The Durham Board of Commissioners passed a "Preliminary Resolution" Monday night. It is a step towards financing the new county courthouse and other projects that should cost no more than $130 million.

"We're going to do something unique this year," said George Quick, who is Durham County Finance Director. "We have a private placement with Wachovia that will allow us to borrow the money as it is needed and the process is to take about 30 months. By borrowing it as we need it we're able to cut the overall interest costs down."

Quick said it brings down the total price tag for interest from roughly $14 million if the County borrowed it all and paid interest over a 3 year period - to a little under $3 million. That's a savings of about $11 million.

At a public hearing Monday night Durham resident Matt Drew said he was concerned that financing this way was a risky move when it came to the interest rate.

"I think accepting this expenditure and this loan in this way is setting the same kind of example that the starry-eyed subprime borrower stepping forward and saying, I can borrow ... these are low rates; I can buy that McMansion that I want for $500,000 because it looks like you can afford it," Drew said. "When interest rates go up and change as we saw the year before - all of a sudden, things become very different. At the end of 3 years - we're still going to have to owe $130 million and at that point - we're going to have to pay that somehow."

The money will pay for the new Durham County Courthouse and parking deck and various other projects and the refinancing of a portion of the cost of the Durham County Jail.

"This rate is a variable rate that adjusts on a weekly basis and that's the way it operates," Quick said.

He added that the intent is to finance the construction and at the end of the 3 years or anytime before then, if they feel appropriate, they will go to market and put a 20 year mortgage on the property to get the best deal.

The Board of County Commissioners will vote on approval for the transaction on February 22. County staff hope to execute the loan and give the start order to the contractor on March 8.

"Our target population is adults and we are shooting for those who have an income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty index," said M. Alec Parker, DMD, Executive Director, of the North Carolina Dental Society. "Our goal is to get the same standard of care that people would get in a private office."

The program Missions of Mercy will host a free dental care clinic for adults on March 12 and March 13. It will be at the National Guard Armory at 801 Stadium Drive in Durham.

There are no appointments; caretakers see patients on a first-come, first-serve basis. Patient registration begins at 6:00 a.m. and treatment starts at 8:00 a.m. But Parker said events like this in the past have meant people started lining up the night before.

"We've already made arrangements for the Durham Police Department to provide security," he told county commissioners Monday night.

Private donations from the NC Missions of Mercy are covering the cost of the clinic. Parker asked county commissioners Monday night for volunteers to help patients and for portable bathrooms while they wait.

Dentists provide extractions, fillings and cleanings. For more information, contact the North Carolina Dental Society at (919) 677-1396.

Gold Medal Citizen: Katy Allen of Cary Academy

Through out the day, runoff from letting snows and storm drains fed into tributaries of Crabtree Creek, leaving it creek pressing to go beyond its banks near the Crabtree Valley Mall.

“It gets kind of bad over here,” said Dexter Long of Crabtree Valley Shell, a combination service station and convenience store.

Dexter is wary of Crabtree Creek because it’s flooded his store in the past.

“If water gets above the area by the gas pumps, that are when we know to take everything and get out,” he explained.

As the rain continued to fall Friday night, Dexter was ready to move the store’s merchandise on as moments notice.

“I will take a van, and get all the grocery items we need put into the back of the truck and take it to Cary, where we have another store’’ he said.

Also ready to move should things become dicey are some residents of Raleigh’s Grove Park Apartments; a complex that’s seen flooding before.

“I’ve been here four years and after living here a while, you keep an eye out; especially when it rains,” explained resident Kenneth Browne.

Ken’s never seen the water get close to his first floor apartment, but he’s heard stories.

“People who’ve lived here a while told me it has gotten that bad that’s its come into the house,” he said.

But, some residents living there are took all the rain in stride.

Resident Jermel Thomas said he wasn’t bothered by living in a complex that has a history of flooding.

