KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) - The bidding on an empty Eastern Carolina elementary school grows near $300,000.

Lenoir County Public Schools say the bidding on Teachers Memorial School in Kinston jumped $28,000 and now sits at $278,000.

The school system initially put the building and seven acres of land it sits on up for $10,000 in July.

Not included in the sale is the Martin C. Freeman Center. The gym is now owned by the City of Kinston.

The school on Marcella Drive shut down in 2008. It’s been used as storage and pre-K classrooms but was declared as a surplus property last year.

An upset bid of at least $291,950.00 is required. Those interested have until December 7 at 4 p.m. to put up an offer.

The school board reserves the right to reject any and all offers at any time.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - A man wanted for stealing his dead girlfriend’s SUV on the day she was killed is now in jail on a charge of murder.

James Purvis, Jr. was caught in Raleigh and initially charged with larceny of a motor vehicle.

Deputies say 41-year-old Jessica Riggs was found shot to death just before 5:00 p.m. last Thursday at a home on Rick Circle, outside of Greenville.

Purvis was the woman’s live-in boyfriend, according to deputies.

The 35-year-old Purvis was seen leaving the home with the woman’s Ford Explorer, according to deputies. That stolen vehicle was recovered by Raleigh police near a bus station.

Yesterday, deputies said the man was a person of interest in Riggs’ murder.

Purvis is in the Pitt County jail without bond.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - An arctic airmass will overspread much of the eastern half of the United States over the next 48 hours, dropping temperatures well below average and well below what we’ve been used to since last winter. With an incoming high pressure system pushing a steady northwesterly wind and frigid temperatures, we will experience near record cold temperatures during the overnight and early morning hours Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The impending hard freeze has prompted the WITN First Alert Weather Team to designate Tuesday night into Wednesday morning a First Alert Weather Day.

The arctic airmass will build in over the area on Tuesday. Highs will only reach the upper 40s for most areas on both Tuesday and Wednesday, despite sun-filled skies. The dry air, along with relaxing winds Tuesday night, will cause all the temps to tumble well into the 20s, with an isolated low in the upper teens possible well inland. The coast will not be immune to the colder airmass, with freezing temperatures likely from the beaches of Crystal Coast through the Outer Banks.

This kind of cold snap is more common in January than in late November. That is why it is important to dress in layers over the next few mornings. Have extra comforters, and make sure that your central heating and fireplaces are cleaned and are up to safety standards. Protect your heat-sensitive plants and pets and cover any exposed pipes outdoors! Indoors, double-check that the faucets are dripping water to ensure laminar flow and prevent plumbing issues. Lastly, give yourself extra time when starting your car in the mornings and make sure your car battery and antifreeze levels are in good shape.

If you are not a fan of the cold, temperatures will warm back into the 60s by the end of the week.

Stay tuned to WITN, witn.com, and the WITN First Alert Weather App for the latest information.

SNOW HILL, N.C. (WITN) - The SBI is investigating the death of an inmate at the Greene County jail.

Sheriff Matt Sasser says Frederick Dixon died around 10:20 p.m. Saturday.

The sheriff says about an hour earlier, detention officers called EMS for the 51-year-old inmate for a medical issue. During that check, Dixon “was responsive, and his vitals were found to be ok”.

The man was taken back to his cell. After getting back to the cell, Sasser said Dixon became unresponsive while sitting on his bunk. EMS, which had not yet left the jail, came back inside the jail and began life-saving measures.

Dixon was in jail for several drug charges, as well as felony larceny and a gun charge.

It is normal practice for the SBI to be called in to investigate jail deaths.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - An Eastern Carolina university and a university in Florida have teamed up to create a research network within and between two of their graduate programs.

The East Carolina Unversity School of Dental Medicine and the University of Florida College of Dentistry have been given a five-year $3,692,175 National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, or NIDCR, grant to establish an academic multidisciplinary practice-based research network within and between their respective dental schools, according to ECU.

