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State trooper falls off bike from heat exhaustion

A motorcycle trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) collapsed on Monday due to a heat-related illness, and witnesses used his radio to call for help.

After 11 a.m., witnesses told WRAL News a trooper collapsed in Knightdale outside the Poor Boy General Store and Grill and Exxon station at Poor Boy Farm Road and S. Smithfield Road.

WRAL News Brief

"He was riding a bike and then fell over," said Marvin Ascencio. "I was trying to make sure someone was calling 911.”

Witnesses told WRAL News that several witnesses unsuccessfully tried to call 911.

David Holden said he walked outside to see the trooper on the ground.

"We had a couple workers inside that tried to call 911 two or three times," Holden said. "Nobody picked up. It’s scary. That terrifies me."

"He had a lot of gear on. Bullet proof vest, a jacket, long-sleeved shirt ... first thing I thought of was heat exhaustion because it is hot.”

A spokesperson from State Highway Patrol confirmed that one of the bystanders used the unresponsive trooper's radio to call for help.

The illness was heat-related, NCSHP confirmed. The trooper was transported to a local medical center and is in good condition.

A heat advisory was in effect Monday between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. for triple-digit heat index numbers.

Wake County opened cooling stations on Monday to help people without access to air conditioning escape the dangerous heat.

In response to the 911 calls, a spokesperson from the city of Raleigh said, "We are aware of and looking into this situation. We had two 911 calls from that area just after 11 a.m. One of the callers hung up. The second call was answered and the dispatcher sent help."

According to the city of Raleigh, the 911 Emergency Call Center was fully staffed Monday morning.

Everyone is asked to be aware of heat exhaustion and serious heat illness and know the signs, including headaches, excessive sweating, no sweating, rapid pulse, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps, confusion, fever and fatigue. Seek medical help immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.

KNIGHTDALE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Three Wake County Public School System high schools had to dismiss early Wednesday because of air conditioning problems and that continued into Thursday.

Apex Friendship High School, Knightdale High School, and Willow Spring High School all dismissed students before noon.

The schools issued statements saying the HVAC system was not working at full capacity, and due to forecast high temperatures, they decided to send students home.

Willow Spring High will be closed Thursday and all indoor after-school activities have been canceled, said Principal Wade Martin.

"We know this continues to be a frustrating situation for our students, families, and staff. Despite our best efforts, we continue to have problems with the chiller for our HVAC system.

Our vendor has been working on repairs consistently over the past few days, but we continue to experience difficulties with the units. The vendor will continue to work on this throughout the day tomorrow, and we will update you as soon as we know more," Martin said in an email.

Apex Friendship High dismissed at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

After-school activities will be held Thursday with some changes to times and locations.

Gates Henry is a senior at Apex Friendship High School and described the challenges at school on Wednesday.

"Most of my classes are on the third and fourth floor, so it was pretty hot up there. So my teachers have fans going on, but it was definitely distracting being in there just sweating. It was hard to learn. It was hard to do my work," he said.

And administrators realize the rising temperatures too. Gates says school leaders announced classes were ending early today

"Mr. White came on the intercom and just said, it's it's too hot in here for productive learning. We're going to send everybody home," Gates said.

The same issues were happening across Wake County at Knightdale and Willow Springs High Schools. ABC11 was there as students left their hot classrooms and headed home.

On Wednesday evening, Apex Friendship principal Brian Pittman sent an email to families saying that the air conditioning was operating at a limited capacity and that it was struggling to cool the third and fourth floors of the building.

"We are waiting on parts that will increase the capacity of our system to meet the need. We do not anticipate either issue -- the parts need or the excessive heat -- will resolve by tomorrow," Pittman said in the email.

Pittman said the school's goal is to return to normal on Friday.

Gates' dad, Todd Henry said the delay was the right call

"Absolutely. I completely agree. Nobody wants to work in the heat," he said. "Obviously we want to have the kids get a good education. And if they're running on empty, you got to make an alternative plans."

Over at Millbrook High School, teachers and students are also making alternative plans. The air conditioning system isn't fully functioning in one part of the school. Classes in the 100 building were moved to other parts of the school.

Student Victoria Harwell said she is feeling the impact

"I was asking my teacher why it was so hot, and they said they haven't fixed air conditioning and in a while," she said.

Also on Thursday, South Garner High School and Wake Forest Elementary School released students early.

KNIGHTDALE, N.C. — A new inclusive playground opened at the beginning of May, and it can be found at Harper Park. The addition includes a sensory-rich play environment, which can help children develop physically, socially and emotionally.

What You Need To Know

Inclusive playgrounds are designed to ensure that kids of all abilities can play together. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said recent estimates in the United States show that one in six children, ages 3 through 17, are living with one or more developmental disabilities.

