Monday News & Sports

The Evans Road Fire has now burned over 51 square miles in Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington counties since it began with a lighting strike eight days ago near Ponzer. The state Forest Service says the blaze is expected to continue to move north and east, but its slow progress over the weekend thanks to light winds helped firefighters set-up more containment lines. No homes or buildings have been damaged by the fire, but around 80 are still threatened. Areas well away from the fire zone along the Outer Banks and north of the Albemarle Sound will continue to see and smell smoke from the fire for possibly the next several months without significant rainfall.

A rare early-June heat wave is roasting the entire state. Nearly every major airport in North Carolina saw new records for both the daily high and overnight minimum temperature over the weekend. Norfolk hit 101 Saturday, breaking the record set in 1899, while Elizabeth City’s 99 topped a record from 1957. More record heat is forecast for today and tomorrow, before a front moves through Wednesday and drops temperatures back to the mid-80s.

While the Town of Manteo faces 37-thousand dollars in state fines for violations at the Bowsertown Road Sewage Treatment Plant found in February, recent water quality data shows that Shallowbag Bay, which the treated wastewater is pumped into, is safe for swimming. Town officials and residents showed the water in the bay was safe by jumping off the Cora Mae Basnight Bridge over Dough’s Creek in downtown Manteo yesterday.

The eastbound lane of East 8th Street in Nags Head between Highway 158 and Wrightsville Avenue will be closed for the next two days due to sidewalk construction. Traffic from Croatan Highway/US 158 will not be able to turn onto East 8th Street during the closing.

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is suspending the noon run from Cedar Island and the 3:30 PM run out of Ocracoke through Thursday. The Motor Vessel Pamlico has encountered mechanical difficulties and is being taken to the shipyard in Manns Harbor for repairs.

Currituck tourism officials will host an open house this afternoon at the new welcome center at the state line in Moyock. The center on Highway 168 opened earlier this spring to try and encourage visitors to the region to stop along the Currituck mainland on their way to and from the Outer Banks.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
North Carolina has clinched another trip to the College World Series. The Tar Heels are on their way to Omaha for the third straight year after beating Coastal Carolina 14-4 to win the Cary Super Regional, winning the best of three series in two games. Carolina will open play at the CWS against the winner of the LSU/UC-Irvine series, which will be decided in Baton Rouge tonight.

Georgia is off to its third College World Series birth in five years after beating North Carolina State 17-8 yesterday in game three of the Athens Super Regional. N.C. State was trying to advance to Omaha for the second time in school history and the first since 1968.

Florida State, Miami, Stanford and Rice are also headed to Omaha, after winning their Super Regionals.

COASTAL PLAIN LEAGUE
Monday: Edenton at Outer Banks, doubleheader

NBA
The Boston Celtics are heading to Los Angeles with a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals. Paul Pierce's 28 points led the Celtics to a 108-102 win last night in a game the Lakers cut a 24-point deficit to two in the fourth quarter before the Celtics survived.

TENNIS
Rafael Nadal is celebrating his fourth straight French Open title, and this one came with surprising ease. Nadal ruined world number-1 Roger Federer's bid for a career Grand Slam by beating the Swiss star 6-1, 6-3, 6-love.

GOLF
Justin Leonard holed a 19-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to beat Masters champion Trevor Immelman and Robert Allenby in a playoff at the Stanford St. Jude Championship. Leonard blew a one-stroke lead with two holes left to drop into the playoff. He survived to capture his 12th PGA Tour title.

NASCAR
Kasey Kahne dominated at Pocono Raceway for his second victory in the last three Sprint Cup Series points races. Counting his win in the All-Star race last month, Kahne has been to victory lane three times in the past four events.

HORSE RACING
Big Brown's stunning last-place finish in Saturday's Belmont was not because of any physical ailment. That's according to co-owner Michael Iavarone (EYE'-vah-roh-nee). He says he's "perplexed" by the first loss in Big Brown's career, but there's "nothing physically that's shown up."

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit Tigers 5 Cleveland Indians 2
NY Yankees 6 Kansas City Royals 3
Toronto Blue Jays 5 Baltimore Orioles 4
Boston Red Sox 2 Seattle Mariners 1
Chicago White Sox 12 Minnesota Twins 2
Oakland Athletics 7 Los Angeles Angels 3, 12 Innings
Texas Rangers 6 Tampa Bay Rays 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Florida Marlins 9 Cincinnati Reds 2
Pittsburgh Pirates 6 Arizona Diamondbacks 4
Philadelphia Phillies 6 Atlanta Braves 3
San Francisco Giants 6 Washington Nationals 3
St. Louis Cardinals 5 Houston Astros 4
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Colorado Rockies 2
San Diego Padres 8 NY Mets 6
Chicago Cubs 3 Los Angeles Dodgers 1

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE
Norfolk 6 Richmond 3, Tides begin eight game home stand tomorrow.