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Be wary of door-to-door contractors after storms, NC insurance commissioner warns

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Be wary of door-to-door contractors after storms, NC insurance commissioner warns


North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is warning residents of scammers who come to homeowners after storms and offer on the spot to fix damage — damage that Causey says may not even exist.

Causey is urging people to be cautious of anyone coming to their door offering a free roof inspection. He said this a common trick anytime North Carolina has a significant storm.

“I’m not here to disparage any of our legitimate contractors, but we have an epidemic of fraud, especially a roofing fraud,” Causey said.

After storms — including ice storms, hailstorms, hurricanes and other events — people will go door-to-door, leaving business cards and offering free roof inspections or other services, he said.

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“Most of these folks are nothing but true scam artists trying to take your money,” he said. “So we’re urging people to be on high alert for anybody that comes to your house offering a free roof inspection. The best solution is just say no. Make sure you know who you’re dealing with, with a local, reputable business.

People can lose money on hiring a contractor who then does shoddy work or uses “inferior” materials, Causey said. Then, insurance companies might choose not to insure a home with a roof in poor condition.

When looking for a roofing contractor, people should check references and check whether the contractor is licensed, bonded and has a good reputation with the Better Business Bureau, Causey said. If the prospective contractor asks them to sign a paper, the person should be aware of whether they are signing an assignment of benefits. An assignment of benefits ensures the money the insurance company is paying goes directly to the contractor, and if the person ties to break the contract, they would end up owing a percentage of the costs because of the contract.

“So don’t sign anything unless you know exactly what you’re signing,” Causey said.

Some of contractors have created damage on a roof so they can show the homeowner later that the roof is damaged, Causey said. His office has set up cameras in the past that have caught that.

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“They’ll take a screwdriver or pry bar and pry up shingles or bend the shingles to make it appear like there’s damage that wasn’t there,” Causey said. “They take golf balls and put in socks and they’ll bang them down on the shingles to look like hail damage, different tricks like that. And they’ll take a picture, or they’ll take a sample and go show the homeowner and say, you you’ve got a real problem on your roof, and we can fix it right now.”

They’ll often ask for a large deposit on the spot to do the work, he said. Then, they might not show up to complete the work.

Many contractor issues turn into legal battles, Causey said.

If a person suspects fraud, they can report it anonymously at ncdoi.gov. They can report insurance issues to the Department of Insurance’s website or via the toll-free phone number, 855-408-1212.

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2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers

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2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers


Here are the voter turnout numbers for the 2026 primary election, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Hyde County had the highest voter turnout, while Onslow County had the lowest turnout. Check out what the voter turnout in your county was below:

BERTIE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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31.85% (3,911 out of 12,280)

CARTERET COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

29.06% (16,543 out of 56,931)

CRAVEN COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

18.63% (14,119 out of 75,778)

DUPLIN COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

21.93% (6,981 out of 31,832)

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EDGECOMBE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

18.16% (6,428 out of 35,396)

GREENE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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19.70% (2,147 out of 10,900)

HYDE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

37.27% (1,123 out of 3,013)

JONES COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

25.91% (1,805 out of 6,966)

LENOIR COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

16.73% (6,251 out of 37,371)

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MARTIN COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

17.61% (2,858 out of 16,228)

ONSLOW COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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11.44% (14,816 out of 129,537)

PAMLICO COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

24.03% (2,446 out of 10,180)

PITT COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

15.71% (19,429 out of 123,705)

TYRRELL COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

30.49% (723 out of 2,371)

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WASHINGTON COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

28.66% (2,312 out of 8,067)

WAYNE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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21.49% (16,408 out of 76,358)



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Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety

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Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety


Wednesday, March 4, 2026 6:41PM

NC schools and businesses encouraged to practice tornado safety

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina schools and businesses took part in a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.

The National Weather Service led the drill at 9:30 a.m., broadcasting it on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System. Schools, workplaces and households across the state were encouraged to join in.

The National Weather Service didn’t issue a follow up alert to mark the end of the drill. Instead, each school or business wrapped up once they felt they had practiced the procedures thoroughly.

Wednesday’s drill also replaced the regular weekly NOAA Weather Radio test.

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SEE | New warning for parents amid new ‘fire-breathing’ social media trend

Make sure to download the ABC 11 Mobile App ABC11 North Carolina Apps for Connected TV, Mobile News, Echo

Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee holds narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam

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North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee holds narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam


Nida Allam in 2022; Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in 2025.

Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images


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Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional district as ballots continue to be counted.

In a race seen as an early test of whether Democratic voters desire generational change within the party, Foushee holds a lead of just over 1,000 votes with 99% of results in so far, according to the Associated Press.

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Under state law, provisional votes will be counted in the coming days in a district that includes Durham and Chapel Hill. If the election results end up within a 1% margin, Allam could request a recount.

Successfully ousting an incumbent lawmaker is often extremely difficult and rare. However, there have been recent upsets in races as some voters are calling for new leaders and several sitting members of Congress face primary challengers this cycle.

Allam, a 32-year-old Durham County Commissioner, is running to the left of Foushee, 69, framing her candidacy as part of a broader rejection of longtime Democratic norms.

On the campaign trail, Allam ran on an anti-establishment message, pledging to be a stronger fighter than Foushee in Congress, both in standing up against President Trump’s agenda and when pushing for more ambitious policy.

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“North Carolina is a purple state that often gets labeled red, but we’re not a red state,” she told NPR in an interview last month, emphasizing the need to address affordability concerns. “We are a state of working-class folks who just want their elected officials to champion the issues that are impacting them.”

She drew a contrast with the congresswoman on immigration, voicing support for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Foushee has declined to go that far, advocating instead for ICE to be defunded and for broader reforms to the federal immigration system.

Allam also clashed with Foushee over U.S. policy towards Israel. As a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, Allam swore off campaign donations from pro-Israel lobbying groups, such as AIPAC, and repeatedly criticized Foushee for previously accepting such funds.

Though Foushee announced last year that she would not accept AIPAC donations this cycle, she and Allam continued to spar over the broader role of outside spending in the race.

Their matchup comes four years after the candidates first squared off in 2022, when Allam lost to Foushee in what became the most expensive primary in the state’s history, with outside groups spending more than $3.8 million.

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However, this year is poised to break that record. Outside groups have reported spending more than $4.4 million on the primary matchup, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

WUNC’s Colin Campbell contributed to this report.



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