Hurricane Florence Coverage

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NEWS 11/1/24 3:19pm

Alamance, Guilford juvenile detention rates reach highest in more than a decade

By Ryan Kupperman

Steven Isaiah Bradshaw was 11 years old the first time he went to Guilford Detention Center. He was detained again at 13, 16 and 18 years old for various robbery and gun charges. Matthew Cappello, Alamance County’s lead juvenile court counselor, said recidivism — or the likelihood of criminal offenders reoffending — is one of the state’s biggest concerns within the juvenile and criminal justice systems. In 2023, recidivism reached 80% for prisoners with juvenile records in the United States. To combat this, Cappello said North Carolina has made it a priority to invest in diversion and restoration resources rather than punishment and deterrence techniques such as detainment.

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SPORTS 11/1/24 3:18pm

Elon University women’s cross country ends streak of 5 consecutive CAA Championship wins

By Miles Hayford

After winning the last five Coastal Athletic Association Championships, the Elon University women’s cross country team has ended the streak, finishing third overall at the 2024 CAA Championship on Nov. 1. The men’s team improved from its sixth place finish last year, finishing fifth. The men’s 8k and women’s 6k races took place at the Elon Cross Country Course. The ending of the women’s streak comes amid the first season of head coach Mark Rinker after former coach Kevin Jermyn left for Duke University. Jones said the team wasn’t focused on continuing the streak, but rather performing as a team.

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NEWS 11/1/24 12:34pm

Elon University launches Law Flex, sports management programs in Charlotte

By Leela Cherukuri

Elon University's campus in Charlotte has launched its new Flex Law Flex Program this fall. Alan Woodleif, vice dean of Elon Law, said the program has already exceeded its enrollment goal of 35 students for the first year. Sitting at 36 students, Woodleif said the program projects a class size between 35 and 40 for several years to come. Woodlief also said in order for the program to be successful, he wants to focus on incremental, slow growth.

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NEWS 11/1/24 10:44am

Shots fired in Elon; suspect identified

By Ryan Kupperman

Matthew Dylan Earnhardt, 23, of Winston Salem, was arrested Nov. 1 and faces five misdemeanor charges — including discharging a firearm, concealing a weapon, possession of marijuana and marijuana-related items, and communicating threats. At 1:41 a.m. Nov. 1, an E-Alert reported that shots had been fired in the area of Elon University. A follow up was sent at 1:54 a.m. saying law enforcement had “suspects in custody” and there were no further threats to campus. Court documents also indicate that Earnhardt had made threats to an individual — identified by Elon News Network as an Elon University student.

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NEWS 10/31/24 5:53pm

Hurricane Helene relief through lens of Black Hawk mission

By Alex Nettles

After Hurricane Helene, rural communities continue to struggle with isolation in western North Carolina. A National Guard Black Hawk crew delivered generators to the Bull Creek community, a valley banding together in the aftermath of the storm, on Oct. 8. The National Guard has been working to sustain the recovery of western North Carolina’s fragmented pockets. After Hurricane Helene hit Sept. 27, much of the infrastructure throughout North Carolina was severed. At the storm's peak, there were hundreds of closures. Sections of I-40 still face significant damage, while power and clean drinking water are still issues.

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NEWS 10/31/24 11:44am

Board of Trustees appoints first graduate program alumna as youth trustee

By Megan Walsh

Elizabeth “Liz” Kwon L’23 has been named the new youth trustee for Elon University’s Board of Trustees. Kwon found out she was nominated by a faculty member when she graduated in December 2023. She is the first alum of a graduate program to be appointed to the board and will serve a two-year term. As the first graduate student to be elected as a youth trustee, Kwon said she hopes to bring the graduate student perspective to the table — as well as her personal experiences in the law program.

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LIFESTYLE 10/31/24 9:13am

Original Hollywood Horror Show puts on film-quality sets

By Abigail Hobbs

Dean and Starr Jones were 7 years old when they had their first taste of special effects makeup when their parents pulled them out of school to watch the production of the 1968 movie “Killers Three.” After growing up watching horror movies and doing haunted houses for church and boy scouts, the duo went on to Hollywood and garnered a combined total of two Emmys, six Emmy nominations and 162 makeup credits for both movies and shows — most notably “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and several of the Star Trek movies.

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NEWS 10/30/24 3:14pm

Tim Walz campaigns in Greensboro while Kamala Harris rallies in Raleigh

By Charlotte Pfabe

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to visit Greensboro on Oct. 30 within hours of Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris campaigning in Raleigh. Just a week ahead of the election, Walz will also be visiting Charlotte and Asheville today. Former President Donald Trump is also expected in Rocky Mount, North Carolina today as both campaigns look to gain more ground in the swing state. Walz’s last visit to North Carolina was on Oct. 24 when he stopped in Durham and Greenville and spoke in Wilmington.

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NEWS 10/30/24 10:16am

Kamala Harris hosts rally in Raleigh days before election

By Alexa Citrin

Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris is expected to speak in Raleigh on Wednesday, Oct. 30. This rally marks the 20th visit by her and Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, who will also speak in Greensboro the same day. Harris is expected to speak about the importance of early voting, while encouraging attendees to head to the polls to cast their votes. Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump is also campaigning in North Carolina on Oct. 30 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Harris is expected to take the stage between 11:30 a.m. and noon at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.

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NEWS 10/30/24 9:57am

Elon students, staff look forward to Homecoming 2024

By Kate Gray

A busy schedule of tours, reunions and open houses will kick off Nov. 1 at Elon University for Homecoming Weekend 2024. Elon’s Student Union Board runs on-campus programming and one of its divisions — Late Night — offers evening activities for students every Thursday through Saturday. With Halloween parties and Homecoming falling on the same weekend, Late Night chair and junior Katherine O’Connor said their programming for Homecoming will include similar activities. Click here for a comprehensive calendar of the weekend's events.

