ERIK VERDUZCO

U.S. Army soldiers use Blackhawk helicopters to assist the South Carolina Forestry Commission and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources with wildfire containment in Horry County, S.C., Sunday, March 2, 2025. (Elizabeth A. Schneider/U.S. Army via AP)
Lighter winds help crews fighting wildfires in South and North Carolina
Lighter winds in South Carolina and North Carolina are helping firefighters battle blazes that caused evacuations and threatened hundreds of homes over the weekend.
 
Volunteer and widow Jillian Myers, left, and her 15-year-old daughter Lydia, cut flowers during a Valentine's Day Widow Outreach Project event, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Volunteers deliver gifts to widows on Valentine’s Day. The project began in a florist’s driveway
A growing number of volunteers has been delivering gifts to widows and widowers on Valentine’s Day. The movement is called the Valentine’s Day Widow Outreach Project. It was started by a flower shop owner in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2021.
 
Friends and family of flight attendant Ian Epstein walk inside his Celebration of Life on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) J
Flight attendant killed in midair collision near D.C. honored with service
A flight attendant who was killed in the midair collision last week near the nation’s capital was remembered for his devotion to family and passion for travel.
 
Democratic North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Josh Stein speaks during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Grant Halverson, File)
North Carolina governor rolls out further abortion protections ahead of next Trump term
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced measures to protect reproductive health care providers and patients via a new executive order.
 
An airplane arrives at Charlotte Douglas International Airport as airport workers strike in front of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Workers at Charlotte airport, an American Airlines hub, go on strike during Thanksgiving travel week
American Airlines says it doesn’t expect significant disruptions to flights this week as a result of a labor strike at its hub in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 
An union ballot drop box is seen at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Charlotte airport workers voting on whether to strike during busy Thanksgiving travel week
Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport are voting on whether to go on a 24-hour strike around Thanksgiving amid complaints about low wages and poor working conditions.
 
Homes lie in a debris field in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Pensacola, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Soul-searching and regret over unheeded warnings follow Helene’s destruction
Before Hurricane Helene’s landfall last week the National Weather Service began an all-out blitz to alert emergency planners, first responders and residents of the impending perils.
 
FILE - A passerby checks the water depth of a flooded road, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Morganton, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek, File)
Southerners stay in touch the old-fashioned way after Helene cuts roads, power, phones
Hurricane Helene has left millions without electricity, water and phone service across the Southeast in the six days since making landfall. Now many people are relying on old-fashioned ways of communicating and coping.
 
A search and rescue dog and handler searches for victims in deep mud in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Swannanoa, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Search crews with cadaver dogs wade through muck of communities ‘wiped off the map’ by Helene
Rescuers are scouring the mountains of western North Carolina for anyone still unaccounted for since Hurricane Helene’s remnants caused catastrophic damage across the Southeast. The death toll Tuesday reached 166 people.
 
Jonah Wark, right, kisses his wife Sara Martin outside their flood-damaged home on the Pigeon River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Newport, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Asheville has been isolated after Helene wrecked roads and knocked out power and cell service
Floodwaters pushed by remnants of Hurricane Helene have left North Carolina’s largest mountain city isolated by damaged roads and a lack of power and cellphone service.
 
The banks of the Swannanoa river overflow an effect of Hurricane Helene, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Torrential rains flood North Carolina mountains and create risk of dam failure
Days of torrential rain in North Carolina culminating with tropical downpours from what was Hurricane Helene have officials keeping a close eye on a major dam. More than a foot of rain has fallen across much of the region in the past several days.
 
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump holds his grandson Luke Trump as he speaks at a campaign event at Wilmington International Airport in Wilmington, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Trump appeals to women in return to North Carolina without Mark Robinson, a top in-state supporter
Donald Trump has returned to North Carolina to stump in the southern battleground state that both Democrats and Republicans are treating as increasingly critical to victory in November. But on Saturday he campaigned in Wilmington without Lt. Gov.
 
A crew member works on the removal of the Shulls Mill Dam on the Watauga River, near Boone, N.C., Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Federal infrastructure funding is fueling a push to remove dams and restore river habitat
An infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal infrastructure law is helping expedite efforts to remove dams around the country.
 
