RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — One thing is clear. Whatever is happening in a New York courtroom, Donald Trump still has a tremendous impact on North Carolina's political future. That includes the election for who will represent a wide swath of central North Carolina in Congress. The newly drawn 13th congressional district is now so Republican that current Democratic Representative Wiley Nickel isn't running again. So for all intents and purposes, the former president has chosen the next congressperson. Former President Trump endorses Brad Knott for NC’s 13th Congressional District It's something Brad ..read more

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Amid the pro-Palestinian protests at UNC-Chapel Hill and on college campuses across the country, North Carolina state House Speaker Tim Moore (R) filed a bill this week that would define antisemitism in state law. The bill, which is called the SHALOM Act, comes as the Anti-Defamation League reported a 361 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the three months following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. “Any kind of hate speech whatsoever needs to be dealt with, but we see right now who the targets are. The targets are clearly Jewish students,” said Moore, who is runni ..read more

GREENSBORO, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- A Concord man convicted of racially motivated hate crimes earlier this year was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in prison.  According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, trial evidence proved that Marian Hudak, 52, willfully intimidated the victims and interfered with their enjoyment of federally protected activities using force, or a threat of force, because of their race and color.  Hudak was charged in June 2023 after being accused of a series of reported harassment incidents involving Black drivers, a Mexican family, and his ..read more

NEWTON, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Blue lights blanketed the highway as law enforcement officers from all over North Carolina drove from Charlotte to Newton to pay tribute to their fallen brother. “My daddy is a hero,” wrote the young son of his father Officer William "Alden" Elliott. “He died getting the bad guys.” People lined the procession route along Highway 16 in Gaston, Lincoln, and Catawba Counties. “I know the family and they’re good, and they do a lot in this community, so we just need to support them and pray for them,” said Melinda Hodge, who came to the procession route ..read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WNCN) — Elizabeth Dole, the first woman to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Salisbury native will be one of nineteen receiving the honor from President Joe Biden Friday at the White House. Dole, who graduated from Duke University with a political science degree in 1958 before eventually earning her law degree from Harvard, had a long political career. Prior to being elected to the Senate in 2002, she also served as commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission during Richard Nixon's administration, Secret ..read more

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- The National Transportation Safety Board released its final report on Thursday in connection to the fatal WBTV helicopter crash that killed pilot Chip Tayag and station meteorologist Jason Myers in November 2022. According to the newly released report, the crash was caused by, "inadequate inspections of the forward left control rod end attachment hardware to the stationary swashplate by the pilot and by maintenance personnel, resulting in an eventual loosening and backing out of the hardware and subsequent loss of helicopter control." The NTSB reports that t ..read more

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The state Senate passed a bill Thursday that would more than double the amount of money available for North Carolina’s school voucher program for next school year. In a 28-15 party-line vote, Republicans backed the bill that would allocate another $248 million to the Opportunity Scholarship program for the 2024-25 school year and commit an additional $215 million every year after that ..read more

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina has dropped in annual rankings for teacher salary, according to a new report from the National Education Association. The annual report looks at state educator pay and public education spending. The ranking now lists North Carolina as 38th in the nation for teacher pay, which is two spots lower than last year's report. It said North Carolina's average teacher salary is $56,559, which is almost $13,000 below the national average. According to the report, teacher salaries nationwide rose an average of 4.1% over the year while North Carolina's average increas ..read more

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sheriffs would be required to temporarily hold inmates in jail that federal immigration agents believe are in the country illegally under a bill passed by the North Carolina Senate on Thursday. But unlike two previous versions of the bill successfully shot down by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto in the last five years, the measure stands a strong chance of becoming law thanks to GOP seat gains. The Senate voted along party lines for the measure in a 28-16 vote. Now the legislation returns to the House, where Speaker Tim Moore said Wednesday he supports the measure a ..read more

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) -- Kelly Daughtry, one of two candidates vying for the competitive Congressional 13th District of North Carolina, has announced she is suspending her campaign. It leaves Brad Knott as the almost-guaranteed winner of Republican Party primary runoff in for the district. In an announcement on Facebook, Daughtry pointed to former President Donald Trump's endorsement of Knott as the reason for her campaign's suspension. "As a candidate, it is my duty to be transparent and honest with my team, supporters, and the voters. In light of President Trump's endorsement of Brad Knott fo ..read more