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LIFESTYLE 10/29/24 5:33pm

Elon’s production of ‘Legally Blonde’ brings audience members to their feet

By Ruby Burckle

As the cast of Elon University’s fall mainstage musical, “Legally Blonde,” came on stage to take their final bows, the audience rose out of their seats to give the actors a standing ovation. Morgan Brady was at the show to support her brother sophomore Kyle Brady, who plays Your Majesty and is the understudy for Kyle, the UPS man. Morgan said she was a fan of the movie and musical prior to attending this show and Elon’s production met all of her expectations.

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NEWS 10/29/24 11:04am

ENN Election Center

By Elon News Network

Follow Elon News Network’s comprehensive election dashboard for voting resources, candidate profiles and campaign coverage pertaining to the 2024 election cycle. Our latest coverage includes the Elon Poll’s most recent findings, former President Donald Trump’s most recent visit to Greensboro on Oct. 22, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein’s meeting with the Alamance County Democratic Party and Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz’ most recent stop in Durham on Oct. 17. Trump, Walz and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris are all scheduled to campaign across North Carolina on Oct. 30.

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NEWS 10/29/24 10:47am

Elon Poll finds Hurricane Helene motivates voters this election

By Abigail Hobbs

The third Elon Poll of the 2024 election season found that Democrat Josh Stein now has a 21-point lead in the governor race against Republican Mark Robinson and North Carolina is still in a deadlock for the presidential election. The poll also found that Hurricane Helene is motivating North Carolinians to vote, which Director of Elon Poll Jason Husser said is usual after natural disasters. The poll was made up of 800 registered North Carolina voters, conducted from Oct. 10 to 17.

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NEWS 10/28/24 9:37pm

Elon Town Council addresses first responders, looks to revitalize downtown

By Cassie Weymouth

The Town of Elon held a town council meeting Oct. 28 to commend first responders who went to western North Carolina to help with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. The council also discussed town public transport and funding for downtown Elon’s future development. Mayor Emily Sharpe approved a $250,000 grant for downtown revitalization. This grant will go toward sidewalks specifically and will be used to revitalize downtown from the Elon Community Church to MaGerks Pub. The redesign will include extended sidewalks allowing for outdoor dining and better lighting.

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NEWS 10/28/24 12:04pm

Elon University’s ResFest shows off neighborhood competitions initiative

By Megan Walsh

Festival foods, crafts, partnership tables and live music filled Young Commons for Elon University Residence Life’s first ResFest event. ResFest was created as part of a new Residence Life initiative to increase engagement between the different residential neighborhoods on campus. The event took place Oct. 25 and featured a competition to see which neighborhood and Living Learning Community had the highest attendance while fostering pride in students’ individual neighborhoods and meeting new people.

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NEWS 10/28/24 10:50am

Burlington Police use AI to monitor unchecked body camera footage

By Fiona McAllister

The Burlington Police Department is the first station in North Carolina to use artificial intelligence in its body camera footage. The department’s partnership with Truleo is meant to help officers on their daily routes. Truleo scans hundreds of hours of body camera footage and highlights key points. Captain Dalton Majors of the Burlington Police Department said Truleo has saved Burlington Police Department millions of dollars and is helping both victims and officers. Majors said one aspect of this tool that has been helpful is reviewing the actions of officers.

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SPORTS 10/27/24 4:23pm

Elon University wide receiver embraces switch from quarterback to wide receiver

By Benjamin Berfield

Redshirt sophomore Will Lankford didn’t anticipate a position change would occur before the 2024 season. Lankford had completed his redshirt freshman year for Elon University football as quarterback playing in six games. It wasn’t until preseason camp where he got asked about switching from quarterback to wide receiver. Offensive coordinator Drew Folmar said injuries at receiver and the lack of depth contributed to Lankford’s transition. He approached Lankford about the idea and said all Lankford cared about was whether it would benefit the Phoenix.

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LIFESTYLE 10/27/24 3:27pm

Elon University joins community in hosting Pumpkin Festival

By Lauren McCowan

Tables with pumpkins, hot chocolate, and crafts filled the Elon community garden for the university’s annual Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 25. From the moment it began attendees from the university and local town were greeted with music and activities. Elon’s Sustainability office and other programs took part by setting tables up for people to learn about the importance of creating and maintaining a sustainable environment. Eco-Rep and junior Virginia Campbell represented the Office of Sustainability with a table for guests to make lanterns out of recyclable items.

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SPORTS 10/26/24 11:56pm

Hat trick helps Elon University men’s soccer clinch playoff spot

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s soccer team defeated Northeastern University 4-2 on Senior Night to win their eighth game of the season. After going scoreless  in the first half, the Phoenix responded in the second half with four goals. It was Elon’s first win since defeating William & Mary 2-1 on Oct. 5. The victory guarantees a fourth-straight trip to the playoffs for the Phoenix. They can clinch the CAA title for the regular season with a win against Campbell on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.

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NEWS 10/26/24 9:49pm

Elon volunteers pack meals for hurricane relief

By Charlotte Pfabe

“Everyone deserves to eat” is painted on the warehouse wall of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Winston-Salem. Volunteers from Elon University took that motto to heart as they packaged meals and supplies on Oct. 25 for those impacted by Hurricane Helene — including disaster relief workers — in western North Carolina. In a partnership between Elon University’s Kernodle Center for Civic Life and Second Harvest, students, faculty and staff boarded a bus and traveled to the central center of Second Harvest in Winston-Salem. Assistant Registrar Hannah Southern ’22 volunteered alongside her colleagues from the Registrar's office.

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