Mold Remediation in Charlotte, NC

A Powerball player narrowly missed a $20 million prize — but still has a lot to celebrate in North Carolina.

The player bought a ticket that matched all but one number picked in the Dec. 9 drawing, making it worth $50,000, results show.

The winning numbers: white balls 35-37-40-45-51, with red Powerball 24.

The winner is set to get richer after their ticket matched four of the white balls and the red ball. The person spent $2 to try their luck on an online ticket in High Point, the N.C. Education Lottery wrote on its website and in an email to McClatchy News.

A #NCLottery player purchased a #Powerball ticket with Online Play and won a $50,000 prize in yesterday's drawing! The winning ticket matched four out of five white balls and the Power Ball. Way to go! pic.twitter.com/GjebIoypen

— NC Education Lottery (@nclottery) December 10, 2024

Though the player scored a huge windfall, they just missed out on a larger prize. Their ticket was one number from hitting the jackpot, which stood at an estimated $20 million the night of the drawing, according to the Powerball website.

As of about 9:30 a.m. Dec. 10, the $50,000 winner hadn’t cashed in. Lucky ticket holders have roughly six months to claim their Powerball prizes, according to North Carolina lottery rules.

To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.

The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.

Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.

Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.

Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

Seven new teams join the N.C. statewide high school basketball rankings this week. There is also a new No. 1 team in one of the polls.

The rankings, sponsored by The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer of Raleigh, are compiled by longtime N.C. basketball experts Alex Bass and Rick Lewis. Bass and Lewis are also co-hosts of The Observer’s “Talking Preps” streaming show.

What happened under the Friday night lights? Get exclusive insights into Charlotte and North Carolina high school sports with our free Talking Preps newsletter. Every week on Thursday. Sign-up here.

The rankings list the top 10 teams in each of the four public school classifications and the top 10 private school teams, regardless of classification.

A few highlights:

▪ Two new teams join the girls’ ranking: Caldwell Academy (NCISAA, 7-1) and Hibrten (3A, 5-1).

▪ And there are five new teams in the boys’ rankings: Charlotte Catholic (4A, 6-0); Southern Lee (3A, 8-0); Franklin Academy (2A, 8-0); North Edgecombe (1A, 2-1) and North Stokes (1A, 3-0).

▪ In the 4A girls’ poll, Lake Norman (5-0) takes over the top spot from Rolesville, after Rolesville — the reigning N.C. 4A public school champion — lost at home last week to Cannon School, the reigning N.C. 4A private school champion. Cannon is No. 1 in the NCISAA rankings again this week.

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Langston Wertz Jr. is an award-winning sports journalist who has worked at the Observer since 1988. He’s covered everything from Final Fours and NFL to video games and Britney Spears. Wertz -- a West Charlotte High and UNC grad -- is the rare person who can answer “Charlotte,” when you ask, “What city are you from.”

N.C. State and East Carolina are two programs happy to be bowl eligible after experiencing their fair share of struggles and disappointments this season. But coming from “the Birthplace of Independence” and one of the largest military communities in the nation, earning their spot in the Military Bowl holds more significance than most other games.

North Carolina earned its nickname for its rich history as one of the original 13 colonies and ties to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The battleship North Carolina, located in Wilmington, was active in the Pacific during World War II.

The state includes roughly a dozen active military bases and offices from three of the four branches, and there are an estimated 130,000 military members living in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Military and defensive operations are the second-largest employers in the state and provide an estimated $66 billion to the local economy.

Now, the Wolfpack and Pirates — whose campuses are only about 85 miles apart — will play on Dec. 28 in Annapolis, Maryland, at the United States Naval Academy.

“I love it, man,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said Sunday. “The (military) presence in our state is so incredible. … I’m really excited about the opportunity to go there. And, any time we can do anything that lets the military have football involved in it, where they can take a break from protecting us and enjoy a day — I’m all about it.”

On an individual level, the bowl game is particularly meaningful for the Doeren family. Doeren has shared regularly about his father, Bill’s, involvement in the Navy, but the military ties stretch much further.

Doeren’s father-in-law, Stan, served in the Army. His grandparents, and those of his wife, also served.

The 12th-year head coach was born in a Naval hospital in California, and he even applied to the Naval Academy when he was in high school. It was the only one that accepted him, Doeren said with a laugh.

N.C. State holds an annual Military Appreciation day every season, which includes a flyover, veteran and active military recognition and a field-sized flag used during the national anthem. Doeren said one of his favorite off-campus experiences since moving to the state was getting to spend a day at the United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville.

“The military for us, it was meaningful. It was part of our upbringing. Living in the state, it’s very present, more present than any state I’ve lived in, as far as the number of bases, active military reserves and everything else,” Doeren said. “You do feel the pageantry of the military more here than you do anywhere, from my standpoint. … Playing on base at a place like that, there’s a lot of pageantry, a lot of special things that goes with being there.”

This will be ECU’s third time earning a spot in the bowl game, but it did not play in 2021 due to COVID-19 protocols. Blake Harrell is excited to take his team up to Annapolis and face a Power Four program, against which it has a strong history, and play in a bowl that holds additional significance.

“To be a part of a bowl that means more, a little extra — being in the Military Bowl adds to (the excitement),” Harrell said. Harrell was named interim head coach in October and recently hired as the full-time head coach in November. “We’ve been up to Annapolis to play Navy several times, so playing in those environments is pretty special. Kind of makes you know that there’s something more out there than just football. It’s a little deeper than that, and this certainly will be a representation of that.”

