North Carolina
NC education officials ask feds to restore $17M in federal Covid relief funds
The North Carolina State Board of Education and Superintendent Mo Green are asking the federal government to reverse a decision that effectively stops the flow of $17 million to North Carolina schools for facility upgrades.
The board voted Thursday to send a joint statement with Green that asks the U.S. Department of Education to honor extensions for spending about $17 million in pandemic stimulus funds that the Biden administration had granted last year.
More than $6 billion in pandemic stimulus dollars earmarked for North Carolina public schools since 2020 has been spent or were committed before a September 2024 deadline. But some extensions were made under the Biden administration to allow schools to spend the funds before the end of March 2026 — particularly spending for facility expenses to offer relief from times when materials and labor were in short supply.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said last week she wouldn’t honor those extensions, stating that schools had “ample time” to spend the money and that the extensions were “not justified.” In a letter to state officials across the country, McMahon noted that they could re-apply for their extensions and would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Four school districts in North Carolina had extensions: Robeson, Halifax, Lenoir and Richmond county school systems. Public Schools of Robeson County was still awaiting the bulk of that — $14.6 million, largely for heating and air conditioning equipment.
Officials at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction told WRAL News that the projects across all counties were largely for facilities, including window replacements. Some of those projects can’t be done quickly even after the worst of the supply shortages are over, because the work requires students and staff to be out of the building for extended periods of time, leaving holiday breaks and summers as the only times to do them.
In a statement directed to McMahon, the board and Green noted that the school districts had already signed contracts to do the work.
“These districts will now face potential cancellation of projects or, worse, will not have the resources to pay the bills for work already done,” they said in the statement.
North Carolina
Caleb Wilson leads No. 12 North Carolina to season-high point total in 99-51 rout of East Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Caleb Wilson had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 12 North Carolina had its highest point total of the season in a 99-51 victory over East Carolina on Monday night.
Wilson also had four blocks and three steals, while Henri Veesaar finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Luka Bogavac added 15 points and Seth Trimble scored 12 for the Tar Heels (12-1), who hit 12 3-pointers and shot 54% from the field.
Gio Emejuru finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds for ECU (5-8). Jordan Riley, who came in averaging a team-high 21.7 points, scored a season-low 11 on 4-of-24 shooting.
ECU missed its first seven shots and went 5:46 without a field goal. Offense came easily for the Tar Heels, who rolled into halftime up 49-26 while shooting 58.6%.
The Tar Heels stretched their lead to 50 points in the second half.
Trimble was playing his first home game since breaking his left forearm in a Nov. 9 weight room accident. The senior guard returned with 17 points in Saturday’s 71-70 victory over Ohio State in Atlanta.
North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson (8) goes in for a dunk during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against East Carolina, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Credit: AP/Chris Seward
The win was UNC’s 52nd straight over an in-state, non-Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.
Up next
East Carolina: Hosts Tulane on Dec. 31 in American Conference opener.
North Carolina: Hosts Florida State on Dec. 30 to begin ACC play.
North Carolina
Lower gas prices and open roads create ideal holiday travel conditions for NC travelers
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS0 — Nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period that started on Saturday, Dec. 20.
Thaissa Braga, a Florida resident who traveled by car to spend the holidays in Asheville.
WHITE CHRISTMAS UNLIKELY FOR MANY IN U.S. WITH WARM TEMPERATURES IN HOLIDAY FORECAST
“We thought we needed snow tires for the wheels and stuff, but it wasn’t anything like that. It was smooth sailing, not many accidents along the way. We did leave at 4:30 in the morning, so that was a little crazy, but it was worth it,” Braga said.
One plus for anyone traveling by car to their holiday destination this year is that gas prices are lower than they were last year, with the national average dipping below $3 per gallon for the first time in four years.
According to the same AAA report, which anticipates nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians traveling over the year-end holiday period, it also says that most of them travel by car.
DEC. 21, 2025 – Nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period that started on Saturday, Dec. 20. (Photo: WLOS Staff)
To help drivers get to their destinations safely and on time, the North Carolina Department of Transportation removed all lane closures where possible across the state through Jan. 2.
However, David Uchiyama with NCDOT says there are some areas in western North Carolina where the lane closures must remain in place, like the stretch of Interstate 40 going through the Pigeon River Gorge.
“It’s open with one lane in each direction, a 35-mile-an-hour speed limit, narrow shoulders,” said David Uchiyama, the Western Communications Manager with NCDOT.
Uchiyama is reminding drivers to plan their trips ahead of time, and he says one helpful resource is drivenc.gov.
DEC. 21, 2025 – Nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period that started on Saturday, Dec. 20. (Photo: WLOS Staff)
One person who planned for her trip is Asheville resident Emily Lamb; however, she’s flying instead of driving to visit her family in Ohio.
“Preparing for this trip looked like calculating my PTO for one. And then really comparing plane ticket prices and timing of things. And overall, just being intentional with any gifts I take home,” Lamb said.
According to the AAA report, over 200,000 of the North Carolina Holiday travelers will travel by plane.
ASHEVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT SHARES HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS AMID ONGOING RENOVATIONS
The Asheville Airport published holiday travel tips online, telling people to make a parking plan before arriving at the airport.
A helpful resource is their website, which has a map of their parking areas.
North Carolina
Life-threatening injuries reported after shooting on I-73 South near Wendover Avenue, Greensboro police say
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — One person was left with life-threatening injuries in an overnight shooting Sunday, according to the Greensboro Police Department.
At 12:52 a.m., officers responded to a man down call at Interstate 73 South just before the Wendover Avenue exit and found one shooting victim with life-threatening injuries. They were taken to a local hospital.
I-73 South at Wendover Avenue was closed following the shooting. As of 10:22 a.m. Sunday, the road is still closed.
No suspect information was available.
The investigation is ongoing.
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