From the Newsroom: The Times News

Yamilet Padilla describes Family Abuse Services and their resources as a "blessing" after she survived an abusive marriage.

Yamilet Padilla tells her story of domestic violence before she found Family Abuse Services.

It's back-to-school time, which for many families means trips to the doctors office for vaccinations. Kindergarteners need a list of vaccines before they can enter public schools in North Carolina. Williams looked into trends around vaccinations as fears of disorders believed to be linked to vaccines has spread. Those fears aren't warranted, and no scientific evidence has been found linking things like autism to vaccines.

Just after 7 a.m. Monday, Aug. 12, a resident of the Brittany apartments off of Huffman Mill Road in Burlington called 911 to report shots fired into her apartment. The shots came in through a back window and shattered it, she said. Burlington police continue to investigate.

"Y'all are safe. That is all that matters. I don't care about the car." The good news: The thief dropped off the children near Holly Hill Mall. A passerby picked them up and took them back to their parents at Academy Sports. The SUV was later found on Trail One near Trail Eight in Burlington. Burlington police redacted this call to omit the victims' names.

A caller reported Wednesday night that a man stole a SUV from the parking lot at Burlington's Academy Sports on Huffman Mill Road. Two children were inside. The 2015 Ford Explorer was stolen while items were being loaded into the vehicle.

Burlington police released Monday, July 1, partial audio from two 911 calls received from the scene of a triple homicide. Due to the nature of these calls, some will find it disturbing. Discretion is advised. The Times-News has attempted to edit out expletives in the recordings, but some may still be audible.

You can still recycle glass in Alamance County, at least for a while. But our neighbors in Greensboro no longer can. Reporter Isaac Groves looked into why that is, and how Alamance County is handling glass recyclables.

Christopher Lee Neal and his former girlfriend are accused of attempted murder after a Rockingham County DSS worker was shot at in summer 2017. The bullets barely missed her. Neal defended himself in the trial, which has spanned the course of several weeks in Alamance County Superior Court due to scheduling conflicts. The jury was expected to hear closing arguments Tuesday afternoon, June 25.

Audio from the discussion about adjourning the meeting early -- after a prolonged closed-session discussion about personnel -- without addressing the public meeting's agenda.

Under state law, we're all required to report child abuse to the authorities. Reporter Isaac Groves explains why officials think an increase in reported cases is a good sign for the health of our children and families.

Some students and even some teachers are chronically absent from school. Reporter Jessica Williams looks at how large that problem is and how Alamance-Burlington School System is addressing it. Sometimes the solution is as simple as letting a student's family or teacher know that their absences are noticed.

Reporter Kate Croxton spent months learning about the process of collecting rape kits and what goes into prosecuting sexual assaults. Why are so many kits in N.C. untested? What's been done to change that? And why is so much of the responsibility of prosecution placed on victims?  

Burlington Economic Development Director Peter Bishop sheds light on Burlington's long-range plans for downtown Burlington and attracting business to other areas from the city council's recent Goal-Setting Workshop. 3:50 - An overview of city priorities outlined at the meeting 6:20 - Economic development priorities 7:00 - What goes into site development for business growth 9:30 - Shovel-ready matters. "Sites not dirt." 12:00 - UNC School of Government's Development Finance Institute and how it can help downtowns and other areas 16:00 - The future of parking in downtown Burlington 18:00 - Burlington Downtown Corp.'s vision plan: Reuniting Main Street, creating a plaza downtown if the police department headquarters is relocated 20:00 - "A bold plan." 24:30 - A vision, a path, but not set in stone 28:00 - National OnDemand headquarters coming to downtown Burlington 29:40 - N.C. Commerce Department's Building Reuse Grants 32:50 - May Hosiery Mill's transformation into loft apartments is happening 34:00 - Rep. Steve Ross' proposed extension, expansion of N.C.'s Historic Tax Credits, which enabled May Hosiery project 39:00 - Belong in Burlington session is 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Municipal Building

It was a busy weekend for law enforcement. Here's brief information about: - a road rage incident and arrest; - an undercover prostitution sting; - a couple arrested on drug and child abuse charges at a Burlington hotel; - a business owner accused of taking money but never performing construction; - and a woman crashing into the Burlington Dunkin' Donuts restaurant.

