WakeMed Health & Hospitals announced Monday that it is adding a general surgery practice in Harnett County next month.
The practice, called Harnett Surgical Associates, is being formed by two doctors, Tommy Chang and Sandy Hawkins-Rivers, who previously were a part of Village Surgical Associates in Dunn.
That office will close next month but the new practice will retain the same phone number.
State road crews are continuing to pick up debris from the April storms and tornados in Wake and five other counties, but the roadside cleanup will end soon.
The state Department of Transportation says the final pickup for debris stacked beside state-maintained roads in Johnston County will be Tuesday.
In four other counties, residents are asked to put debris on the roadside for final pickups that will begin Tuesday: Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett and Robeson counties.
In Wake County, DOT says its crews will make their second sweep of state roads late this week and early next week. June 15 is the deadline for roadside debris removal in Wake County.
Residents are asked to make two piles for building materials and tree limbs or other vegetation, and to keep travel lanes clear.
State regulators have opened a criminal investigation into the actions of a now-deceased Harnett County businessman who has been accused of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme.
The investigation of Raymond Mulkey Jr. is being conducted by the state Department of Insurance. Spokeswoman Kristin Milam declined to comment other than to say the investigation is ongoing.
The administrator for Mulkey's estate had earlier notified the Department of Insurance about questionable data that was uncovered during a review of Mulkey's estate.
The administrator has since voluntary surrendered the business licenses for most of Mulkey's companies.
Those businesses included Mulkey & Associates, numerous NC Premium Finance Cos. and Budg-O-Matic Finance.
Mulkey's main business was financing auto insurance premiums for people with low income or poor credit.
Mulkey, 63, was found dead in his home in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Aug. 16. The Horry County, S.C., coroner has said a cause of death has yet to be determined.
Since Mulkey's death, several North Carolina community banks have discovered apparent fraud on loan applications and paperwork involving the extension of loans.
Dunn-based New Century Bank has said it could write off $11 million in loans because of alleged fraud committed by one of the bank's former directors.
Mulkey was a founding director of New Century, which has ties to a number of prominent Democrats. Former state Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand and former Secretary of Transportation Lyndo Tipped serve on the bank's board.
