North Carolina
North Carolina neighbor of would-be Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh says ‘people were afraid of him’
A longtime neighbor of alleged Donald Trump gunman Ryan Wesley Routh in North Carolina has admitted Routh was “a little cuckoo” and “a lot of people were afraid” of him.
“I knew he was a little cuckoo,” the anonymous neighbor, who claimed to have known Routh for nearly two decades when he lived in Greensboro, told Fox 8 Sunday, adding, “He’s going to be going away for a long time.”
The woman, however, was still stunned that the devoted Democrat would target the former president.
“I mean, trying to shoot Trump? That’s a lot. I would have never guessed, and I would have swore up and down, no, that’s not him,” Routh’s dumbfounded former neighbor said.
“I just can’t believe it. I mean, if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I mean the pictures and stuff and all, then I wouldn’t be able to believe that.”
She claimed to have seen Routh with “a lot of guns,” and that his behavior instilled fear in others around the neighborhood when he was living in the Tar Heel State.
“I’ve seen the guns myself and all, and, yeah, they had a lot of guns and stuff over there, and, yeah, a lot of people were afraid of him back in the day,” she told the outlet.
Here’s what we know about the assassination attempt on Trump in Florida:
The awestruck neighbor said she last spoke with Routh before he moved to Hawaii in May.
She claimed that nothing seemed off with him when the alleged would-be assassin left North Carolina.
“He told me it was the last day he was here and he hugged me goodbye, and, yeah, he actually hugged me,” she told the outlet.
Routh even gifted her a shirt from Hawaii and hired her son to help with the move, she shared.
“I thought he was just living the life in Hawaii with the girlfriend and all,” his former neighbor said.
“For him to be assassinating the president, that’s just crazy.”
Routh’s LinkedIn page shows he attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University but relocated to Hawaii sometime around 2018.
The 58-year-old accused wannabe assassin has a lengthy criminal record from North Carolina, frequently posted about politics, and exclusively donated to Democratic candidates and causes dating back to 2019.
Somebody with Routh’s same full name and date of birth racked up more than a dozen criminal charges in 2001 and 2002, including for carrying a concealed weapon and a hit and run, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
The alleged gunman also picked up a particularly alarming felony in April 2002 for “possessing a weapon of mass destruction,” records show.
On Sunday, Routh was spotted by Secret Service agents near the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach with a scoped AK-47 rifle.
He had set up a GoPro camera on the fence apparently to record the shooting and built a makeshift sniper’s nest in the hedges at the edge of the golf course, waiting for Trump to come into view.
The Secret Service opened fire on Routh, who fled and was arrested on I-95 by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office a short time later.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the suspect took cover near a chain-link fence between 300 and 500 yards from Trump as he teed off at the fifth hole around 2 p.m. — noting that “with a rifle and scope, like, that is not a long distance.”
The suspect’s motives are not yet known.
North Carolina
NC to receive nearly $70M in FEMA funds, Madsion County manager says $14M hasn’t arrived
MADISON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Senator Tedd Budd’s office announced nearly $70 million in public assistance FEMA funds for Helene recovery toward the North Carolina Department of Transportation, cities and counties.
Madison County Manager Rod Honeycutt created a color-coded spreadsheet of projects, both paid and unpaid. Honeycutt said he sends the spreadsheet to federal leaders’ offices, including Budd’s, regularly to ensure staff are aware of what’s not reimbursed.
Honeycutt estimates about $14 million in reimbursements from FEMA haven’t come through.
As for the $1.9 million just approved for Madison County’s emergency protective measures, including laborers, equipment reimbursement, Honeycutt said the county doesn’t have it yet.
NORTH CAROLINA TO RECEIVE $70M IN ADDITIONAL FEMA FUNDING AS NOEM FACES CRITICISM
“It’s coming back to our fund balance,” said Honeycutt. “And we know it will take six more weeks for it to get through the state and to the county.”
Honeycutt estimates that within six months, FEMA will resolve all reimbursements. He said debris removal jobs along the French Broad River have been delayed as FEMA continues to review the applications.
In Marshall, the town has leased store spaces on Main Street, along with signs advertising leasing available. But longtime resident, artist and business owner Josh Copus is optimistic that Marshall and its community will thrive once again. He acknowledged that FEMA funds and reimbursements to clean up have been an important part of the area’s recovery.
MORE THAN $3.5M HEADED TO BURKE COUNTY FOR CONTINUED HELENE RECOVERY
“I would say our town is 50% fixed and our town was 100% destroyed, so 50% is pretty good,” Copus said.
The awards include:
- Biltmore Forest: $2.5 million for debris removal reimbursement.
- Buncombe County Sewage District: $1.57 million reimbursement for line repairs, vacuuming, line replacements and riverbank restoration.
- Old Fort: $1.15 million Westerman Street Waterline for potable water reimbursement.
- Mitchell County: $11.9 million for debris contractors, tipping fees and debris monitoring reimbursement.
- Buncombe County: $3.5 million toward labor costs for 836 laborers during and after Helene reimbursement.
- Asheville: $5.6 million for North Fork Treatment Plant repairs reimbursement.
- Lake Lure: $1.48 million for lake safety repairs reimbursement.
- Madison County: $1.9 million for emergency protective measures, including laborers, equipment reimbursement.
North Carolina
2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers
Here are the voter turnout numbers for the 2026 primary election, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Hyde County had the highest voter turnout, while Onslow County had the lowest turnout. Check out what the voter turnout in your county was below:
BERTIE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
31.85% (3,911 out of 12,280)
CARTERET COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
29.06% (16,543 out of 56,931)
CRAVEN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
18.63% (14,119 out of 75,778)
DUPLIN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
21.93% (6,981 out of 31,832)
EDGECOMBE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
18.16% (6,428 out of 35,396)
GREENE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
19.70% (2,147 out of 10,900)
HYDE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
37.27% (1,123 out of 3,013)
JONES COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
25.91% (1,805 out of 6,966)
LENOIR COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
16.73% (6,251 out of 37,371)
MARTIN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
17.61% (2,858 out of 16,228)
ONSLOW COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
11.44% (14,816 out of 129,537)
PAMLICO COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
24.03% (2,446 out of 10,180)
PITT COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
15.71% (19,429 out of 123,705)
TYRRELL COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
30.49% (723 out of 2,371)
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
28.66% (2,312 out of 8,067)
WAYNE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
21.49% (16,408 out of 76,358)
North Carolina
Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 6:41PM
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina schools and businesses took part in a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.
The National Weather Service led the drill at 9:30 a.m., broadcasting it on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System. Schools, workplaces and households across the state were encouraged to join in.
The National Weather Service didn’t issue a follow up alert to mark the end of the drill. Instead, each school or business wrapped up once they felt they had practiced the procedures thoroughly.
Wednesday’s drill also replaced the regular weekly NOAA Weather Radio test.
SEE | New warning for parents amid new ‘fire-breathing’ social media trend
Make sure to download the ABC 11 Mobile App ABC11 North Carolina Apps for Connected TV, Mobile News, Echo
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