It was a packed agenda at Tuesday's Alamance-Burlington Board of Education work session. Jessica Williams has been writing about it all week. Here's what she's covered and what we tackle in this clip: Proposed redistricting at crowded Hillcrest Elementary to undercapacity E.M. Holt Elementary; Rising school construction costs and the bond;  Changes to the academic coaching program - after a walkback of the wholesale elimination of the program, which supplies teachers with instructional support; and Incentives and plans for attracting teachers to Title I middle schools with high staff turnover

The National Agents Alliance does big business out of Burlington, and its event centers in central Burlington get heavy use. Some neighbors say the noise is too loud and have lodged complaints with the City and police. Reporter Kate Croxton talks about the ongoing issue, what the City's options are, and what NAA's response has been so far. The company will meet with Police Chief Jeffrey Smythe sometime soon to talk solutions.

Reporter Isaac Groves was in the courtroom for 47-year-old Gwendolyn Rae Cloutier's sentencing. She was originally charged with statutory rape and sex offenses against a child in 2016 for acts with a 15-year-old boy. In a plea agreement, she will serve unsupervised probation and won't have to register as a sex offender. This is unusual in cases with such serious charges, Isaac says. Online editor Michael Abernethy agrees. Many online are angered over the leniency. Is there a double-standard?

The short answer: Teacher turnover. The school board and ABSS central office are concerned about a lack of stability at particular schools and the cycle that perpetuates on a campus. Teachers with provisional -- temporary -- licenses are either in classrooms on an emergency basis or as lateral entry -- teachers with degrees in subjects outside of education working toward their education certificate. Those positions have higher turnover rates (15.8%) than teachers as a whole (around 8.5 percent). In ABSS, these teachers are concentrated at certain campuses -- which happen to be lower-performing academically.  The point isn't that these aren't good or qualified teachers. They may be excellent and enthusiastic, but they lack classroom experience and are more likely to leave teaching for a different job within several years.  

Reporter Isaac Groves examines a Graham ordinance that requires groups of two or more people to apply for a permit at least 24 hours before they demonstrate within the city limits. Experts, including the Times-News' First Amendment attorney, say that doesn't square with the Bill of Rights. But Graham is relying on the ordinance to keep the peace around the Confederate monument downtown.

What are Opportunity Zones? Where are they in Burlington and Alamance County? What do they mean for investment and economic growth here? Burlington Economic Development Director Peter Bishop fleshes out the US Dept. of Treasury / IRS program and how it funnels trillions in capital gains going unused to kickstart low-income areas nationwide. Burlington has two zones: around Maple Avenue and northeast Burlington. Alamance County's other two are in Graham, and a swath of Haw River and Green Level. In this episode: :00 - What are Opportunity Zones, broadly, and how do they work? 3:40 - How and why were Alamance County's zones chosen? 6:30 - Where are Burlington's zones and why? 10:00 - How could this program help East Burlington economic development? 12:30 - Business growth, expansion, real estate, new business development 13:00 - Program puts more eyes on Alamance County and Burlington 14:00 - The possibility of a local  or regional Opportunity Fund 16:00 - Direct versus indirect investment 18:00 - How the City of Burlington is promoting its Opportunity Zones 23:00 - When could we start to see results? 25:00 - $4 trillion in unrealized capital gains nationwide now available to invest 28:00 -- Return on investment versus local/regional impact: Which may win out? 30:00 - How can the average person get involved in these programs? 37:00 -- City of Burlington's documents and web resources coming soon

The recording of the initial 911 call to Caswell County emergency communications reporting the lion attack that killed 22-year-old intern Alexandra Black on Sunday, Dec. 30. This recording was edited to remove the caller's name and telephone number. Otherwise, this is the recording as it was provided to us by Caswell County management.

We ran a piece today, Jan. 3, by reporter Isaac Groves that detailed a lawsuit brought by Elon University against a former student over a loan debt. It's unusual to see the university suing a student over anything. Isaac found out the now defunct federal Perkins Loan Program saddled individual schools with debt -- nationwide -- and campuses are working to recoup that money. The story has met with some pushback online: Why would we cover this? Why did we name the ex-student? Etc. So Isaac and online editor Michael Abernethy sat down to talk about the process behind the story, the questions we had, and the rules we follow to determine and report news. (Yes, there are rules, and a lot of them about when and why we could withold someone's name in a public record or public process.) We hope this gives you a little more insight into how we operate. Thanks.

