🗞️ A fire truck crashes north of Kernersville, sending three to the hospital

🗞️ Rural Hall reverses course and backs a $3 billion data center

🗞️ All In For Our Schools raised $9 million. Here is what it did.

🗞️ A rabid skunk turned up in the Oak Ridge area. Here is how to stay safe.

🌡 Mostly sunny and comfortable | High: 86°F | Low: 64°F

A mostly sunny, less humid Wednesday with a high near 86. A calm, pleasant day after this week's storms.

Three people were taken to the hospital after a fire truck crashed north of Kernersville on Tuesday morning, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The wreck happened around 8:44 a.m. on Piney Grove Road near Warren Road, and crews from the Piney Grove Fire Department responded along with troopers.

Investigators said the fire truck was heading north on Piney Grove Road with its lights and sirens on when it ran off the right side of the road at a curve. The truck overcorrected, overturned and came to rest on the left side of the road. During the crash, the windshield came off the truck and struck a man who was weeding in his yard.

The two firefighters and the injured man were all taken to the hospital, and the Highway Patrol said it believes all three had non-life-threatening injuries. The crash remains under investigation. It is a sobering reminder to give the right of way and a wide berth to emergency vehicles running hot.

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Rural Hall has changed its mind on a project it rejected just two months ago. After opposing a proposed data center in April, the Town Council voted 3-1 on Monday to recommend that the 130-acre project, known as Project Iron Spur, move forward. Council members Anita Ring, Mark Lane and Eddie Horn voted yes; Michael Woodcock voted no. The vote followed seven community meetings and two months of the developer revamping its plans.

Mayor Terry Bennett said the changes cleared the town's biggest worries about water and power, with Winston-Salem able to sell water and the power supply sitting right next to the property. The Charlotte-based developer, the DROX Group, trimmed the plan from four buildings to three, shifted them away from neighboring homes, added up to 17 acres of potential public recreation space, agreed to dim nighttime lighting, and capped noise at 60 decibels with permanent monitoring. "It will help lower taxes in this town," Bennett said, arguing the alternative could be roughly 300 houses that would strain town services.

Not everyone is sold. Residents repeatedly interrupted Monday's meeting, and the mayor at one point threatened to clear the room. The city-county planning board had already voted 7-2 against the rezoning on June 12. The project now heads to the Forsyth County Commissioners, who are expected to take it up July 30. It is worth watching for anyone tracking how fast eastern and northern Forsyth are growing.

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A community fundraising push helped pull the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools out of a financial hole. The All In For Our Schools campaign, a partnership of the Education Foundation of WS/FCS, The Winston-Salem Foundation and Bookmarks, raised more than $9 million by March. The money covered school supplies, student fees and classroom books while also helping the district pay down debt.

The district had badly overspent its 2024-25 budget, at one point owing vendors as much as $15 million. According to Superintendent Don Phipps, that debt has since fallen to about $2 million, with the campaign playing a key role. The Education Foundation, a young nonprofit established in 2023, shifted into emergency fundraising mode as the scope of the crisis became clear, leaning on The Winston-Salem Foundation's reputation to win over donors.

With the campaign winding down, the foundation's board is now weighing what comes next. One idea on the table is focusing on school leadership, supporting principals and teachers, while continuing to build the group's visibility in the community. For Kernersville families in the district, it is a sign the budget picture is stabilizing heading into the new school year.

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A skunk found in northwest Guilford County has tested positive for rabies, the Guilford County Division of Public Health said Tuesday. The animal was discovered on Haw River Road on the northwest side of Oak Ridge, and it marks the 10th confirmed animal rabies case in Guilford County so far in 2026.

Health officials are using the case as a reminder that rabies circulates in local wildlife year round. North Carolina law requires all cats, dogs and ferrets 4 months and older to be vaccinated, whether they live inside or outside, and officials say supervising pets outdoors and feeding them inside helps keep wild animals away.

If you see a wild animal acting strangely, keep your distance and do not try to touch, rescue or separate it. Anyone bitten by an animal should wash the area with soap and water, seek medical care, and report the bite to Animal Control. For rabies questions, Guilford County Animal Services can be reached at 336-641-2506.

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