It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always.
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting the historic North Carolina State Capitol gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Raleigh, NC is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
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Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Pullen Park with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local Death and Taxes or visit North Carolina Executive Mansion, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Raleigh, NC, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Raleigh, NC understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Raleigh, NC 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
I’m Brian Gordon, tech reporter for The News & Observer, and this is Open Source, a weekly newsletter on business, labor and technology in North Carolina.Brian Ceccarelli thought he had vanquished red light cameras. For more than a decade, the software engineer in Cary fought to rid North Carolina intersections of the cameras that automatically capture vehicles running reds and mail fines to their drivers.In 2010, Ceccarelli sued the town of Cary following his second red light citation, arguing th...
I’m Brian Gordon, tech reporter for The News & Observer, and this is Open Source, a weekly newsletter on business, labor and technology in North Carolina.
Brian Ceccarelli thought he had vanquished red light cameras. For more than a decade, the software engineer in Cary fought to rid North Carolina intersections of the cameras that automatically capture vehicles running reds and mail fines to their drivers.
In 2010, Ceccarelli sued the town of Cary following his second red light citation, arguing the length of time given for yellow lights was too short. He brought a white board to the courtroom, serving as plaintiff and expert witness. He lost the case, but won the war, as Cary soon shuttered its program.
Ceccarelli wasn’t done. He set up a website, called Red Light Robber, where he recruited plaintiffs to take on other red light camera systems. The past three years have brought a string of successes, with Raleigh, Fayetteville, Wilmington and Greenville all ditching their cameras. Raleigh didn’t renew its system in March 2024, citing “third-party litigation.”
Raleigh’s cameras had monitored 25 intersections where they issued 40,000 violations a year. No locality in North Carolina uses them now.
That will soon change, as last week Greensboro voted to reinstate its red light camera program. Fines will be $50. Greensboro city council member Sharon Hightower told me traffic safety is a big local concern and officials spent two years analyzing which intersections saw the most side-impact, T-bone crashes.
“It is safety,” she said. “It’s not about revenue.”
Other types of traffic cameras could be next. In July, North Carolina passed a law allowing local governments to set up automatic speeding ticket cameras in school zones. This week, The Assembly detailed how a camera operator’s political donations appeared to help push the bill through.
The Red Light Robber is no fan. “Red light cameras, like speed cameras, take advantage of the difference between the precise wording of law and the imprecise nature of engineering,” Ceccarelli said.
And his fight goes on.
Pepsi was born in a North Carolina pharmacy. Now a threat to the company is being made here too.
In its latest annual report, PepsiCo listed “increasing use of weight-loss drugs” as a business risk for a third straight year. Little wonder, as millions of Americans now take Zepbound, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic to treat obesity.
Two companies make these four medications. And both do so from the Triangle.
Novo Nordisk fills Wegovy and Ozempic injection pens at a 450,000-square-foot facility in the Johnston County town of Clayton, where it also packages the drugs. Last year, the large Danish company committed $4.1 billion to expand its local fill-finish operations. Eli Lilly is more recent to the state, but no less ambitious. In 2023, the Indianapolis-based pharma giant started producing Mounjaro and Zepbound at a new Research Triangle Park fill-finish plant. Then last year, it opened a replicate facility in Concord, near Charlotte.
“Suffice to say, there are millions of units of medicine coming down this side alone,” Daniel VonDielingen, one of Eli Lilly’s senior vice presidents in manufacturing, said during a recent tour of an RTP production line, where a stream of Mounjaro pens passed us.
And this week, another major pharmaceutical company committed to make GLP-1s in the Triangle. Genentech, a Roche subsidiary, hopes to produce its obesity treatment at its Holly Springs campus by 2029.
First though, Genentech has to develop the drug. The company ceremonially broke ground on its Wake County campus Monday; another massive weight-loss drug project underway.
“When the technology finally kind of catches up to the medical need, you get these big opportunities,” said Bill Bullock, senior vice president of economic and statewide development at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. “And North Carolina has just been super well positioned to capture it.”
North Carolina still has furniture jobs — especially for high-end custom items — and the planet’s biggest furniture market is held twice a year in High Point. But outsourcing to Asia shut factories, caused layoffs and dented the state’s claim to being “The Furniture Capital of The World.” Between 1999 and 2009, the North Carolina furniture manufacturing sector lost more than half of its jobs, according to the regional Federal Reserve Bank.
Are tariffs the solution then?
In a Truth Social post last Friday, President Donald Trump said his administration would consider furniture tariffs following a 50-day investigation to “bring the Furniture Business back to North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, and States all across the Union.”