The Conservators Center has been an attraction near the Alamance-Caswell County line, north of Burlington, for almost 20 years. It began by rescuing big cats and other exotic animals that were seized in U.S. Department of Agriculture investigations and raids. On Sunday, 22-year-old Alexandra Black was killed during a routine enclosure cleaning when a lion escaped a separate holding enclosure and attacked. Black was an intern at the center and planned to pursue a career in animal husbandry or zookeeping. Reporter Kate Croxton has been following the story all day.

Have you met Peter Bishop? If you're a business owner or entrepreneur in Burlington, he's someone you'll want to know. Among other things, his job is to help you grow your business and harness resources that local and state governments offer. This is the first of what we hope will become a regular podcast with Peter Bishop, who has his fingers in all sorts of pies as Director of Economic Development for the City of Burlington. He's the first economic development director in our city's history. Future casts will get into the details of growth and projects in Burlington and Alamance County, but for now, let's get to know him and his job. In this podcast: Peter's background in Cleveland and eastern NC 19:00 -- Role and goals of economic development 20:27 -- The LabCorp/ACC biotech partnership and what that means for biz 22:30 -- Aiding start-ups 27:00 -- Which entities does Peter work with locally and statewide? 32:30 -- Economic and job growth comes from small businesses. Peter's job is to help those business plan well and succeed. 37:00 -- Who's on the city's economic development team? 40:00 -- A day in the life of a city economic developer 42:00 -- What's happening at the city's old landfill site near the airport, and what Peter has to do with it. 47:30 -- How data helps attract, retain business interest 48:30 -- Beginning to end: How an economic development director assists a business development or expansion. 54:00 -- "If it's not one person's job, it's nobody's job."  

An Alamance County deputy shot and killed a family's German shepard while responding to a medical emergency call Dec. 4. The Irby family posted their own surveillance video of the incident online and officials say at least eight shots were fired. This story is sparking heated debate online about officer training, why there won't be an official investigation, and why the dog's body will go to the landfill. Reporter Kate Croxton and online editor Michael Abernethy talk through the story.

It's possible - not certain - that some Triad areas could get 10 inches of snow by Monday night. The forecast late Thursday called for between 4 and 8 inches of snow in most northern Piedmont counties, beginning Saturday night, capped off by sleet and freezing rain.

No one's sure just what or how much snow, freezing rain or sleet we may get in Alamance County and statewide this weekend, but state agencies are starting to worry.

Reporters Jessica Williams and Isaac Groves covered both scenes last night at the Alamance County Board of Commissioners meeting: the one inside the old courthouse for the actual meeting, and the demonstrations and protests outside in opposition to Sheriff Terry Johnson holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainess in the Alamance County Detention Center and a group of ACTBAC members and public fearful of the COnfederate monument being torn down. They share what they saw, heard and reported.

It's been a tumultuous fall for Allied Churches, which provides Alamance County's only homeless shelter. In late September, the now former executive director put out an emergency call for $50,000, threatening the shelter could close otherwise. He and some other fulltime staff were then let go, and the board has been largely silent as its worked behind the scenes to keep the shelter and services running. Reporter Kate Croxton fills us in after a sit-down with ACAC Board Chair Kelly Paul and United Way of Alamance County President Heidi Norwick and as she finishes a story for Sunday, Nov. 18.

Burlington Police Assistant Chief Brian Long stops by to invite the public to four remaining community input sessions the department is hosting as it updates its strategic plan. The current plan was built from meetings held in 2015, and the department used feedback from those to develop iniatives in operation today. The next meetings are: 6 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 1 - Turrentine Middle School 9 a.m. Sat. Nov. 3 - Dream Center, 1423 N. Church St. 6 p.m. Nov. 27 - Andrews Elementary 6 p.m. Dec. 6 - Blessed Sacrament Church (Spanish session) RSVP to Iris Caballero at icaballero@burlingtonnc.gov or 336-229-3546 if you plan to attend.