The two institutions will also collaborate on the Development of Opportunities for Research (DOOR) to develop and test an integrated, multi-level, and interdisciplinary program featuring training in clinical research skills, team-based science, mentoring, and interdisciplinary collaboration, encompassing two clinical research studies with dental patients, one on diabetes detection and the other on acute/chronic pain from 2023 to 2028.

Professors and department chairs from both schools will also partner on the NIDCR’s Practice-Based Research Integrating Multidisciplinary Experiences in Dental Schools (PRIMED). PRIMED is a research and science initiative that aims to prepare current and future dentists to be involved in practice-based clinical research.

“...We anticipate that this grant will be transformative for our school’s research culture in providing formal, in-depth training and experiences in clinical and practice-based research for our dental students, residents, and clinical faculty at Ross Hall and our community service learning centers across North Carolina,” said David W. Paquette, D.M.D., M.P.H., D.M.Sc., professor and chair of the ECU Department of Surgical Sciences.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The Carolina Panthers fired Frank Reich on Monday following the team’s NFL-worst 1-10 start in his first year at the helm.

Panthers owner David Tepper announced the move hours after several news outlets reported that he used a profanity as he was leaving the locker room following a 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Tepper hired Reich to fix one of the league’s worst offenses over the past few seasons and develop Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick whom he gave up four draft picks and top wide receiver D.J. Moore to acquire this past offseason in the hopes of winning multiple Super Bowls.

Instead, the Panthers are assured of a sixth straight losing season since Tepper bought the team in 2018 for $2.275 billion.

Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will take over as interim head coach.

Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will take over as the team’s play caller, with senior Jim Caldwell serving as his special adviser.

Tabor will become the fifth head coach or interim head coach since Tepper bought the team. He fired Matt Rhule early last season and replaced him with interim head coach Steve Wilks.

After the season, Tepper hired Reich, who had been fired last year by the Indianapolis Colts, but the Panthers were near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category.

Reich signed a four-year contract with the Panthers that runs through the 2026 season.

Because of their record the Panthers could possibly land the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, but that will immediately go to the Chicago Bears because of the trade for Young.

Two mental health evaluations have found Taileli Qi, accused of shooting and killing a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty member, unfit for trial.

Qi, a 34-year-old doctoral student at UNC, is accused of killing his academic adviser on campus in August.

WRAL reports that Qi returned to court Monday for a status check on his case, when he was found unfit for trial and referred to Central Regional Hospital, a mental health facility in Butner.

Judge Alyson Grine said a second mental evaluation found Qi most likely has schizophrenia, saying in part: “Qi demonstrated delusional thinking, experienced auditory hallucinations, engaged in self harm in the detention center, showed fragmented thought processes that impeded his communication, that his behavior was consistent with severe mental illness, and that he most likely has schizophrenia.”

The court maintained Qi is unfit for trial because he is “unable to understand court proceedings, comprehend his situation and assist in his defense.”

The court also determined Qi meets the criteria for commitment to a mental health facility.

Qi’s last court appearance was in September, when the results of an initial mental health evaluation said Qi lacks the mental capacity to be tried for the crime.

Earlier in November, Qi was supposed to appear in court again, but he didn’t show up. His attorneys appeared instead.

Qi faces charges of first-degree murder and having a gun on education property. He is being held without bond and is being represented by a public defender.

Qi is accused of shooting Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the department of Applied Physical Sciences and Qi’s academic advisor.

In the months before his death, Yan reached out to a colleague to express concern over a student who had told him about struggling with severe mental illness and delusions, but he did not specify that student was Qi.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - A North Carolina license plate office in Greenville is slated to close on December 1 when the current operator’s contract with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) ends.

The agency, located in the DMV building on Creek Drive, has been operating under a temporary contract since the recent passing of longtime contractor Carol Locks.

DMV announced an application period for those interested in operating the same location as a contractor earlier this month. The application period ends on December 13th.

