Raleigh North Carolina News

By Yesenia Jones, WRAL.com intern On Wednesday, it was announced that singer James Taylor will partner with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina to raise money for 1 million meals for hurricane victims. “While the devastation from Hurricane Michael and Hurricane Florence seems overwhelming, my wife, Kim, and I and some of our friends are determined to do whatever we can to help,” Taylor said in the initiative’s announcement on Facebook. Taylor grew up in North…

James Taylor is pitching in on hurricane relief in his former home state of North Carolina. The singer, who spent his formative years in Chapel Hill, announced the James Taylor Million Meals Challenge Tuesday night. Taylor wants to raise money to help people affected by Hurricanes Florence and Michael, particularly in New Bern and in Eastern North Carolina. “While the devastation from Hurricanes Florence and Michael seems overwhelming, my wife, Kim, and I and our…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Lawmakers say money should soon be getting into the hands of Hurricane Florence victims now that Governor Roy Cooper has signed an $850 million Florence Emergency Response bill into law.“I appreciate legislators responding quickly and taking this initial step to help North Carolinian recover from this devastating storm, particularly in the areas of education and the federal match. However, we must continue to work together to provide more for affordable housing…

Two North Carolina state senators are calling on the NCAA to reverse its decision not to allow UNC and South Carolina to host a preseason game that would benefit victims of Hurricane Florence, which flooded and displaced families on North and South Carolina’s coasts. Senators Rick Gunn of Alamance County and John Alexander of Wake County wrote a joint letter to NCAA president Mark Emmert asking him to reconsider accepting a waiver to allow a…

PARIS — Authorities in the southwest region of France hit this week by destructive flash floods say the death toll has increased to 14, with one person still listed as missing. Previously, the toll from the floods in the Aude region had stood at 13, with three missing. The Aude prefect said Wednesday that 74 people were injured in the storms that swept in from the Mediterranean overnight Sunday to Monday, dumping months-worth of rain…

The plus and the minus from the Carolina Hurricanes’ 4-2 road loss Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. PLUS Micheal Ferland: It has been a very good start for the forward, who has four goal. He is a nice fit on a line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Ferland, who brings toughness to the lineup, can skate, is a good passer and scored the Canes’ first goal on a sharp backhander after an Aho…

Simply getting through the day is a struggle at the American Quality Lodge, a low-rent motel where dozens of people are living in squalor amid destruction left by Hurricane Michael. Families huddle under makeshift tents and in breezeways strewn with broken glass and roofing fragments, seeking escape from Florida’s midday sun. They line up in a parking lot for food and water whenever volunteers and church groups stop by. There’s been no power in a…

MADRID — Spanish rescuers have found the body of the 5-year-old child reported missing after last week’s flash flooding in Mallorca, bringing the final death toll to 13. The Civil Guard identified the boy by his first name, Artur, and said his body was found near a bridge in the town of Sant Llorenc de Cardassar, the worst hit by the sudden, record-breaking downpour on Oct. 9. The Balearic Island’s Civil Guard said the vehicle…

The executive director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is suing the city of Honolulu after his home and others were damaged by flooding in April. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Hakim Ouansafi filed a class-action lawsuit last week in state court on behalf of hundreds of east Oahu homeowners that received damage to their properties. The lawsuit claims the city failed to adequately evaluate, repair and maintain existing flood and drainage systems as residential development…

Officials of a small village in western Alaska say the state’s project to realign a runway and a parallel road could run into problems when ice and snow melt in the spring. Alaska’s Energy Desk reports the Aniak Airport is undergoing a runway construction project to meet federal aviation requirements, and it includes replacing a culvert. Aniak city manager Kevin Toothacker says the runway next to the Kuskokwin River is in danger of flooding when…

Tropical Storm Tara weakened to a depression Tuesday and dissipated several hours later, after drenching Mexico’s central Pacific coast while moving just offshore. Forecasters said rain from the remnants of the storm could still cause flash floods or mudslides in some coastal areas, particularly in mountainous areas. An additional 1 to 3 inches of rain were still possible in parts of Colima and western Jalisco, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Tyler Johnson had three goals, Yanni Gourde scored on a power play to put Tampa Bay ahead in the third period and the Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Tuesday night. Johnson scored in all three periods, completing the hat trick on an empty-netter with 1:56 remaining. After Carolina defenseman Calvin de Haan fanned on a clearing attempt, Gourde made it 3-2 on a pass from Ondrej Palat at 7:02 of the third. Lightning…

A body was found in a rain-swollen lake in Central Texas after fast-moving floodwaters destroyed a bridge, forced the evacuation of riverside homes and led to numerous water rescues Tuesday following days of heavy rains. Video shows the bridge crumbling as it was overrun by the bloated, roiling Llano River in Kingsland, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Austin. The Llano and Colorado rivers meet at Kingsland, and the National Weather Service said both…

By JAY REEVES, Associated Press PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Hurricane Michael killed at least 16 people in Florida, most of them in the coastal county that took a direct hit from the storm, state emergency authorities said Tuesday. That’s in addition to at least 10 deaths elsewhere across the South. The scope of the storm’s fury became clearer after nearly a week of missing-persons reports and desperate searches of the Florida Panhandle neighborhoods devastated by…

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Hurricane Michael killed at least 16 people in Florida, most of them in the coastal county that took a direct hit from the storm, state emergency authorities said Tuesday. That’s in addition to at least 10 deaths elsewhere across the South. The scope of the storm’s fury became clearer after nearly a week of missing-persons reports and desperate searches of the Florida Panhandle neighborhoods devastated by the most powerful hurricane to hit…