North Carolina
North Carolina man wins lottery, fights to get his money after it was kept to pay debt he didn’t owe
TIMBERLAKE, N.C. — A North Carolina man won the lottery but couldn’t immediately collect his winnings. Carl McCain tried his luck in the Nov. 4 Mega Millions drawing and matched four numbers. He says, “It was a four times winner, so it was $800 that I won.”
Because of the size of the prize, McCain had to travel from his Timberlake home to the North Carolina Education Lottery’s regional office in Raleigh to claim his winnings.
“I filled the form out and give them my ticket, and I sit down and wait,” McCain said.
Instead of receiving a check, McCain says he was handed paperwork explaining that under the North Carolina State Lottery Act, if a winner owes a debt to state or local agencies, lottery winnings, minus taxes, are applied to that debt.
I said, well, I never been there before. I don’t know anybody there.
McCain says a lottery employee told him, “These two counties you owe money are Lenoir County and Wayne County. I said, well, I never been there before. I don’t know anybody there.”
McCain says he contacted both counties and provided his name and birthdate, but was told there was no debt. However, when he gave his Social Security number, he says he was told, “Another man’s number name is hitting off your Social Security number.”
McCain says that was the first time he had ever heard of the issue. He wanted more information, but says he was told it couldn’t be released. He says the counties told him they would look into it. After waiting more than a month with no answers, McCain says he called several more times and was told officials were still investigating.
That’s when he decided to contact ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson with our Raleigh sister station. McCain says to Wilson, “I told my wife, I said, you know, we need to call Diane Wilson. I said, because I seen her get refrigerators and washing machines so why can’t she get $800 for me?”
ABC11 Troubleshooter reached out to the North Carolina Education Lottery, which confirmed McCain’s winnings were processed properly and sent to Lenoir County. When Wilson contacted representatives in Lenoir County, they said they had been looking into the issue for more than a month and were still working on it. Shortly after Wilson’s inquiry, McCain received good news. He says, “They erased my Social Security number out of their databank.”
Within days, McCain received a check for his lottery winnings, minus the required taxes. He later told Wilson, “I was glad that you intervened and came to my rescue.”
Lenoir County says the debt tied to McCain’s Social Security number dates back more than ten years and may have been a case of mistaken identity. It’s still unclear how the error occurred. The bottom line: McCain finally got his lottery winnings and says he’s still trying his luck.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A state Senate bill that would delay property tax reappraisals for some North Carolina homeowners is moving forward at the General Assembly with a last-minute change.
Lawmakers gave initial approval Tuesday to the Property Tax Revaluation Moratorium Bill (SB 889), which would block counties that completed property reappraisals in 2026 from using those new values for the upcoming tax year. Instead, those counties would be required to use older property values this year before switching to the updated numbers in 2027.
The move is in response to sharp increases in property values across parts of the state, in some cases jumping by 50% to 60%, which could translate into higher tax bills for homeowners.
“We’ve seen an extensive increase in property values, in the double digits,” said state Sen. Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson County, Davie County).
The moratorium would apply to a dozen counties, including Guilford, Buncombe and Pender, where reappraisals are already underway.
During debate Tuesday, state senators approved an amendment carving out an exemption for three smaller counties to allow them to move forward with their reappraisals as planned.
“This will impact only three counties, Clay, Chowan and Pamlico,” said State Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania counties). “These smaller counties face a relatively higher financial burden during the reappraisal process.”
The updated bill also includes new language clarifying the appeals process, ensuring property owners still have the ability to challenge their property values in both 2026 and 2027.
Senate leader Phil Berger says the goal of the bill is to give lawmakers time to address larger issues tied to rising property values.
“In many instances, the folks that are getting hit the hardest are folks at the lower end of the income scale, especially folks that are on fixed income,” Berger said.
The bill has cleared initial Senate approval and now heads to a final vote, before potentially moving to the House. Berger also acknowledged the proposal’s future in the House is still unclear.
“I don’t know that they haven’t embraced it. We’ll see once it gets over there,” he said.
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Monday, May 4, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 4 drawing
30-36-42-60-63, Powerball: 13, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 4 drawing
Day: 0-5-9, Fireball: 8
Evening: 5-4-0, Fireball: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 4 drawing
Day: 8-3-9-5, Fireball: 0
Evening: 4-8-7-4, Fireball: 9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from May 4 drawing
01-10-21-27-37
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from May 4 drawing
02-09-15-23-34
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 4 drawing
08-17-22-34-39, Bonus: 05
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.
GASTONIA, N.C. (WBTV) – An overturned transfer truck shut down traffic along an I-85 exit ramp in Gaston County on Monday morning.
The crash happened around 7:20 a.m. on Monday, May 4, along I-85 North off-ramp (Exit 17) near N. New Hope Road in Gastonia. Officials said the accident was causing major traffic delays.
The Gastonia Police Department said the road was closed for the next couple of hours as cleanup and recovery efforts were underway. Drivers are asked to avoid the area if possible and use detour routes.
Officials said the driver of the truck was taken to the hospital. The driver’s condition was not immediately clear, or what caused the truck to turnover.
A transfer truck is a large truck that pulls a separate trailer, typically containing construction materials up to 25 tons.
Read more: Tick population becoming more active in Charlotte amid hot and dry weather
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