Other nearby license plate offices in the area will remain open Monday - Friday for their regular posted hours. Those locations are:

• Greenville - 2462 Stantonsburg Rd
• Farmville - 3672 N Main Street
• Washington - 251-A Bridge Street

Many services can also be completed online at MyNCDMV.gov.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) -There are only a few days left until December, which means it’s time to start searching for the perfect Christmas tree. Whether you’re looking to buy an artificial tree or a real one, several tree lots and stores in the east have you covered.

People have plenty of stores and Christmas tree lots to choose from when buying, especially in Greenville.

Big Lots, Michaels, Lowe’s, and Walmart are traditionally some of the most commonly visited stores for people, who may be looking for an artificial tree.

For those who like to smell the fresh pine and fir of a real Christmas tree, tree lots like Mountain Boy Trees is an option.

Larry Cuthbertson says scoping your living area is essential, no matter what kind of tree you buy.

“Be sure to look at the space that you have,” Cuthbertson said. “Don’t get it too big, get it tall enough but not too tall. Do some measurements, because most people bring trees back due to them being too tall or wide and they won’t fit. Think about where you’re going to put it, don’t put it near a heating vent.”

According to a recent study done at North Carolina State University, there’s an overwhelming amount of real Christmas trees available this year in the Tar Heel state.

Researchers also don’t believe pricing will be an issue this year when buying a real Christmas tree, despite farmers seeing rising production costs in previous years.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - A high-ranking Greenville police officer has been demoted and suspended without pay.

After a protracted public records request from WITN, Greenville has finally confirmed that Major David Bowen was demoted to lieutenant on November 1st, and suspended without pay.

Both were for disciplinary reasons, according to a response from the city attorney’s office. Records also show that before his demotion and suspension, Bowen was put on administrative leave with pay on October 20th.

Four weeks ago, WITN sought the public information on Bowen after getting a tip that the veteran officer had been demoted to lieutenant. Despite the city’s own personnel policy which says the information WITN sought could be viewed at city hall, we were never given a reason why Bowen’s information was withheld.

Other than saying they were for disciplinary reasons, the city has not explained further the actions taken against the officer.

The city’s website still lists Bowen as head of its criminal investigations bureau, though a memo we obtained two weeks ago said Bowen was now in the field operations bureau.

In addition to being demoted by two ranks, Bowen’s pay was cut by nearly $5,000 a year.

Bowen joined the police department in December 1997 and was promoted to major in 2019.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) - A Greenville man is dead after state troopers said he led them on a high-speed chase into Raleigh on Sunday.

Dead is 21-year-old William Singleton.

The Highway Patrol says the chase started around 4:10 p.m. when the motorcyclist wouldn’t stop on U.S. 401 near Old Stage Road in Wake County. Troopers said Singleton was doing 89 in a 45-mile-per-hour zone and the motorcycle did not have a license plate.

The chase went into Raleigh where troopers said it ran a red light at South Wilmington Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, striking an SUV that was on MLK.

Singleton died at the scene and troopers said no one else was injured in the crash.

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Copyright 2020 WITN. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2020 WITN. All rights reserved.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - An arctic airmass will overspread much of the eastern half of the United States over the next 48 hours, dropping temperatures well below average and well below what we’ve been used to since last winter. With an incoming high pressure system pushing a steady northwesterly wind and frigid temperatures, we will experience dangerously cold temperatures during the overnight and early morning hours Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The impending hard freeze has prompted the WITN First Alert Weather Team to designate Tuesday night into Wednesday morning a First Alert Weather Day.

Northwesterly flow has set up over the East today and will encourage unseasonably chilly air will move through later tonight into Tuesday. Temperatures Monday night will drop into the low 30s. By Tuesday, the arctic airmass will be well-established across the area. Highs will only reach the upper 40s for most areas on both Tuesday and Wednesday, despite sun-filled skies. The dry air, along with relaxing winds Tuesday night, will cause all the temps to tumble well into the 20s, with an isolated low in the upper teens possibly well inland. The coast will not be immune to the colder airmass, and freezing temperatures are likely from the beaches of Crystal Coast through the Outer Banks.

