The police report called the fight this week between two students at West Lake Middle School in Cary a "simple physical assault." Perhaps it was, but there was nothing simple about how the school's resource officer - that's a cop to you and me - stopped it.

Travel forecasters are looking for a busy Labor Day weekend - unless Hurricane Earl spoils the fun.

RALEIGH - David Chambless Worters, who has led the N.C. Symphony through both plump and lean times in the past 11 years, announced Wednesday that he is leaving to head the Van Cliburn Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas.

WENDELL - Linnie Wall figured she had solved a problem.

JACKSONVILLE - Sheriff's officials in North Carolina say a woman was shot and killed by her former boyfriend after she changed her Facebook status to "engaged."

CHAPEL HILL - UNC-Chapel Hill will work to fairly enforce a rest policy after at least two housekeepers were suspended this summer for taking unauthorized breaks, an administrator said Wednesday.

A Zebulon teen was jailed after authorities said he sent sexually explicit photos to a 14-year-old girl via text message and encouraged her to produce sexually explicit photos of herself.

State and local governments moved to protect the North Carolina coast's most vulnerable people Wednesday, announcing evacuations, including Bogue Banks, as Hurricane Earl swept toward the barrier islands.

A day after an ethics panel dismissed allegations against him, U.S. Rep. Mel Watt said having hisethics questioned was "humbling and emotionally draining."

RALEIGH - You don't have to be driving a car to be charged with driving while impaired.

LOS ANGELES - At the University of Kansas in the late 1930s, William P. Foster was barred from joining the marching band because he was black.

A Garner man found lying in the street next to his scooter after an accident was charged overnight with habitual impaired driving.

Nancy Mullin fears the worst.

For years, the majority of high-performing black and Hispanic middle school students in Wake County have been shut out of advanced math classes that would put them on track for top-flight colleges.

SCOTLAND NECK - This is the 13th installment in our "Open Road" summer series. Look for itevery Tuesday.

Just ahead of the Labor Day rush, Hurricane Earl appears to be planning a visit along the North Carolina coast, and forecasters worry the storm could pack as much punch as Isabel in 2003.

RALEIGH - City, state and federal officials are touting a federal stimulus project as a smart new way to save water in Raleigh by reviving an ancient bit of technology.

RALEIGH - The president of the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys said Monday that he supported a moratorium on the execution of any death-row inmates whose cases include evidence from the State Bureau of Investigations crime labs.

OCEAN CITY, N.J - . So much for a perfect finale to the summer vacation season.