[Exim] Looking in aliases for local address?

When I try to send an email that should be delivered locally, it is failing
to do so. I have attached the relevant info below.

In my configure file I have:

local_domains = kulish.com : *.kulish.com

exim -d9 -bt noc@??? output:

Exim version 3.33 debug level 9 uid=0 gid=0
probably Berkeley DB version 1.8x (native mode)
Caller is an admin user
Caller is a trusted user
originator: uid=0 gid=0 login=root name=Charlie Root
sender address = root@???
Address testing: uid=0 gid=0 euid=1003 egid=6
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Testing noc@???
kulish.com in local_domains? yes (matched kulish.com)
kulish.com in percent_hack_domains? no (end of list)
address noc@???
local_part=noc domain=kulish.com
domain is local
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
directing noc@???
calling system_aliases director
df_lookup entered: search type = lsearch
system_aliases director: lsearch key=noc
file="/etc/aliases"
search_open: lsearch "/etc/aliases"
search_find: file="/etc/aliases"
key="noc" partial=-1
LRU list:
7/etc/aliases
End
internal_search_find: file="/etc/aliases"
type=lsearch key="noc"
file lookup required for noc
in /etc/aliases
lookup failed
system_aliases director declined for noc:
calling userforward director
userforward director: home directory for noc is "/home/noc"
match against pattern "!^/nonexistent" yielded 0
expanded string was "^/nonexistent"
userforward director: file = .forward
set uid=0 gid=0 euid=1013 egid=1013
successful stat of /home/noc/.
/home/noc/.forward not found
restored uid=0 gid=0 euid=1003 egid=6
calling localuser director
queued for local_delivery transport: local_part=noc domain=kulish.com
errors_to=NULL
domain_data=NULL local_part_data=NULL
localuser director succeeded for noc
noc@???
deliver to noc in domain kulish.com
director = localuser, transport = local_delivery
search_tidyup called

If this user (noc) actually exists on this box, why is it even looking for
noc in the /etc/aliases file? If I send an actual email, it ends up on my
main email server (another box which has this account). Do I need something
more than local_domains in my configure file for delivering everything that
comes in with a *.kulish.com or kulish.com domain locally?

Thanks!
CK