Connect with us

North Carolina

Fallen N.C. officers honored during annual ceremonial event

Published

on

Fallen N.C. officers honored during annual ceremonial event


CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dozens of people packed a Concord church to honor the men and women who paid the ultimate price.


What You Need To Know

  • Families and police agencies packed a North Carolina church to honor fallen officers
  • The annual event pays respect to those officers and loved ones for their service
  • A North Carolina woman shares how the event is providing comfort during these times 


The 40th annual North Carolina Peace Officers’ Memorial Day ceremony took place Tuesday morning at Multiply Church.

The ceremonial event pays respects to fallen officers.

Julynn Washington is the accreditation policy manager at N.C. Justice Academy. She’s also the coordinator for the Peace Officers’ Memorial Day ceremony.

Advertisement

Washington said it’s important to pay homage to officers that didn’t return home.

“We want to make sure their loved ones know we do appreciate their service to the communities,” Washington said. “It is unfortunate we [must] have this ceremony because that means families are being inducted to a club they may not necessarily want to be a part of.”

Washington said families of the fallen heroes received a flag in remembrance of their loved ones.

During the ceremonies, leaders read names of those added to The North Carolina Honor Roll, which lists names of fallen heroes, dating back to 1804.

Tuesday’s event added eight more names to the list, all of whom died while serving in 2024:

Advertisement
  • Christopher Johnson
  • William Alden Elliott
  • Joshua Eyer
  • Samuel Poloche
  • Thomas M. Weeks
  • Michelle Lynn Quintero
  • Charles James “Jim” Lau
  • Michael Horan

Cielo Poloche is the wife of fallen hero Samuel Poloche. They were married for 22 years.

“Sam was very quiet,” Poloche said. “He was constantly observing but to himself. When he warmed up, he would love to talk to you for hours.”

Samuel Poloche is one of four officers killed in April 2024 while serving a warrant in a Charlotte community.

Cielo Poloche expressed gratitude to those offering support to her and family during these times.

“This year has been very chaotic. There’s been a lot thrown at us over the year, but things are starting to wrap up and calm down,” Poloche said. “We’re at over the year mark and these events will be the last, as sort of the finish line for us. I feel really special just all the attention and support that’s been given to my family. It just feels comfortable, like they’re remembered, and we’re taken care of in his absence.”

The North Carolina Peace Officers’ Memorial Day ceremony also included a presentation of colors, Memorial Honor Guard and 21-gun salute.

Advertisement

 



Source link

North Carolina

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

Published

on

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:

Advertisement

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

CARTERET COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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

CRAVEN COUNTY

Advertisement

Ballots Cast:

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

DUPLIN COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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

Advertisement

EDGECOMBE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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

GREENE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

Advertisement

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

HYDE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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

JONES COUNTY

Advertisement

Ballots Cast:

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

LENOIR COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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

Advertisement

MARTIN COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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

ONSLOW COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

Advertisement

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

PAMLICO COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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

PITT COUNTY

Advertisement

Ballots Cast:

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

TYRRELL COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

30.49% (723 out of 2,371)

Advertisement

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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

WAYNE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

Advertisement

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



Source link

Continue Reading

North Carolina

Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

North Carolina

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

Published

on

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


hide caption

Advertisement

toggle caption

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending