🗞️ A water main break knocked out service across the county, and there's a boil-water advisory

🗞️ Heads up: a recall on Lidl cookies sold in North Carolina

🗞️ A July storm will cost the school district $250K at Sherwood Forest Elementary

🗞️ Good news: Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools expects to be debt-free

🌤️ Sunny and less humid | High: 87°F | Low: 63°F

A welcome break after this week's storms. A cold front pushed through, so today brings sunshine, lower humidity and a comfortable feel. Highs settle near 87 with light north to northwest winds, and skies stay clear tonight with a low around 63. A genuinely nice summer day.

If your taps ran dry or dribbled on Wednesday, you were not alone.

A large 24-inch water main broke Wednesday morning, and officials say it is a critical component of the whole distribution system. The break left homes and businesses across much of Forsyth County without water or with low pressure, including eastern Forsyth, downtown Kernersville, Union Cross, Walkertown and downtown Winston-Salem. "It's an all-hands-on-deck situation, and we are making every effort to get the water restored as soon as possible," said Winston-Salem Utilities Director Courtney Driver. Officials said the break was not related to any water shutoff work that had been scheduled.

Here is the part to act on. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities has issued a boil-water advisory for the affected areas. Low or no pressure raises the risk of bacteria getting into the lines, so once your service comes back, boil all water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and preparing food. A hard, rolling boil for one full minute does the job, or you can use bottled water. The advisory stays in effect until repairs are done and testing, including checks for E. coli, confirms the water is safe.

As of Wednesday afternoon officials could not give a restoration timeline, calling it uncharted territory. The ripple effects were wide: Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center rescheduled some non-emergency procedures while keeping its emergency departments open, and county offices and libraries were disrupted. Keep bottled water on hand, go easy on non-essential use, and watch the city and county channels for the all-clear.

Get the latest updates

A quick one to check your pantry for.

Lidl has recalled its Eridanous Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Truffle Coating and Apricot Filling because the packaging was printed in another language and did not warn, in English, that the cookies contain wheat, soy, milk and eggs. For anyone with an allergy or sensitivity to those ingredients, the company says that missing label carries a risk of serious or life-threatening reactions.

The recall covers all of the chain's U.S. stores, including North Carolina. If you have a package at home, you can take it back to any Lidl for a refund. Questions can go to the company's customer line at (844) 747-5435 during regular business hours. No allergy warning does not mean the cookies changed, just that the box did not tell you what is inside, so if it is in your cabinet, it is worth a look.

Read the recall notice

Remember the storm that tore through Winston-Salem back on July 5? The bill for one of its casualties is now clear.

A falling tree punched through the roof at Sherwood Forest Elementary School, damaging the roof, gutters, a wall and a classroom ceiling, with total damage estimated around $300,000. The district is filing an insurance claim, but it has to cover a $250,000 deductible out of pocket first. "We'll pay $250,000 out of pocket, and then we make a little bit back from the claim," said Lauren Richards, chief operations officer for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

The most heavily damaged classroom is expected to be closed for the next few weeks, and fixing the roof means briefly closing the room next door too, though Richards said that one should be back in use quickly. It is a reminder of how much last month's storm packed into a single evening. The same system uprooted oaks and crushed homes across the Sherwood Forest neighborhood, and the cleanup is still adding up.

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After a rough stretch on the books, some real good news out of the district.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools says it has wiped out its $45 million debt and expects to close the fiscal year with money in the black. The exact final number is not official until all the accounting is buttoned up, but the direction is clear. Interim Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Forbes credited a big private fundraising push along with debt forgiveness from Forsyth County leaders for getting the district over the line.

It is a notable turnaround for a system that has spent a lot of the last year in the headlines over its budget. Paying down that kind of debt frees up money that can go back toward classrooms, and it is the sort of steadying news a lot of local families and school staff have been hoping to hear.

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