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DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Storms Monday night into Tuesday left behind damage across our viewing area. The National Weather Service confirmed late Tuesday that three tornadoes hit Edgecombe County.

The NWS said an EF-1 tornado hit Monday evening between 5:06 p.m. and 5:12 p.m. in the Tarboro and Princeville areas. The second, also an EF1, touched down Tuesday morning between 3:27 a.m. and 3:29 a.m. in the Southern Macclesfield area near Pinetops.

A third EF-1 tornado was confirmed in Pinetops, touching down between 3:40 a.m. and 3:43 a.m. with peak winds of 75-110 mph.

The Pinetops Fire Chief said about six homes were damaged in the storm.

Savanna Brooks and her kids were sleeping inside one of the homes. Neighbors woke them up by banging on the window.

"We knew there were two small children inside and immediately, we just started screaming and banging on the windows," Amy Robinette said, "just trying to make sure they are okay."

"I looked out the window and saw that our porch was in front of it," Brooks said, "and so I was just shocked that we all just slept through it."

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Thankfully, no one was injured. The family is staying at a hotel for the time being.

Over in Durham County, fallen trees damaged three townhomes on Hartford Court. No injuries were reported.

About two to four inches will fall across the region, with some areas experiencing more.

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This prompted several weather alerts in our viewing area, including a Flood Watch and Flood Advisory.

Many across the Triangle have lost power, according to the Duke Energy power outage map.

Wednesday is also a First Alert Day. You can expect scattered storms across our viewing area.

Tamika Stanton and her son Tomantae Stanton-Jones will both receive degrees in a remarkable culmination of parallel academic journeys.

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- When graduates cross the stage this Saturday at North Carolina Central University, two familiar faces will share an extraordinary milestone: Tamika Stanton and her son Tomantae Stanton-Jones will both receive degrees in a remarkable culmination of parallel academic journeys.

Stanton, already an NCCU graduate, will earn her Master's degree in social work this Saturday, officially becoming what's known as a "Double Eagle" at NCCU. Her son will graduate summa cum laude from Central's Law School during the same ceremonies.

Their path to this shared achievement began nearly two decades ago when Stanton was just 15 years old and a student at Hillside High School in Durham. She became pregnant with Tomantae while she and his father, Leniel Jones, were teenagers.

This is a story for everyone to see. We were young. She was 15. I was 16. And he had every reason to not be where he is right now. And he didn't let that happen. And she didn't let that happen. It's never too late.- Leniel Jones, father of Tomantae

"Being in high school and pregnant was very challenging for me. It was my first real adult decision," Stanton recalled.

The challenges mounted when Jones' family relocated to Connecticut, where he was subsequently arrested and served three years in prison. Tomantae spent his early childhood without knowing his father.

"When I was 8 years old, I met my dad for the first time," Tomantae said.

Despite these obstacles, Stanton persevered with the support of family, friends, and community. She successfully co-parented with Jones after his release, when he committed to being present in his son's life.

"When I came home, that's when I really wanted to be in his life," Jones explained. "I was young, so I wasn't thinking as far as how important it was."

Their efforts paid off. Tomantae graduated from Hillside High School, just as his mother had, and was honored as a Gates Scholar before attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

While Tomantae excelled in Chapel Hill, Stanton pursued her own academic goals at NCCU, first earning her bachelor's degree. She then continued her education, pursuing a master's in social work.

"My ultimate goal was to be finished before he finished school because I was like, 'Oh, he is killing it. I got to show him that I can do it," she said.

Now, as they prepare to don their caps and gowns for Saturday's ceremonies, both mother and son express pride in their shared accomplishment.

"It's been a long journey. I'd say I'm super proud of my mom," Tomantae said.

Jones, who has transformed his own life after incarceration, is now an entrepreneur with two restaurants in Connecticut and runs a nonprofit mentoring at-risk youth. He'll be watching proudly from the audience on Saturday.

"That's why we're here now, because this is a story for everyone to see," Jones said. "We were young. She was 15. I was 16. And he had every reason to not be where he is right now. And he didn't let that happen. And she didn't let that happen. It's never too late."

Their story stands as a powerful testament to perseverance, family strength, and achievement against the odds.

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Raleigh and Durham are racing into 2025 with big venue moves and fresh energy. This list of stories outlines how the Red Hat Amphitheater will relocate downtown, while the massive Lenovo Center entertainment district reshapes west Raleigh with plans for hotels, apartments, and a new 4,300-seat concert venue. Long-awaited upgrades are slated for the arena complex—once known as PNC Arena—including a 600-foot promenade and tailgating suites.

Meanwhile, Wheels Durham roller rink swings open its doors again, bringing a beloved community spot back to life and promising more fun with future additions like an aquatic center. Together, these updates will draw crowds, boost experiences, and give fans and families new places to gather and celebrate.