One local family that likes to visit different parks in the area says this playground is important for the community.

“It’s kinda cool to see how different parks have different things, but yeah, we love going to different parks,” Jenna Desrosiers, a Raleigh community member, said.

Desrosiers said her 4-year-old son, Isaac, is on the autism spectrum, so she knows how inclusive playgrounds can make a difference.

“I think that the fact that they have things that help kids with sensory differences too, like these types of swings are really great because regular swings are kind of tough for kids on the spectrum, they are not always necessarily the best at physical stuff,” Desrosiers said.

Accessibleplayground.net has a list of playgrounds that are labeled inclusive and accessible in North Carolina. In a 2018 National Recreation and Park Association Survey, nearly 9 in 10 Americans said communities should offer all-inclusive play options at playgrounds.

Desrosiers said Isaac really enjoys repetitive motions, like swings and spinning, so it helps when these parks have that type of equipment. She says he likes to climb too. She explained that playground equipment that has a repetitive motion can help regulate Isaac’s emotions.

Overall, Desrosiers said she is very impressed with the park system in our state, but she does think it would help to have even more inclusive parks in the Raleigh area. She also likes when inclusive parks have a fence around the playground for safety purposes.

“I mean one thing I’ll say is that it would be nice if they had like a fence around the park because transitioning from things are hard, especially when its time to leave the park,” Desrosiers said. “He sometimes will have a meltdown and not want to leave or there’s been times where he tries to run away.”

Program News

McLauchlan Fellow and Town of Knightdale Mayor Jessica Day shares about her journey into town council, her personal growth in the Jenkins MBA program and her belief that leadership is learned – not inherent.

By Samantha Beavers

Eight years ago, Jenkins MBA student and McLauchlan Fellow Jessica Day stepped into her first town council meeting. A Knightdale, North Carolina native, she attended Southeast Raleigh High School, obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and launched a career in the agrochemical industry. After several years working in purchasing, supply chain and financial sales, Day decided to break into real estate and move back to her hometown – and soon made her way into Knightdale’s town hall.

“I figured that if I wanted to learn more about the area and what was happening on a deeper level, I needed to start attending town council meetings. And because I’m not the type of person to sit silently in the back of the room, I started asking questions,” Day explains. “Very quickly, I realized questions like, ‘Why don’t we do this?’ are usually met with, ‘Why don’t you do it?’ So I stepped up and got involved, joining and leading different boards in the community.”

She never planned to run for town council, but as her involvement in the community increased, North Carolina House Rep. James Roberson – Knightdale’s town mayor at the time – pulled her aside and encouraged her to consider it. She immediately refused, but through Roberson’s mentorship, Day began to see how she could leverage her skills to transform the community – and decided to go for it. She became the first African American female to be elected to the Knightdale Town Council in 2017, became mayor pro tem in 2019 and was elected mayor in 2021.

For Day, having someone see potential in her proved to be a pivotal moment that launched her into leadership – and it’s pushed her to be the best leader she can be. Upon entering the Jenkins MBA program in spring 2021, then, she decided to pursue the Business Leadership Certificate as well as the McLauchlan Leadership Series – and she credits both with providing her with a wealth of practical knowledge that she can put into practice.

“Every single class that I’ve taken as part of the Business Leadership Certificate program has been phenomenal and has transformed me in some way, shape or form – and I’ve taken away something from each of them that I could use immediately. The McLauchlan Series has taken that to another level and has really helped me learn the essential components of leadership,” she says.

In addition to the Business Leadership Certificate program and her time as a McLauchlan Fellow, Day has found that the university’s Think and Do mentality – as well as the opportunity to learn from other MBA students – has made her a more effective leader.

In all of my classes, I’ve been challenged to think differently and I’ve been pushed tremendously – far beyond what I thought my abilities were.

“In all of my classes, I’ve been challenged to think differently and I’ve been pushed tremendously – far beyond what I thought my abilities were. Many times I’ve gone into my classes trying to discover the right answer – and about halfway through I’ve realized that it’s not really about having the right answers. It’s about the thought process. In the business world, the right answer might be different tomorrow than it is today – and so rather than focusing on finding the right answer, I have to focus on continuous improvement. That mindset shift has really helped me grow,” she says.

“The opportunity to build my network and connect with other leaders in my classes has also been extremely beneficial. Hearing students’ different perspectives and having discussions with them has stretched me and made me a more critical thinker,” she continues.

The Jenkins MBA has impacted her outside the classroom, too.

“I recently talked to a group of students who were just starting the MBA program and I encouraged them to take advantage of everything the program offers – especially career services. The conversations I’ve had with my advisor have really helped and challenged me, and they’ve been so supportive throughout the program,” she says. “I’m also looking forward to studying abroad in South Africa this summer and think that will be a really transformative experience.”Beyond her personal growth as a leader, Day says that her time in the Jenkins MBA program has also clarified her passions and inspired her to develop other leaders through speaking engagements, leadership training programs and executive coaching.

“When I first started the Jenkins MBA program, I thought I wanted to do financial planning and work with business owners. But somewhere along the way, I realized it’s not the financial piece I’m most interested in. I’m much more interested in helping individuals and businesses identify who they are, what they value, what goals they have and what their mission is – and then working with them to form a strategy and develop leaders to execute that mission,” she explains.

Unfortunately, Day says, most people tend to believe that only certain kinds of people are suited for leadership – which can keep them from investing in themselves and others. Thinking back on her own life, she sees how this mindset led her to avoid leadership roles rather than pursuing them.

If you want to be a great leader, you have to work and learn and get better – and developing those skills takes time. Leadership is ultimately something that’s learned.

“If you want to be a great leader, you have to work and learn and get better – and developing those skills takes time. Leadership is ultimately something that’s learned. But I think most of us believe that people are either born leaders or they’re not. That was true for me. I never saw myself as a leader,” she says.

Day might not have seen herself as a leader – but others certainly did. Her willingness to ask questions, solve problems, think differently and influence others pushed her into leadership roles – from receiving the sportsmanship award on athletic teams in high school to serving as president of UNCG’s campus activities board in college to her favorite leadership role yet: giving back to her hometown as mayor of Knightdale.

“The sense of community that we have and that we’re building here in Knightdale is the thing I’m most proud of. Knightdale used to be a place where people moved for more affordable housing, but now we offer so much more. I think about the restaurants we have, the parks we’ve built and the growth that’s here – and it brings me so much joy. It’s been amazing to play a part in it,” she says.

Looking ahead to a lifetime of leadership, Day knows that there are many doubts and obstacles she’ll face in the future – but a glance back at how far she’s come, the growth she’s experienced in the Jenkins MBA program and the support she’s received along the way encourages her to keep going.

“Right before I started as mayor, I really doubted myself and thought, ‘I’m not ready. I don’t have the ability to do this.’ But one of my mentors gave me this piece of advice that I thought was fantastic. He said, ‘You don’t think you can do it because you’ve never done it. You’re never going to know how to do it until you do it.’ So I realized that I had to just take the next step forward,” she says. “I’ve also held onto my faith in this journey because God has done so many things and put so many people in my life to remind me that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.”

To learn more about the Jenkins MBA program at NC State’s Poole College of Management, click here.

KNIGHTDALE, N.C. (WNCN) — No one wants to spend the holidays in the hospital, but a Knightdale woman is doing her best to make life a little more comfortable for patients going through bone marrow transplants.

After battling cancer herself, she understands what patients need most.

Alexa Baltazar was just 28 when doctors diagnosed her with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2021. She was in good shape with no family history of cancer, and the diagnosis came as a shock.

“It was a time that was very scary, very overwhelming,” she recalls.

She went through multiple types of treatments and ultimately needed a bone marrow transplant.

“I ended up having to undergo a bone marrow transplant, which consists of grueling chemotherapy, total body radiation,” she explained. “You are in the hospital for at least a month and so not only is it physically hard, it’s mentally really hard and you’re at your lowest and it’s just hard to get through every day.”

Throughout her treatments, caring people brought some bright spots to difficult days.

“I actually spent Thanksgiving in the hospital one year,” Baltazar remembered. “The cafeteria actually served Thanksgiving food for free for all patients and families that day, and so that was something that we saw as, ‘Wow, people are going above and beyond to do something for patients.'”

It inspired Baltazar, and now that she’s healthy she’s giving back. She created a nonprofit called Gifting Joy to provide gift baskets to patients at Duke Hospital going through bone marrow transplants.

She picked the gifts based on her own experience.

“Having a nice pillow is great. We got sound machines for patients so they could drown out all the beeping,” she noted. “One of the gifts, actually that is super popular is toilet paper. I know that sounds so simple, but when you’re in the hospital and you’re going through something so hard, having that nice toilet paper really helps because hospital-grade toilet paper is not nice.”

Perhaps the most important gift of all is the knowledge that these presents come from someone who’s been there.

“I’m actually putting a letter in all the baskets this year, saying ‘Once you’re healed and once you’re better, if you want to come join me with Gifting Joy and help out, please come on,'” Baltazar said.

She hopes that will encourage patients to look toward the future.

“This is just a current situation. It’s a season,” she said. “You can get through it.”