The family of an 11-year old Rock Hill boy who died from carbon monoxide poisoning at a Best Western hotel in Boone in 2013 has agreed to settle wrongful death and injury suits against the hotel chain and other parties for $12 million, attorneys for the family said in a news release Monday.

County manager Dena Diorio said Tuesday night that the hacker has essentially frozen the county’s electronic files. The hacker is seeking $23,000 for an encryption key that would release the files.

Flash flooding in Boone caused major damage to units in at least three different apartment complexes along Cedar Creek near Meadowview. The area is between the Boone Mall and the Walmart shopping areas. Dozens of cars at the units and at Walmart were inundated by the water.

Severe weather is threatening 30 million people across the Northeast. A powerful line of storms is expected to bring heavy rain, wind, and flooding. The system already has battered the Carolinas and parts of Virginia. Intense wind flipped planes and crumpled hangars at a small airport northwest of Charlotte.

The Carolinas have some cleaning up to do after being slammed by severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and flooding and possible tornadoes that flipped tractor-trailers and small planes, broke storefront windows and pushed one house off its foundation.

The damage in some neighborhoods of Caldwell County is devastating after strong storms -- and possibly a tornado -- blew through the area Sunday night.

The National Weather Service has issued tornado warnings for several counties near Charlotte, as weather from Hurricane Nate continues to affect the region.

Nearly one year after Hurricane Matthew displaced thousands of families and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes, North Carolina continues working to help survivors and communities rebuild, with more help needed for full recovery.

At not-food-in-food recall on Monday night covers 38,475 pounds of ground turkey, including the Publix store brand, that might have metal shavings from the processing equipment. In addition to Publix ground turkey and ground turkey breast in 1.3-pound styrofoam trays, 1.2-pound trays of Fit & Active Fresh Ground Turkey and 1-pound trays of Weis Markets Fresh Ground Turkey Breast are covered in the recall. All have ink jet printing on the side of the trays with the numbers 7268 and 7269.

An evacuation is underway on an island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks as Hurricane Maria moves north. The Hyde County Sheriff’s office said the evacuation began at 5 a.m. Monday on Ocracoke Island.

With 335,000 insurance claims representing $1.9 billion in property losses, Hurricane Irma already has exceeded the claims and losses from the two hurricanes that pummeled Florida last year, the state Office of Insurance Regulation reported Monday.

The full breadth of Hurricane Irma’s catastrophic attack on the Florida Keys is just now starting to emerge. Two days after Irma made landfall there, authorities and residents were finally able to reach some of the islands Tuesday.

All eyes are on Hurricane Irma as it rampages through the Caribbean, but it’s not alone. Tropical storms Jose and Katia strengthened Wednesday afternoon, bringing the number of hurricanes churning in the Atlantic basin to three.

A tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic Ocean strengthened into a tropical storm Wednesday morning and has been officially named Irma.
Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center said Irma poses no immediate threat to any land but is expected to strengthen as it continues its westward track across the Atlantic.

Employers planning to host solar eclipse viewing parties should be aware of employee safety and workers compensation concerns. On Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will take place and will be visible from cities including Portland, Oregon; Denver; Kansas City, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta; and Charlotte, North Carolina.