Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point retired the AV-8B Harrier after more than 50 years of service.
The retirement marked the end of a long-serving aircraft’s role at Cherry Point and reflected the Marine Corps’ transition to the F-35. It was also a significant moment for service members, veterans, and families connected to the Harrier program.
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point marked the retirement of the AV-8B Harrier after more than 50 years of service, as the Marine Corps transitions to F-35 jets.
Lt. Col. John Cumbie, call sign Traper, said he had flown the Harrier for nearly his entire career. He said the final flight had been a year in the making and that he was proud of his team.
Officials said the transition affected more than pilots..
The event marked the end of the Harrier’s service at Cherry Point.
Regulators said they cannot finalize licensing, monitoring, and inspection rules without legislation.
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Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s May 19 veto of a bill to create a legal adult-use cannabis market in Virginia left hemp businesses facing more uncertainty and regulators without a final framework for oversight.
During her campaign, Spanberger said she would support a retail cannabis bill. In her veto statement, she said Virginia needed stronger enforcement and regulation.
“Virginians deserve a system that replaces the illicit cannabis market with one that prioritizes our children’s health and safety, public safety, product integrity, and accountability,” she wrote.
The bill passed by lawmakers would have allowed adults 21 and older to buy marijuana starting in January 2027. It proposed a few hundred licenses for retail stores and included testing and labeling rules, said Jason Blanchette, president of the Virginia Cannabis Association and a hemp grower in Hampton Roads.
Spanberger instead sent back changes that delayed sales until July 2027, capped stores at 200, reduced the personal possession limit to 2 ounces, and added criminal penalties, according to VPM.
The case was closed May 26 after the property manager told deputies she wanted only to document the incident, according to the report.
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Residents in the private Hilton Head Island community of Spanish Wells found a swastika painted on a roadway in late May, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The symbol had already been painted over when deputies responded May 26 near Widewater Road, according to an incident report. Deputies noted “multiple areas” that appeared to have been covered with paint.
A property manager told deputies she did not know when the graffiti was painted but believed it happened May 24 or 25, based on emails from residents, the report said. She declined to press charges and sent a mass email asking whether any neighbors had surveillance footage.
As of Wednesday, deputies had not identified a suspect and did not know exactly when the swastika was painted, sheriff’s office spokesperson Lt. Daniel Allen said. Allen said investigators also were unsure whether other hate symbols had been drawn near Widewater Lane before being covered.
Spanish Wells is a non-gated private community in the historic Gullah neighborhood of the same name overlooking the Calibogue Sound. It is governed by a property owners association and includes a members-only sports and lifestyle club.
This was not the first reported case of swastika graffiti in the area.
In 2021, three May River High School students were charged with spray-painting swastikas, racial slurs, and other messages at a hotel construction site in Hardeeville. The suspects were not publicly identified because they were minors, police said.
In 2022, officials at Battery Creek High School reported swastika graffiti in a boys bathroom, along with threats directed at Jewish and Black people and a message threatening a school shooting.
Alshami remained in the Onslow County Detention Center without bond. He was scheduled to appear in court June 10, 2026.
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A Jacksonville man faced multiple gambling-related charges after an investigation by North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement.
Ahmed Alshami, 37, was charged with manufacture/sell slot machine, gambling, operating or possessing a slot machine, operating a video gaming machine, and allowing unlawful conduct on a licensed premises.
According to arrest records, the charges stemmed from an alleged incident on Nov. 14, 2025.
Investigators alleged Alshami possessed, operated, or allowed the operation of slot machines and video gaming machines that gave players the chance to receive money, credit, or other items of value. Authorities also alleged gambling took place at Willi’s Mini Mart and that unlawful gambling was allowed on the licensed premises.
North Carolina law prohibits the operation or possession of most slot machines and video gaming machines used for games of chance when money or prizes can be awarded.
Police said the investigation remained ongoing, additional arrests were anticipated, and charges would be sought through the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.
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Honolulu police arrested three juveniles in connection with a Saturday assault at Waialee Beach, also known as Dead Man’s Curve, that injured a 23-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy.
Police said District 4 patrol officers responded to the North Shore beach, and detectives later determined the two victims were assaulted by multiple people and suffered significant injuries. Detectives also said the victims were allegedly restrained and prevented from leaving, leading investigators to add kidnapping offenses.
On Tuesday, officers from District 4 and District 8 assisted in identifying and arresting three juvenile suspects on kidnapping and assault allegations.
