WCTI-TV (New Bern, NC)

DALLAS, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 09: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on stage on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center on September 09, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. U.S. President Donald Trump will headline the Republican National Committee's first-ever midterm convention as he aims to highlight his administration’s achievements and rally support for GOP candidates just two months before the upcoming November 3 general election.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman made a surprise appearance at the GOP midterm convention via video, saying he will always “reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.” In the roughly one-minute video introducing GOP Sen. Dave McCormick on stage, Fetterman explained that he is still a Democrat but condemned the rise of far-left voices in his own party.

An EF-0 tornado that hit Sneads Ferry on Sept. 5 had peak winds of 85 mph and traveled about 1.6 miles, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado touched down around 6:41 p.m. and lifted about six minutes later. Its path was up to 50 yards wide. The National Weather Service said updated security camera footage from a marine commercial building showed the tornado began earlier than initially believed, extending the damage path by 1.4 miles.

A Jacksonville man entered an Alford plea to felony assault by strangulation in Onslow County Superior Court, according to online records. Christopher Ryan Ciafardini, 46, entered an Alford plea, meaning he is treated as guilty without admitting the underlying conduct.

President Donald Trump made a major promise at the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas. Trump said on Wednesday that he would issue a $5,000 dividend to every adult in the United States if Republicans maintain control of Congress in November's election. If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them ...

Authorities have opened a homicide investigation on Nowell Farm Road near Meadow Road in Colerain, according to the Bertie County Sheriff's Office. Investigators said no additional information is being released at this time as they conduct interviews and work to determine what happened. The investigation is ongoing. We will update this story as we receive more information.

A Winterville man is being held on a $125,000 secured bond after his arrest in connection with an alleged disturbance at ECU Health Medical Center, according to court records. Naim Workman, 39, was booked into the Pitt County Detention Center on Sept. 8. Online records state that he made his first appearance on Wednesday. His next court date is scheduled for Sept. 23.

Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat, is pitching himself as a Trump-backed conservative focused on crime, border security and tax cuts as he tries to close a polling gap against former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in one of the races expected to help decide control of the Senate.

A new report shows declining student performance in reading and math, highlighting digital distractions and the rise of artificial intelligence as areas of concern. The report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that reading performance for American 15-year-olds hit a 25-year low, though kids in the U.S. still outperformed the OECD average. Globally, average reading scores fell by 28 points over the last decade.

A growing dispute over who belongs at the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero has spilled into national Democratic politics, as families of victims push back against the presence of New York City’s mayor amid broader tensions over the party’s rising Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates.