MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WNCT) -- The National Weather Service in Morehead City/Newport has confirmed an EF-1 tornado hit in the area of Verona in Onslow County on Friday. The tornado moved nine miles at a maximum width of 150 yards. It was confirmed to have started at 5:24 p.m., one mile east of Verona and lasted until 5:37 p.m. at Camp Lejeune. Officials said the damage path started east of Hwy. 17 and Verona, along Verona Road near Mill Run, which is where the worst damage happened. Multiple softwood trees were snapped and blown across Verona Road. Maximum winds were estimated at around 90 mph ..read more

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- On Thursday, Onslow County Schools hosted its annual Excellence in Education event, where teachers, administrators and school staff were recognized for the work they do to support students. The event honored the work of 65 OCS staff members and featured speakers, student performances, student-made refreshments, and a red carpet entrance. In surprise announcements, the district named the 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year Marissa Bak, 2024-2025 Assistant Principal of the Year Gary Cassidy, and 2024-2025 Principal of the Year Steve Clarke. Bak, a seventh-grade teacher at ..read more

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) -- The Jacksonville police department took a suspect into custody on Friday after receiving multiple calls of an active robbery at a Wells Fargo bank. Police responded at 10:05 a.m. to 146 Western Boulevard. They were able to take a suspect into custody peacefully. There were no injuries. Friday afternoon, the suspect was identified as Matthew David Bellotto, who is homeless. He was charged with attempted common law robbery and given a $10,000 secured bond. “The quick actions of both the staff at Wells Fargo and officers from multiple divisions within the Police Depar ..read more

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- Onslow County Schools announced Thursday evening that Marissa Bak, a 7th-grade English Language Arts teacher at Swansboro Middle School, has been named the 2024-2025 OCS Teacher of the Year. Bak, a nine-year educator, was named Teacher of the Year in a surprise announcement at the annual OCS Excellence in Education event on May 23. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Wright State University and a master of arts in teaching from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Bak is a highly motivated educator with a passion for serving those less fortunate and ..read more

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune will host a change of command ceremony on Friday at 10 a.m. at W.P.T. Hill Field. Col. Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr. will assume command of the installation and region from Brig. Gen. Adolfo Garcia Jr.  With time as both an enlisted Marine and officer, Rizzo has over 30 years of service, with duty stations all over the world, including the Philippines, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Camp Pendleton, California, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and Okinawa, Japan. He most recently served as MCIEAST-MCB Camp Lejeune Deputy Comm ..read more

ATLANTA – Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced Wednesday its 16th North Carolina restaurant opening in Jacksonville at 1006 Hampton Inn Way. Featuring a convenient drive-thru and an outdoor patio, Chicken Salad Chick of Jacksonville is owned by the same experienced team who brought the brand’s made-from-scratch favorites to Fayetteville and Greenville. The Jacksonville community is invited to celebrate this grand opening on Wednesday, June 5th; the first 100 guests in line will win free ..read more

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (WNCT) -- After declaring May to be Military Appreciation Month, Gov. Roy Cooper visited Camp Lejeune on Tuesday. Cooper took a tour of the base and said it looked much different than the last time he visited, which was in the months after Hurricane Florence wreaked damage on the area. Cooper was joined by Marine Corps Installations East, Camp Lejeune Deputy Commander Col. Ralph Rizzo and North Carolina Department of Military and Veteran Affairs Sec. Grier Martin. Cooper said he spent time speaking with active duty service men and women, learning more about what concerns the ..read more

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) -- Veterans, active-duty service members, community leaders and supporters gathered Friday for the start of what will soon be the Carolina Museum of the Marine. Those with the museum said Friday's event marks the end of a decades of work to get to today. The groundbreaking marked the start of the museum that will stand for decades to come. The museum itself is phase two of the project. Phase one was the reflection and celebration park. which officials say saw completion in 2016. The museum is a big project with a big price tag: $30 million for construction, funded by ..read more

ROCKY MOUNT – The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles will open a new full-service license plate agency (LPA) on May 21 in Jacksonville. The agency will be operated by Gairy Canady and will be located at 1606 Country Club Rd., in Jacksonville.  The LPA will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, except on state holidays. The previous full-service LPA was closed in November due to contract violations.  In January, the Division opened a temporary state-operated express office, at 299 Wilmington Hwy. (U.S. Hwy. Bus. 17) to provide services until a new contractor c ..read more

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- Hope For The Warriors will host its 17th Annual Jacksonville Run For The Warriors, First Mile and Block Party on June 15. The event will run from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The free, family-friendly event will take place outside Hope For The Warriors office, located at 3313 Henderson Dr. in Jacksonville. New this year, the Jacksonville Run For The Warriors will feature the First Mile, a free 1-mile walk or run at 10:30 a.m. No registration is required. The goal of the First Mile is to provide the spirit and motivation to carry on, to take the first step — to embrace life and its ch ..read more