Oxford Dam at the end of Lake Hickory, in Catawba County. (via Huntersville Fire Department)

Heavy spring rains raised water levels all along the Catawba River basin this week, leading to flooding in some low-lying areas of the river and area lakes. Residents along Lake Norman reported flooding, and some residents in northwest Charlotte’s Riverside neighborhood were evacuated amid rising waters. Read on for a photo gallery. Read the full story

Updated Wednesday 8:03am
Piedmont Natural Gas says work on a new gas pipeline at the northern edge and just north of Davidson on Wednesday could be noisy. The work is scheduled between 10am and noon.  Read the full story

The rain broke enough Monday to let the sun shine through on Lake Davidson. Jack McCall took the photo from his home at Spinnaker Point. (Jack McCall photo)

Updated 6:27pm
By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

After several days of heavy rain, water levels around Lake Norman are above normal, prompting warnings this week from officials who manage safety on the lake. Duke Energy said it is boosting flows at its dams in the Catawba River basin, and urging lakeside residents to beware of flooding in low-lying areas.

The National Weather Service reported Tuesday morning that some residents along the river were being evacuated, especially in the area between Lake Norman and Mountain Island Lake.  Fire officials said Tuesday night that about 40 homes in the Riverside community in northwest Charlotte were evacuated.

Meanwhile, the Lake Norman Marine Commission is asking boaters to avoid big wakes near shore. Read the full story

Concord Police have arrested a 46-year-old Mount Holly man on charges of robbing the State Employees Credit Union on April 29. Meanwhile, Davidson College’s Spring Frolics last weekend resulted in a handful of citations for possession of marijuana, and five students were treated for excessive alcohol consumption. Elsewhere, vandals spray painted messages at The Swimming Hole on Lorimer Road. Read on for news about those and other incidents, plus recent traffic enforcement. Read the full story

Hough principal Terri Cockherham addressed a crowd of parents and students in the school gym. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

CORNELIUS – Several hundred parents and students filled the gymnasium at W.A. Hough High School Wednesday night, looking for information and reassurance about safety at the school after a series of security scares over the past week. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools leaders did their best, but at times there seemed a huge gap in expectations and even in some audience members’ perceptions of the incidents. Read the full story

Jeanne Miller

Davidson Police Chief Jeanne Miller will give a free presentation this Thursday, May 2, at River Run Country Club on the dangers of dangers of teen drinking and distracted driving – a national problem that experts say may be getting worse. Read the full story

The atmosphere at W.A. Hough High School in Cornelius remained unsettled Tuesday, after recent bomb hoaxes and the arrest of two students. On Tuesday morning, rumors of another threat led to another lockdown at the school, though no danger was found. Read the full story

Traffic was backed up on NC 115 and on Bailey Road (in this photo) as parents arrived to pick up their kids at Hough after 1:30pm Monday. (Melinda DuBois Greene/Via Facebook)

Updated 4:48pm
Police on Monday arrested two more students Monday in connection with a series of bomb scares at W.A. Hough High School in Cornelius over the past two weeks. The arrests came Monday afternoon after another bomb scare at the school on Bailey Road that brought a Charlotte police bomb squad to check on a suspicious item.

The item did not turn out to be a bomb, and police said at around 1pm Monday they were questioning two people about the incident and a similar scare last week.

4:18pm: See the Cornelius police statement about the latest arrest below. Read the full story