NBC 17 Raleigh

A Raleigh firefighter killed while on his way home from work will be laid to rest Wednesday. Lieutenant Harry "Flip" Kissinger was driving home from work on December 4 when a school bus crossed the center line on Ligon Mill Road, hit one car and then hit Kissinger's truck. He died a few days later from his injuries. The funeral will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Richland Creek Community Church ... Full Story »

Both lanes of Interstate 40 West will be closed Wednesday night at the N.C. 54 interchange. The North Carolina Department of Transportation will be installing two conveyer belt systems at that interchange that will transport stone and asphalt to the median area of I-40.  Use of the conveyer belt will eliminate 237 lane closures and nearly 12,000 truckload trips that otherwise would have been ... Full Story »

Weigh in and let us know if you support year-round schools. Full Story »

A Johnston County teenager was killed after a car accident Monday afternoon. Police say Nathan Cole, 18, of Selma, was driving south on NC 39 Monday. At about 1:07 p.m., he apparently crossed the center line and sideswiped a car driving north. He then crashed into another car traveling north, driven by Victoria Jordan, 42, of Burgaw. Both Cole and Jordan were killed.  The driver of the ... Full Story »

Comedians Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry The Cable Guy will perform Friday, March 12 at the RBC Center. Tickets for the show go on sale at 10 a.m. on December 18. Read More Full Story »

Wake County's small business owners - and those thinking about starting a small business - will soon have some new help. Wake Technical Community College announced Tuesday that it will partner with Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company, to create a new Center for Entrepreneurship at Wake Tech's Northern Wake Campus. The bank has committed $150,000 to the center. Part of that funding will pay for ... Full Story »

A new study from North Carolina State University shows that health care spending can spur economic growth. Study author Dr. Al Headen, associate professor of economics at NC State, said people are living longer, working longer, paying taxes.  "But a lot of projections by the government of the future work force are not accounting for improved health and productivity of older Americans. People ... Full Story »

On Friday, Dec. 18, Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead will ring the Closing Bell at the NASDAQ MarketSite. He will be joined on the podium by current Duke students and recent graduates, and will meet with Duke alumni in the New York region right after the ceremony. President Brodhead also plans to attend the Duke men's basketball game against Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden on the ... Full Story »

North Carolina received 17,900 doses of a recalled swine flu vaccine, health officials said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years. The North Carolina Division of Public Health is in ... Full Story »

A Raleigh woman and 1-year-old girl are being treated after being struck by a car on Green Road near Calvary Drive in Raleigh on Monday, according to police reports. Maria Sanchezpenalo of Raleigh was driving on Green Road when she hit Seville Keeton and the the stroller she was pushing across a marked crosswalk.  Harmony Haley, a 1-year-old, was in the stroller. Sanchezpenalo did have a green ... Full Story »

Clayton firefighters contained what officials say was a suspicious fire Tuesday morning at 12 Cameo Court, the same address as one of two other unoccupied home fires on Oct. 31. Firefighters responded just after 8 a.m. after being notified of smoke coming from a home under construction and not yet occupied. It is the same home that had been burned in two fires in October. Preliminary findings ... Full Story »

Businesses in Rocky Mount should be aware of people using $10 counterfeit bills, according to Rocky Mount Police. Three incidents were reported on Dec. 11. Three counterfeit $10 bills were received for the purchase of pizzas at Dino's Pizza located at 157 S. Wesleyan Blvd. One counterfeit $10 bill was received at the BB&T bank located at 1114 Benvenue Road. And one counterfeit $10 bill was ... Full Story »

Huge crowds have gathered outside the Wake County School Board meeting, where members will discuss year-round schools. The meeting began at 3 p.m. with standing room only. At least 188 people are in the board room and many are in the hall. So far, the board has directed staff to survey parents K-8 on calendar options. Depending on the response from school parents, the survey could cost between ... Full Story »

Jason Young was arrested Monday and taken to the Wake County Jail on first-degree murder charges. Full Story »

Lewis Days' spare bedrooms are filled with Christmas gifts for strangers. Not those extra boxes that many of us have stacked in a closet somewhere. But dozens and dozens of bicycles piled wall-to-wall that have come to symbolize this 76 year-old in east Durham. "I have a grand daughter ... that's her room back there," he said pointing to a pile of bikes in one of the back rooms of his home. "She ... Full Story »

A sea of Carolina blue filled a Durham bookstore Monday night as dozens of people packed the Barnes & Noble store at the Streets at Southpoint Mall to get an autograph from UNC basketball coach Roy Williams. "This is the last stop here tonight. Maybe I can talk him into a few more after this based on the amount of people here tonight," said a smiling Tim Crotherus, who co-authored Williams' book ... Full Story »

Chapel Hill town council voted for its newest member Monday night. In a 6-2 vote, the council selected Donna Bell to fill the vacancy left by Bill Strom. Strom resigned this past summer leaving many residents to question the motives behind his decision. Strom's resignation on Aug. 1 came too late for the voters to decide who would fill his seat in this year's town council race. If Strom had ... Full Story »

The North Carolina Republican Party is voicing concerns over Gov. Bev Perdue's campaign finance reports-in particular, flights she took while campaigning. The GOP chairman filed a complaint with the Board of Elections in October over seventeen flights that were not initially reported for paid for. Last week Perdue's campaign disclosed five more flights that date back to 2004. Monday, the ... Full Story »

A husband and wife, both employees of America's Best Value Inn in Goldsboro, were found dead in their hotel room Monday morning. Suryakant Patel, 65, and his wife 61-year-old Bhavanaben Patel were both found dead in Room 108 of the hotel they worked at. Investigators say the Patels lived in that room. The deaths appear to be homicides, according to police. Police tell NBC17 that the case is a ... Full Story »

A new arts gallery will soon be opening in downtown Chapel Hill. Monday afternoon, town leaders cut the ribbon and announced the addition of Frank, the name of the gallery, to Franklin Street. "Championing downtown has been a long-standing goal of the town council," said Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt in a written statement. "We are pleased to use our newly established loan program to help enhance ... Full Story »

Two men have been arrested in connection with a robbery that resulted in an officer being shot at. Terell Lee Cheatham, 21, has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, second degree burglary, larceny after breaking and entering, and possession of stolen goods. He is being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $125, 000 secured bond. William ... Full Story »

EXTRA TV host and Saved By The Bell alum Mario Lopez took some time to speak with NBC17 anchor Melanie Sanders about his show's new time slot as well as the latest in entertainment news. Full Story »

Orange Water and Sewer Authority is notifying customers that its land phone lines will be temporarily out of service Wednesday night. Maintenance on OWASA's network equipment will cause the land lines, including the main number, 968-4421, to be out of service. OWASA expects the lines to be back to normal by midnight Wednesday. Customers with water and sewer service emergencies should call the ... Full Story »

A three panel judge has issued a stay in favor of the State on two inmates serving life sentences. John Connell with NC Court of Appeals says Faye Brown and Alford Jones will not be set free from their life sentences. The defense now has 10 days to respond to the petition, according to Connell. Attorneys scrambled to halt the release of two convicted killers after a judge ruled they should be ... Full Story »

Jason Young has been charged with first degree murder in the death of his pregnant wife Michelle Young. He's expected to make his first court appearance at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Phyllis Stephens, spokeswoman for the Wake County Sheriff's Office confirms that Young was arrested Monday at 1:30 p.m. in Brevard, N.C. without incident. Stephens adds that authorities are still piecing together information ... Full Story »