The industry group Furniture for America disagrees, writing in April that “no amount of tariffs will bring back American furniture manufacturing back to its prior levels.” The group’s membership includes domestic producers and importers.
In the short term, tariffs may have already cost local furniture jobs. This month, Michigan-based Howard Miller announced it would close its two North Carolina facilities in Lexington and High Point, affecting 42 jobs. Its CEO blamed earlier Trump tariffs for disrupting the company’s supply chain.
Then again, furniture jobs leaving the state isn’t new.
Durham’s bankrupt chipmaker Wolfspeed released its 2025 annual report this week with a few interesting details:
But Johnson & Johnson’s announcement did give new details about how much it will invest at its Holly Springs site ($2 billion), for how long (at least 10 years) and how many jobs it expects to create there (around 120).
Thanks for reading!
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 9:30 AM.
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A federal grand jury has returned a ten-count indictment against a man and a woman for their alleged roles in a forced labor and money laundering operation.David Taylor, 53, was arrested in North Carolina and Michelle Brannon, 56, was arrested in Florida, according to the Department of Justice."Combating human trafficking is a top priority for the Department of Justice," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division."We are commi...
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A federal grand jury has returned a ten-count indictment against a man and a woman for their alleged roles in a forced labor and money laundering operation.
David Taylor, 53, was arrested in North Carolina and Michelle Brannon, 56, was arrested in Florida, according to the Department of Justice.
"Combating human trafficking is a top priority for the Department of Justice," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
"We are committed to relentlessly pursuing and ending this scourge and obtaining justice for the victims."
ABC11 News spoke with a neighbor in Durham who wanted to remain anonymous. One neighbor said she always had an uneasy feeling seeing people on in and out of the property.
Her gut said something was off. The neighbor also said at various times they were asked to visit the church, and one encounter in particular made her feel weirded out. During that meeting, she said Taylor's supposed religious vision was directed at her family.
"I actually was just a little scared about him telling us about our little brother to be careful because something might happen to him because he supposedly had a vision or something, because he was a pastor," she says. "But I always thought in my head that was weird."
She says while she always had an uneasy feeling, she never thought someone who's supposed to be a pastor could do something like he's accused of.
"I knew something was off because all those black trash bags were brought in and out," she says. "I guess all my suspicions were there."
The indictment alleges that Taylor and Brannon are the leaders of the Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC), formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI).
Their organization ran a call center that solicited donations for KOGGC/JMMI every day. Taylor established his first call center in Michigan and then operated call centers in other locations, including Florida, Texas, and Missouri.
Taylor and Brannon, according to the indictment, compelled their victims to work at their call centers. Taylor and Brannon controlled every aspect of their daily lives.
In addition, according to the indictment, Taylor and Brannon required victims to work in the call centers long hours without pay or perform other services for Taylor.
He set unattainable daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly monetary donation goals for victims working in the call centers and required victims to follow the orders he created without question.
KOGGC/JMMI received millions of dollars in donations each year through its call centers.
Taylor and Brannon used much of the money to purchase luxury properties, luxury vehicles, and sporting equipment such as a boat, jet skis, and ATVs, the indictment shows.
In total, Taylor received approximately $50 million in donations since 2014.
Taylor will appear before a judge today in Durham. Brannon will appear in a Florida court.
If convicted, the alleged crimes could result in a prison sentence of up to 60 years.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh woman was concerned about losing her Social Security benefits because of claims that she was making a six-figure salary.The problem? She says she hasn't worked for years. "When I read the letter, it stated that I had worked in January 2024 through December 2024. I just busted out laughing, and I said, 'This is a joke,' because I have not worked since 2019," said Audrey Richardson.Since 2019, Richardson says she's been on disability, then survivors' benefits, and now social security si...
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh woman was concerned about losing her Social Security benefits because of claims that she was making a six-figure salary.
The problem? She says she hasn't worked for years. "When I read the letter, it stated that I had worked in January 2024 through December 2024. I just busted out laughing, and I said, 'This is a joke,' because I have not worked since 2019," said Audrey Richardson.
Since 2019, Richardson says she's been on disability, then survivors' benefits, and now social security since she's 65 years old. She said she never had a problem with her benefits until now. The letter explains that her monthly benefits would be cut.
"I will only get $163, period. I live alone, and that is the only income that I receive."
The letter states the reason for the cut is that Richardson made $114,572 in 2024. She reached out to Social Security for answers, who she says told her the company where it claims she made that much money.
Richardson said she told the representative, "Ma'am, I've never heard of them. I promise you I have never worked anywhere like that."
