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The relief concert featured well-known music artists like Luke Combs, Eric Church, and James Taylor.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — People from across North Carolina and the country made their way to Charlotte last night for the Concert for Carolina.

The relief concert featured well-known music artists like Luke Combs, Eric Church, and James Taylor. The concert was held at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Rainfall and a nearly two-hour delay didn't stop fans from supporting a good cause.

Church said during last night's concert that he would help build 100 homes in Avery County, according to a member of our news team who attended the concert. Dolly Parton sent a message and said she is donating $1 million to Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

Every single penny from the concert will go to relief efforts for communities in western North Carolina that are recovering from Helene.

Ahead of Saturday’s concert, both Church and Combs talked about what made them decide to do this.

"The small communities that specifically make up western North Carolina are these strong, independent, proud communities. And I've said many times that they're the exact community that when the community next door is in trouble, you can count on that community to help you. And in this situation there is no community next door, it's all been destroyed. So what you're seeing tonight, is we are the community next door, the people that are in this stadium are the community next door,” Church said.

"Just wanted to help, wanting to figure out how I can be of service, how I can help the place that raised me and the place that I came from. This is the way that I know how,” Combs said.

Combs also thanked the Teppers for allowing the concert to happen.

Over $24.5 million has been raised from the concert.

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‘Tis the season for scary movies and if you’re planning to watch any haunting horror films, you may recognize a few North Carolina spots on screen.

The state has been a popular destination for dozens of films for decades, including several thrillers and cult classics.

So if you want to set the scene for a scary movie night with hometown ties ahead of Halloween, here’s a list of popular films compiled by the state’s travel and tourism website, VisitNC, that you want want to check out:

Filming locations in NC: Asheville, Boone, Bryson City, Foscoe

Starring: Katherine Sigismund, Corey Eid, Riley Polanski

Synopsis: “A vacationing family encounters an alien threat in this thriller based on the real-life Brown Mountain Lights phenomenon in North Carolina.”

How to watch: Stream on Roku Channel, Tubi and Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Mocksville, Mount Airy and Winston-Salem

Starring: Jordan Ladd, Rider Strong, James DeBello

Synopsis: “Five college graduates rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals.”

How to watch: Stream on AMC+ and Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Wilmington

Starring: Rider Strong, Noah Segan, Alexi Wasser

Synopsis: “A high school prom faces a deadly threat: a flesh-eating virus that spreads via a popular brand of bottled water.”

How to watch: Stream on Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Wilmington

Starring: Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King

Synopsis: “A stray cat is the linking element of three tales of suspense and horror.”

How to watch: Stream on Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Currie, Wilmington

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston

Synopsis: “Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.”

How to watch: Stream on Max and Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Wadesboro, Wilmington

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks

Synopsis: “Ash Williams, the lone survivor of an earlier onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits, holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.”

How to watch: Stream on AMC+, Plex, Pluto TV, MovieSphere and Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Wilmington

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak

Synopsis: “Surviving victims of Michael Myers form a vigilante mob and vow to end his reign of terror.”

How to watch: Stream on Bravo Now, E!Now, NBC, Peacock, Syfy Now, Telemundo Now and Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Asheville

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman

Synopsis: “Living in exile, Dr. Hannibal Lecter tries to reconnect with now disgraced F.B.I. Agent Clarice Starling, and finds himself a target of revenge from a powerful victim.”

How to watch: Stream on Prime Video and Roku Channel.

Filming locations in NC: Hendersonville

Starring: Rose Leslie, Harry Treadaway, Ben Huber

Synopsis: “A newlywed couple finds their lake-country honeymoon descend into chaos after Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of the night.”

How to watch: Stream on Peacock, Roku Channel, Tubi and Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Durham, Southport

Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Anne Heche

Synopsis: “Four young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town.”

How to watch: Stream on AMC+, Peacock, Tubi and Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Wilmington

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette

Synopsis: “25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.”

How to watch: Stream on Netflix, Paramount+ and Prime Video.

Filming locations in NC: Burgaw, Wilmington

Starring: Gary Busey, Everette McGill, Corey Haim

Synopsis: “In a small town, brutal killings start to plague the close knit community. Marty Coslaw, a paraplegic boy, is convinced the murders are the doings of a werewolf.”

How to watch: Stream on AMC+, Paramount+ and Prime Video.

In addition to the the 12 movies mentioned above, we figured we’d make it 13 with this horror film that was filmed in Charlotte:

Filming locations in NC: Charlotte, Cramerton

Starring: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment

Synopsis: “A brash and arrogant podcaster gets more than he bargained for when he travels to Canada to interview a mysterious recluse ... who has a rather disturbing fondness for walruses.”

How to watch: Stream on Prime Video.

The Charlotte Observer

Chyna Blackmon is a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA.

The goal was to raise funds to help people still reeling from Helene's impact.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thousands met at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday for the Concert for Carolina. The country music event was put on to raise money and awareness for those impacted in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

“This is great because they need even more support and it’s going to go on for a long time,” one Charlotte resident said.

The concert saw artists like Luke Combs, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, and many others take the stage for the cause.

Concertgoers told WCNC Charlotte they were excited to come out and enjoy the concert. With all proceeds going to those affected, people said they were even more excited to get to do their part.

Over $24.5 million has been raised, and the online auction is still going at concertforcarolina.com.

“It’s important to keep in the forefront of our minds that the rebuilding will go on for a long time and I think events like this will remind people that there are still people who need our help,” another person shared.

“People still do need support, even like a month later, two months later, people will need support for a long time,” another concertgoer expressed.

