North Carolina
LIVE: Harris visits North Carolina to survey Helene’s damage, provide update on relief
President Joe Biden tours Helene-damaged areas of Florida
President Joe Biden was in Florida Thursday to observe the damage left behind by Hurricane Helene.
WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in North Carolina on Saturday to survey the catastrophic damage wrought by Hurricane Helene and console communities amid ongoing recovery efforts.
“I’ve been seeing and hearing the stories from here in North Carolina about strangers who are helping each other out, giving people assistance in every way that they need, including shelter, food and friendship and fellowship,” Harris said during a briefing at the North Carolina Air National Guard, according to a White House pool report.
Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, met with officials Saturday where she received updates on recovery efforts for the area and announced that Mecklenburg County, home to the battleground state’s largest city, Charlotte, had been added to the federal disaster declaration.
The vice president on her tour of the state is expected to meet with residents impacted by the Category 4 storm – which has killed more than 200 people and left thousands without power or drinkable water since it made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend region on Sept. 26. Harris is also scheduled to provide updates on the federal emergency response efforts in North Carolina and other states in the Southeast.
Her visit comes exactly one month ahead of the 2024 presidential election, in which she is locked in a tight race against former President Donald Trump. North Carolina is viewed as a pivotal swing state, and the speed and effectiveness of Biden administration’s response efforts could have ramifications on the race.
Trump has also visited disaster-struck regions in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina over the last few days.
Upon arriving to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Harris was greeted on the tarmac by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Attorney General and gubernatorial hopeful Josh Stein, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., Rep. Jeff Jackson, D-N.C., and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles.
Catch up with the USA TODAY Network’s latest updates.
President Joe Biden urged members of Congress to replenish critical disaster relief programs that have run out of money, or that soon could run out.
In a Friday night letter to congressional leaders, Biden warned that the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program is set to run out of funds in a matter of weeks. He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief funds could face a shortfall by the end of the year. Biden called on Congress to restore funding and provide FEMA with additional resources.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested Congress can wait until after the election to pass Hurricane relief measures.
– Karissa Waddick
As search and rescue teams continue to examine stream beds and debris piles across North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, the toll of lives lost in Helene’s horrific flooding mounts daily. At least 214 people have died as a result of the storm. Hundreds are still missing and officials expect the number to rise.
But already Helene is the fourth deadliest landfalling hurricane in the mainland U.S. since 1950. It ranks behind Hurricane’s Katrina (2005), Audrey (1957 and Camille (1969).
– Dinah Voyles Pulver
Donald Trump is expected to hold a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. The former president will return to the venue where he first survived an assassination attempt in July.
Trump held a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Friday evening.
– Karissa Waddick
Disaster politics are a staple of presidential elections, and this year is no different. With just a month to go until the election, Donald Trump has sought to make Biden and Harris’ Hurricane Helene a focus of the campaign.
“There’s nobody that’s handled a hurricane or storm worse than what they’re doing right now,” Trump said to supporters Thursday night in Saginaw, Michigan.
Trump’s indictment has included falsehoods – he claimed that federal disaster money went to migrants and that Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp had trouble reaching Biden, but neither were the case – and the 2024 Republican nominee for the White House has been accused of playing politics with disaster relief during his presidency.
– David Jackson
Kamala Harris pledged “long lasting” federal support to get residents and neighborhoods battered by flooding from Helene “back up and running” during a visit to Augusta, Georgia earlier this week.
“We’re here for the long haul,” Harris said.
The Biden administration has so far approved requests from Georgia, Florida and North Carolina for the federal government to fully cover the state and local costs of debris removal, search and rescue efforts, mass-feeding and other hurricane-related emergency response activities.
– Joey Garrison
It was a closer matchup than expected, but the North Carolina Tar Heels eventually separated themselves in an 80-62 win over the USC Upstate Spartans on Saturday at the Dean E. Smith Center.
There were times of lapses and lack of attention to detail, which led to the Spartans scoring easy baskets in transition and in the half-court offense.
While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis explained what he was seeing on the court from his players.