This kind of cold snap is more common in January than in late November. That is why it is important to dress in layers over the next few mornings. Have extra comforters, and make sure that your central heating and fireplaces are cleaned and are up to safety standards. Protect your heat-sensitive plants and pets and cover any exposed pipes outdoors! Indoors, double-check that the faucets are dripping water to ensure laminar flow and prevent plumbing issues. Lastly, give yourself extra time when starting your car in the mornings and make sure your car battery and antifreeze levels are in good shape.

If you are not a fan of the cold, temperatures will warm back into the 60s by the end of the week.

Stay tuned to WITN, witn.com, and the WITN First Alert Weather App for the latest information.

WRANGELL, ALASKA (WITN) - An Eastern Carolina native is still missing, one week after a massive landslide in southeast Alaska.

Otto Florschutz is one of two people still unaccounted for following last Monday’s landslide in Wrangell, a remote fishing village.

Friends tell WITN that the 65-year-old Florschutz is a 1976 graduate of Washington High School and he still has family in Beaufort County.

Four people have been confirmed dead in the landslide. The body of an 11-year-old girl was recovered Saturday evening from the debris.

Authorities say Florschutz’s wife survived the disaster.

The November 20th landslide took out several homes, including two that were occupied when the natural disaster struck on a Monday night, setting off an intensive search and rescue operation among multiple agencies.

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - A man in the east was separated from his family who packed up and moved all the way to England just before the holidays.

The separation happened because The Castillo family was having trouble clearing the necessary steps to transport their pet pig.

The excitement of bringing an American-style Thanksgiving to their new home across the pond in England was put on hold after husband and Father Ruben Castillo was forces to stay back in Jacksonville with their pet pig Wilbur.

“Moving a pig it’s not like moving a pet you have the requirements of moving a pet but you also have the USDA requirements for agriculture moving livestock and that complicates it 100-fold,” said Ruben Castillo.

From Wilbur being required to have a series of blood tests for things like pseudorabies and other diseases by a USDA accredited vet – all the way down to the dimensions and materials the shipping crate are made out of – Castillo says the USDA and British policies for transporting pet pigs require an isolation period to ensure Wilbur doesn’t have any disease. But the couple says getting to the point of knowing exactly what needed to be done was a bit unclear.

“Then to keep consistently hitting these red tape issues so you lie awake with the little squirrels running around your head going did we check every box? Have we spoken to every authority? Who is the authority,” said wife and mother, Alison Castillo.

Ruben said the USDA requirements prevent Wilbur’s blood from being drawn until the 21-day mark in his isolation period. Once those results come back clear, they get entered into the pig’s health certificate and then it has to be signed by certified health officials.

In the last two days of Wilbur’s isolation, Castillo says there’s supposed to be another health visit just to make sure nothing’s happened since the blood draw.”

Despite the hurdles, the family is determined to be together again once this pig is able to fly.

“We’re very cognizant of the fact that we’re crazy people you know we we own it we have you know our our duty to him as his family and then also selfishly just love him to bits,” said Alison.

Ruben Castillo says vets and both of their fellow friends and colleagues have created a GoFundMe account to help offset some of the extra costs that it will now take to get Wilbur and Ruben on a plane to England.

Ruben says they have gone as far as to send the link to Arnold Schwarzenegger – who they say – is a pet pig owner as well.

The Castillo’s have created a Facebook page called “Wilbur Pig: A Daily Dose” to track Ruben and Wilbur’s remaining steps. and their story has even gained attention from the British Broadcasting Company.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - As its name implies, Cyber Monday is supposed to be a huge day for scoring deals online.

“I’ve been looking at the deals,” said Addie Dant, an online shopper.