The concert comes roughly a month after Helene tore through the Carolinas, hitting hardest in the mountainous High Country in the western part of North Carolina.

To learn about ways you can help those impacted by Helene, check out this article from WCNC Charlotte.

Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

You can stream WCNC Charlotte on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, just download the free app to get the news that impacts you.

North Carolina ranked below the national average in graduate ACT scores in 2024, new data show. However, officials say that doesn’t tell the whole story.

The ACT is a standardized test used widely for college admissions alongside the SAT. It is split into four main skill areas: English, reading, math and science.

Around 1.4 million students around the country took the ACT who graduated in 2024, including 105,145 North Carolinians. The national average was 19.4, out of a maximum possible 36 points. The average among North Carolina test takers was 18.5.

However, North Carolina is one of a limited number of states that provides free ACT testing during the school day for students, meaning it has a higher percentage of student participation than all but 13 other states. Around 89% of 2024 high school graduates in North Carolina took the ACT at some point in 10th, 11th or 12th grade.

“When a state tests close to its full percentage of graduates, then we’re really able to get a big picture of all students in the state, as opposed to a state with a small percentage of students testing, where averages will often look very high,” Rose Babington, senior director of strategic initiatives at ACT told The Charlotte Observer.

Babington says states with small sample sizes often show higher averages, since the testing pool itself is skewed.

“That’s only reflecting a very small group of self-selected students who are testing on their own on the weekend, as opposed to a state like North Carolina, which offers all students the opportunity to test,” she said.

In states that don’t offer school-day testing, the ACT costs students a minimum of $63 and a few hours on the weekend. So in those states, the pool of test takers is limited to those who have the money, time and transportation to take the test. They’re also usually students who intend to apply to college in the first place.

For example, in neighboring Virginia, the average ACT score was 24.8 for 2024 grads, over six points higher than NC. However, only 8% of Virginia graduates took the test. The states with the highest ACT average for 2024 graduates were Connecticut and California, which each had an average score of 26.5. They also had participation rates of just 8% and 3%, respectively.

Among states where 75% of graduates or more took the test, North Carolina was right in the middle, matching the average score of 18.5.

ACT scores in CMS outpaced the state average the last few years but fell short of the national average.

The state hasn’t released the ACT score breakdown for 2024 graduates by individual district. In 2023, the average for graduates in CMS was 18.7, compared to NC’s average of 18.2. Nationally, the average was 19.5.

The ACT is part of the state accountability model in North Carolina – the calculation for a school’s grade of A, B, C, D or F.

“The ACT is practical because it can tell us a national comparison of how our students are doing,” said Beth Thompson, CMS chief strategy and innovation officer. “When our students take an end-of-course test, we can compare them to how students are doing across the state, but not nationally.”

The test is also a part of the requirements for some students who want to attend college in the UNC system. For students who enroll in college in fall 2026 and beyond, the system requires a minimum high school GPA of 2.5 and a minimum ACT score of 17 or SAT score of 930 if the GPA is between 2.5 and 2.8. The UNC system just voted to approve the change in May.

The ACT became a part of the CMS Board of Education’s goals this fall, too. The board now uses it as part of the calculation for how ready students are for life after graduation. CMS aims to monitor data prior to the ACT to identify gaps and align curriculum with the test, said Kim Schroeder, CMS assistant superintendent.

“We want to make sure that students graduate from high school and have a plan, and are equipped to be able to do something,” Thompson said. “I think it’s a real game changer for our community for building economic mobility.”

In our Reality Check stories, Charlotte Observer journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Read more. Story idea? RealityCheck@charlotteobserver.com.

The Charlotte Observer

Rebecca Noel reports on education for The Charlotte Observer. She’s a native of Houston, Texas, and graduated from Rice University. She later received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. When she’s not reporting, she enjoys reading, running and frequenting coffee shops around Charlotte.

Bank of America Stadium officials warned the sold-out crowd at the Concert for Carolina to “seek cover” due to severe weather in the area on Saturday.

The stadium was evacuated. Concert goers have since been allowed to return.

At 5:15 p.m., Doppler radar revealed heavy rain from 8 miles northwest of uptown Charlotte to 5 miles southwest of Gastonia, and moving east at 25 mph, according to a National Weather Service Special Weather Statement.

The severe weather area included Charlotte, Gastonia, Matthews, Mint Hill and Mount Holly.

[CONCERT FOR CAROLINA review: A little rain can’t stop 82,000 fans from showing a whole lotta love for NC]

“Very heavy rainfall rates up to 2 inches per hour will be possible in these areas,” NWS meteorologists said in the statement. “Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph also may occur with the rainfall.”

Only a rain drop or two was falling when stadium officials announced at 5:23 p.m.: “Due to inclement weather, we ask you to exit the seating area. We will inform you when it is safe to return”

Only about 10,000 or 15,000 people were in the stadium at the time.

The show was scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m. but didn’t.

At 5:26 p.m., the AccuWeather app warned of “lightning in your area!”

[PHOTOS: Concert for Carolina attracts fans to uptown Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium]

The rain and any severe weather was expected to last only about an hour, NWS meteorologist Jake Wimberley said at 5:30 p.m.

At 6:22 p.m., stadium officials lifted the seek-cover protocol. “It is safe to return to your seats,” officials said on X, the former Twitter. “The show will begin shortly.”

[STARTING TO HEAL: Helene victims find place to mourn and connect outside Concert for Carolina in Charlotte.]

This story was originally published October 26, 2024, 6:04 PM.