The older victim, Kekoa Tamale, a Waimea Valley lifeguard, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he was hurt after stepping in to help the teenager, who he said was being attacked and robbed by a group of masked people near Dead Man’s Curve. Tamale said the group had also attacked people earlier near Pipeline.
Tamale said he suffered broken bones and a concussion and that his chain was taken.
Pyland said both victims were treated at an emergency room and were recovering at home.
Interim Honolulu Police Department Chief Rade K. Vanic said investigators were reviewing video of the incident that circulated on social media.
Anyone with information was asked to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 808-955-8300.
An NC senator said similar programs already operate in dozens of states, including New York.
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North Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a proposal that would require public school districts to let students take part in off-campus religious instruction during the school day.
Sen. Brad Overcash, R-Gaston, added the language as an amendment to Senate Bill 1006, a broad K-12 education bill, during a Senate Education Committee meeting.
The proposal was first introduced in February 2025 as Senate Bill 92, the Released Time Education Act, but had not received a hearing. The earlier bill would have let local school boards decide whether to offer released-time programs. The new version would require districts to adopt policies allowing students to participate.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the released-time practices in 1952 if classes are held off school grounds, use no public funds, and have parental consent.
The amendment removed a provision from Senate Bill 92 that would have allowed students to earn academic credit for the off-campus instruction.
Opponents said released-time programs exclude some students, reduce academic time, and permit proselytizing in public schools.
All three candidates said they support expanding Medicaid, which South Carolina has not done under the 2010 federal health care law.
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The three Democrats running for South Carolina governor differed Wednesday on how to make the state more affordable, while agreeing on expanding Medicaid eligibility and legalizing medical marijuana.
State Rep. Jermaine Johnson of Richland County, Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod, and Upstate businessman Billy Webster discussed taxes, housing, and health care in an hourlong debate hosted by South Carolina Educational Television, less than a week before the June 9 statewide primaries.
Johnson and McLeod said they would use the governor’s office to push for a livable minimum wage in a state that follows the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009. McLeod said it should be $18 an hour; Johnson did not name a figure.
All three are seeking to become South Carolina’s first Democratic governor since Jim Hodges was elected in 1998. The Democratic nominee will face the Republican primary winner in November to succeed Gov. Henry McMaster.
Webster said eliminating the state income tax would leave too little money for services, noting income taxes account for about 45% of the state’s proposed $14.4 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Legislation signed March 30 lowers income tax rates. According to the state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, about 43% of filers will pay less in the first year, reducing state revenue by nearly $309 million; about 23% will pay more, and 35% will see no change. The law calls for further reductions as the economy grows, with eventual elimination of the tax.
Johnson also said fully eliminating the income tax was not feasible, but he supported further cuts so 70% of filers would owe no state income tax. He also called for lower property tax rates for small businesses.
Webster supported expanding a property tax break for older homeowners from the first $50,000 of assessed home value to $150,000, matching a plan passed by the Senate.
McLeod said he would stop offering state incentive packages to large manufacturers.
They also backed legalizing medical marijuana, but not recreational use. Johnson said he would push for relief for people convicted of nonviolent marijuana offenses, though South Carolina governors do not have pardon authority.
More than 207,000 South Carolinians had voted through Tuesday, according to the State Election Commission, and 64% cast Democratic ballots. Early voting continues through Friday.
Kimbrell said he would continue serving his Senate term, which runs until 2028.
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State Sen. Josh Kimbrell ended his campaign for South Carolina governor Wednesday, the Spartanburg County Republican said in a video posted to social media.
Kimbrell remained on the June 9 Republican primary ballot. His announcement came with two days left in early voting.
Kimbrell, first elected to the state Senate in 2020, said his decision to leave the six-way race involved several factors, “including some of the nastiest politics I’ve ever experienced in my life” since launching his campaign last June.
His campaign faced months of legal disputes tied to the private aircraft chartering business he founded in 2017. Two weeks after Kimbrell entered the governor’s race, former business partner Frank Rogers sued him, accusing him of funneling more than $2 million from the business into personal and campaign expenses.
Kimbrell denied the allegations and filed a defamation countersuit.
In a 21-minute Facebook video posted in December, Kimbrell said the legal fight left him thousands of dollars in debt and forced him to sell the home he shared with his wife and two children.
Beyond the debates, Kimbrell did not appear to campaign publicly and ranked last in various polls. He also trailed the field in fundraising, reporting about $80,000 raised through March 31, according to his latest filings with the state Election Commission. The other five candidates each raised or self-funded millions of dollars, reports showed.
