Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) in Monroe, NC

Louisiana Monroe defensive tackle transfer Jerome Simmons (6’4″/340) is taking an official visit to NC State tomorrow.

Louisiana Monroe DL Jerome Simmons has officially entered the transfer portal and is scheduled to visit NC State on Thursday, his reps @thebizofathlete tell @SWiltfong_ and I.https://t.co/xt3CFFxP4E https://t.co/YuLJJWfao7

Earlier today, Simmons entered the Transfer Portal, and the Wolfpack quickly offered.

Simmons saw action in eight games for the Warhawks this season, finishing with 10 tackles across 142 defensive snaps as a reserve. He earned a 59.4 PFF grade.

Simmons began his collegiate career in the junior college ranks at Highland Community College in 2022. As a freshman, he recorded 24 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. In his second season, Simmons earned All-Conference honors, finishing with 26 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one interception.

He transferred to South Carolina ahead of the 2024 season, but redshirted after not seeing game action.

Simmons has one year of eligibility remaining.

Former NC State All-ACC wide receiver Jakobi Meyers continues to establish himself as one of the most productive undrafted wide receivers in NFL history.

This season, Meyers finished with 75 receptions for 835 yards and three touchdowns, splitting time between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Meyers is one of just five undrafted players in NFL history to record 700 or more receiving yards in six of his first seven seasons, joining Antonio Gates, Drew Pearson, Gary Clark, and Rob Moore.

Through seven NFL seasons, Meyers has totaled 5,427 career receiving yards, which ranks 20th all-time among undrafted players.

1) Antonio Gates – 11,841 2) Rod Smith – 11,389 3) Wes Welker – 9,924 4) Adam Thielen – 8,497 5) Don Hutson – 7,991 6) Drew Pearson – 7,822 7) Wayne Chrebet – 7,3658 8) Lionel Taylor – 7,195 9) Reggie Rucker – 7,065 10) J.T. Smith – 6,974 11) Nate Washington – 6,954 12) Charley Hennigan – 6,823 13) Doug Baldwin – 6,563 14) Stephone Paige – 6,341 15) Alfred Jenkins – 6,267 16) Danny Amendola – 6,212 17) Steve Watson – 6,212 18) Cole Beasley – 5,744 19) Malcom Floyd – 5,550 20) Jakobi Meyers – 5,427

Earlier this season, Meyers was traded from Las Vegas to Jacksonville and later signed a three-year, $60 million contract extension.

Meyers ranks in the Top-5 in NC State history in receptions, yards and touchdown receptions.

Receptions

1) Torry Holt – 920 2) Haywood Jeffires – 535 3) Jerricho Cotchery – 524 4) Jakobi Meyers – 468 5) Mike Quick – 363

Receiving Yards

1) Torry Holt – 13,382 2) Jerricho Cotchery – 6,623 3) Mike Quick – 6,464 4) Haywood Jeffires – 6,334 5) Jakobi Meyers – 5,427

Touchdown Receptions

1) Torry Holt – 74 2) Mike Quick – 61 3) Haywood Jeffires – 50 4) Jerricho Cotchery – 34 5) Jakobi Meyers – 23

At NC State Wolfpack, Meyers ranks Top-5 all-time in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions. His 168 career receptions rank seventh in program history, while his 1,932 receiving yards rank tenth.

Without the additional COVID-19 eligibility granted to Thayer Thomas and Emeka Emezie, Meyers would rank fifth in receptions and ninth in receiving yards in NC State history.

MONROE, NC – Bathrooms at a Union County, North Carolina high school are stirring up chatter online. Photos are circulating on social media showing padlocked metal doors resembling a jail cell over three bathrooms at Monroe High School.

Students say they already had to sign out on their Chrome Books to use the restroom and there were blackout times for the bathroom use. Apparently, that wasn’t enough to stop what school officials say were ongoing safety concerns in the bathrooms.

