Raleigh North Carolina News

Authorities rushed to evacuate low-lying areas and set up shelters as an “extremely dangerous” Hurricane Willa with winds of 145 mph (230 kph) headed toward a Tuesday afternoon landfall along a stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast dotted with high-rise resorts, surfing beaches and fishing villages. Farther south, meanwhile, Mexican officials reported late Monday that there had been 12 deaths related to heavy rains from Tropical Storm Vicente. Willa briefly reached Category 5 strength, then weakened…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Five performers from some of Broadway’s biggest hits joined the North Carolina Symphony at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh to raise money for victims of Hurricane Florence. Craig Schulman put together a cast of Broadway stars for the Broadway Sings for Florence event. Schulman has performed the lead roles in Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera and Jekyll and Hyde. Schulman and his friends sang selections from many of their favorite…

FLORENCE, S.C. (WTVD) — A second law officer shot in a Florence, South Carolina, ambush earlier this month has died. Florence County Sheriff’s Deputy Farrah Turner, who was injured in the ambush shooting October 3 has died from her injuries, ABC affiliate WPDE reported Monday. Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said many of the deputies gathered at the hospital to be with Farrah’s mother and family. He said her mother never left her side, according…

Michael Ferland scored in his fourth straight game and Sebastian Aho had an assist and set a franchise record for points in consecutive games to start a season as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 Monday night. Defenseman Justin Faulk also scored for the Hurricanes, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Faulk also made a crucial block on a shot with less than five minutes left. Jordan Martinook added an empty-net goal….

A second officer has died after being hit by gunfire in the shooting that injured or killed seven South Carolina law enforcement officers. Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said Deputy Farrah B. Turner died Monday. “Farrah was the ultimate professional, excelling at everything she did,” Boone said in a news release. “She dedicated her life to serving the victims of the worst crimes imaginable. Please pray for Farrah’s family, our FCSO family and for our…

Weeks after being wounded during a shootout in an upscale Florence County neighborhood, a deputy has died. Florence County Sheriff’s Office investigator Farrah Turner died Monday, according to multiple news reports, including WPDE-TV. She was listed earlier in the day as being in critical condition after having her feet amputated a week ago, according to a statement from mother Katie Goodwin. “This horrendous act of violence has altered my daughter’s life forever but I do…

By Janine Bowen, WRAL.com editor Raleigh, N.C. — Moisture from Hurricane Willa, which is currently approaching Mexico’s Pacific coast, is expected to bring cold and rainy weather to the Triangle this weekend. Hurricane Willa, a Category 4 storm, is expected to make landfall in Mexico Tuesday, and its remnants will move toward the east coast over the coming days. “We will enjoy dry weather most of this week but things will take a big turn…

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — We are just 63 days from Christmas and Fayetteville’s Bicycle Man needs your help more than ever to make Christmas dreams come true in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Ann Mathis works tirelessly all year long to give away hundreds of bikes to families who can’t afford them. “But those kids really appreciate it and the whole point is they get to choose a bike they want themselves,” said Mathis. Every…

MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Willa grew into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm and swept toward Mexico’s Pacific coast with winds of 160 mph Monday, threatening a stretch of high-rise resort hotels, surfing beaches and fishing villages. The hurricane was expected to pass over or near the Islas Marias – a set of islands about 60 miles offshore that include a nature preserve and a federal prison – early Tuesday, then blow ashore in the…

Forecasters say Hurricane Willa has grown rapidly into an “extremely dangerous” near-Category 5 storm in the eastern Pacific, on a path that could smash into Mexico’s western coast between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta in the coming days. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said early Monday that Willa could “produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico beginning on Tuesday.” It predicted that Willa could become a Category 5 hurricane…

Newly formed Hurricane Willa rapidly gained force and grew into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm in the Pacific off Mexico on Sunday, with a potential to make landfall on a western stretch of coast between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta in the coming days. The U.N. National Hurricane center said in an evening bulletin that the storm was “forecast to produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico beginning…

By Jessica Patrick, WRAL.com editor The final day of SparkCon, a downtown Raleigh arts festival that was already rescheduled once due to Hurricane Florence, was canceled Sunday after strong winds damaged festival structures overnight. “Early this morning, high winds caused significant damage throughout Raleigh and tossed all SPARKcon’s tents, supplies, and gear down the street,” event organizers posted to Facebook on Sunday. “So now, for your and our safety, we are calling a truce with…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Several major events were backing up traffic in Raleigh on Saturday. This is the final weekend of the State Fair, and the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the Colorado Avalanche at PNC Arena Saturday afternoon, causing fans and fair-goers to plan ahead. “I dropped my car off this morning, had someone pick me up. Then they picked us up and dropped us off here so we can walk in. Then the car will…

It’s the greatest need after a hurricane and sometimes the hardest one to fulfill: Electricity. More than a week after Hurricane Michael smashed into the Florida Panhandle on a path of destruction that led all the way to the Georgia border, more than 100,000 Florida customers were still without power, according to the state Department of Emergency Management website. Martha Reynolds sat outside her mother’s sweltering home Friday with relatives, including several young children, in…

A family can begin to grieve after officials confirmed Friday the death of a 79-year-old Florida woman who had been missing since Hurricane Michael left her Mexico Beach home in rubble. Joanne Garone Behnke said it’s been an agonizing wait to find out what happen to her aunt, Aggie Vicari. The Bay County medical examiner’s office on Friday confirmed that it was Vicari’s body that was recovered Monday. Her body had been under rubble for…