Tag Archives: NC

First disappointment and then a celebration as video captures high school band’s big surprise

First disappointment and then a celebration as video captures high school band’s big surprise

SNOW HILL, N.C. (AP) — A small high school in eastern North Carolina is celebrating the highest ranking its band has won at a statewide musical competition. The surprise reaction of the students learning they had won a superior ranking was captured on video. It started when band director Andrew Howell solemnly stepped onto the bus and told his students what they had gone through was a learning experience. Some of the students groaned or dropped their heads. Then he pulled out a plaque awarding the band with the competition’s highest ranking. The students erupted with screams and cheers. The video of their celebration has been seen by millions after being posted on TikTok and social media sites.… Continue Reading

Sears, Alabama can’t duplicate record 3-point night, fall to Duke with Final Four at stake

Sears, Alabama can’t duplicate record 3-point night, fall to Duke with Final Four at stake

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Mark Sears was held to six points and Alabama followed an NCAA Tournament-record 25 3-pointers with only eight, dooming its shot at a second straight Final Four in an 85-65 loss to Duke in the East Region final. Sears — who finished 2 of 12 from the field and 1 for 5 on 3s — shot a clunker on Alabama’s first attempt and never got untracked. He hit 10 3s and scored 34 points on the same Prudential Center court only two nights earlier against BYU. This time, Sears made his only basket of the first half with 2:17 to go.… Continue Reading

North Carolina judge challenging outcome of race wore Confederate uniform in college photo

North Carolina judge challenging outcome of race wore Confederate uniform in college photo

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge challenging the outcome of his North Carolina Supreme Court race was photographed wearing Confederate military garb and posing before a Confederate battle flag when he was a member of a college fraternity that glorified the pre-Civil War South. The emergence of the photographs comes at a delicate time for Jefferson Griffin. The Republican appellate judge is seeking a spot on North Carolina’s highest court. Griffin is facing mounting criticism as he seeks to invalidate over 60,000 votes cast in last November’s election. He trails the Democratic incumbent by over 700 votes. The photographs obtained by The Associated Press were taken when he was a student at the University of North Carolina in the early 2000s. Griffin said he regrets wearing the Confederate uniform.… Continue Reading

Was classified information shared? Senators overseeing military request probe into Signal leak

Was classified information shared? Senators overseeing military request probe into Signal leak

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee are requesting an investigation into how Trump national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes. A federal judge also says he will order the preservation of the messages. Thursday’s action ensures some scrutiny on an episode President Donald Trump has dismissed as frivolous. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed signed onto a letter to the acting inspector general at the Defense Department for an inquiry into the potential use of unclassified networks to discuss classified information. Contents of the Signal chat published by The Atlantic show Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listed weapons systems and a timeline for an attack on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.… Continue Reading

First rain and then fire chase people from their homes in North and South Carolina

First rain and then fire chase people from their homes in North and South Carolina

At least a half-dozen large wildfires continue to burn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina and North Carolina. Nicole Taylor had to leave her home with the porch that overlooks Table Rock Mountain in South Carolina. She took video of the smoke pouring off the ridge until an evacuation order came Tuesday. She says she doesn’t know when she can go home. So far no one has been hurt in the fires that have burned more than 20 square miles of mostly rugged remote forests. The firefighting is slow. Water sources are scarce, so crews depend on building fire breaks.… Continue Reading

More evacuations as wildfires burn in the Carolinas. Forecasts aren’t encouraging for firefighters

More evacuations as wildfires burn in the Carolinas. Forecasts aren’t encouraging for firefighters

More people have been asked to leave their homes in the North Carolina and South Carolina mountains as wildfires spread and the forecast for the rest of the week isn’t encouraging. A half-dozen large fires are burning in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Millions of fallen trees from September’s Hurricane Helene are both providing fuel for the wildfires and blocking the logging roads and paths firefighters use to fight the blazes and create fire breaks. The forecast for this week is dry and windy. There’s a chance of rain over the weekend, but forecasters say it isn’t likely to be the kind of downpour that can knock a fire out on its own.… Continue Reading

North Carolina government makes big tax revenues quickly from first year of sports betting

North Carolina government makes big tax revenues quickly from first year of sports betting

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina government cashed in early when it came to reaping fiscal benefits from authorized sports wagering in the ninth-largest state. Legalized online sports betting began in North Carolina in March 2024. A report Wednesday to a state commission says the state expects it will have collected over $131 million in taxes from the first full year of sports betting operations. An earlier estimate by state legislative researchers before the law was enacted in 2023 said taxes could reach $100 million annually within five years. The windfall is connected to big betting — the taxes are based on a percentage of betting revenue minus paid winnings.… Continue Reading

North Carolina Senate majority leader to resign from chamber

North Carolina Senate majority leader to resign from chamber

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A top lieutenant to North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger is resigning from the chamber. A statement released Tuesday from Senate Majority Leader Paul Newton says he’s retiring effective Wednesday evening “to pursue an opportunity outside of state government.” His specific plans weren’t immediately released. The 64-year-old is a former Duke Energy state president in North Carolina from Cabarrus County who joined the Senate in 2017. He was elected majority leader after the 2022 elections. Republicans in his 34th Senate District will choose someone to fill his two-year term. Senate Republicans also will have to meet to pick a new majority leader.… Continue Reading

Wildfires in North and South Carolina fueled by drought, wind and fallen trees from Hurricane Helene

Wildfires in North and South Carolina fueled by drought, wind and fallen trees from Hurricane Helene

Dry conditions, wind and trees downed by Hurricane Helene are fueling wildfires in North and South Carolina. Officials say evacuation orders are in effect Tuesday in some parts of the states while they continue to monitor the blazes. Three fires are burning in a rural North Carolina county about 80 miles west of Charlotte. At least one of the fires was caused by a downed power line. In South Carolina, two fires are burning in a mountainous region and both have no containment so far. A forestry professor says trees downed during last year’s Hurricane Helene dropped tons of fuel on the ground for the fires.… Continue Reading

Firefighters in the Carolinas battle multiple wildfires as New Jersey crews contain a forest blaze

Firefighters in the Carolinas battle multiple wildfires as New Jersey crews contain a forest blaze

Firefighters in North and South Carolina are battling multiple wind-driven wildfires. The fires are burning in rugged terrain that is complicating efforts to contain them. North Carolina State University forestry professor Robert Scheller says millions of trees knocked down by Hurricane Helene last fall have dried out and are helping fuel the blazes. Burn bans remain in effect in both Carolinas and mandatory evacuations continue in parts of North Carolina’s Polk County. Hundreds of miles north in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service says a wildfire in the Pinelands region was 100% contained on Monday morning.… Continue Reading

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