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

The Carolina Hurricanes unveiled details of the first phase of a $1 billion mixed-use project, which has a 15-year development timeline, on Wednesday. | Published September 11, 2024 | Read Full Story by calexander@newsobserver.comChip Alexanderrstradling@newsobserver.comRichard Stradling

The Planning Commission opposed closing a portion of South Street, casting some doubt over the city’s plans. | Published October 16, 2024 | Read Full Story by Sean Coffey | ABC11

“The beauty of right now is that we have memories to make,” says the artist who designed its outdoor sculptures. | Published March 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kristen Johnson

The “Raleigh Sports and Entertainment District” would add a hotel, apartments, restaurants, offices and a 4,000 seat concert venue to the former PNC Arena area. See how tall some buildings could get. | Published March 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Anna Roman

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.

Executives of the struggling Durham semiconductor firm Wolfspeed said they are exploring “in-court or out-of-court options” to address the company’s approaching debt obligations.

“We remained actively engaged with our lenders addressing our capital structure,” board chairman Tom Werner said during a first-quarter earnings call Thursday.

Wolfspeed owes creditors $575 million in convertible debt on May 1, 2026 — with more money due in 2028, 2029, and 2030. The company ended March with $1.3 billion in cash, and Werner said Wolfspeed has the liquidity to operate in the short term.

Werner discussed Wolfspeed’s aggressive cost cutting, including shrinking its 5,000-person workforce by a quarter since last year through buyouts and mass layoffs. As a further step, he announced Wolfspeed would cut 30% of its senior leadership team. The chipmaker is also shutting its 150-millimeter device factory in Durham.

“We’ve engaged external experts to continue to identify additional cost-saving measures beyond those already underway,” Werner said.

Whether this will be enough to stave off bankruptcy remains unclear. The looming debt issue appears to have scared analysts, several of whom downgraded the company Friday. The investment firm William Blair even suspended its coverage of Wolfspeed, noting bankruptcy and Wolfspeed’s ability to restructure its debt as risks.

Wolfspeed stock fell 26% Friday after it forecast lower-than-expected revenue for next year — $850 million against analysts’ expectations of more than $950 million. The selloff may also have been prompted by the company publishing financial information it had previously provided to debt holders, which signaled the failure of one potential restructuring deal.

Wolfspeed has issued more than $3 billion in convertible bonds in recent years to fund its transformation from traditional LED lighting operations toward exclusively manufacturing a unique type of semiconductor called silicon carbide. This material is used in electric vehicles, power systems, defense equipment and other applications.

In 2022, the company opened a new chip fabrication facility in New York State’s Mohawk Valley and a massive silicon carbide materials plant near Siler City in western Chatham County, which Wolfspeed expects to open this summer.

Wolfspeed began last summer with more than 5,000 employees worldwide, financial records show. Most were based in North Carolina, where the company was Durham County’s fifth-largest employer. Over the past six months, the chipmaker has also shaken up its executive team; Thursday’s earnings call was the first attended by new CEO Robert Feurle and the last one for outgoing chief financial officer Neill Reynolds.

“One thing is abundantly clear,” Feurle said. “Wolfspeed is a company with enormous potential underpinned by strong foundational elements already in place.”

The company did not take analysts’ questions during the earnings call.

While some creditors have offered the company a deal to restructure its debt obligations, Wolfspeed leaders indicate that they want a broader answer as they contemplate “a strategic in-court transaction.”

In an email Friday, Wolfspeed head of investor relations Tyler Gronbach said the “in-court” language conveyed the company’s belief that it “will likely need a comprehensive solution to strengthen our balance sheet over the next 12 months.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 5:10 PM.

The News & Observer

919-861-1238

Brian Gordon is the Business & Technology reporter for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. He writes about jobs, start-ups and all the big tech things transforming the Triangle. Brian previously worked as a senior statewide reporter for the USA Today Network. Please contact him via email, phone, or Signal at 919-861-1238.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- First Alert- Evening Storm Risk: A few storm clusters may develop later this evening. There is a Level 1 of 5 severe storm risk from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the Triangle and points north and east. The main concerns will be damaging winds and hail. There is an isolated tornado risk.

Good morning! It's humid and warm again this morning with temps in the 60s for most. Fog impacts will linger through around 9am. Afternoon highs will reach into the mid/upper 80s, which will be around 5-10 degrees above average. Clouds will increase as a disturbance approaches from the west later today. This will kick off a few storms later this afternoon into the evening. There is an isolated severe risk.

Tonight will be dry with patchy fog potential. Lows will be in the 60s.

Highs will be in the low 90s on Friday, with feels-like temps around 100 Friday afternoon.

While dry weather will be expected generally, the humidity won't be going away any time soon. Spotty showers and storms will be possible Friday and a gusty, strong storm is possible.

A cold front will try and make its way through this weekend, bringing a spotty chance for a thunderstorm again on Saturday, but otherwise dry and warm weather will persist. Highs in the mid-to-upper 80s look likely through early next week, around 5 degrees above historical average. This front will help to ease the humidity a bit early next week, making things more comfortable at the least.

Rain and storm chances increase next Wednesday.

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