Zebra Cobra Sentencing + Sport's Super Seniors + COVID in Prisons

Happy National Book Lovers Day,

Today I have news for you about the aftermath of the zebra cobra escape, a robbery attempt that devolved into something else, and the second pedestrian fatality in two days. All that, events, and more are below.

Today's weather, 8/9: Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day. Temps: High of 91° & low of 72°

Here are the top stories today in Raleigh:

1. An attempted robbery early Sunday afternoon devolved into what police described as a rolling gun battle. The incident began just before noon on North Raleigh Boulevard and ended near Capital Boulevard and Mayflower Drive. Officers investigated reports of shots fired shortly after 1:00 pm. No injuries have been reported but several vehicles were damaged in the incident. (CBS17)
2. The owner of the zebra cobra that escaped has entered a plea agreement after facing 40 charges related to the escape. The zebra cobra had been missing since November and after being spotted in June caused a multi-day search costing the government thousands of dollars. As part of the plea deal, Christopher Glifford will not serve any jail time, but will serve 12 months of supervised probation, pay $13,000 in restitution to cover the cost of emergency response, and permanently relinquish the 75 snakes that were seized by authorities. (WGNO)
3. A man was hit by a car on New Bern Avenue on Saturday night, and died as a result of his injuries. The fatality marks the second pedestrian fatality in a two day period. Police responded to the accident around 9:40 pm and took the victim to the hospital where he passed away at 9:15 am. The victim of this incident has not been identified as of yet. (CBS17)
4. After the COVID-19 pandemic impacted college athletics, the NCAA granted an extra year to fall athletes because of what they assumed would be a cancelled season. The players who would have become ineligible after the 2020 season are being referred to as "super seniors," and will not count against the 85-player scholarship limit. NC State has more than 100 players that are vying for spots on the field. The team is excited for the new players to be able to learn from veterans while having a healthy rotation of players. (abc11)
5. Although COVID-19 cases are rising across the state, the NC prison system has not seen much of an increase. Out of almost 29,000 offenders statewide, they have only seen 23 active cases and only one hospitalization in the past couple of months. This is a significant drop from how many they saw during the winter surge. While most of the nation was easing up on COVID protocols, they maintained all of their protocols. They test all unvaccinated staff every two weeks, and offered incentives for prisoners to get vaccinated. (CBS17)

Today in Raleigh

• Yoga in the Park: Registration Required (6:00 pm-7:00 pm)
• Umstead Family Gravel Ride with Oaks & Spokes (6:30 pm-8:00 pm)
• Silent Disco Yoga at Raleigh Beer Garden (6:30 pm-7:30 pm)
• Minute to Win it Field Day Teen Experience: Inside @ The Library Event (4:00 pm-5:00 pm)
• Storytime & Craft at Harold Ritter Park (11:00 am)

Raleigh Patch Notebook

• For National Book Lovers Day, check out Wake County's libraries page to find a good read near you
• This weekend Raleigh hosted the Carolina Games Summit with $400,000 in college scholarships on the line. (abc11)

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Ok friends, I hope you get the opportunity to do something fun today. Mondays are what you make of them and you should make it amazing. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with more news on everything Raleigh.

— CJ Fullford

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Raleigh Daily? Reach out anytime to raleigh@patch.com.