Press Releases

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff beginning Monday, February 10, 2020 in honor of Sgt. Javier Jaguar Gutierrez, who lost his life during an attack in Afghanistan. Sgt. Gutierrez, who was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina, was stationed at Fort Bragg before his assignment to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. In tribute, flags are to remain at halfstaff through sunset on Sunday, February 16, 2020.

Governor Roy Cooper ordered all United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities to remain lowered to half-staff until sunset Tuesday, February 4, 2020 in honor of Spc. Antonio I. Moore, who lost his life in an accident while carrying out operations in Syria. A Wilmington native, Spc. Moore had been assigned to the 363rd Engineer Battalion, 411th Engineer Brigade based in Knightdale, NC. Services for Spc. Moore will be held on Tuesday.

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff beginning Monday, January 27, 2020 in honor of Spc. Antonio I. Moore, who lost his life in an accident while carrying out operations in Syria. A Wilmington native, Spc. Moore had been assigned to the 363rd Engineer Battalion, 411th Engineer Brigade based in Knightdale, NC. Flags are to remain at halfstaff through sunset on Sunday, February 2, 2020. Statement from Governor Roy Cooper:

Today, state employees from across the state are encouraged to wear blue in recognition of human trafficking awareness month. Human trafficking involves the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, buying or selling of human beings for labor and services by means of force, fraud or coercion.

On Friday, January 17, 2020, the State of North Carolina will hold its annual State Employees’ Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance Program in Raleigh, NC. This year’s theme centers on Dr. King’s message – “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘what are you doing for others?” The program will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 99 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh. It will include a commemorative bell ringing ceremony as well as remarks from Governor Roy Cooper and keynote address from former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered immediately to half-staff beginning Monday, January 13, 2020, in honor of US Staff Sgt. Ian Paul McLaughlin of Virginia and Pfc. Miguel Angel Villalon of Illinois, who lost their lives while conducting combat operations on Saturday in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. McLaughlin and Pfc. Villalon were both paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, NC.

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities be lowered to half staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, December 7, in observance of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Saturday will mark 78 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where more than 2,000 service members and civilians died on December 7, 1941. As a sign of respect, individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are welcome to fly the flag at half-staff for the same duration of time.

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff immediately through sunset on Saturday, November 23 in honor of Northampton County Sheriff's Deputy Makeem Brooks who died in the line of duty on Wednesday, November 13. Deputy Brooks, who lived in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, was new to the force, serving only six months at the Northampton County Sheriff's Office.  Services for Deputy Brooks will be held on Saturday at Englewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper issued a proclamation in observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance which honors the lives of the transgender community and promotes inclusion, equity and fair treatment for all North Carolinians.

Applications for the State of North Carolina Internship Program are now available, and we encourage students to apply for summer 2020 internships online until January 13, 2020. Since its establishment in 1969, more than 4,000 internship opportunities have been awarded to North Carolina college students. The internship program is open to all North Carolina residents attending a college, university, technical institute or community college.