North Carolina
Why are flags flying at half-staff in North Carolina?
Four law enforcement officers killed in North Carolina shooting
Charlotte police say U.S. Marshals were killed while trying to serve a warrant when suspects started shooting at them
United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities are flying at half-staff in North Carolina to honor the lives of four officers slain in a shootout on Monday, April 29.
Gov. Roy Cooper made a statement on the lowering of flags in an April 30 news release.
“Yesterday, North Carolina and our country lost four heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty working to protect our communities,” Cooper said. “Our prayers are with their friends and families as they navigate this difficult time and we remember and honor the lives of these law enforcement officers.”
Why are the flags at half-staff in North Carolina?
Cooper ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor four officers who were shot to death in a standoff in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday.
The news release named Samuel “Sam” Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott, both 14-year veterans of the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections who served in the Special Operations and Intelligence Unit. Poloche joined the unit in 2013, Elliott in 2016 after each served several years as probation/parole officers. Officer Joshua Eyer was a six-year veteran of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. A Deputy U.S. Marshal, who has not yet been publicly named, was the fourth officer killed.
4 Charlotte, NC officers killed: Suspect named, two people being questioned after 4 officers killed serving warrant in NC
How long will flags be at half-staff?
The U.S. and N.C. flags will be flown at half-staff beginning immediately and will remain at half-staff until sunset on Friday, May 3.
Why do flags fly at half-staff?
Usa.gov states that the American flag flies at half-staff when the country or a state is mourning. The president, a state governor or the mayor of the District of Columbia can order flags to fly at half-staff.
An American flag flying at half-staff generally indicates one of these three things:
- The death of a government official, military member or emergency first responder.
- A national tragedy.
- Memorial Day or another national day of remembrance.
Where will flags be flown at half-staff?
Cooper ordered all state facilities in N.C. to fly flags at half-staff.
While only state facilities are ordered to lower flags, the news release encouraged individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions to fly flags at half-staff for the duration of time indicated to honor the fallen officers.
Is it half-mast or half-staff?
Previous reporting from Memphis Commercial Appeal explained that flags are flown at half-mast on ships and at naval stations ashore, and at half-staff elsewhere.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
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
Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
North Carolina
North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee holds narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam
Nida Allam in 2022; Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in 2025.
Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional district as ballots continue to be counted.
In a race seen as an early test of whether Democratic voters desire generational change within the party, Foushee holds a lead of just over 1,000 votes with 99% of results in so far, according to the Associated Press.
Under state law, provisional votes will be counted in the coming days in a district that includes Durham and Chapel Hill. If the election results end up within a 1% margin, Allam could request a recount.
Successfully ousting an incumbent lawmaker is often extremely difficult and rare. However, there have been recent upsets in races as some voters are calling for new leaders and several sitting members of Congress face primary challengers this cycle.
Allam, a 32-year-old Durham County Commissioner, is running to the left of Foushee, 69, framing her candidacy as part of a broader rejection of longtime Democratic norms.
On the campaign trail, Allam ran on an anti-establishment message, pledging to be a stronger fighter than Foushee in Congress, both in standing up against President Trump’s agenda and when pushing for more ambitious policy.
“North Carolina is a purple state that often gets labeled red, but we’re not a red state,” she told NPR in an interview last month, emphasizing the need to address affordability concerns. “We are a state of working-class folks who just want their elected officials to champion the issues that are impacting them.”
She drew a contrast with the congresswoman on immigration, voicing support for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Foushee has declined to go that far, advocating instead for ICE to be defunded and for broader reforms to the federal immigration system.
Allam also clashed with Foushee over U.S. policy towards Israel. As a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, Allam swore off campaign donations from pro-Israel lobbying groups, such as AIPAC, and repeatedly criticized Foushee for previously accepting such funds.
Though Foushee announced last year that she would not accept AIPAC donations this cycle, she and Allam continued to spar over the broader role of outside spending in the race.
Their matchup comes four years after the candidates first squared off in 2022, when Allam lost to Foushee in what became the most expensive primary in the state’s history, with outside groups spending more than $3.8 million.
However, this year is poised to break that record. Outside groups have reported spending more than $4.4 million on the primary matchup, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
WUNC’s Colin Campbell contributed to this report.
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