Former lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings was sentenced to four years in prison Monday on charges he hid his financial ties to a company expected to bid for the U.S. state’s lottery business.

According to admission statistics, the number of students who transferred from state community colleges to campuses in the University of North Carolina system increased by more than 34 percent between 2000 and 2005.

Yesterday, Avery County deputies discovered 5 marijuana plants in a home, according to Sheriff Kevin Frye.

At approximately 4:40 this morning, Boone police officers responded to the Kangaroo Express on West King Street in reference to a possible assault. Three customers had entered the store and did not see the clerk. According to Captain William Greene, the clerk was outside the building near the dumpster with her clothes in disarray, very disoriented.