HIGHLIGHT: NORTH CAROLINA
Charlotte: A college student slain while confronting a gunman in his University of North Carolina-Charlotte classroom was given a hero’s send-off Thursday as his body was returned to his mountain hometown, Waynesville, with a police escort. Traffic stopped along busy Charlotte streets as the procession passed by. Riley Howell died Tuesday after charging and tackling the gunman who opened fire with a legally obtained pistol, authorities said. Howell’s decision to fight for the lives of others fit his character, said friend David Belnap, who attended a candlelight vigil Wednesday wearing a homemade T-shirt honoring Howell.