A Siler City woman faces charges of failure to reduce speed and driving without insurance after her vehicle rear-ended a school bus on Monday morning.

At approximately 7:15 a.m., Lenore Elizabeth Bryden, 42, of Ridge Rd., was traveling south on N. Chatham Ave. about 0.8 miles south of Aubrey Davis Rd. when she failed to reduce her speed and struck a stopped school bus in the rear.

The driver of the HeadStart school bus, Otis James Agnew, 47, of Hazelfield Ct., Wendell, was not injured.

However, all 11 passengers on the bus were transported to Chatham Hospital in Siler City by First Health for possible injuries.

Silk Hope School students are used to eating off paper plates. Now they are getting their water from plastic coolers.

The school has been in water conservation mode for the past several weeks after the well that serves the school stopped producing water at normal rates.

The well still produces water, but the rate at which that water is produced fell off noticeably about four weeks ago, according to school superintendent Dr. Larry Mabe.

School officials first noticed the problem when the pump that pulls water out of the well began producing less water during the overnight periods when it operates.

"When the water levels get low, the pump has to pull harder and the volume of water it produces drops off," said assistant superintendent Paul Joyce.

Tuesday’s election results demonstrated that voters, for the most part, are happy with the leadership that’s in place, returning nearly all incumbents back to office.

In Pittsboro, incumbent Mayor Nancy May won re-election to a second term in office with 116 votes.

May’s only challenger, Al Capehart, was defeated with 79 votes.

In Siler City, incumbent Mayor Charles Turner was easily returned to office with 526 versus challenger Pem Hobbs’ 128 votes.

The Siler City mayor’s race drew much media attention earlier this year when 19-year-old Jonus Nobles sought to be included on the ballot but was barred because of his age.

Nobles nevertheless waged a write-in campaign.

Eleven write-in votes were cast in the Siler City mayoral race.

In general, Tuesday’s municipal election was good news for incumbents.

Only one incumbent, Alexander Graves Jr., who sought to retain his seat as commissioner in Siler City’s District 2, was defeated.

Graves ended the day with 25 votes, losing his seat to Larry Cheek, who won the seat with 83 votes. A third candidate in the district, Jimmy L. Price, earned 14 votes.

Incumbent Siler City commissioner Helen Buckner also easily won re-election to the at-large seat, with 481 votes to challenger Karl Ernst’s 177.

In other Siler City races, District 1 commissioner Tony Siler won re-election with 84 votes to challenger Donal A. Matthews; 54 votes.

An early morning single-vehicle wreck north of Siler City led to the death of a 17-year-old Jordan-Matthews High School junior. The driver, a senior, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Westley Wayne Walker II, of 615 Poe Rd., died at approximately 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, three hours after the vehicle he was in collided with two pine trees.

Christopher Lee Jackson, the driver, of 502 Greenhill Rd., Siler City, faces several charges, including second-degree murder.

N.C. Criminal Law and Procedure defines second-degree murder as an unlawful killing with intent but without deliberation or premeditation.

Jackson, who will turn 18 in December, has also been charged with driving while impaired, provisional driving while impaired because he is under 21 and reckless driving.

While traveling north on Old US 421, Jackson lost control of his 2003 Acura at Bish Rd. and ran off the road to the right.