“Make sure the website is legit. I look it up, and I say, is blank blank blank fake/real? See reviews,” said Dant.

Cyber Monday can also be a scammer’s paradise as they try to get you to part with your holiday shopping funds, and the number of scams is on the rise.

Online shopping scams are one of the most prevalent scams that we can come across as a consumer,” said Alyssa Parker, a communications director with the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolina.

“It’s an easy way for a lot of people to make money,” said Parker “It’s a huge business. Nearly $1 billion dollars a year is lost to scams.”

According to Parker, there are some ways you can stay safe, including when you purchase online, and be smart about how you buy.

“One of the things for consumers we suggest is when you’re buying anything online is to always use a credit card, and that’s because it offers greater protection if it were to get into the wrong hands,” said Parker.

Parker also says there are some red flags to watch out for.

“The things you can look for grammar that’s a huge red flag often a lot of these scammers are from overseas so English is not their language,” said Parker.

Also, make sure to use link preview features on your phone to make sure it doesn’t look fishy.

“You’re on the phone or make sure you’re trying to see where the link will take you if the URL is a random assortment of numbers and letters, huge red flag,” said Parker.

Overall, Parker says don’t be too hasty to jump on a deal that looks too good to be true, something online shoppers we spoke to say they are careful to do.

According to Safe Wise, there has been a 3% increase in online scams over the past year, showing that now 40% of shoppers have experienced a scam while shopping online.

If you feel like you have been scammed, Parker says to report that scam to them so they can educate other consumers and help you with ways to get your money back.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - The live-in boyfriend of a woman killed Thanksgiving afternoon is a person of interest in her homicide and has been taken into custody in Raleigh for larceny of a motor vehicle

The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office says James Purvis, Jr. is on his way back to Pitt County.

Deputies say 41-year-old Jessica Riggs was found shot to death just before 5:00 p.m. last Thursday at a home on Rick Circle, outside of Greenville.

The 35-year-old Purvis was seen leaving the home with the woman’s Ford Explorer, according to deputies. That stolen vehicle was recovered by Raleigh police near a bus station.

PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A three-hour search in Pitt County ended just after 5:00 p.m. with a wanted man in custody.

Christopher Whitaker was wanted on multiple drugs and gun charges and apparently ran from Pitt County deputies into woods near Pactolus Global Studies School. An ambulance was brought to the scene shortly after Whitaker was caught.

The school went on lockdown around 2:10 p.m. School spokesman Tom McClellan says the school then conducted a controlled release for parents who picked up their children, while buses were held and then released in a systematic manner with the help of deputies. McClellan said that was completed by 4:00 p.m.

Multiple agencies, including Pitt County deputies and state troopers, searched the wooded area around U.S. 264 near the school. Just before 4:00 p.m., a Highway Patrol helicopter joined in the efforts.

Deputies say the man was on federal probation and made statements that he would not be captured or go back to prison.

The chase reportedly began north of Stokes on Highway 30 and reached speeds of up to 120 miles per hour.

People in the area were told to be on alert and keep their house and car doors locked.

Whitaker was wanted on multiple drug charges in Edgecombe County after a search of his home on Acorn Hill last Monday.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - ENC AT THREE has a weekly segment called “HELP ME, N.C.” where YOU (the viewer) asks the questions and WE answer them...

And for the record, the “N.C.” stands for Natalie and Charlie.

MASSIVE SHOUT OUTS to: Lauren Richardson, Lorie Ward, Michelle (of Michelle’s Southern Home Cooking & Living), Marvin “Bro Noah” Richardson, William Allen and Duane Debnam for this week’s questions!

If you want to ask a question next week, follow WITN’s Natalie Parsons Facebook page and keep a watchful eye out as to when submissions are OPEN.

(Hint hint: Starting on Sunday night and running through Monday at 10 a.m.)

We had so many awesome questions that we decided that for this week’s “HELP ME, N.C” would have to be more than just one segment so we did THREE instead! You can view them all BELOW: