Hundreds of displaced residents remained in eastern North Carolina shelters three weeks after Hurricane Florence’s eye reached the Atlantic coast. The state emergency management office says 11 shelters counted 625 people early Friday, compared with the 22,000 people in over 100 shelters when the storm arrived. Emergency management office spokesman Keith Acree said 1,000 other people are benefiting from a government program that provides temporary housing such as hotel rooms while more permanent housing is…

SPRING LAKE, N.C. (WTVD) — Relief efforts continue across Cumberland County as many communities work to recover from Hurricane Florence. MORE: Full coverage of Hurricane Florence A long line formed outside of the Spring Lake Community Center with Florence victims waiting to receive donated food, water, clothes, and personal hygiene items. The post-hurricane relief event couldn’t have come at a better time. “Florence took my house,” said Spring Lake resident Armelle Hall. “You feel like…

Sebastian Aho and Micheal Ferland each had a goal and an assist and Curtis McElhinney — picked up off waivers three days ago — had 31 saves in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. Jordan Martinook also scored to help give Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour his first NHL win and ruin the home opener for the Blue Jackets. The 35-year-old McElhinney was signed Tuesday as a backup after…

Sebastian Aho and Micheal Ferland each had a goal and an assist and Curtis McElhinney — picked up off waivers three days ago — had 31 saves in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jacketson Friday night. Jordan Martinook also scored to help give Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour his first NHL win and ruin the home opener for the Blue Jackets. The 35-year-old McElhinney was signed Tuesday as a backup after starting…

MEXICO CITY — Forecasters are predicting that Hurricane Sergio will do an about-face in the Pacific Ocean and head back toward Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Sergio is a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph). It was nearly 1,000 miles (more than 1,500 kilometers) from the southern tip of the peninsula Friday, and the center said its “ragged eye” was “wobbling” even farther away,…

Authorities say a California wildfire that killed two firefighters and destroyed nearly a dozen buildings in Northern California was caused by a vehicle. The U.S. Forest Service on Friday said investigators determined that a hot catalytic converter ignited dry roadside vegetation. However, investigators haven’t identified the vehicle. The so-called Ferguson fire began July 13 along Highway 140 in the Sierra National Forest, about 45 minutes northeast of Fresno. It was contained in August after burning…

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GREENVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina’s The Avett Brothers will perform next month at a show to benefit organizations that are helping Hurricane Florence victims. The “Concert for Hurricane Florence Relief” was announced Friday in a news release. The concert will be held Nov. 13 at Minges Auditorium in Greenville. The bands Future Islands and Valient Thorr also will perform in the concert, which is being held on the East Carolina University campus. RELATED: Saturday’s benefit…

By Gilbert Baez, WRAL reporter Fayetteville, N.C. — It’s been about three weeks since Hurricane Florence forced thousands from their homes and into shelters. Cumberland County operated nine shelters during the storm, and the Red Cross is making plans to shut down the final shelter in operation. The shelter at the Smith Recreation Center has been home for Warren Pharaoh for about a week. He took the advice of emergency workers and fled from his…

The sun had begun to set that Friday evening in late September as Jim Tayson stopped his truck on U.S. 421 near Fishing Creek, in the northwestern corner of New Hanover County, to survey the situation. A 48-inch pipe crosses under the highway there from west to east before turning south to convey Cape Fear River water to treatment plants serving more than 100,000 people in New Hanover and Pender counties. Now, with flood waters…

FLORENCE, S.C. — Fredrick Hopkins, the man accused of shooting seven law enforcement officers in what is being described as an ‘ambush,’ has been charged with murder and six counts of attempted murder. Hopkins is currently in custody at a medical facility and is expected to be released into the custody of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department on Friday afternoon. Major Mike Nunn, with the Florence County Sheriff’s Department, said officers were serving a warrant…

Police officers were ambushed at an upscale Florence neighborhood when one officer was killed and others injured, the lead investigator said. “These officers did absolutely nothing wrong,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Friday. “This was an ambush you can’t prevent.” The alleged shooter, Fred Hopkins, 74, faces one count of murder in the death of Florence Police Sgt. Terrence Carraway. He also faces six counts of attempted murder for the shooting of other city…