North Carolina
North Carolina lawmakers react to Venezuela strikes, Maduro capture
ASHEVILLE – Expressing a range of support and skepticism, North Carolina lawmakers are reacting to react to the United States bombing of Venezuelan military sites and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro on Jan 2.
The morning of Jan. 3, President Donald Trump announced that the United States had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife and bombed military sites in the country’s capital, Caracas. During a press conference in the early afternoon, Trump said the United States would “run” the country until a new leader could be appointed. Congress had not been told about the operation due to concerns lawmakers would “leak” information, Trump said.
According to USA TODAY, citing CNN reporting, a plane carrying Maduro and Flores landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York the afternoon of Jan. 3.
Republican Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina expressed support for the president’s actions in a statement on social media, calling Maduro “an illegitimate dictator who has long been wanted in the U.S. on charges of narco-terrorism, corruption, & drug trafficking.”
“These actions are within the President’s Article II authority & send a clear message to America’s enemies our nation will not allow threats to our safety & security to continue unchecked,” Budd, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote on X Jan. 3.
As of 5 p.m. on Jan 3., Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents much of Western North Carolina, had not yet released a statement on the events in Venezuela. On Jan. 1, Edwards published an op-ed in the Washington Times in support of Trump’s directive to strike boats off the coast of the Latin American country. The president has said the boats facilitated “narcoterrorism.”
The Citizen Times has reached out to Edwards’ office and the office of Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who has also not yet issued a statement on the president’s actions. Tillis is not seeking re-election.
Adam Smith, a former Green Beret running against Edwards in the Republican primary for North’s Carolina 11th Congressional District, said Maduro’s arrest “represents a decisive and long-overdue action in defense of the Western Hemisphere and the security interests of the United States and its allies.”
Democrats skeptical of legality
In a statement on X, North Carolina Rep. Deborah Ross for the Second Congressional District, said that Trump, while acting “without regard for the constitution and without considering the long-term consequences for our security or our democracy” sought to capture a “despot who stole elections, imprisoned his political opponents, and trampled on the rights and dignity of his people.”
“Using military force to remove a foreign head of state unquestionably requires congressional authorization. Trump ignored that requirement, once again thumbing his nose at our constitution and Congress. At a minimum, Congress must be fully and transparently briefed and then take appropriate action,” Ross wrote in her statement.
Though former governor and North Carolina Democratic Senate Candidate Roy Cooper has not released a statement on Maduro’s capture, Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley said he supported Trump’s decision in a post on X.
“He has taken decisive and aggressive action to dismantle the criminal networks responsible for addiction, violence, and death no matter where they operate or how powerful they claim to be,” Whatley said. “I am proud to support a President who will stop at nothing to protect our people and hold those who traffic death into our country fully responsible.”
As protests were expected across the country the afternoon of Jan. 3, around 75 protestors gathered in Pack Square Plaza in Asheville around 2:30 p.m. holding signs that said “no blood for oil” and “stop bombing Venezuela.”
Protestor Jeffrey DeCristofaro said he had been planning to rest on Jan. 3 but came to the protest after he felt Trump’s actions were “more than just illegal, but dangerous.” Given the lack of details on the future of the conflict, the strikes have made him feel uneasy.
“I didn’t know what to make of it,” DeCristofaro said of Trump stating the United States would “run” Venezuela. “I’m kind of walking a tightrope between passionate anger and cynical exhaustion.”
Holding a sign stating “money for people’s needs, not the war machine,” Anne Turnbow-Raustol said she attended the protest amid what she felt was “hypocrisy” by the Trump administration, comparing Trump’s decision to capture Maduro as similar to how the Venezuelan president operates.
“I don’t think any of it is legal,” Turnbow-Raustol said.
This story will be updated.
Reporting contributed by Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Davis Winkie, Francesca Chambers, Bart Jansen, Hannah Phillips, Jeanine Santucci, Eduardo Cuevas, Mike Snider of USA TODAY
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com or message will_hofmann.01 on Signal.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A graduation ceremony for NC State University’s Department of Biological Sciences at Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night left hundreds of family members outside, frustrated and emotional after they were not allowed into the building.
Inside, graduates were met with pomp and circumstance as they walked across the stage to accept their degrees.
Outside, people shouted in confusion as they realized they would not be permitted to enter.
“I’m hurt. She’s hurting. We’re hurt,” said Dr. Darlene Jackson, a grandmother from Winston-Salem. “They’re asking, can’t we get here? But this is ridiculous. Ridiculous.”
We get here, and we are turned away. That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well,
– Sally Charlet, NCSU grandparent
Families said they arrived about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. ceremony, only to find a line wrapped around the building. Many said they were eventually told the venue had reached capacity.
“They are saying the fire marshal shut it down because it’s too crowded,” Jackson said. “They should have known how many occupy this. They should have had it in a different place.”
Sally Charlet said she flew in from Florida earlier in the day to watch her granddaughter graduate.
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“We get here, and we are turned away,” she said. “That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well, and they should have tickets. That would have made a lot of sense.”
According to GoPack.com, Reynolds Coliseum seats about 5,500 people.
Some families said they were especially devastated after years of supporting their students’ work.
This is awful, and it needs to be made right.
– Eddie McFall, NCSU parent
“It’s very disheartening,” said Rhonda Bartone, whose son earned his Ph.D. In toxicology. “He did a five-year program getting his Ph.D., and we have no family. And they’re seeing him get his Ph.D. right now. We had to text his professor and ask him to please take some pictures of him. It’s hard not to cry.”
Several people outside shared photos sent by students inside showing empty seats.
“There was unfortunately not better planning for the hundreds of students, maybe even thousands of students, and, of course, thousands of students, even more people, parents, siblings, loved ones,” said Julia Norton, whose fiancé earned his Ph.D.
One father, Eddie McFall, who is also an alumnus of NC State, said he has three children at the university, including a senior graduating Friday.
“His mother was five feet from the door when they shut it down,” he said. “Won’t let anybody in there.”
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About 45 minutes after the ceremony began, someone came outside to address the remaining crowd. Families were told their only option was to watch a livestream from the student union or on their phones.
“I can go to my house and watch the livestream,” McFall said. “Who’s the event coordinator? Who from the school did this? This is awful, and it needs to be made right.”
NC State did not respond to questions about how the situation unfolded or why the event was not ticketed. The university said it provided a livestream for those unable to attend in person and had posted earlier in the week advising visitors to expect delays around the coliseum.
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NORTH CAROLINA — Fifteen lineworkers from North Carolina’s electric cooperatives recently traveled to Guatemala to help bring first-time access to electricity to a rural village.
The group spent three weeks working in El Plan Nuevo Amanecer.
Crews constructed three miles of line, bringing power to more than 50 homes, a school, two churches and the community’s only health clinic.
Photo: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives
Without access to bucket trucks or heavy machinery, volunteers worked by hand across rugged terrain.
The project helped bring light to the village, creating new opportunities for education, economic growth and safer everyday life for the community.
The effort was done alongside NRECA International.
Volunteer lineworkers represented several North Carolina electric cooperatives, including EnergyUnited, Union Power Cooperative, Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, Jones-Onslow EMC, Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, South River EMC, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation and Rutherford EMC.
Photo: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, May 7, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 7 drawing
Day: 3-7-3, Fireball: 0
Evening: 3-5-8, Fireball: 9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 7 drawing
Day: 8-1-3-1, Fireball: 5
Evening: 7-1-5-3, Fireball: 4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from May 7 drawing
10-11-14-19-36
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from May 7 drawing
01-25-31-32-33
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing
05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01
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.
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