- “It’s a tremendous lesson,” Davis said. “I told them, I’m a visual learner. I can remember things, but if I see it, I remember for the rest of my life, and my hope is that they could clearly see that there is a connection between how you prepare and how you practice in relation to how you play. And I identify the areas that have to be there every day. It’s not missed shots. It’s not the turnovers. Everybody misses shots, everybody turns the ball over, everybody makes mistakes.”
- “I just think the things that you have control over; I think those are the things that are non-negotiable,” Davis continued. “You have to bring it every day. That’s energy, effort, attention to detail, enthusiasm, and can’t use the excuse that we have final exams. I’m married and I’ve got three kids. I got prepared for this game early.”
With that being said, here are reasons the Tar Heels should be encouraged following Saturday’s performance.
Luka Bogavac is Playing with Confidence
These are the types of games for role and bench players to build confidence and find their footing in the offense. It was the second consecutive game in which Bogavac shot the ball efficiently, but this was the first time this season that it felt like he was playing with full confidence and rhythm.
The overseas transfer went 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, totaling 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
If Bogavac plays anywhere remotely close to this level during conference play, the Tar Heels will have a chance to compete for the ACC regular season title.
Could Depth be a Strength?
Just a couple of weeks ago, we were questioning how deep this roster was. Without Seth Trimble, North Carolina’s guard play looked suspect, but over the last few weeks, a couple of players have emerged as potential impactful players.
Freshman guard Derek Dixon has been the standout bench player in the previous two games, averaging 11.5 points, while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range.
Sophomore forward Jonathan Powell had his breakout game on Saturday, scoring 17 points while shooting 6-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
It appears North Carolina has at least two bench players who can produce double-digit points on a moment’s notice. With Trimble returning to the lineup soon, which will slide Bogavac back to the bench, the Tar Heels have the flexibility to incorporate eight players into the rotation.
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North Carolina
Virginia signee Hamrick leads Shelby Crest to its 7th North Carolina high school football title by beating Hunt
Wilson J.B. Hunt and Shelby Crest will battle for the Class 5A North Carolina High School Athletic Association title at 8 p.m. at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham.
Both teams enter with 12-2 records in this contest.
Crest has won 6 state titles, the most recent came in 2015 in Class 3AA.
The Crest Chargers have won five in a row since a 21-14 loss to Ashbrook on Oct. 24. During the playoff run, the Chargers have knocked off Concord, 69-6; East Lincoln, 31-14; South Point, 28-14 and Hickory, 39-21.
East Lincoln and Hickory were both ranked ahead of the Chargers in the state.
The Hunt Warriors carry a 6-game winning streak into the finals. One of the two losses came against fellow finalist Tarboro, which is in the 2A finals.
The postseason run has included a pair of close wins for the Warriors, 30-28 against Eastern Alamance in the first round and then 32-29 over Croatan in the quarterfinals. Last week, Hunt beat Northside-Jacksonville, 20-7, to punch the ticket to the finals.
According to MaxPreps, dating back to 2004, these teams have not played.
Crest
QB Ely Hamrick, sr. — 2,686 yards passing and 29 TDs; 706 yards rushing and 17 TDs; signed with Virginia; once played at IMG Academy
RB Malachi Gamble, jr. — 501 yards rushing and 9 TDs
WR Michael Edwards, sr. — 48 catches for 801 yards and 8 TDs; 24 carries for 248 yards and 10 TDs
WR Namjay Thompson, jr. — Has 47 catches for 804 yards and 13 TDs
LB Chris Gunter, sr. — Leads team with 81 tackles; has 10 TFL
S D’Various Surratt, sr. — Team-high 4 interceptions; signed with North Carolina State
S Lyrick Pettis, sr. — 3 interceptions; Duke signee
Hunt
LB Judah Harris, jr. — 184 tackles, 49 TFL, 6 sacks, 56 QB hurries, 2 FF, 2 FR
DT CJ Dickerson, jr. — 174 tackles, 46 TFL, 15 sacks, 40 QB hurries
WR/CB Isaiah Chadwick, sr. — 6 interceptions; 23 catches, 361 yards, 2 TDs
WR/CB Jamauris Howard, sr. — 16 catches for 307 yards, 3 TDs; 8 interceptions
LB Trevorous Cooper, fr. — 127 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 FR
QB Mez Harris, jr. — 1,435 yards passing and 8 TDs; 122 carries for 1,271 yards and 16 TDs rushing
RB Doryan Jones, so. — 243 carries for 1,754 yards and 21 TDS
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The 5A @NCFarmBureau Sportsmanship Award recipients, presented by NCHSAA Board members Eddie Doll and Chris Blanton. Congrats!
