Press Releases

Governor Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday, May 15 in honor of National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Each year on May 15, this special day recognizes the many men and women of law enforcement who lost their lives or were injured in the line of duty.Statement from Governor Roy Cooper

Governor Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-staff beginning immediately until sunset Saturday, May 6, in honor of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jackson Forringer who died during training in California on April 20, 2023. Lance Cpl. Forringer was assigned to the 2nd Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He joined the Marine Corps in July 2021.Services for Lance Cpl. Forringer will be held on Saturday, May 6, in Chesnee, South Carolina.

Governor Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to remain at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, May 7, 2023 in honor of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day.In accordance with Public Law 107-51, flags are to be lowered annually in recognition of the many firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Governor Roy Cooper has declared May 5 as a Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women to raise awareness about the disproportionate rate of American Indian and Alaska Native women who have disappeared from their homes and lost their lives due to acts of violence. “Too many communities, especially communities of color, are impacted by violence,” said Governor Cooper. “As we raise awareness about the disproportionate rate of missing and murdered indigenous women, we also recommit ourselves to pursuing justice for them and their families.” 

Governor Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-staff beginning immediately until sunset Wednesday, April 26, in honor of U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph Zygarowski who died during a training exercise at Fort Bragg on April 19.Sgt. Zygarowski, who enlisted in the Army in 2018, was a mechanic assigned to the 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary). 

The NC Department of Administration’s State Youth Council and Youth Advisory Council recently awarded a total of $6,292 through the annual Mini Grant Program to 14 deserving North Carolina-based organizations. This year, grantees received funding ranging from $300 to $700 to create peer-to-peer activities for high schoolers within their communities.

Governor Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-staff beginning immediately until sunset Thursday, April 6, in honor of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joshua 'Caleb' Gore who was among nine soldiers that perished during a military training exercise on March 29 in Kentucky. A native of Morehead City, North Carolina, Staff Sgt. Gore is a 2015 graduate of West Carteret High School.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month to increase awareness and help address this widespread public health issue. More than half of women and nearly 1 in 3 men in the United States have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. 

Governor Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Monday, April 3, in honor of former North Carolina Senator David Hoyle who passed away on Wednesday, March 29. Hoyle served nine terms in the North Carolina Senate and also served as secretary of the N.C. Department of Revenue. His funeral will be held April 3 in Gaston County.    Statement from Governor Roy Cooper

Governor Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-staff beginning immediately until sunset Friday, March 31, in honor of the lives lost during the senseless act of violence at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27. Statement from Governor Roy Cooper