ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — More than 100 breweries and retailers across North Carolina are pulling up chairs to celebrate the third annual North Carolina Pint Day on Sunday, April 12.

Pint Day is an initiative to help promote, prepare and protect independent craft breweries in North Carolina.

HIGHLAND BREWING FOUNDER IGNITES THE ASHEVILLE BEER SCENE, TAPPING INTO THE AMERICAN DREAM

Each year, the North Carolina Brewers Guild celebrates with a limited edition collectible pint glass. This year’s glass was designed by Asheville-based artist Sadie Tynch.

According to the North Carolina Brewers Guild website, the design illustrates a blend of North Carolina’s native wildlife, botanical life, music, agriculture and community.

“Three years in, NC Pint Day has become something bigger than the glass itself,” said Lisa Parker, Executive Director of the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild, in a news release. “ North Carolina’s independent craft breweries have long doubled as third spaces and community anchors, the kind of places where a neighborhood fundraiser gets organized, a local band plays their first show, or two strangers end up talking for hours. This glass is a celebration of that!”

According to a news release, with every glass bought, $1 will be sold directly to the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild’s work for advocating, educating, and promoting the state’s craft brewing industry.

ASHEVILLE, MILLS RIVER BREWERIES WIN BIG AT THE 2025 WORLD BEER CUP

NC Pint Day is part of the Guild’s Hop into Spring campaign that encourages North Carolinians and visitors to explore, enjoy, and support local breweries across the state.

For a full list of participating breweries, visit here.

AUBURN, WASHINGTON (WTVD) — The family of Miss North Carolina 2024 Carrie Everett spoke exclusively with ABC11 just days after her passing, from their home in Auburn, Washington.

Her parents sat at the center, surrounded by Carrie’s grandmother and older siblings.

“It’s hard. We’re not going to pretend. It’s been the hardest moment of our life as a family,” said her mother, Mary Everett. The 22-year-old passed away the evening of Easter Sunday, surrounded by family, after an aggressive battle with signet ring cell carcinoma, which is an advanced form of cancer.

The family shared a video of loved ones singing Carrie’s favorite praise song, a tribute reflecting her Liberian roots. Her father, Bishop George Everett, says he continues to lean on his faith. He also shared one of his proudest memories from his daughter as she visited a church after winning the Miss North Carolina crown and choosing not to wear it inside.

“And she said, ‘I will not wear this crown in the presence of the King of Kings,’” he said.

Carrie was the youngest among her siblings, described by her family as both compassionate and bold. “She was never shy to tell the way she felt about things, sometimes not even sparing feelings, but that’s who she was,” said her older brother, Abenego Kondiano.

“In this battle, she would always say she didn’t set out to be an inspiration, but she wanted to fight to live so with her life she could love people,” said her sister, Rufina Everett.

The family says Carrie was multitalented and had a deep love for singing. She began her pageant journey after placing second in the Miss Auburn Outstanding Teen pageant. After moving to North Carolina for college, she went on to win Miss Johnston County and ultimately Miss North Carolina 2024.

She later chose to attend North Carolina Central University, fulfilling her dream of attending an HBCU. Her family calls her a true child of North Carolina.

“Thank you for loving her, supporting her, supporting her in prayer. It meant a lot,” said her mother. Memorial services for Carrie will be held in Washington on April 18th, with additional services planned in North Carolina at a later date.

Her remains will then be taken to Africa, where she will be laid to rest in Liberia. “Heaven gained an angel. That’s what she was to us,” her mother said.

LOUISBURG, N.C. (WTVD) — Drought conditions across central North Carolina are creating growing challenges for farmers as they prepare to harvest some crops and plant others, raising concerns about yields and long-term economic impacts.

Fields in Franklin County show signs of prolonged dryness as farmers work through a critical point in the growing season. One farmer planting corn on Thursday said it is the driest he has seen in quite some time.

“Sometimes I just wonder how we do make it,” said Travis Nelms, a fourth-generation farmer at N&N Farms in Louisburg.

Nelms is among many farmers facing multiple pressures at once. Rising fuel and fertilizer prices have already increased production costs, and the dry conditions are adding further strain. Despite that, he said optimism remains part of the job.

“It kind of goes back to that farmer’s optimism. We’re optimistic folks because here we are in a drought like this, and trying to plant seed in the ground to make a crop in the dry time,” Nelms said.

The lack of moisture is evident in the soil itself. As Nelms planted, he pointed to uneven, clumped earth caused by the dryness.

“You can see all around out here, it just came up clumpy. This is just extremely dry right now,” he said.

The drought is also affecting crop yields. Nelms said wheat fields are already showing signs of reduced production.

“Right now it’s looking to be a 35-to-40-bushel crop. I’m about a half a crop is what I’m looking at right now,” he said.

Agricultural economists say farmers are being forced to make difficult decisions about whether to plant without enough moisture in the ground.

“It’s time to be planting crops, and so a lot of farmers are probably considering, should I plant? Do I have enough moisture? Will the plants germinate?” said Jeffrey Dorfman, an agricultural economics professor at NC State.

Dorfman said the drought compounds financial challenges many farmers already face.

“They’re getting less for their crops, and it’s costing them 65% more to grow them. It’s not a good situation. This is just sort of an insult to injury,” he said.

For now, farmers like Nelms say they are relying on hope for rain to arrive soon.

“As always, we just hope it rains in a timely manner. And if it don’t get a good staying, I don’t know what we’ll do,” he said.

Experts warn that if dry conditions continue, the effects could extend beyond farms. Less crop production can mean less income for farmers, which can reduce spending in rural communities and impact local economies across the region.

SEE ALSO | Lawn care companies navigate drought and rising fuel costs