Good News Friday: Raleigh honors three hero cops behind local water rescues

Three hero cops in Raleigh get their roses. Plus, the western NC town of Weaverville finally breaks ground on a long-delayed hospital. This is Good News Friday.

Happy Good News Friday in North Carolina. I am writing this column not on Good News Friday itself but what I consider to arguably be the best day of the year: MLB Opening Day.

That gives me a reason to send a shout out to a longtime friend and amazing NC artist, rapper Elevator Jay. I’ve been covering Jay’s work for a decade now; I had him as a guest on my old Charlotte music podcast in 2017, highlighted his legendary Player Made parties as the NBA All-Star Game rolled into town in 2019, and caught up with him upon release of his comeback project in 2023. 

This spring, folks around the world are being introduced to the Charlotte rapper, as it was revealed on March 3 that his song “Ain’t Nothin’ Finer” is featured on the soundtrack for the new MLB The Show ’26 video game.

“As we speak, everyone in the world that’s playing [MLB The Show] can hear me yell out North Carolina, South Carolina, every hood in Charlotte and all the other states in the south,” Jay wrote on Instagram. “Elevator gon’ fly the flag.” 

Real hip-hop heads in the Carolinas are as proud to claim Jay as he is to claim the Carolinas. Now let’s celebrate some more good news. 

Raleigh police officers honored for separate water rescues

The Wake County Exchange Clubs, a coalition of groups that highlight youth, veterans, community service, and the prevention of child abuse in the county that’s home to our capital city, honored two Raleigh Police officers on Monday for saving the lives of two juveniles who nearly drowned back in 2024. 

Officers Daniel Mills and Branden Vanderhoof jumped into action after responding to a call at the Falls of Neuse River in August of that year and, realizing that there was no time to wait for a water-rescue team, jumped into action by jumping in the water. The kicker? This occurred on Vanderhoof’s first day of duty, and I’m sure it’s been hard for him to top that one. 

Monday’s recognition came just a few days after the Raleigh Police Department honored one of its own for a more recent event: the rescue of a child from the icy waters of the partially frozen Laurel Hills Park on Feb. 8 by Sgt. M.T. Foran

According to a release from the department, “Arriving first on scene, Sgt. Foran quickly located the child in the freezing water while the child’s father was stuck in the mud nearby, and a bystander was attempting to help. Without hesitation, Sgt. Foran removed his vest and duty belt, then jumped into the pond and assisted in pulling the child safely from the water.” 

Both stories highlight that courageous acts from first responders can often mean the difference between life and death, and it’s only right to recognize the ones who step up in those fateful moments. 

In February, Sgt. M.T. Foran (left) of the Raleigh Police Department rescued a child from the icy waters of the partially frozen Laurel Hills Park. He was honored by the city and Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce (right). (Photo via City of Raleigh)

‘We can’t arrest our way out of addiction’: New program funds substance use alternatives for law enforcement

Seven law enforcement agencies spread across the state will have more resources to help people struggling with addiction, diverting them into needed harm reduction programming that can proactively prevent crime rather than simply expect police to react to it. 

Gov. Josh Stein, the NC Department of Health and Human Services, and the NC Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) on Tuesday announced a $1.5-million expansion of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programs, which provide alternatives to punitive action for addressing low-level, non-violent crimes that typically involve substance use issues, according to a release from Stein’s office. 

The new infusion of funding will expand programs that have been pioneered by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the Fayetteville Police Department, funding similar work in the Albemarle, Gaston County, and Greensboro police departments as well as sheriff’s offices in New Hanover, Robeson, and Harnett counties. More funding will also go to the Fayetteville PD to help continue its ongoing work.  

“We can’t arrest our way out of addiction. We need treatment and recovery services so that people can get well, follow the law, and contribute to their communities,” said Stein in Tuesday’s release. “That’s exactly what Fayetteville and Cumberland County have done for many years, using opioid settlement funds to grow their LEAD program, which has long been a model for the rest of the state.” 

New Weaverville hospital breaks ground, at last

Local and state officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for AdventHealth Weaverville’s new 67-bed hospital, a project that’s been in the works for years and had to overcome a challenge in the NC Supreme Court just to get approval. (Photo via Advent Health)

Local and state officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for AdventHealth Weaverville’s new 67-bed hospital, a project that’s been in the works for years and had to overcome a challenge in the NC Supreme Court just to get approval. 

AdventHealth, a faith-based, not-for-profit health care organization, went through three years of legal appeals from for-profit agency HCA/Mission Health before an NC Supreme Court decision in December 2025 cleared Advent to resume its plans for the new facility. 

The new hospital is expected to create 1,300 jobs while making health care more accessible and affordable to residents across Buncombe, Graham, Madison, Yancey, and surrounding counties. 

“Wherever people get sick in North Carolina, they deserve to be able to get to a good, nearby hospital,” said Gov. Josh Stein at Thursday’s groundbreaking. “This new hospital in Weaverville is an investment in the health and economic future of western North Carolina. It will create good-paying jobs, reduce transport times for first responders, and expand access to care for families across the region.”