The End of the Line
6 Things to Watch That Aren’t in N.C. Republicans’ Budget Framework
Lawmakers announced a deal this week, but hey haven’t reached consensus on a number of other priorities.
The Canes Were in a Death Spiral. Now They’re Hot.
Less than a decade ago, the Carolina Hurricanes’ future was uncertain. Today they’re a model Sun Belt operation.
How Should Math Teachers Teach Math?
The system’s educator-preparation programs are “proactively” looking at changes to how they teach math.
How Growing Up in Smithfield Shaped Harmeet Dhillon
The high-ranking DOJ lawyer was reared in the 1970s as an outsider—an Indian Sikh girl in a town with a Ku Klux Klan billboard.
Politics
A Reckoning Emerges In Proposed WakeMed-Atrium Hospital Deal
As costs soar, the proposed partnership has energized a bipartisan effort to block monster mergers.
N.C. Republicans Reach Deal to Cut Taxes, Raise Teacher Pay
House and Senate leaders have made an agreement on key budget sticking points, but there are still some policy disagreements to work out.
The Data Center That Didn’t Exist
Nondisclosure agreements kept a $27 million land sale in Person County secret for months. Internal emails show officials were already preparing for a Microsoft data center.
Higher Ed
UNC-Chapel Hill Coronavirus Researcher Ralph Baric to Retire
Baric’s life’s work paved the way for vaccines against COVID-19. But it brought scrutiny to him, his lab, and UNC-CH in the process.
UNC-Chapel Hill Civics School to Split From College of Arts & Sciences
The school has been part of the university’s largest academic unit since its inception. It has grown quickly, with support from the state legislature, but has also attracted controversy.
How Two Duke Alumni Helped Conservatives Take Over the NEH
The Trump administration fired most of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ advisory board last year. Two Duke-trained political theorists are key figures now running the agency.
Culture
Building a Safety Net for Harm Reduction During Disasters
Harm reduction groups and health care workers helped avert the worst after Hurricane Helene. But what about the next emergency?
Outside the Box
At Carrboro’s Cardboard Wars, kids get creative with refuse and live-action role playing.
Brought to You By Japan, But Made in Mebane
Morinaga America is expanding its North Carolina factory to meet the growing demand of Americans obsessed with HI-CHEW.
Courts & Justice
Charles McNeair Spent His Adult Life in Prison. At 63, He’ll Go Home.
A man imprisoned as a teenager for a crime he has maintained he didn’t commit has finally been granted parole.
DeCarlos Brown Again Found Mentally Incompetent to Stand Trial
The man accused of killing a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte light rail train has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial for a second time. Prosecutors and defense attorneys said that the case has not ended.
A Tangled Legal Hell
The legal battle over a judge confiscating a reporter’s notes and issuing a gag order has grown increasingly Kafkaesque.
From Our Network
Chapel Hill Public Library At Risk of Losing County Funding
In response to a budget crunch, Orange County officials are proposing a budget cut that would wipe about $620,000 from the library over the next two years.
A Family’s Fight for Education Spans Generations
Long before the Leandro case began in 1994, Angus Thompson’s ancestors advocated for equality in Robeson County public schools.
A Comedian Walks Into a Police Station
A social media manager has made the Greensboro Police Department’s social media wildly popular. But a pattern of offensive posts may threaten the department’s reputation at a critical time.
Meet the Black Women Reclaiming the Soil in Fayetteville
Local nonprofit owner Angela A. Tatum has ushered in a new era of Black women homesteaders.
Proposed WakeMed-Atrium Deal Prompts Calls for Transparency
Wake County officials have delayed their role in the approval process for 90 days amid pushback.
Fayetteville to Explore Building Downtown Convention Center
Mayor Mitch Colvin urged the City Council to explore a city‑led feasibility study for a downtown convention center, arguing the city must take charge of revitalization after years of county investments outside the area.
Featured Stories
Even if Phil Berger Wins, He Lost
The Senate leader’s primary might not be resolved for weeks. But even Berger’s best-case scenario will leave the political giant diminished.
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.
Greg Bovino’s Last Stand
North Carolina native Greg Bovino was known for being theatrical and hyperaggressive. Those traits just cost him his job.
As Helene Survivors Await State Help, Some Victims of Earlier Hurricanes Are Still Out of Their Homes
A new housing recovery program created to avoid the delays and cost overruns that plagued past efforts is already seeing similar problems.
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.
Well I’ll Be Dammed
North Carolina is about to get its first Buc-ee’s, the massive, cult-classic gas station. What’s all the hype about?
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.