RALEIGH
Patrol earns cabinet level
The N.C. Highway Patrol will operate as an independent agency, separate from the N.C. Department of Public Safety, according to a release from the state.
This strategic separation is aimed at enhancing operational focus, accountability and service delivery for both entities. The Highway Patrol will now report directly to the governor, with the commander, Col. Freddy L. Johnson Jr., providing oversight.
MURPHY
Seismic event affects region
Local residents may not have felt it, but there was a seismic event – likely not an earthquake – only 15 miles from town on July 4, according to volcanodiscovery.com.
The event occurred at 2:45 a.m. Friday. If they were awake, Murphy residents likely experienced weak shaking, with several areas possibly shaking stronger.
Mineral Bluff and McCaysville, both in Georgia, were also close to the epicenter, the website reported.
In May, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded just south of Greenback, Tenn., according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which caused loud rumbling in and around Cherokee County.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown.