Local search for North Carolina

26+ min ago (509+ words) A gas explosion set off a major fire in a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood on Thursday after obliterating at least one home, blowing out windows and shaking nearby houses. Six people were taken to hospitals for injuries, fire officials said. Watch video of the explosion in the player above. Dramatic video footage showed a home in the Hayward area sitting under a blue sky when it suddenly exploded, spewing jagged wood and other debris into the air as smoke billowed. Brittany Maldonado, who lives across the street from the home, was in her bedroom with her husband when she heard the blast. "Boxes fell over and everything shook. We thought someone had just flown off the freeway and their car was in our living room," she said. "It was like someone had just launched a bomb." Then they looked…...

46+ min ago (1075+ words) For the first time in decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has signed off on new antibiotics to fight gonorrhea. The approvals come at a critical moment: The sexually transmitted infection is growing harder to treat, and cases continue to climb nationwide. And GSK announced Thursday that the FDA had approved its medication gepotidacin, with the brand name Blujepa, as oral tablets to treat urogenital gonorrhea in people, 12 and older who weigh at least 99 pounds, who have limited or no alternative options. In March, the drug also was approved to treat urinary tract infections in women. "These approvals mark a significant milestone for treatment options for patients with uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea," Dr. Adam Sherwat, director of the Office of Infectious Diseases in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release Friday. Effective treatment options for…...

47+ min ago (288+ words) Former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens has been fired as the offensive coordinator for the North Carolina Tar Heels, according to reports. Kitchens, who joined UNC's program in 2023, just finished his first season as OC under head coach Bill Belichick. The Tar Heels' offense averaged 288.8 yards per game this season, which ranked 129th out of 134 Division I FBS teams. UNC finished the season with a 4-8 record. Kitchens previously served as the Tar Heels' interim head coach in the Fenway Bowl in 2024 after head coach Mack Brown was fired. Prior to that, he served as UNC's run game coordinator and tight ends coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Before UNC, Kitchens spent one season as a senior football analyst for the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2022. He previously coached 16 seasons in the NFL from 2006 to 2021, including two seasons with the Browns in 2018 and…...

51+ min ago (551+ words) Watch the 2025 NCHSAA Football State Championships LIVE starting at 4:00 pm EST on Thursday, December 11th! The North Carolina State Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice "Mo" Green announced Thursday that Allison Schafer, general counsel to both the Board and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, will retire on Jan. 31, 2026, concluding more than 40 years of service to the state's public schools. Schafer has served as general counsel for both agencies for the past five years and has long been regarded as a leading legal authority in public education. "Allison Schafer has been a steady, trusted, and wise legal voice for the State Board of Education, the Department of Public Instruction, and the entire public school community," said State Board Chair Eric Davis. "Her deep commitment to students, educators, and lawful governance has strengthened North Carolina's education system for decades. We…...

56+ min ago (282+ words) A second Powerball jackpot has hit the billion dollar mark this year. The jackpot is at $1 billion for Saturday's drawing, the second-biggest prize the game has offered this year. If a lucky player draws Saturday's winning numbers, the estimated one-time cash payout is $461.3 million. The winner can also choose to receive the prize as annual payments over 30 years, with a 5% increase each year. The jackpot prize is now the seventh-largest Powerball jackpot prize, according to Powerball. Powerball drawings are designed to be random, but some numbers have been drawn more frequently than others. The Powerball lottery changed to its current format of 69 white balls (up from 59) and 26 red Powerballs (down 35) on Oct. 7, 2015. Since the change, the most frequently drawn white ball was 61, drawn 118 times or 9%. The second most drawn white ball number was 32, drawn 113 times or roughly 9%. For red ball…...

1+ hour, 24+ min ago (141+ words) Winnipeg -20" C, Cloudy with wind Police in Durham Region say 34 people have been arrested and face more than 130 charges in a drug trafficking and illegal firearms investigation." Police say the investigation dubbed Project Hydrogen began in April and involved various police forces, including Toronto police, Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP and Winnipeg police." They say officers executed search warrants at 61 homes across southern Ontario and Winnipeg over the span of several weeks." Police say they seized 10 firearms, more than $200,000 in Canadian currency, 18 kilograms of cocaine and two kilograms of fentanyl, among other drugs. They say 34 suspects, ranging in ages 18 to 53, face 139 criminal charges." Police are asking anyone with information to contact investigators." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2025....

1+ hour, 34+ min ago (212+ words) CHARLOTTE, N.C. " A Charlotte church's Nativity scene featuring mannequins dressed as ICE agents." The incident happened on Thursday at Missiongathering Church near Optimist Hall. The church partnered with an art collective to create the Nativity." A church official said the point is to make people think about ICE raids and immigration enforcement." The church has since restored the display and says it won't press charges because nothing was broken or damaged." U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says it arrested 425 people during Operation Charlotte's Web last month. The agency said that it would continue to target dangerous criminals who are in the United States without proper authorization. Since it launched, Charlotte's Web has drawn ire from members of the community and from some state and federal representatives, though some support for the operation has also been noted. Neighbors have also handled grassroots efforts…...

1+ hour, 35+ min ago (538+ words) WASHINGTON " Dick Van Dyke is turning 100 on Saturday, reaching a rare milestone in Hollywood as one of the most well-respected performers in the industry." The celebrated actor and longtime celebrity will mark his centennial birthday on Saturday, Dec. 13. And ahead of the big day, Van Dyke says he's not slowing down." Despite often playing grumpy old men on screen, Van Dyke said he's much more jovial in real life in his later years." "You know I played old men a lot. And I always played 'em as angry, and cantankerous," he said. "It's not really that way. I don't know any other 100-year-old, but I can speak for myself." And despite reaching what for many is the last milestone in life, Van Dyke wants to do more for as long as he can." "The funniest thing is, it's not enough,…...

2+ hour, 3+ min ago (282+ words) Health experts say one condition becomes more common as holiday celebrations ramp up. Find out how to keep your heart healthy. As families prepare for a busy stretch of holiday meals and celebrations, cardiologists warn of a seasonal increase in "holiday heart syndrome," a condition that can cause irregular heartbeats after heavy eating or drinking. Doctors say the holidays are among the busiest times for heart rhythm complaints, with more patients arriving in emergency rooms experiencing symptoms they often mistake for fatigue or a mild illness. The condition is commonly triggered by meals high in salt and fat, along with increased alcohol consumption. Holiday heart syndrome occurs when the body becomes overloaded, which can push the heart into an abnormal rhythm or, for some people, depress normal heart function. "You're in this kind of fog afterward. You think you might…...

2+ hour, 9+ min ago (232+ words) CHARLESTON, S.C. " North Carolina has approved film and entertainment grants totaling up to $28.4 million for three productions expected to create more than 4,900 jobs and generate $113 million in spending across the state. The grants support the second season of streaming series "The Hunting Wives," the new series "RJ Decker" and the independent thriller "Widow," according to an announcement from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. "We are excited to have these new productions in North Carolina creating 4,900 jobs for our state's crew and film-friendly businesses," Gov. Josh Stein said. "North Carolina remains a top state for film, and these grants enable us to continue our strong tradition of TV and film production excellence." RELATED: 'Hunting Wives' crews spotted filming in Charlotte Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said the productions bring direct economic benefits and raise the state's visibility among audiences, leading to increased…...