N.C. State holds a 19-13 all-time record over ECU. Doeren doesn’t necessarily consider the programs rivals since they don’t play yearly, but he appreciates the in-state crossover and looks forward to the upcoming iteration of the series.

The last time the two teams played, the Wolfpack pulled off a one-point win in Greenville. Additionally, the two teams have played once in a bowl game. ECU defeated N.C. State, 37-34, in the 1992 Peach Bowl.

The Pack and Pirates are set to play each other in the 2025 season opener, as well, but the coaches aren’t concerned about back-to-back games.

The way rosters and coaching staffs change, there will be plenty of differences come next August. For now, they’re focused on the one in less than three weeks.

“The opportunity to play in a bowl game is all they’ve dreamed about and worked for the last month and a half. Excited about that and excited to play against an ACC P4 team,” Harrell said. His squad played against FCS and Group of 5 opponents all year. “Respect the heck out of coach Doeren and the job he’s done there and their staff at N.C. State. For our guys to have a chance to do that on that level is pretty special.”

This story was originally published December 10, 2024, 6:00 AM.

CHARLOTTE, NC –Panic for parents of students a private school in Charlotte after an administrator was arrested on charges of peeping.

Assistant Head of School for Charlotte Country Day School, Scott Waybright, was arrested Friday on 10 felony counts of peeping.

Ashley Anderson is a WCCB Charlotte contributor. Now, she’s a concerned mom of a Charlotte Country Day School student.

“He has been there so long. So I feel like we did trust him with our kids,” said Anderson.

A CMPD affidavit shows a student told a teacher Scott Waybright took pictures of her at the school in 2023. That teacher says she told the administration and that they took Waybright’s work phone but didn’t find anything.

The affidavit states the teacher who came forward did not believe the school handled the situation properly.

“I’m so thankful and grateful for her, for that unknown teacher who believed the victim,” Anderson said.

Last month, the school hired a private investigator to go through Waybright’s phone. CMPD says that’s when hundreds of pictures of women’s legs and backsides were discovered.

According to the school, between 10-12 images of students were found on Waybright’s laptop. Waybright who worked at the school since 1995, was fired December 2nd. His phone and laptop were taken again by the school earlier this month. CMPD says they then found videos. Some of which were of a woman wearing shorts at the grocery store.

The affidavit also shows back in 2017 a husband reported to the school Waybright photographed his wife in the library. Administrators found nothing when they searched his phone.

In a letter sent to parents, the Interim Head of School, David Mancos, writes in part “…we know that an allegation was made in 2017 involving possible images and that a forensic investigation turned up no impropriety. I was not aware of any allegations made in 2023, and after I learned of these before Thanksgiving, I immediately initiated a full investigation.”

Last month, Country Day’s track coach Matthew Elliott was arrested for having inappropriate relationships with students.

“Every day we get more information either regarding this case or the track coach, and it starts to feel overwhelming as a parent,” explained Anderson.

The letter to parents also says changes to current policy are coming. Writing in part “we are reviewing and strengthening our approach to safeguarding our students…”

Waybright’s attorney was in court on Monday on his behalf. Waybright is due back in court on New Year’s Eve.

Ringo Starr is coming to Charlotte this spring, part of the long and winding road of the spring tour for Ringo and his All Starr Band.

By heading to Charlotte, that means the tour also will bring the Beatles drummer to the region where his beloved Ludwig drums are made. A plant in Monroe is the only place in the world that makes the drums for Starr.

The band is playing Ovens Auditorium June 25. The other stop in North Carolina is June 18 in Greensboro at the Tanger Center. Tickets for the tour go on sale Friday Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com and on venue sites.

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The All Starr Band lineup features regulars Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette as well as Buck Johnson on keyboards. The tour launches June 12 in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Charlotte is the final stop.

“I absolutely love playing live and I love this band,” Starr said in a statement. “I just want to keep this line up going and that’s why I haven’t changed the All Starrs in a while. So here we go again, and we look forward to seeing you on the road this spring.”

Ahead of the spring tour, the 84-year-old Starr intends to release his second country album, “Look Up,” on Jan. 10, 2025, which he co-wrote with PNC Music Pavilion, who also produced the album.

Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band are no strangers to Charlotte. In fact, just a couple years after Starr launched the first iteration of his band in 1989, the band played what was then known as Blockbuster Pavilion (now PNC Music Pavilion) in June 1992.

Starr’s love affair with his Ludwig drums stretches to the earliest days of the Beatles.

Starr has said he spotted a Ludwig drum kit in a London shop window in April 1963 and was immediately drawn to them because he was enamored with all things American. At the time, the drums were made in Chicago.

When the Beatles made their historic appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Feb. 9, 1964, some 73 million people saw Starr wailing away on his Ludwig Downbeat oyster black pearl drum kit. Sales for the drum company exploded overnight.

The company relocated to Monroe in 1984. In 2015, The Charlotte Observer profiled the Union County Ludwig workers who spoke of the pride they take in making drums for Starr, and many other musicians.

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Starr’s enthusiasm for his Ludwig drums also was evident in a book of his that came out this year called “Beats & Threads.” It combined essays by Starr drums expert Gary Astridge and photos of the main drum kits Starr used during his Beatles career as well as a look at Starr’s iconic fashion from the time.

Earlier this year during a Zoom news conference, Starr told the Observer he thought of his Ludwig drums this way: “Mainly, my heart swells when I look at my (drum) kit, you know, and I still love them. I’m still using them all these years later. From ‘63, say, we started. And they’re still the drums for me...

“They’ve never let me down.”

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This story was originally published December 9, 2024, 11:43 AM.