North Carolina

Eli Pancol helps Duke football beat Virginia Tech, keep spot as North Carolina’s top team

Published

6 months ago

November 24, 2024

Eli Pancol helps Duke football beat Virginia Tech, keep spot as North Carolina’s top team

Duke hasn’t played pretty football at times, but the Blue Devils have consistently proven to be the top team in North Carolina.

After beating UNC (6-5, 3-4) and N.C. State (5-6, 2-5) earlier this year, Duke (8-3, 4-3 ACC) will go for the Tobacco Road sweep in the regular-season finale at Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5) on Nov. 30 (Noon, ACC Network).

Because of their consistently dominant defense and the ability to handle in-game adversity, the Blue Devils are in position to win double-digit games for just the second time in program history.

That’s quite a debut for first-year coach Manny Diaz, who has helped the Blue Devils win five of their six one-score games this season, including a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech on Saturday in the home finale at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Duke report card vs Virginia Tech

Here’s what and who stood out on senior night in Duke’s eighth win of the 2024 college football season.

Duke wide receiver Eli Pancol caps comeback with special finale at Wallace Wade Stadium

Eli Pancol, Duke’s sixth-year wide receiver who missed the 2023 season with an injury, capped his comeback with an incredible performance in the final home game of his career.

Eli Pancol’s incredible comeback story

Finishing with five catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns, Pancol did most of that damage on two of the first four plays when he had an 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown, followed by a 77-yard catch-and-run TD. In his final two games at Wallace Wade Stadium, Pancol combined for 16 catches for 326 yards and four touchdowns.

Ozzie Nicholas, Cam Bergeron, Kendy Charles shine for Duke football defense

Pancol wasn’t the only senior to shine Saturday night against the Hokies. Duke’s top three tacklers were seniors, combining for 31 tackles, including three for loss. Princeton graduate transfer Ozzie Nicholas, Duke’s leading tackler, led the way again with 11 tackles. Fellow linebacker Cam Bergeron and defensive tackle Kendy Charles each had 10 tackles.

Overall, Duke had 14 tackles for loss, including eight sacks. The Blue Devils have consistently been among the top five teams in the nation at creating havoc for offenses as a steady presence in the backfield. It’s the main reason Duke is in position to reach 10 wins this season.

Manny Diaz keeps proving he was right hire for Blue Devils

Duke has won 10 games once since 1922, getting it done in 2013 under former coach David Cutcliffe, who helped resurrect a struggling program. Following Cutcliffe’s departure, Mike Elko won nine games in his first season and eight in his second before bolting to Texas A&M.

After a successful stint as a defensive coordinator at Penn State, Diaz got a second head-coaching opportunity when Duke hired him in December 2023. In three seasons as the head coach at Miami, Diaz had one year with eight wins. He accomplished that in his debut year at Duke, putting the program in position to join an exclusive club if the Devils can win their final two games.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

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North Carolina

One dead and 11 injured after 80 shots fired at North Carolina house party

Published

13 hours ago

June 1, 2025

Press Room

One dead and 11 injured after 80 shots fired at North Carolina house party

At least 80 shots were fired in a North Carolina neighborhood, killing one person and injuring 11 others, authorities said Sunday.

The shooting early Sunday took place in Hickory, the Catawba county sheriff’s office said. No arrests have been made, but authorities said there was more than one shooter.

The shooting took place at about 12:45am during a party in Hickory, the Catawba county sheriff’s office said.

One victim was in critical condition and 10 others were hospitalized in serious condition, the sheriff’s office said.

The North Carolina state bureau of investigation and the Hickory police department are investigating the shooting. The FBI is also assisting in the case. No arrests have been made and the total number of shots fired is not yet known.

The sheriff’s department has not released the victims’ names or ages.

Investigators said there were as many as 100 people attending a house party at a home on the street when one or more people discharged firearms, WSOC-TV reported.

Eyewitnesses told local reporters that many people attending the party were from nearby high schools and people began scattering, ducking for cover and running toward safety when shots erupted.

Major Aaron Turk with the sheriff’s office said at a news conference that the street was usually quiet.