A spokeswoman for Union County School District says Monroe High School installed the sliding metal doors with padlocks over Christmas break to address ongoing safety concerns. Students tell WCCB the doors were locked so they could only use certain restrooms during certain times.

The district spokeswoman says the UCPS Facilities Department installed the doors and administrators were aware, but after senior leadership found out, the doors were removed on January 6th. By that time, the doors had already started stirring chatter online from parents, students, teachers and community members.

In a Facebook group one person said “Denying children use of facilities should be illegal.” Another said, “no issue with the door or the restrictions if they’re truly necessary, but where is the data showing issues are worse at this school and none at the other schools?”

WCCB asked the district spokeswoman for details about the ongoing safety concerns she wouldn’t say much but she did say vaping is one problem.

Some parents hope the school keeps them in the loop about bathroom policy changes.

“I didn’t even know they were putting them up I didn’t know anything about it so that’s a concern in itself that we were not notified about it,” one parent said.

WCCB asked the district how much it cost to install the doors. The spokeswoman told us to submit an official public records request. There’s no timeline how long it might take for them to give us an answer.

Loud explosion-like sounds have been shaking windows across Union County. Authorities are seeking help from residents to solve the mystery.

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Residents across Union County have reported hearing loud, unexplained booms that have rattled windows and sparked concern, but authorities say they have been unable to determine the source.

The Union County Sheriff's Office said deputies have spent several days investigating the mysterious explosions, canvassing multiple areas in an attempt to track down the origin of the sounds.

"Over the past few days, deputies have canvassed numerous areas trying to track down what many residents are describing as an 'explosion,'" the sheriff's office said in a statement released this week.

Despite the widespread reports, authorities said they have found no injuries, property damage or missing structures that would explain the booms.

The sounds have been loud enough to be heard across large portions of the county, according to the sheriff's office, which acknowledged the phenomenon has left both residents and law enforcement puzzled.

"Don't worry it's not just you. We're wondering too," the agency said.

Reports have come from communities including Waxhaw, Marshville, Weddington and Monroe, with activity centered in the central and western parts of Union County. Videos captured by residents show flashes of light followed by loud booms, with incidents occurring between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on multiple nights this week.

Weather Impact Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich analyzed the footage and said he does not believe the phenomenon is related to a meteor or atmospheric entry.

"If we're going to see this affect larger areas over all the Carolinas or the Southeast, you're likely going to see a report of a meteor," Panovich said in a video analysis. He noted that meteors making audible sounds are typically reported across multiple states, not just a single county.

Panovich said atmospheric conditions this week may have amplified ground-based explosions. A temperature inversion that created widespread fog in the region also trapped sound waves near the ground.

"When there's an explosion near the ground, when there's an inversion, it's like throwing a firecracker or an M80 in a sewer," Panovich said. "It echoes and goes all over the place because the sound waves bounce back and forth, and they travel long distance."

The meteorologist said the sounds are likely from someone using tannerite, an explosive material used to create targets that detonate when struck by gunfire. The substance is sometimes used recreationally in rural areas.

"I suspect this is somebody messing around with tannerite," Panovich said. "These explosions can be super loud, and we've seen this happen in the Carolinas before, especially away from the city out in rural areas."

He ruled out construction or mining operations because the booms occurred late at night rather than during typical work hours.

"Certainly, if it was construction or mining, they're not going to be blasted between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. at night," Panovich said.

Residents with information are encouraged to contact the Union County Sheriff's Office at 704-283-3768 or County Communications at 704-289-1591.

MONROE, N.C. (WBTV) - State education leaders voted to shut down a charter school in Union County this week after it was found to have had multiple violations.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction confirmed that had its charter terminated -- effective immediately -- by the state Charter Schools Review Board on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Officials said the charter was terminated because of the school’s failure to meet requirements for student performance, as well as failure to meet “generally accepted standards of fiscal management.”

The board also terminated the charter because Monroe Charter Academy operated remotely for long than allowed by state law and for not having an educational certificate of occupancy, which the charter required.

Regarding the remote operations, North Carolina allows public schools to operate remotely for up to five days per year unless they have what the law calls a “good cause waiver.” During the charter board’s in Raleigh, the principal of Monroe Charter Academy said the school had been remote since the week before Thanksgiving.

Violation of the remote operation law caused the school to have at least two funding sources frozen.

A dated Dec. 4 was sent from Monroe Charter Academy to the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools. In it, the school asked for approval to operate as a remote charter academy. A subsequent for remote operation was filed.

As for the school not having a certificate of occupancy, Monroe Charter Academy was in the process of moving locations. The school was previously operating out of New Living Word Church in , but was unanimously by the charter board in November 2025 to move to Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Matthews.

That move had not yet happened as of the charter’s termination.

North Carolina showed Monroe Charter Academy had just over 100 students enrolled this school year.

With the school now without a charter, those students will have to find new schools.

The state Department of Public Instruction recognized that in a statement and said it was “committed” to supporting those affected by the termination of Monroe Charter Academy’s charter.

”We recognize that a school closure creates uncertainty for students, families and staff, and we are committed to supporting them throughout this transition,” the department said.

The department said students impacted by the closure would be able to immediately enroll in their zoned public school. Parents also had the choice to apply to local charter schools. The state department also said the Office of Charter Schools was working with Union County Public Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to make the transition “as smooth as possible.”

State review board says the Waxhaw school was operating illegally, exceeded remote-learning limits and lacked required facility approvals.

WAXHAW, N.C. — Monroe Charter Academy was ordered to shut down immediately this week after the North Carolina State Charter School Review Board determined the school had been operating illegally and failed to meet basic compliance requirements, leaving dozens of families scrambling for answers.

The decision was announced during a state board meeting in Raleigh, where members voted to revoke the school’s charter following a series of violations.

“I move, pursuant to NC General Statute 115C-218, to terminate the charter of Monroe Charter Academy, effective immediately,” one board member said during the meeting.

The ruling took effect on the spot.

According to the review board, Monroe Charter Academy began operating remotely in mid-November without state approval and exceeded the five-day limit allowed for charter schools. Officials said that once the school passed that threshold, it was in violation of state law.

“Violation of law, including operating remotely for longer [a] period than allowed by state law,” another board member noted on the record.

School leaders acknowledged they had been unable to move into a new campus in Matthews because they did not have the required educational certificate of occupancy, a document mandated before a school can legally operate inside a building.

Monroe Charter Academy said the delay was due to “unforeseen hurdles” in Mecklenburg County’s approval process and asked the board for more time to resolve the issue.

“But to end it all of a sudden… that’s not right to the families,” a member of Monroe Charter Academy’s Board of Directors, who urged the state to consider an extension rather than an immediate shutdown.

State officials ultimately rejected that request.

“It stinks to be in this situation, to have to close a school in the middle of the school year,” a Review Board member said. “But, we also can’t allow a school to operate illegally.”

In public documents, the review board cited additional issues contributing to its decision:

While these concerns were not the sole basis for revocation, board members said they reinforced the need for immediate action.

WCNC Charlotte reached out to Monroe Charter Academy following the vote but did not receive a response.

However, the school later replied to a comment on Facebook, confirming the closure and acknowledging that reopening would require beginning a new charter application.

The school wrote: "The board would have to start over with a new application, and that’s a two-year process — at least.”

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction says all students impacted by the closure will be permitted to immediately enroll in their zoned Union County public school. The agency is also working with state officials to ensure records are transferred quickly and services, including special education supports, are not disrupted.

Monroe Charter Academy opened in 2019 and served students in grades K–8. The school had planned a seven-year renewal of its charter before the state determined it was out of compliance.

State officials say the decision is final and that there is no appeal mechanism that would allow the school to reopen this academic year.