Alamance Community College is asking voters to approve $39.6 million for new buildings and improvements to campus. Reporter Jessica Williams gets into the details there, and also talks about the proposed ABSS high school and what would happen to Cummings and Graham (No: They aren't closing!).

The weirdest news story of the day left a lot of us scratching our heads and laughing at the macabre. Reporters Jessica Williams and Kate Croxton join Digital Editor Michael Abernethy for quick takes on this bizarre story out of Northern California.

Can you pre-register to vote when you get your driver license at 16 or 17? Do felons in N.C. have to have their rights restored before they can vote? These shouldn't be difficult questions, but information given to voters and the public have only muddied them. Reporter Isaac Groves has spent the week trying to find clarity on two issues for people registering to vote in North Carolina and Alamance County. As of Thursday night, he was still trying to get answers from the state and officials.

Burlington's Economic Development Director Peter Bishop talks about the American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team visit Wednesday, Sept. 19 - Friday, Sept. 21. Basically, we're getting $200,000 of in-kind design and architectural study for the vacant 23-acre site that was once a hub of Burlington industry and economy. The team will take public comments and ideas during sessions Wednesday. Find out more at BurlingtonNC.gov/WesternElectric, and leave your ideas there if you can't make it. Peter Bishop can be reached at PBishop@BurlingtonNC.gov.

A recording of the 911 call reporting a disturbance and at least one shot fired before deputies were dispatched to Oak Grove Church Road near Liberty late May 2. Billy Carson Pike Jr. was later shot 15 times by three deputies, an autopsy showed. 

Morgan Lasater, the city of Burlington's community engagement manager, talks about how the city and numerous departments are getting ready for Hurricane Florence. More information at #BTNnow and BurlingtonNC.gov.

Police turned into aggressors at Aug. 30 dueling protests on UNC's campus. Online editor Michael Abernethy and Kate Croxton recount what they witnessed and experienced Thursday night -- with audio from the scene -- including being among those pepper sprayed by police. 4:00 - police presence 4:20 - Dance party on the quad 5:50 - Interview with UNC freshmen at the scene 7:30 - ACTBAC arrives 9:00 - Police barricades, and who were and weren't allowed inside 11:00 - Interview with Madeline Murnion, "flabberghasted" by the scene 13:30 - Confederate flag "parachute" 14:30 - ACTBAC's exit 16:30 - Police pepper spray nonviolent crowd 19:20 - On-scene: moments before the pepper spray 20:00 - Pepper spray hits crowd, causes Kate's respiratory attack 23:00 - Will police be held accountable for attacking protesters? 25:50 - Whose freedom of speech was protected Aug. 30? 30:00 - Pepper spray turned us from objective observers into part of the story

Digital Editor Michael Abernethy and Reporter Isaac Groves talk about the toppling of the UNC Confederate monument, the rhetoric on Alamance County-based ACTBAC's Facebook page, our recollections of being students on campus with the monument, and what's being done to protect Graham's monument from violence and vandalism.

Burlington police lead telecommunicator Tatiana Verdeck gives her father's final radio call.

Burlington police radio traffic leading up to the Monday, July 23, fatal police shooting on Dorsett Street. Burlington police distributed this file to the media on Tuesday, July 24. The incident itself lasted around 24 minutes. Chief Jeffrey Smythe says this is a condensed audio file that automatically edited out silent portions of the radio traffic reducing the audio to around 11 minutes.

Reporter Jessica Williams catches us up on her year-long series detailing what's behind the ABSS bond and what would come from it if voters approve it Nov. 6. In this podcast: :55 -- Breakdown of spending campus by campus 1:30 -- Why Southern Alamance would get the most money 3:44 -- The gross bathrooms 5:35 -- Work that the public won't see 7:40 -- Black mold at Cummings 10:30 -- Recapping the first two stories in the series 11:30 -- Graham HS science lab 13:00 -- Mr. Wizard, Bill Nye, Eyewitness Videos, & a glaring generation gap 14:00 -- Cummings HS arts program 14:25 -- Where's the lottery funding? 17:00 -- Two elementary schools getting fixes 19:00 -- More about Southern Alamance fixes 21:30 -- 15-minute lunches 23:15 -- What's online for you