🏈 Mez Harris (#2) @Hunt_High_NC — NCHSAA (@NCHSAA) December 14, 2025
🏈 Tucker Wesson (#59) @crest_chargers#NCHSAAFB #NCHSAAGameLockedIn pic.twitter.com/tMSQYfmHsm
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hunt |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
|
Crest |
7 |
17 |
7 |
0 |
31 |
Hunt gets the all first
Nehemiah Rayquan Parker nearly gets a pick for Crest. Bobbled it twice but it fell to the ground
Crest gets the ball
Hamrick to Edwards for a first down and the ball is near midfield
Big play! Cooper with a blocked punt with 8:02 left. The Warriors will have good field position
Jones with a first-down run. Ball at the 30-yard line; Pettis is hurt on the play
Jones with another big run off tackle. This time, going to the right; Ball at the 5-yard line
Jones with another carry and taken down at the 2 The ball pops out but he is ruled down by contact
TOUCHDOWN! Harris with a 2-yard run at 5:42. PAT is good. Hunt 7, Crest 0
Crest has to punt again. Hunt ball with 4:46 left but ball at the Crest 43-yard line
TURNVOER! Hunt goes deep and Javion Hopper hauls it in. Ball at the 5-yard line. 4:32 left
Ball at the 1-yard line after a TFL
Hamrick to Thompson for a 49-yard completion 2:58 left
Big play! Jason Black runs down to the 3-yard line but a horse collar tackle will make it closer. Crest ball at the 2
Flags on the play
Offsides on Crest
1st and goal at the 7
TOUCHDOWN! Edwards with TD no. 11 on the season. Hamrick ran ahead of Edwards toward the goal line. 1:29 left. Crest 7, Hunt 7
Touchdown by Michael Edwards for Crest. Crest 7 – Hunt 7. 1:29 left in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/QygPT3Dnt4
— What’s Up Shopper (@WhatsUpShopper) December 14, 2025
4th and 1 at the 35 now for Crest; Hunt jumped off sides to make it a little bit shorter
TOUCHDOWN! Edwards with 35-yard run and Hamrick is one of the lead blockers. Crest 14, Hunt 7, 9:17 left in 2nd
Touchdown by Michael Edwards for Crest. Crest 14 – Hunt 7. 9:17 left in the half. pic.twitter.com/YqroLPdlds
— What’s Up Shopper (@WhatsUpShopper) December 14, 2025
Hunt punts; Crest taking over with 5:57 left
TV timeout
Black with a 9-yard run on the first play for the Chargers
Hamrick keeps it and runs for a first down. Ball into Hunt territory; 6-foot-5 TE Romeo Sanders with a big block for the Chargers
Hunt calls a timeout with 3:52 left. Chargers are driving
Edwards in a QB in a Wildcat formation and gets down to the 5 but flags on the play
Holding on Chargers will move the ball back
On a draw, Jason Black runs up the middle and the ball is at the 6.