She says she was told that their records state she did work for the company. Not happy, Richardson tracked down a representative in the Human Resources department for the company where the Social Security Administration records claimed she worked. She says that person told her, "I've looked at my records here. We haven't even paid anybody that amount that you gave. I looked it up by your four digits of your social security number, and once again, you've never been working with us."
That company even provided a letter for the Social Security Administration confirming Richardson never worked for them. Richardson says she called SSA to confirm her benefits would not be cut, but claims they told her she had to appeal.
"I wasn't satisfied, and so, that's when I said, 'You know what? It's time for troubleshooting. I need to call Miss Diane Wilson." ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson got in touch with the Social Security Administration. Shortly after, Richardson said she also heard from them.
She says they corrected the issue and that her benefits would not be impacted, and she continued to get the monthly amount as usual. Richards said she is relieved.
A representative with the Social Security Administration thanked Wilson for contacting them, but stated that, due to privacy laws, they can't discuss individual cases. However, they would work directly with Richardson, which they did, and resolve the case.
In a rivalry game that seems to always deliver, N.C. State came out on top — its 2024 bowl game loss and on-field brawl in the rearview mirror.N.C. State defeated East Carolina, 24-17, in a tough, back-and-forth contest to start the 2025 season at Carter-Finley Stadium on Thursday night.Despite the close score, the Wolfpack got out to a hot start on both sides of the football and looked like it would run away with the game after taking a 17-0 lead.Quarterback CJ Bailey opened the game throwing 14 of 16 for 155 yard...
In a rivalry game that seems to always deliver, N.C. State came out on top — its 2024 bowl game loss and on-field brawl in the rearview mirror.
N.C. State defeated East Carolina, 24-17, in a tough, back-and-forth contest to start the 2025 season at Carter-Finley Stadium on Thursday night.
Despite the close score, the Wolfpack got out to a hot start on both sides of the football and looked like it would run away with the game after taking a 17-0 lead.
Quarterback CJ Bailey opened the game throwing 14 of 16 for 155 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 14 yards and a touchdown. He received plenty of assistance, with seven different players pulling in a catch and two running backs adding yardage on the ground. Between the end of the first quarter and early in the second, N.C. State scored two touchdowns in 2 ½ minutes.
Bailey finished 24 of 34 for 318 yards. He did not score another touchdown. Hollywood Smothers led the team in the ground game, rushing for 76 yards and one touchdown.
N.C. State’s defense looked much improved in the first quarter of play, forcing four consecutive three-and-outs. Last season, the team had forced four or more three-and-out plays in two games; four against Northern Illinois and five against North Carolina. In its bowl game matchup against the Pirates, the Pack forced its opponent off the field in three plays just once.
The aggressive play on both sides helped the Wolfpack build that big first-half lead.
East Carolina, however, responded just as one would expect in a rivalry game. The Pirates scored their first touchdown on a 79-yard pass from quarterback Katin Houser to Jayvontay Conner. The Wolfpack defense wasn’t set after celebrating a sack on the play prior.
The Pirates added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, cutting the Wolfpack lead back to 10 points. A field goal midway through the fourth made it a one-touchdown game before N.C. State stopped the Pirates at the 10 in the final minute.
Though the Wolfpack defense gave explosive plays at times, the Pack didn’t break. It held East Carolina to just 30 rushing yards. After the first four drives, the Pirates were -28 yards. It also limited ECU’s success on third and fourth down, allowing the Pirates to convert on 6 of its 16 third-down conversion attempts and went 1 of 4 on fourth down.
Houser finished the game 30 of 44 for 366 yards and one touchdown. London Montgomery had a team-high 32 yards rushing.
Here’s what we learned about N.C. State in the win:
Transfer defensive ends Cian Slone and Sabastian Harsh combined for 14 tackles. Harsh, though he didn’t lead the team in tackles, was all over the field and disruptive. He was quick to his assignments and beat opponents. Harsh finished with 2.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and one quarterback pressure.
Slone added three QB hurries as well. After losing Davin Vann to graduation, Slone and Harsh appear to be poised to replace him.
“We wanted to be better off the edge. We wanted to create more tackles for loss this year, more sacks, and not have to blitz all the time to create those things,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “We wanted to be able to do it with four or five guys, so there was a huge emphasis in finding some edge players. … Obviously, [it] paid off.”
Cornerback Jamel Johnson was stellar when it mattered. He recorded five tackles, all solo, including a tackle on 4th down and 1, with less than one minute remaining. His tackle forced ECU’s fourth turnover on downs and sealed the Wolfpack’s win.
Redshirt freshman Nick Konieczynski earned his first career start as the Wolfpack’s place kicker, earning the starting role over graduate student Kanoah Vinesett.
