Don Davis Tests His New Boundaries
N.C. Residents Inundated with Mailers Urging Them to Vote. Here’s What to Know.
A group has flooded mailboxes encouraging North Carolinians to cast a ballot, including some who already have.
The Company That Built eCourts Will Pay North Carolinians for Problems
Tyler Technologies did not admit to wrongdoing in the settlement over eCourts, but it will create a fund for people who were wrongfully detained or arrested.
Mountain Man
Two years after Helene, Democrats have a shot at flipping North Carolina’s 11th District. Can a farmer from Fairview convince wary voters?
2026 N.C. Election Guide: Who’s On Your Ballot
The Assembly’s voter guide gives you the information you need to know heading to the polls this primary season.
Politics
Interactive: The Assembly’s Races to Watch 2026
View an interactive version of the North Carolina races we’re watching in 2026.
Michael Lee’s Two-Front War
The Wilmington Republican wants to become the next leader of the state Senate, but he’ll have to get reelected first.
How the 2026 Election Could Lock in GOP Policies for Years
Three state constitutional amendments could give the party a lasting policy legacy.
Democrats Are Trouncing Republicans In Early Voting
Compared to 2022, turnout is down for Republicans but substantially up for Democrats and unaffiliated voters.
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Why These Two UNC System Schools Are Partnering on the Arts
UNC-Chapel Hill and the UNC School of the Arts plan to share technology and let students take classes on both campuses.
Audit Finds NCCU Employees Violated Spending Policies
The audit office recommended the university increase its oversight of spending and provide recurring training to cardholders.
UNC-CH Signs ‘Agreement’ With Federal Government Over Alleged Discrimination
UNC-Chapel Hill is the latest university to settle with the Trump administration, but it will avoid the major financial penalties the government has imposed on many of its peers.
Health
Payroll Delay Unsettles Staff at Randolph Health
Payroll for roughly 800 employees arrived later than expected on Friday, amid concerns about owner’s finances.
Fat Strikes Back
As weight loss drugs like GLP-1s flood the market, North Carolina’s plus-size activists aim to make their own splash.
Staff Cite Supply, Maintenance, and Paycheck Issues at Randolph Hospital
Employees at Asheboro’s only hospital say its private equity-trained owner hasn’t delivered on promises—and conditions have only gotten worse.
Culture
How Much Will the 2027 Military World Games Cost North Carolina?
Organizations connected to the Charlotte-based planners have been flagged for misspending taxpayer money in the past. Now they’ve landed $25 million in state money—and they’re looking for more. (EJ Hersom for the Department of Defense)
The Making of Blue Velvet Was Even Weirder Than You Think
Forty years after David Lynch’s iconic film, the people who helped make it say Wilmington was the strangest character of all.
Mooresville Mosque Confronts Fear and Hostility
The Islamic Center of Lake Norman has cleared land for a larger place of worship. Some locals are responding with anti-Muslim backlash.
From Our Network
Durham Tech Child Care Academies Draw New Teachers, But Workforce Gaps Persist
The Early Educator Academy offers a streamlined path for child care workers to earn a credential in two months. Demand is high, but the program remains small.
Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Says it Worked with ICE on Traffic Checkpoint
A sheriff’s spokesperson said deputies arrested two people on drug charges on September 24. An immigration advocacy group says more people were detained.
School Board Expands Choice Program, Rejects Moving Spanish Immersion
The Cumberland County Board of Education approved a series of changes to its school choice program Thursday, though a proposal to move a Spanish immersion program failed.
A Dialogue on What’s Next for Greensboro
A diverse crowd came out for an event meant to discuss Greensboro’s assets, its challenges and their solutions.
Cary Town Council Wants to Preserve Town-Owned Downtown Properties as Natural Space
The Cary Town Council is opting not to sell the properties purchased under former town manager Sean Stegall.
What It Takes to Keep History from Fading, Shriveling, or Molding
Talking with Meg Brown, Exhibits Coordinator at Duke Library, about the three Declaration of Independence copies on display in Durham this fall.
Featured Stories
What the Duke Lacrosse Case Says About Roy Cooper
The Senate candidate won praise for declaring three players innocent as AG in 2007. Critics wish he’d done more for other defendants.
Greg Bovino’s Last Stand
North Carolina native Greg Bovino was known for being theatrical and hyperaggressive. Those traits just cost him his job.
The State of Our State
Republicans took control of the General Assembly 15 years ago and have largely dictated the policy agenda ever since. Are we better off?
The Enduring Hazards of College Hazing
Administrators have worked for years to eliminate fraternity hazing. But we found more than 1,500 pages of records showing it continues.
Hurricane Helene Washed His Wife Away From Their Mobile Home. Now New Residents Live on the Same Land.
Residents of a riverfront trailer park have lost homes and loved ones in multiple storms. A policy gap puts mobile home residents in harm’s way again and again.
Whistleblower Pushes to Regulate Controversial Organ Retrieval Technique
A North Carolina surgeon has raised concerns about an innovative procedure that reanimates a dead body to enable organ transplants.
Lost and Found
Meet the teams working to reunite people with mementos they lost during Hurricane Helene.
If You Build It, Will They Come?
New charter schools are struggling to enroll enough students to stay solvent. One High Point school’s implosion shows the consequences.
How Tupac Came to Rest in North Carolina
The cremated remains of the rapper, still omnipresent three decades after his death, now lie in a Lumberton grave.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Lesson in Civics
The School of Civic Life and Leadership’s hiring battle is part of a long-running rupture over the mission of similar efforts.
From ‘Superstar’ Cop to Drug Kingpin
A talented police officer busted drug rings along I-85. Then he bewildered everyone who knew him by becoming a drug trafficker himself.
How North Carolina Officials Kept the Truth About a Police Shooting Hidden
In 2019, a state trooper killed Brandon Webster claiming self defense. Evidence contradicted that account but wasn’t made public—until now.
A Tale of Two Six: J. Cole’s Fayetteville
A native son, a homecoming-inspired final album, and how Fayetteville—if only for a weekend—became the center of the hip-hop universe.
Transgender State Workers Are Facing Whiplash
The state’s health insurance plan no longer covers gender-affirming care, which has left some employees in limbo.
I’ve Seen How the Neo-Nazi Movement Is Escalating. You Should Worry.
A reporter gets a first-hand look at how the ‘militant accelerationism’ movement operates.