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North Carolina

NC leaders announce changes to shorten DMV lines

Published

1 day ago

May 31, 2025

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NC leaders announce changes to shorten DMV lines

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North Carolina leaders announced changes at the NC Division of Motor Vehicles during a press conference on Friday.

Gov. Josh Stein, Secretary of Transportation Joey Hopkins, and NCDMV Commissioner Paul Tine spoke at the Raleigh East Drivers License Office to address long waits and difficulty booking appointments at the DMV, WRAL News reported.

Hopkins said the newly elected Tine brings a “wealth of experience” to help with the work the state plans to do.

READ: NC leaders want changes to cut long DMV lines

Tine said he planned to improve career benefits for examiners, update the DMV website and social media, reorganize the internal department, and reopen 20 locations to walk-ins on Saturdays.

“We have new core principles to promote problem-solving: service, efficiency, agility and accountability,” Tine said.

Twenty locations will be open to walk-ins from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays starting on May 31, WRAL News reported.

The following locations will be open to walk-ins on Saturdays:

Asheville, 1624 Patton Ave.
Charlotte North, 9711 David Taylor Dr.
Charlotte South, 201 W. Arrowood Rd., Suite H
Clayton, 1665 Old U.S. Hwy. 70 W. (Shotwell Station)
Durham, 101 S. Miami Blvd.
Elizabeth City, 1164 U.S. Hwy. 17 S.
Fayetteville, 831 Elm St. (Eutaw Village)
Graham, 111 E. Crescent Square
Greensboro, 2391 Coliseum Blvd.
Greenville, 4651 N. Creek Dr.
Huntersville, 12101 Mount Holly-Huntersville Rd.
Jacksonville, 299 Wilmington Hwy.
Kernersville, 810-A N. Main St.
Monroe, 3122 U.S. Hwy. 74 W.
Raleigh East, 4121 New Bern Ave. (Wilder’s Grove)
Raleigh West, 3231 Avent Ferry Rd.
Salisbury, US 29 S, 5780 South Main St.
Wilmington, 2390 Carolina Beach Rd., Suite 104 (South Square Plaza)
Winston-Salem, 2001 Silas Creek Pkwy

The DMV is also now offering several online services. Residents can now renew driver’s licenses and ID cards, order duplicate licenses and ID cards, change their address, and apply for voter registration online.

WATCH: NC leaders want changes to cut long DMV lines

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North Carolina

NC Made: Schiemann Guitars handcrafts custom pieces of history

Published

2 days ago

May 31, 2025

Press Room

NC Made: Schiemann Guitars handcrafts custom pieces of history

FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. (WTVD) — Tucked away in his small two-car garage turned workshop, you can hear the hum of the saw, dust wafting into the air, and then the twang of a guitar string.

About four years ago, Matt Schiemann realized his talent wasn’t exactly in playing guitars but making them.

“I still enjoy playing guitar, but it was clear that wasn’t going to be the thing I was really going to be doing. So I started tinkering with things, and one thing led to another, where I just started building my own,” said Schiemann.

He made about 100 completely customized guitars and shipped them all over the world.

“This one I’m working on for a father as a commemoration for his daughter who loved butterflies,” Schiemann said.

Each design is unique to its owner, and some even pay homage to North Carolina’s history.

ALSO SEE NC Made: Raleigh’s Videri Chocolate Factory serves sweet success with bean-to-bar treats

“This wood came from a combination of two different barns here in Fuquay. One came from a little area called Kipling, and the other one came from just up the road in Fuquay,” he said.

The knots and original nail holes in the wood were gathered from tobacco barns within a few miles of Schiemann’s home.

“Our area in Fuquay is really starting to develop a lot, so all the farms that are there that had barns on them have been bought by developers. So they go in and tear everything down. I’m trying to save a little bit of the history that we have around here,” Matt said.

As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

“It’s pretty amazing to see this thing you’ve taken from start to finish. It’s almost like this barn that has a retirement as a musician now. It’s giving it a second life,” Schiemann said.

For more information about Matt and Schiemann guitars, visit here.

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