“At kicker, it was a nice competition throughout camp with Kanoah as the lead going into it, but Nick beat him out throughout camp,” Doeren said during his radio show Wednesday. “He just really impressed everybody with his consistency, his distance, his ball height, his ball flight. He has just really good leg strength about him that puts us in a position to feel good about kicking longer field goals.”
Konieczynski’s first game did not go to plan. He went 1 of 3, missing two field goal attempts — one wide left and one right — in the fourth quarter that would have kept the Wolfpack on top by two scores. The first missed field goal was from 40 yards out and the second was from 46 yards.
The rookie’s lone field goal was good from 29 yards out. He was perfect on PATs.
With his rough outing, it’s unclear whether the Pack coaching staff will go to Vinesett for Week 2.
During fall camp, N.C. State talked repeatedly about playing with discipline and reducing preventable errors.
“We have to put a premium on execution and how we play 11-man football,” Doeren said. “Eleven guys playing together and eliminating unforced errors, preventable mistakes, the turnover margin and all the things that go into it.”
The Wolfpack, however, struggled with penalties at several points in its first game of the fall.
N.C. State was charged with seven penalties. Officials also called the Wolfpack for an illegal formation and substitution penalty, both of which were declined.
Two penalties came on the team’s first drive, which stifled the offensive momentum. First, wide receiver Noah Rogers was called for a holding penalty, negating a 36-yard gain from Smothers. Teague Andersen was later called for a personal foul on second down, pushing the Wolfpack from the 7-yard line to the 22-yard line. Smothers gained 11 yards on the next play, but N.C. State had to settle for a field goal.
On its first drive of the second half, the Pack was called for two consecutive false start penalties. Doeren said the penalties “derailed” plays on offense and called some of them “bonehead” errors.
Fortunately for N.C. State, East Carolina had its own issues with penalties. It was called for 10 penalties, including a pair of consecutive 5-yard penalties early in the fourth quarter that helped set N.C. State up for its final touchdown of the night.
For two teams that preach discipline, they’ve both got to improve in the coming weeks. They gave away 149 yards of penalties — N.C. State had 63 yards lost — something that won’t stand against other opponents.
North Carolina will be the new home of seven large troll sculptures, the largest North American installation for Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo.Five of the larger than life trolls — made from recycled wood, salvaged pallets and fallen branches — will be permanently installed at Dorothea Dix Park. The Dix Park Conservancy announced last year that two would be built for the park.One troll each will also be installed in Charlotte and High Point.“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said R...
North Carolina will be the new home of seven large troll sculptures, the largest North American installation for Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo.
Five of the larger than life trolls — made from recycled wood, salvaged pallets and fallen branches — will be permanently installed at Dorothea Dix Park. The Dix Park Conservancy announced last year that two would be built for the park.
One troll each will also be installed in Charlotte and High Point.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Ruffin Hall, president and CEO of Dix Park Conservancy. “It brings worldwide attention to Raleigh while creating a deeply local experience at Dix Park.”
The seven sculptures, which can be over 10 feet tall, will appear on Dambo’s global Trollmap, which shares the location of the more than 150 other trolls across five continents.
“Dambo has an international fan base who makes ‘pilgrimages’ to see the trolls,” Mayor Janet Cowell said. “With the family of trolls coming to Dix Park, combined with the attraction of Gipson Play Plaza, they will definitely be a distinctive, popular destination, easily attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.”
These will be the first trolls in North Carolina. The closest troll, Leo the Enlightened, is located on Black Berry Mountain Resort in Tennessee.
Organizers are staying mum on their exact locations to encourage “discovery and exploration,” according to the conservancy news release.
“The joy is in the discovery,” Dambo said in the release. “The trolls are shy creatures. They like to be found, not announced.”
In addition to the trolls in Raleigh, Charlotte and High Point, North Carolina will host a traveling exhibition, “Trolls: A Field Study by Thomas Dambo,” at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville from Nov. 15 to Feb 17, 2026.
“This moment arrives as western North Carolina works to recover tourism revenue following Hurricane Helene, making it a timely opportunity to support arts and travel statewide,” according to the news release.
The trolls are built using volunteers, and no carpentry experience is required. Volunteers must be 18 or older and may only sign up for two shifts.
Two types of volunteers are needed:
Volunteer sign-ups begin for Dix Park Conservancy members at noon Sept. 2 and at noon Sept. 17 for the general public.
Information about how to sign up will be shared on the Conservancy’s social media and email channels, and on the project’s webpage: www.dixparkconservancy.org/art/dambo-trolls
An artist talk and book signing with Dambo will be held at the Greg Poole, Jr. All Faiths Chapel at Dix Park on Oct. 23. The specific time and registration details will be shared at a later date.
(919) 554-2223
