Month: September 2018

A tree service company told a homeowner it would cost $4,000 to remove three trees after Hurricane Florence, but then the price soared to $7,000, and then again to $12,000, according to North Carolina officials. It’s one of the latest of more than 700 complaints of Hurricane Florence-related price gouging, according to the N.C. Justice Department. Most of the complaints have involved gas and water, office spokeswoman Laura Brewer told The News & Observer in…

There’s still one game to go in the preseason, but the Carolina Hurricanes have their roster and there’s one surprise, a lot of positive reinforcement and still a few gambles that will, most likely, decide whether this season is a success or failure. Saturday’s cuts of Janne Kuokkanen and Saku Maenalanen, among others, established that Warren Foegele had upset the odds and won a spot on the roster, and deservedly so. He came into training…

The move seems right out of the gubernatorial playbook. When the winds begin to blow, governors ditch their coats and ties for an emergency management shirt, giving them a quasi-military/police look. So it was with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who has been appearing more regularly on TV than meteorologist Greg Fishel. In September, you could hardly turn on the TV without seeing Cooper, as he dealt with the unfolding tragedy of Hurricane Florence. He…

The Carolina Hurricanes trimmed their training camp roster to 23 on Saturday, sending eight players to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Rookie forwards Warren Foegele, Martin Necas and Valentin Zykov remain on the Canes roster. Andrei Svechnikov, the Canes’ first-round draft pick this year, also remains in camp. Those assigned to the Checkers were: forwards Janne Kuokkanen, Nicolas Roy and Saku Maenalanen; defensemen Roland McKeown and Michal Cajkovsky, and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. Forwards Patrick…

Cue “Brass Bonanza,” Thursday’s press release out of Raleigh began. Cute. The Carolina Hurricanes, what became of Hartford’s 1997 hockey nightmare, announced plans to wear Whalers uniforms for two games against the Bruins during the 2018-19 season. The team’s official website celebrated use of Hartford’s history, and some would argue Hartford’s heartbreak, for monetary gain by calling for the playing of Hartford’s song. “Click here to secure your seats,” the press release ended. It was…

Tropical Storm Kirk caused power outages and heavy flooding across the eastern Caribbean and forced flight cancellations, officials said Friday. Authorities in Barbados said they helped rescue several people from a flooded home, while school was cancelled in the nearby islands of St. Lucia, Dominica, Guadeloupe and Martinique. Meteorologists said that up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain fell in some parts of Martinique, Dominica and Barbados as they warned of flash floods and…

By Cullen Browder, WRAL anchor/reporter Goldsboro, N.C. — Two so-called “500-year storms” have hit North Carolina in less than two years, and Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence have created unprecedented complications for homeowners. Homeowner’s insurance and flood insurance often aren’t nearly enough to cover the damage from the two storms. Matthew caused substantial flood damage to Staris Morgan’s Goldsboro home in 2016. Her homeowner’s insurance didn’t cover the water damage, and her flood insurance paid…

Wrightsville Beach, N.C. — September is usually a busy time for tourism along the coast, but this year Hurricane Florence changed that. The Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors’ Bureau said Friday that businesses are finally opening up again, and owners are hopeful the tourists will soon come back. Audrey Longtin, owner of the Workshop Coffee Shop in Wrightsville Beach, said her shop was closed for eight days following Florence. “We’re just trying to do…