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer carries a gun as he walks in the neighborhood where an officer-involved shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in North Carolina say numerous law enforcement officers conducting a task force operation have been struck by gunfire in Charlotte. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The bystander’s role is changing in the era of livestreaming. North Carolina’s standoff shows how
A deadly shootout in Charlotte that left five dead illustrates how smartphone-wielding bystanders don’t always run for cover when bullets start to fly. Increasingly, they look to livestream their perspective of the attack.
 
Ashley Eyer, wife and son Andrew watch during a memorial service for Officer Joshua Eyer, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. Police in North Carolina say a shootout that killed Eyer and wounded and killed other officers began as officers approached a home to serve a felony warrant on Monday. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Slain Charlotte officer remembered as hard-charging cop with soft heart for his family
Friends, colleagues and the wife of fallen Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer are remembering him as a hard-charging outwardly stern cop who also peppered friends with “how’s things” texts and showered love on his wife and young son.
 
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings wipes away tears as he speaks at a press conference in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024, regarding the shooting that killed four officers during an attempt to serve a warrant on April 29. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Biden to travel to North Carolina to meet with families of officers killed in deadly shooting
President Joe Biden is expected to travel to North Carolina on Thursday to meet with the family members of four officers killed earlier this week in the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since 2016.
 
Rev. Raymond Johnson, of Marion, S.C., arranges flowers on the lawn of the home on Galway Drive in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024 where a shootout between a suspect and officers occurred during an attempt to serve a warrant on Monday. Four law enforcement officers were killed. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
4 officers killed in North Carolina were at disadvantage as shots rained from above, police say
Police in North Carolina say they’re still sorting out how four officers were killed and four others wounded Monday in Charlotte.
 
Multiple law enforcement vehicles respond in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
4 law officers serving warrant are killed, 4 wounded in shootout at North Carolina home, police say
Four officers trying to serve a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and four other officers were wounded in a shootout in North Carolina.
 
Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland walks to his truck after opening a gate leading to Bone Water Crossing on the Rio Grande River, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Terrell County, Texas. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Law enforcement officials in Texas wonder how they will enforce migrant arrest law
The nine hours that Texas was allowed to arrest and deport migrants who illegally enter the U.S. provided a glimpse at what sort of obstacles law enforcement agencies in the state face.
 
Fox Sports broadcaster Greg Olsen, who placed the first ceremonial bet in North Carolina, shows his receipt during a DraftKings event celebrating the launch of mobile and online sports wagering across the state at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Monday, March 11, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
North Carolina launches statewide sports wagering
People in North Carolina now have more chances to gamble as statewide sports wagering has begun. Several government-licensed gambling operators started taking bets through smartphones and computers at noon Monday from adults within the state’s borders.
 
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. A video circulating on social media shows a North Carolina police officer striking a woman repeatedly during an arrest while several other officers hold her down, but police officials said the officer was “intentional” about where he hit the woman to get her to stop resisting and comply. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Video shows North Carolina officer repeatedly striking a pinned woman during her arrest
A video circulating on social media shows a North Carolina police officer striking a woman repeatedly during an arrest while other officers hold her down.
 
Powerball lottery tickets are shown, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in Surfside, Fla. A $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot will again be up for grabs Wednesday night after an 11-week stretch without a big winner, but no matter how large the prize grows the odds stay the same — and they're terrible. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Powerball jackpot up to $1.4 billion after no one matches all the numbers and hits it rich
The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1.4 billion after no players matched all six numbers and hit it rich. The winning numbers announced Wednesday night are: 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 and the Powerball 1.
 
People ride a roller coaster at the Carowinds amusement park on Monday, July 3, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Fright over crack on North Carolina ride serves as reminder of risks at amusement parks
State investigators were on site at a North Carolina amusement park after a crack was discovered on a support beam on one of their popular roller coasters.
 
A Delta plane lands without its landing gear at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Wednesday, June 28, 2023 in Charlotte, N.C. The airport said in a tweet that the runway was closed following a mechanical issue with Delta Air Lines. No injuries were reported and all passengers were taken to the terminal. The airport said it was working to remove the aircraft and reopen the runway. (WSOC-TV via AP)
Delta passengers exit flight using jet slide after plane lands without front gear extended
Officials say a Delta flight landed roughly but safely at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Wednesday without its front landing gear extended. No injuries were reported and all passengers were taken to the terminal.