“People who live in Florida have a history of hurricanes,” he said. “You just have to deal with it if it comes.”

With no school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there's a growing concern among parents about when all the make-up days will take place.

“We don’t want to be in school the whole year without a break,” said parent Sloan Brooks whose 7-yr-old daughter attends the Joyner Elementary school in Raleigh.

She fears additional snow days later this season might eat into the next break.

Right now, Wake County is planning on making up this week’s lost school time for traditional students on Monday February 15th, Monday, March 29th and Thursday June 10th.

That means Sloane Brook and her daughter Leslie only have to worry about losing the first day of their spring break.

Should bad weather strike again, Wake County says there’s still some wiggle room in the school calendar.

“There are two additional identified traditional makeup days on the schedule right now,” said school spokesman Greg Thomas.

Thomas says the Wake County calendars are actually planned two years in advance, with up to 10 potential make-up days scheduled.

As the year advances, the choice of make up days narrows.

Wake County’s year round schools will make up lost time on Saturdays and that doesn’t sit well with some parents.

“I just don’t want them to have to make up school on Saturday,” said parent Joy Hart.

“Last year when they went on Saturday, they just played all day,” she said.

But, when it snowed, not everyone stayed home from school.

Teachers in Durham County weren’t excused, even if their students were.

That upset Lisa Jones who is a parent volunteer at Durham’s Spring Valley Elementary.

“All the teachers at Spring Valley were required to be there Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday or they had to take a personal or sick day,” Jones said. “In my opinion, that’s not right. If the kids weren’t there, the teachers shouldn’t be required to be there either.”

Durham will require make up days on Friday, February 19th and Friday, March 19th for its traditional schools.

Durham year-round schools will make up missed days on Monday, March 22nd and Wednesday, June 9th.

The team will relieve doctors working around the clock at a hospital in the city of Cange, two hours from Port au Prince.

The 14-member team includes two general surgeons, an orthopedist, an anesthesiologist, certified nurse anesthetist, an infectious disease physician, emergency room doctor, as well as wound care and limb loss nursing specialists.

They will provide care for Partners in Health, a global organization led by Duke alum and university trustee Dr. Paul Farmer.

Dr. Ian Greenwald will lead Duke emergency response team.  

Check out his interview in the video monitor above.

NBC 17 News will continue to bring the team's stories home as soon as they arrive in Haiti.

In addition to this team's efforts, Duke Medicine provided medical supplies and medicines to the non-profit Family Health Ministries led by Duke faculty member Dr. David Walmer and his wife Kathy.

Family Health Ministries has medical clinics in Port au Prince, Leogane and runs a school and orphanage in Fondwa. 

Full Story

Maurice Harvey Witherspoon, 47, (aka: Monk) is wanted for distribution of heroin.

He is about 135 pounds and about 5 feet 2 inches tall.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at (704) 377-9200.

For more information on the project, visit the City's Web site.

The investigation began after Chief Jose L. Lopez received a complaint in early October 2009 that Peace was involved in illegal activities.

"We take any allegation of misconduct by our employees very seriously and thoroughly investigate all complaints," said Chief Lopez.

According to Michael, Peace joined the department in 2003 and was assigned to the Uniform Patrol Bureau. He resigned on Dec. 31, 2009.

In some places, like on Durham's Newsom Street, things were still slick Wednesday afternoon.

"Durham didn't have enough equipment to take care of this big snow," contends private contractor Michael Lewis, who was using a road grader to plow streets in North Durham.

"Normally the trucks would have taken care of this; but when that ice fell on it, they needed graders because the trucks just couldn't do anything with it," Lewis explained.

Mother Nature also tried to take care of it, too. But the sun warmed slush of the day just refreezes at night, making removal that much more difficult.

"When it gets chilly, it'll harden back up," said DOT grader operator Landis Magnum, who was about to stop plowing after sunset.