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick on a tush-push play. 2:06 left. Crest 20, Hunt 7
Offsides on Hunt; offense coming out for 2 points now
A lineman jumps offsides and Crest is sending kicking unit out for the second time
PAT is good. Crest 21, Hunt 7
Television replay just saw the flag thrown on Crest prior to the game; don’t see that often
TOUCHDOWN! Harris tries to pass; finds no one and goes through a entire Crest defense for an 80-yard score. 1:42 left. Crest 21, Hunt 14
Crest calls timeout with 18 seconds left
Hamrick to Surratt — usually a defensive player — for a big gain. Ball at 10
Another timeout with 8 seconds left
incomplete pass; 4 seconds left
FIELD GOAL Carson Grier with a 27-yard FG. 0:00; Crest 24, Hunt 14
Crest gets the ball first
Hamrick to Brock Melton for a first down. WR got an extra 7 yards after initial tackle
Unsporstmanlike call against Crest; guessing for Melton’s celebration after catch, but no mic on ref that time to know who call was against and I can’t read lips that well
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick with another TD run from the 24. 9:56 left Crest 31, Hunt 14
Jones gets the ball near midfield with a long run. He’s up to nearly 100 yards on the night. Ball is at the 48
Harris drops back and finds nothing. He runs for a first down and the ball is at the 32
Bad snap — high — turns into a TFL for Christian Stowe. 4th down coming up for Hunt with 5:37 left and rolling
TURNOVER! 38-yard FG goes wide right; 5:10 left
Crest ball coming out of Media timeout
Hamrick and Black with back-to-back first down runs. Ball at a midfield for the Chargers
Cooper is hurt for Hunt with 2:03 left. He looks to be favoring a shoulder injury
TURNVOER! Harris with an interception with 7 seconds left in third quarter
Incomplete pass; Hunt still doesn’t have any passing yards; Incomplete pass celebration gets a flag on Crest. 1 second left in the 3rd
Hunt calls a timeout with 11:53 left
Hunt punts the ball again; Crest ball with 10:45 left
Big play from Hamrick to Edwards and the ball is at the 13-yard line now.
Crest facing a 4th and 31
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick to Thompson for a TD at 4:16.
Thompson did a backflip after TD and a flag followed, so … connect the dot
Unsportsmanlike call on Crest; so touchdown is off the board
TURNOVER! Harris fumbles and Gunter recovers with 3:22
Sunday’s matchup will be a step down in competition, as the North Carolina Tar Heels’ recent schedule has featured Michigan State, Kentucky, and Georgetown in the last four weeks. With all due respect to the USC Upstate Spartans, they are not in the same class as any of the three teams mentioned above.
North Carolina’s coaching staff and personnel should not view this game as a pointless outing, as the Tar Heels can utilize this matchup to continue developing key features that will serve them well down the road.
With that being said, here are a couple of expectations for North Carolina in a home matchup against USC Upstate.
Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar Should Continue Dominance
The Tar Heels’ frontcourt, consisting of Veesaar and Wilson, has been the team’s driving force on both ends of the floor. That trend should continue on Saturday against USC Upstate, as the Spartans are an undersized team, with their tallest player at 6-foot-9.
This season, Wilson is averaging 19.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 53.2 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Veesaar is averaging 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting 63.6 percent from the field.
Both players could total career highs in points and rebounds in this game, which could easily translate to 20+ in each category.
Another Steppingstone for the Backcourt
North Carolina’s backcourt produced a complete group effort against Georgetown on Sunday, with Kyan Evans and Derek Dixon having standout performances. Evans totaled seven points and four assists, which all occurred in the opening minutes, but it set the tone for the Tar Heels. Dixon scored 14 points, while shooting 5-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range.
Head coach Hubert Davis highlighted both players’ performances against the Hoyas during his postgame press conference.
- “I thought the start that [Kyan Evans] had was huge for us,” Davis said. “I mean, it’s not just the shots that he made. He was confident, he was aggressive, he was on point. It’s been five out of eight games where he’s gotten into foul trouble, so we’ve [got to] find a way to keep him out there on the floor.”
- “I really like [Kyan] and Derek [Dixon] on the floor at the same time,” Davis continued. “I’ve always said that I love multiple ball handlers. You can’t take us out of our offense. And with those two, with the way that Georgetown was switching defenses, we always had somebody that can handle the basketball and get us into a set and get us organized.”
That was the first time in weeks where Evans was playing with complete confidence and was not hesitant shooting the ball from the perimeter. As for Dixon, it was the second straight game the freshman guard played a monumental role in the team’s win. Both players have an opportunity to replicate that level of production on Saturday.
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