In Wednesday’s video, he said he was still deciding whom to support for governor and would back the candidate he believed “will carry forward an agenda of pro-family, pro free markets, pro limited government in our state.”
The man was previously convicted in federal court in 2006 for threatening to kill President George W. Bush and in 2012 for threatening to murder former U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway.
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A 48-year-old Honolulu man who previously served prison time for threatening a U.S. president and a federal judge was arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Ronald William Saville was charged by criminal complaint Monday with sending interstate communications containing threats. He was arrested in Abilene, Texas, made an initial court appearance, was ordered detained, and will be transported to Hawaii for trial.
According to federal court records, Saville emailed Michigan State Police on May 9, identified himself, referenced the state Capitol in Lansing, and said he was “going to walk in with a gun — an AR-15 — and open fire and kill as many people as possible. I mean what I say. I’m not a joke.”
Later that day, he also allegedly emailed Whitmer, writing, “just to let you know on Tuesday second, Lancy, Michigan is never gonna be the same again going to walk into the state capital shoot it up and kill as many people as possible than that I’m coming for you(.)”
The complaint said Saville called the Federal Bureau of Investigation on May 12 and told an agent he wanted to kill Whitmer because of her political affiliation, had been researching a trip to Michigan, and still intended to carry out the threat.
If convicted, Saville faces up to five years in prison on each count, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release.
Rep. Neal Collins said the push for tougher penalties gained momentum after five dogs were killed in the line of duty in 2024.
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Gov. Henry McMaster on Wednesday ceremonially signed a law increasing criminal penalties for harming police dogs and horses.
McMaster had already signed the measure into law May 15. Under it, anyone who taunts, hits, or drugs a police dog or horse can face a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in prison, or both.
Intentionally injuring or killing a police animal carries a fine of up to $20,000 and a prison sentence of up to 15 years. Under previous law, killing a police animal carried a maximum prison term of five years.
The law is named after six police dogs killed on duty over the past 15 years. Several of the dogs’ handlers attended Wednesday’s event, along with police dogs from more than a dozen law enforcement agencies and four mounted patrol units.
Sgt. Warren Cavanagh of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, who has worked with police dogs since 2004, said officers had sought stronger penalties since his dog Fargo was shot and killed by an armed robbery suspect in December 2011.
“These are not just tools,” Cavanagh said. “These are our partners. These are our families. So, now, when you kill one of them, it’s a serious event. It’s not a slap on the wrist.”
State Law Enforcement Division Special Agent Richard Hunton also attended with his current K-9, Judah, a 3-year-old German shepherd. Hunton’s previous dog, Rico, was shot and killed in September 2023 while tracking a murder suspect. Hunton said Rico entered a house to search areas a robot could not reach and was shot immediately.
“It feels like you’ve lost a family member” when a police dog is killed, Hunton said. “It feels like the rug’s been pulled out from under you, and you don’t know where to start over, but you know that he allowed somebody to go home with their family.”
Insurance rates have risen faster than insurers’ coverage costs. Recent analysis shows that insurers paid out $0.62 in claims for every $1 collected in premiums.
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Home insurance costs are rising again in North Carolina, adding pressure to household budgets.
Homeowners’ premiums increased another 7.5% this month as part of a two-year increase negotiated in 2024. That followed a 7.9% increase in 2022.
Climate-related risk is a main driver of higher premiums, along with rising repair costs. Since 2018, North Carolina has endured more than 40 disasters that each caused more than $1 billion in damage.
North Carolina’s use of consent-to-rate, which allows insurers to charge up to 250% above negotiated base rates for higher-risk properties, rose from about 20% in 2012 to more than 55%.
Policyholders with low credit scores also pay more than twice as much for insurance as those with high credit scores for similar properties.
The North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association, an insurer of last resort on the coast, has helped more than 21,000 homeowners install stronger FORTIFIED roofs through grant funding. It suggested lawmakers could expand similar programs to private policyholders by directing existing premium tax revenue to mitigation grants and low-interest loans.
North Carolina’s building code is among the weakest in the country and noted the General Assembly in 2023 froze adoption of updated residential building codes until 2031.
A recently proposed bill would ban the use of credit scores in rate-setting, create a plan to reduce reliance on consent-to-rate, and require insurers to explain those higher premiums and steps homeowners could take to lower risk.