"Pointing to an area of hardening slush he had just plowed, Mangum said, "You can see it right now, it's not getting it all off the ground anymore. It's just skimming over it."

Thursday, when the sun returns, Landis will also return with his grader.

"We've got to get up into the subdivisions here and get them knocked out," he said. "That's about all that's left to do."

On Thursday, schools around the area will re-open on a delayed basis.

For some, the days off were a good call.

"We have to go with safety," Durham resident Ed Bell said.

"Those buses, if they slide on the ice, then you are looking at lawsuits, and at kids getting hurt," he said.

But some parents wondered if the kids really could have gone back to school a bit earlier.

"For the first two days it was OK," parent Darrelle Lindsey said. "But today, I think it was time for them to return to school -- the roads look clear."

Stephen Patrick Commander, Jr. is accused of breaking into a house located at 16113 New Light Road. He was arrested on Friday, according to the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

He faces felonious breaking and entering and felonious extortion charges.

Commander is out of Wake County Jail after posting a $3,000 bond.

The male victim told officers he was outside when he was shot in his leg and side. He was transported to Duke Hospital for treatment with non-life-threatening injuries.

The victims name is not being released at this time.

The incident is still under investigation. Investigators do not have any motive or suspect(s) in custody at this time. No further information is available.

Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator A. C. Rogers at 560-4935, ext. 29416, or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200.

Abaroa, 30, was arrested Monday at his home in in Montpelier, Idaho. He is refusing extradition -- a hearing is scheduled for Feb. 17. Until then, Abaroa will remain at the Caribou County Jail without bond.

Janet Abaroa, 25, was stabbed to death inside her home in Durham on April 26, 2005. There were no obvious signs of a break-in, but a laptop computer was missing from the house.

The Abaroas' 6-month-old son, Kaiden, was in the residence at the time of the murder but was uninjured.

In the hours before her death, Janet Abaroa, who was in the early stages of pregnancy, picked up her child at day care and went with her husband to drop her car off for repairs. The Abaroas met with a church member at their home that evening before Raven Abaroa left the house around 8:30 p.m. in a gray Dodge Durango to play in an indoor soccer game in Morrisville. Raven Abaroa told officers he found his wife when he returned home from the game around 11 p.m.

Janet Abaroa's family said in a statement that they are "disappointed that Raven has chosen to fight extradition to North Carolina. ... We would have assumed that Raven would have wanted to return to Durham to clear his name. He has continually professed his innocence ... an innocent person would welcome the opportunity to clear their name."

"It's all the more tragic because their son in law, former son in law, has been arrested for the murder of their daughter," family friend Tim Dowd said. "This is somebody that they welcomed into their family with open arms, and loved him."

The arrest was a joint operation by the Durham Police Department, the FBI Task Force, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Montpelier Police Department, the East Idaho STAR (Special Tactics and Response) Team and the Bear Lake County (Idaho) Sheriff's Department.

"Although an arrest has been made, the case is still ongoing and investigators continue to gather information and conduct interviews," Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez said in a press release. "We do not give up on our homicides. We continue to follow up until all leads are exhausted and then we check out any new leads we receive."

Anyone with further information on this case is asked to contact Investigator Sole at (919) 560-4440, ext. 29350 or by email at Charles.Sole@durhamnc.gov or Sgt. Perkins at (919) 560-4440, ext. 29326 or by email at Sheldon.Perkins@durhamnc.gov

Several area school districts have posted their makeup dates for the snow days:

Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools - Monday, February 22 and Monday, April 5.

Durham traditional calendar schools - Friday, February 19 and Friday, March 19.

Durham year-round calendar schools - Monday, March 22 and Wednesday, June 9.

Hoke County Schools  - Monday, February 15. 

Johnston County Schools - Saturday, February 6. 

Lee County Schools (Traditional and Year-round) - Saturday, February 6. 

Moore County Schools - Monday, February 15.

Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools - Monday, February 15 and Friday, March 5, Friday, April 30th.

Person County Schools - Friday, March 12

Vance County Schools - Monday, February 15

Wake Traditional Calendar - Monday, February 15 and Thursday, June 10.

Wake Modified Calendar - Monday, February 15 and Monday, March 8.

Wake Early College - Monday, February 15 and Thursday, April 1.

Wake Year-Round Calendar - Saturday, February 6 and Saturday, May 1.

Wayne County Schools- Monday, Feb. 15 and Friday, March 26.

Stay with NBC 17 and MyNC.com as more announcements come in.

UPDATE- 2/2/2010 4 p.m. - Closures and Delays for Wednesday, Feb. 3.

• Granville County Schools -- Closed.
  

• Franklin County Schools  -- Closed.

• Harnett County Schools -- Two-hour delay.

• Durham Public Schools -- Closed.

• Chatham County Schools -- Closed.

• Orange County Schools -- Closed.

• Nash-Rocky Mount Schools -- Closed.

• Durham's solid waste pickup is two days behind schedule, but

  customers are urged to place their carts on the curb by 7 a.m. the day of their normal collection and leave their carts curbside until after collection crews come through.  In addition, exempt garbage and recycling collections as well as bulky item and yard waste collections are cancelled for this week, and will resume next week, weather permitting.

• Johnston County schools -- Two-hour delay.

• Wake County Schools -- Closed.

• Wayne County -- Two-hour delay.

• Edgecombe Schools -- Closed.

Read Full Story

Monday’s warm sun did a lot of damage to the accumulated snow, but it didn’t take care of all the ice on the roads and underfoot.

That’s why both public and privately hired crews were hustling Monday to clear away as much snow as possible before it froze again after sunset.

“The roads are pretty good, 'til you get to the side streets and parking lots which are slick,” said private plow operator Scott Dunson.

He was working in parking lot off Falls of Neuse Road where some two inch thick ice patches defied his plow.

“The best way to treat it is with a lot of salt to try and break it up; but nobody has any,” he explained.

In one Raleigh neighborhood just north of the beltline, some drivers were worried about the untreated side roads they had to traverse.

“They are still a mess,” said motorist Tamara Scott. “They haven’t been cleared up very much at all and it’s only going to get worse as the temperature drops."

But some drivers who have moved here from snowier climates weren’t as concerned.

“I used live in New York and I used to drive on icy streets, so it’s not a big deal,” said a motorist who identified herself only as Nirobi.

But some drivers say the messy roads are a big deal, if you’ve had to deal with the slick stuff.

“My girlfriend spun out coming on to the beltline from Wake Forest Road,” said Stephen Lewis.  “When she spun out, it caused an old man to spin out too.”

Meanwhile, forecasters are predicting a significant rainfall Tuesday, which along with the warmer temperatures should remove the ice problem from the roads.

Volunteer Anthony Midgette said he knows the hardship.

"I've been incarcerated, into drugs by coming here it put Jesus in my life," Midgette said.

Now, he is a main component of the program along with Chaplin Lynn Holloway. He said besides the warmth, the mission is trying to help these people straighten out their lives.

"We're trying to touch them spiritually," Midgette said.

But in this effort to help, there are some dangers for even the volunteers when the weather gets bad. Today while visiting a camp where a family was living, their van slid into a ditch. But that didn't stop them from making the trek into the wooded area.

"This used to be a camp for a family. You can see where they had their Christmas tree," Midgette said.

But when they got there they realized the family had moved on, leaving only a living room set covered in snow and left over Christmas decorations. This was a family that volunteers visited in the past but always refused help. Now Midgette said they don't know where they have gone.

"They can die out there if it gets cold enough. Sometimes they think they're warm but they're not warm enough to survive," Holloway said.

And making people realize those dangers and get help are the mission's main goals.

Workers said walk-ins 24/7 are welcome but if you would like more information call 688-9641.