North Carolina
North Carolina family can sue over unwanted COVID-19 shot, court rules
A North Carolina mother and son can sue a public school system and a doctors’ group on allegations they gave the boy a COVID-19 vaccine without consent, the state Supreme Court ruled on Friday, reversing a lower-court decision that declared a federal health emergency law blocked the litigation.
A trial judge and later the state Court of Appeals had ruled against Emily Happel and her son Tanner Smith, who at age 14 received the vaccination in August 2021 despite his protests at a testing and vaccination clinic at a Guilford County high school, according to the family’s lawsuit.
Smith went to the clinic to be tested for COVID-19 after a cluster of cases occurred among his school’s football team.
He did not expect the clinic would be providing vaccines as well, according to the litigation. Smith told workers he didn’t want a vaccination, and he lacked a signed parental consent form to get one.
When the clinic was unable to reach his mother, a worker instructed another to “give it to him anyway,” Happel and Smith allege in legal briefs.
Happel and Smith sued the Guilford County Board of Education and an organization of physicians who helped operate the school clinic, alleging claims of battery and that their constitutional rights were violated.
A panel of the intermediate-level appeals court last year ruled unanimously that the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act shielded the school district and the Old North State Medical Society from liability.
The law places broad protections and immunity on an array of individuals and organizations who perform “countermeasures” during a public health emergency.
A COVID-19 emergency declaration in March 2020 activated the law’s immunity provisions, Friday’s decision said.
Chief Justice Paul Newby, writing Friday’s prevailing opinion, said that the federal law did not prevent the mother and son from suing on allegations that their rights in the state constitution had been violated.
In particular, he wrote, there is the right for a parent to control their child’s upbringing and the “right of a competent person to refuse forced, nonmandatory medical treatment.”
The federal law’s plain text led a majority of justices to conclude that its immunity only covers tort injuries, Newby wrote, which is when someone seeks damages for injuries caused by negligent or wrongful actions.
“Because tort injuries are not constitutional violations, the PREP Act does not bar plaintiffs’ constitutional claims,” he added while sending the case back presumably for a trial on the allegations.
The court’s five Republican justices backed Newby’s opinion, including two who wrote a short separate opinion suggesting the immunity found in the federal law should be narrowed further.
Associate Justice Allison Riggs, writing a dissenting opinion backed by the other Democratic justice on the court, said that state constitutional claims should be preempted from the federal law.
Riggs criticized the majority for “fundamentally unsound” constitutional analyses.
“Through a series of dizzying inversions, it explicitly rewrites an unambiguous statute to exclude state constitutional claims from the broad and inclusive immunity,” Riggs said.
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Sunday, April 26, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 26 drawing
Day: 8-0-7, Fireball: 1
Evening: 5-9-3, Fireball: 1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 26 drawing
Day: 6-6-8-4, Fireball: 2
Evening: 3-0-8-2, Fireball: 7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from April 26 drawing
02-09-18-26-42
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from April 26 drawing
16-21-22-31-43
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 26 drawing
02-03-06-17-56, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
On Friday, North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar announced his decision to enter the 2026 NBA Draft, with no intention of removing his name from the process.
Hours after the news broke, the 6-foot-11, 224-pound center shared a heartfelt goodbye to Chapel Hill and the Tar Heel faithful.
What Veesaar Said
- “This journey didn’t happen alone,” Veesaar said in a statement. “To my family – thank you for every sacrifice, every late night, every moment you believed in me before anyone else did. To my friends, teammates and coaches – thank you for being part of the grind and helping shape me into who I am today.”
Veesaar transferred to North Carolina last offseason after spending two years at Arizona. In his lone campaign with the Tar Heels, the junior center averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 60.8 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from three-point range. Veesaar spoke on the impact the university has made on him.
- “The University of North Carolina – thank you for the memories, the lessons and the brotherhood. It’s something I’ll carry with me forever. I’m proud to say I’m taking the next step and declaring for the NBA Draft. Thank you to everyone who’s been part of the journey.”
