmington, Del. The first husband of former first lady Jill Biden has been charged with killing his wife at their Delaware home in late December, authorities announced in a news release Tuesday. William Stevenson, 77, of Wilmington, was married to Biden from 1970 to 1975. Stevenson remains in jail after failing to post $500,000 bail after his arrest Monday on first-degree murder charges. He is charged with killing Linda Stevenson, 64, on Dec. 28. Police were called to the home for a reported domestic dispute after 11 p.m. and found a woman unresponsive in the living room. Life-saving measures were unsuccessful.
Hearing postponed on crime, safety in Charlotte A U.S. magistrate’s order blocked the state House committee from disclosing or discussing the Iryna Zarutska murder case By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A legislative hearing on public safety and crime in Charlotte set
See HEARING, page A2
By Trân Nguyen The Associated Press BLIZZARDLIKE conditions stemming from a “bomb cyclone” hammered parts of the Carolinas on Saturday and ushered in frigid temperatures to much of the East Coast. Charlotte saw one of its heaviest snowfalls in years, with roughly a foot or more in parts of the region. That caused an hourslong mess on Interstate 85 northeast of the city after a noninjury crash left dozens of semis and other vehicles backed up into the evening, according to the State Highway Patrol. The agency said it counted at least 750 traffic collisions, but there were no fatalities. As snow came down steadi-
State getting $233M more in Helene recovery funds The key recipients include NCDOT, Emergency Management, the Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation and the town of Lake Lure By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
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for Jan. 29 was postponed to Feb. 9 due to clarification needed regarding a federal court order limiting lawmakers from disseminating materials obtained in the Iryna Zarutska murder case. “North Carolinians deserve the truth about what happened to Iryna Zarutska, and the mismanagement in Mecklenburg County,” House Select Committee on Oversight and
A week after an ice storm mostly spared the state, a winter system blanketed areas from the mountains to the coast and beyond
RALEIGH — More than $233 million in federal public assistance grant reimbursement funds is headed to North Carolina for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. The funding reimburses local governments, utilities, state agencies and other eligible entities for costs they fronted in response and recovery efforts such as debris removal, infra-
structure repairs and other emergency measures. “Communities across Western North Carolina have fronted millions of dollars to clear and repair damage caused by Hurricane Helene,” Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) said in a Jan. 28 press release. “I’ve continued to engage with the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to expedite the release of federal aid for recovery and repairs that had been stalled, and I am proud to announce that another $233 million is on the way. I am grateful to President (Donald) Trump for his consistent support for Western North Carolina and to his administration for helping See HELENE, page A3
“I am grateful to President Trump for his consistent support for Western North Carolina and to his administration for helping get these funds out the door.” Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.)
ly throughout the day, some people went out sledding with their families and dogs. Others stayed cozy at home to avoid treacherous traveling conditions. About 240 million people were under cold weather advisories and winter storm warnings, said Bob Oravec, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. A low of minus 27 Fahrenheit was recorded in West Virginia, and the frigid cold was expected to plunge as far south as Florida. Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at airports in Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking and data company. Snow blanketed the neighborhood of Lee Harrison, an insurance agent in a town outside of Greenville, and he planned to take his three daughters sledding in the backyard. “We’re not gonna drive See STORM, page A3