North Carolina
Public health experts warn Trump funding freeze could have major impact on North Carolina
Public health experts are warning that thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic impact in North Carolina are on the line, as President Donald Trump continues a stop work order and funding freeze at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The agency is responsible for distributing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid around the world each year. North Carolina organizations alone receive nearly $1 billion, according to USA Spending.
Trump and Elon Musk have argued that spending is often both wasteful and filled with fraud. In a post on X Sunday, Musk called the agency “a criminal organization.”
Some Republicans, including the NCGOP, have applauded the funding freeze. In a statement, NCGOP spokesperson Matt Mercer wrote “the stunning abuse of taxpayer dollars by USAID must end.”
However, public health experts like Brianna Clarke-Schwelm are pushing back.
“I know that the people here in North Carolina in the humanitarian aid sector are really committed to working on behalf of the American people,” Clarke-Shwelm said.
Clarke-Schwelm is executive director of the NC Global Health Alliance, which represents humanitarian groups and universities in North Carolina, many of which receive funding from USAID.
“We work in disease eradication, and responding to disease outbreaks. We work in bringing fresh water, safe water, and resources to low and middle income countries around the world,” Clarke-Schwelm said.
Among the top recipients of USAID dollars in North Carolina are the state’s universities.
NC State received $2.2 million from USAID last fiscal year. UNC received far more, around $17.5 million.
According to a UNC spokesperson, that money went towards a laundry list of programs, including tools to track the spread of tuberculosis, and “rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and research to ensure that USAID investments are effective and efficient,” among other things.
UNC confirmed nine of those programs have now received stop work orders.
It’s not clear how long the funding freeze and stop work orders will be in place, but Clarke-Schwelm argued the longer the order lasts, the more likely there will be consequences for the 120,000 people working in the state’s global health sector.
“We are seeing furloughs and layoffs across the country. And we expect that to continue and intensify here in North Carolina itself,” Clarke-Schwelm said.
North Carolina
North Carolina man extradited to Pa. for $100,000 ATM theft spree: police
A 42-year-old North Carolina man on Tuesday was extradited to Pennsylvania after state police said he stole more than $100,000 from ATMs in Snyder and Union counties.
Between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, Antoni J. Garcia-Cordoba, of Raleigh, North Carolina, stole from four ATMs at Central Penn Bank and Trust locations, state police said.
In a five-hour span, Garcia-Cordoba took $43,000 from three separate ATMs in Snyder and Union counties, according to a police report. On Oct. 1, he stole an additional $58,000 from an ATM in Titusville, bringing the total amount stolen to $101,000.
Garcia-Cordoba is charged with two counts of corrupt organizations – employee, a first-degree felony, and two counts of theft by unlawful taking, a third-degree felony.
After being in custody at a jail in Boone County, Missouri, Garcia-Cordoba was extradited to Union County on Tuesday.
He is being held in the Union County Prison after being unable to post $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.
North Carolina
11 firefighters and 2 others injured after North Carolina house fire and explosion
SALISBURY, N.C. — Eleven firefighters and two other people were injured in a house fire explosion in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, officials said.
Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell said firefighters did not have life-threatening injuries but were getting treated for contusions, concussions and smoke inhalation following the fire Monday evening. Two other people were taken to the hospital, but Parnell said he didn’t know their conditions and couldn’t confirm whether they were in the house at the time of the fire.
The Salisbury Fire Department responded to the single-family home around 5 p.m. and found it engulfed in flames.
Eleven of the 22 firefighters at the scene went inside the house to search for occupants and “get water on that fire,” which preceded the explosion, Panell said at a news conference.
“It was enough force that the outside walls blew out, the roof came up and went back down,” Parnell said.
An investigation of the fire and explosion is continuing.
North Carolina
Harrison Bertos scores in OT to help Washington beat N.C. State 3-2 and win first Men’s College Cup
CARY, N.C. (AP) — Harrison Bertos scored 1:54 into overtime after Washington blew a two-goal lead in the second half, and the Huskies beat North Carolina State 3-2 to win the Men’s College Cup at First Horizon Stadium on Monday night.
It was the first national championship for unseeded Washington (16-6-2), who became the first team to win six road matches in the tournament — beating six seeded teams along the way under the guidance of coach Jamie Clark. The Huskies won in their second trip to the final after losing 2-0 to Clemson in 2021.
No. 15 seed N.C. State (16-3-4) made the final for the first time behind coach Marc Hubbard. The Wolfpack were aiming for the school’s first national championship since Jim Valvano led the men’s basketball team to the title in 1983.
Zach Ramsey scored unassisted with 1:12 remaining in the first half and Washington took a 1-0 lead into the break. It was only the second time this season that N.C. State trailed at halftime.
Ramsey scored into an empty net after Wolfpack goalkeeper Logan Erb couldn’t corral the ball at the top of the box. It was Ramsey’s second goal of the tournament.
Richie Aman sent a cross to the center of the goal and Joe Dale knocked it in for a 2-0 lead in the 62nd minute.
Donavan Phillip answered in the 66th, scoring with an assist from Nikola Markovic to cut it to 2-1 with his fourth goal of the tournament. The Wolfpack entered 11-0-1 when Phillip scores.
Taig Healy scored the equalizer with 3:28 remaining with assists from Justin Mclean and Calem Tommy.
Egor Akulov had an assist on Bertos’ winner.
Huskies keeper Jadon Bowton, the only remaining player from the 2021 squad, had five saves.
Erb saved six shots for N.C. State, which was the last school to concede a goal this season.
The temperature was 28 degrees when the match between two teams that had never faced each other began.
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