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Courts in at least 22 counties in western North Carolina — including Caldwell, Catawba and McDowell — have canceled court, according to the N.C. Judicial Branch.
Court filing deadlines for 28 counties were extended by N.C. Chief Justice Paul Newby on Sunday. Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba and McDowell counties were included in the order.
All criminal and civil hearings for Catawba County District Court and Catawba County Superior Court have been canceled through Friday, according to the N.C. Judicial Branch website. The Catawba County Courthouse is at 100 Government Drive, Newton.
Burke County District Court is closed through Friday. Burke County Superior Court was closed Tuesday. Decisions about Superior Court are being made on a day-by-day basis, Assistant District Attorney Mitch Walker said. The Burke County Courthouse is at 201 S. Green St. in Â鶹´«Ã½.
Notices posted on the Catawba County Courthouse front doors said all courts have been canceled for the week of Sept. 30.
Sarah C. Johnson, Hickory Daily
Record
Caldwell County District Court is closed through Friday. Caldwell County Superior Court is open for criminal cases, according to the N.C. Judicial Branch website. The Caldwell County Courthouse is at 216 Main St. NW in Lenoir.
The McDowell County Courthouse is closed due to power outages and flooding from Hurricane Helene. The N.C. Judicial Branch website says McDowell County courts are closed through Wednesday. The McDowell County Courthouse is at 21 S. Main St. in Marion.
Filing extension for western NC
Chief Justice Paul Newby ordered that all pleadings, motions, notices and other documents that were due to be filed between Sept. 26 and Oct. 14 shall be deemed timely if filed by the end of business on Oct. 14. That includes documents for civil actions, criminal actions, estates and special proceedings.
The counties included in the order are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey.
Sarah Johnson is the courts and breaking news reporter for the Hickory Daily Record.