EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA — Law enforcement agencies across eastern North Carolina are warning residents to stay alert as several scams continue targeting seniors, bank customers, and other vulnerable individuals.

The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office recently issued a warning after a suspicious check was mailed to a person living with dementia. Deputies say scammers often target older adults by sending fraudulent checks in hopes the recipient will deposit the money and become entangled in a financial scam.

Officials are urging families to regularly check on elderly relatives and remind them never to cash or deposit unexpected checks. Residents are encouraged to contact their bank or law enforcement before taking any action if they receive suspicious financial documents.

Meanwhile, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office says a jury duty scam is resurfacing throughout the county. In these cases, scammers pose as law enforcement officers or court officials and claim a person missed jury duty or failed to appear in court. Victims are told a warrant has been issued for their arrest and are pressured to send money to avoid being taken into custody.

Deputies warn that scammers often use official-looking documents, government seals, and even the names of real law enforcement officers to make the scheme appear legitimate. The sheriff’s office stresses that deputies will never call, email, or text someone demanding payment.

The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office is also warning residents about a call forwarding scam designed to steal banking verification calls and security codes. Investigators say scammers contact victims claiming there is suspicious activity on their bank account and instruct them to dial special star codes followed by a phone number.

By doing so, victims unknowingly activate call forwarding, allowing bank security calls and verification codes to be redirected to the scammer’s phone.

Authorities recommend never dialing star codes at the request of a stranger, never sharing passwords or security codes, and always contacting banks directly using trusted phone numbers.

Law enforcement agencies say a common theme in many scams is creating a sense of urgency and fear. Officials encourage residents to slow down, verify information independently, and report suspicious activity before sending money or sharing personal information.

It’s Boomer Sooner time in Omaha.

Oklahoma has won the 2026 Men’s College World Series, steamrolling through North Carolina in the winner-take-all Game 3, 13-2, capturing its first national title in over 30 years and third overall. The Sooners are the seventh straight SEC team to win the national championship.

A dogpile with cheers that made its way through the infiled, it closed out the Sooners’ one-for-the-ages NCAA tournament run. 

for the third time in program history, the Oklahoma Sooners are national champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xEvjGxhqgM

— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) June 23, 2026

Advertisement

It was an all-around masterclass for OU, jumping out to a 3-1 lead by the end of the third and never looking back. They put at least one run across the plate in four of the final six innings, including three in the fourth and four in the eighth. 

The fourth was where Oklahoma’s upper hand became clear. Walker McDuffie’s three consecutive one-out walks loaded the bases, and UNC turned to star freshman Caden Glauber. The Tar Heels were previously 29-0 with whenever he pitched, but he was pulled after a walk and Jaxon Willits’ two-RBI single. 

LJ Mercurius was outstanding on the mound, entering for starter Nick Wesloski in the third and tossing 5.2 innings, giving up just one run on four hits. It was his longest outing since April 17.

Outside of Mercurius, shortstop Jaxon Willits and Kyle Branch starred for the Sooners. The former went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and was named Most Outstanding Player, while Branch also went 3-for-4 with a homer and six RBIs, a career-high. He’s the third player all-time to record six or more RBIs in a national championship game.

The victory caps off OU’s gauntlet-like journey to the top. After finishing 11th in SEC regular season play, they knocked off five national seeds — three in the top five and two on the road — leaning on a trio of freshman arms and a historic power surge at the plate.

Men’s College World Series All-Tournament Team:

• Catcher: Deiten LaChance, Oklahoma
• First base: Erik Paulsen, North Carolina
• Second base: Gavin Gallaher, North Carolina
• Third base: Tyrus Hall, West Virginia
• Shortstop: Jaxon Willits, Oklahoma
• Outfield: Jason Walk, Oklahoma
• Outfield: Owen Hull, North Carolina
• Outfield: Dasan Harris, Oklahoma
• Designated Hitter: Adrian Rodriguez, Texas
• Pitcher: Joey Volchko, Georgia
• Pitcher: Caden Glauber, North Carolina

THE 2026 #MCWS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/wlaQxxYFL3

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 23, 2026

Six days into a firefight at a massive frozen-food storage facility near downtown Los Angeles, firefighters have yet to enter the building and have begun moving parts of the exterior walls to try to gain access.

Smoke is billowing from the warehouse, which is roughly 500,000-square-foot (46,451-square-meter), covered in solar panels and insulated like a freezer. It’s located across the street from homes in Boyle Heights, a working-class neighborhood east of downtown, and city officials on Monday warned people to stay inside or wear masks due to smoke pollution.

A large warehouse fire can typically be put out in a day, but in a cold storage facility, it can take weeks, authorities said. The fire sparked Wednesday.

Here’s what to know:

Why is it taking so long to put it out?

Fires in cold storage facilities often burn for weeks because their heavily insulated ceilings, roofs and walls make them difficult to extinguish, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Jamie Stewart said.

Firefighters have not been able to enter the building due to the danger posed by floor-to-ceiling heavy-duty steel rack shelving, he said. They also have been unable to quickly ventilate the roof due to the insulation, which is what they would typically do to release gas and smoke and gain visibility inside a warehouse, he said.

The warehouse has rows that are 65-feet (20 meters) tall and 650-feet (200 meters) long loaded with pallets and boxes filled with frozen food, similar to the interior of a Costco or Home Depot warehouse store, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said during Monday’s news conference. There were about 85 million pounds (38.6 million kilograms) of frozen food stored inside, he said.

“I don’t know that we’ll ever get firefighters inside because the entire roof has been compromised and it is sitting on top of (those) 65-foot towers,” Moore said. “It’s extremely dangerous, and I don’t foresee ever putting our firefighters in that type of danger.”

Firefighters have been stripping away exterior walls on certain sides of the building and dousing it with heavy streams of water.

What caused the fire?

Michigan-based company Lineage Logistics, which operates the facility, said in a statement it believes the fire began when subcontractors were working on solar panels on the roof. But the official cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, the company said.

Lineage is working with fire officials investigating the blaze, the statement said.

Moore said the fire department continues to investigate but that preliminary information shows Lineage, which rents the warehouse, was leasing the roof to a solar company that what was working on the panels when the fired started.

“They attempted to try to extinguish it. They dialed 911, and it was off to the races,” he said.

What is stored at the facility?

The facility, called Big Bear, stores products such as seafood, pork, beef and poultry before they’re shipped to grocery stores and restaurants on the U.S. West Coast, Lineage said on its website.

A message sent to Lineage seeking details about the food and the companies affected by it was not immediately returned.

What are the air quality concerns?

The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended a warning about poor air quality in the area until Tuesday afternoon, saying the blaze continues to produce smoke impacting the neighborhood and areas north and east of the fire. The smoke is carrying microscopic particles known as PM2.5 that can penetrate deep into the lungs.

Light winds will also push the smoke in all directions, potentially impacting other parts of metropolitan LA, the district said.

Residents in the most impacted area were told to avoid vigorous physical activity and close all windows, doors and vents, turn off air conditioning and bring people and pets to an inside room because of the risk of hazardous air. Those who need to go outside in the smoky conditions should wear an N95 or P100 mask, health officials said.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, said residents want to know what materials and chemicals were in the warehouse, what burned and what is still burning. She said air quality results should include that information and be released in English and Spanish in terms that regular people can understand.

Jurado said families, workers and other residents are “seeing the smoke and smelling the odors and finding ash and debris near their homes and businesses.”

“We still do not have enough clear information about what burned and what may still be burning,” she said.

Copyright 2026 NPR