North Carolina’s season abruptly ended in the first round of the NCAA against VCU. That did not appear to be the end result, as the Tar Heels held a 19-point lead halfway through the second half. Veesaar, who led the team with 26 points and 10 rebounds, shared his love for North Carolina, which should have been a sign that he was leaning towards entering the upcoming NBA draft.
- “I love the school, I love the people, I love the university, they’ve given me so much,” Veesaar said.
Overall Thoughts
Veesaar declaring for the draft is a monumental loss for head coach Michael Malone and the Tar Heels heading into next season. Now, Malone and his staff must adjust on the fly and plan accordingly. With the transfer portal closing on April 21, the options have dwindled significantly, putting North Carolina’s brass in a serious bind.
While the Tar Heels would love to bring in someone like Arizona State’s Massamba Diop, who was dominant rim protector and effective offensive piece in his freshman season in 2025. The 7-foot-1, 230-pound center does not possess the shooting ability that Veesaar has in his repertoire, but Diop still averaged 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 56.9 percent from the field.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina’s largest craft beer festival returned to downtown Raleigh, continuing on Saturday, bringing thousands of visitors and dozens of breweries together for the second day of the two-day event.
Organizers said Brewgaloo was expected to draw about 50,000 people, with nearly 80 breweries from across the state offering samples.
The festival began Friday evening with a ceremonial keg tapping, followed by a block party. Attendees enjoyed unlimited three-ounce samples, including limited releases, barrel-aged beers, and sours.
Saturday’s street festival ran from noon to 8 p.m. along Fayetteville Street, featuring dozens of breweries, food trucks, vendors and two live music stages. Although some much-needed rain cut the iconic Brewgaloo festival short, many called the festival a massive success.
“It’s nice to be able to see a lot of people from different areas and a lot of different breweries in one location. All I have to do is buy a ticket and I get to support local brewers,” said Raleigh resident Ryan Walker.
Festivalgoers were able to sample more than 350 craft beverages by redeeming drink tickets for either a pint or a three-ounce pour.
Admission to Brewgaloo was free, but tickets were required for beer sampling.
This was the fifth year that Goldsboro Brew Works participated in the festival.
“There’s double the amount of kegs that we normally bring, so here’s hoping,” said Zachary Fein, one of the owners of Goldsboro Brew Works. “Every single time we get people after Brewgaloo, we get them wanting to buy kegs, we get them coming to the taproom on the way to the beach.
“We’re remote, we’re 45 minutes down 70 from here, we’re east,” Fein said. “A lot of these folks have never heard of us before and it’s really kind of great for us to get our name out.”
This year’s event came amid amplified concerns about safety downtown. In the past few weeks, several people were stabbed during a brawl on Fayetteville Street and a man was seriously injured in a shooting in Glenwood South.
“It’s always concerning to see any incident in Raleigh,” Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said. “We are doing several things working with our police chief. Reallocating resources based on data and crime patterns. I think we’ve found that this is going to be one of the areas.”
According to Cowell, the city council is also exploring adding more police officers in the upcoming budget.
For Brewgaloo specifically, Raleigh police had barricades and barriers in place to protect the tens of thousands who were expected to enjoy the festivities this weekend.
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“Overall, Raleigh’s a safe place,” Cowell said. “I think when there’s a lot more people is when we actually have fewer incidents because you’ve got so much activity, eyes on people, feet on the sidewalks.”
This year’s event also came on the heels of recent controversy involving Shop Local Raleigh, the group that organizes Brewgaloo. Executive director Jennifer Martin apologized after making an anonymous social media comment, stating “there is “there’s no such thing as a transgender son.”
The backlash led to the creation of a separate event, the “Y’all Means All” North Carolina Beer Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday at the same time as Brewgaloo. More than 16 breweries are expected to participate in that event, hosted by Raleigh Brewing Company, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the LGBT Center of Raleigh.
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