RTI Hits the Xcelerator
NC State Told Salvadoran Staff Not to Work, Then Reversed Course Amid Immigration Confusion
Workers from El Salvador were set to lose Temporary Protected Status, but the Trump administration said it would decide their fate later.
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.
Democrats Drop Support for Candidate Who Called for Violence Against Republicans
State legislative candidate Shelly Headen called for President Trump’s supporters to “experience sexual assault.”
Chemours to Pay $455 Million for Fayetteville Works Contamination
The company will pay the sum over the next 15 years for contamination caused by its plant on the border of Cumberland and Bladen counties.
Politics
Shouting Terrorist in a Crowded Grocery Store
An activist’s lawsuit over a 2024 cyberstalking arrest raises questions about the state’s efforts to criminalize online harassment.
House Censures Edwards Following Sexual Harassment Probe
Edwards’ colleagues adopted the recommendation of an ethics panel that concluded the Republican behaved inappropriately toward two young female staffers.
The Politics of Dissent
As Anita Earls runs for re-election to the state Supreme Court, here’s what her dissents tell us about her judicial philosophy.
Higher Ed
Is UNC-Chapel Hill’s Bet on Athletics Paying Off?
After paying big money for coaches Bill Belichick and Michael Malone, the price of Tar Heel sports is going up.
Mr. Lutnick Goes to Chapel Hill
In a moment that encapsulated Chapel Hill, a few hundred demonstrators were sandwiched between the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house and a gathering of world leaders on Wednesday.
The New Federal Funding Problem
While many universities avoided Trump’s biggest cuts to research funding, the pipeline for new grants has shrunk.
Health
ECU Health May Have Found a Tool to Reduce Childbirth Risks: Wristbands
Nearly 50 N.C. hospitals have begun distributing the wristbands as reminders of the life-threatening risks after birth.
Same Knee Surgery, Twice the Price: Hospital Monopolies Push Up Health Care Costs
Mission Hospital in Asheville, formed by the merger of the two largest hospitals in the region, has little competition and the power to demand higher prices.
Why Would WakeMed Say No to $3 Billion?
WakeMed attracted two suitors, offering wildly different dollar figures. Why it turned down the higher number is still a bit of a mystery.
Culture
After 40 Years, Maximum Overdrive Is Still Bad Enough to be Good
The auto-horror spectacular began and ended Stephen King’s directing career but helped establish Wilmington as a film destination.
A Family Reunion Like No Other
Chang and Eng Bunker became globally recognized as the original “Siamese twins” before settling down in Mount Airy. Generations of descendants have kept their legacy alive.
The Durham Record Label Where Dolly Parton Found a ‘Little Spot of Heaven’
From Dolly to Doc Watson, Sugar Hill Records shaped American roots music. The legacy its founder built lives on.
From Our Network
In Durham County, Debate Around Data Centers Focuses on the Research Economy
Local governments across the state have passed temporary bans on new data center construction. Unlike Durham County, most don’t have data centers.
State Elections Board Nixes Sunday Voting in Columbus and Scotland Counties
North Carolina officials largely sided with Republicans to limit Sunday voting across the state ahead of the November election.
Investigation Underway of Cumberland County Board of Elections Member
State election officials will hear evidence about a complaint against a Democratic board member who made public Republicans’ plans to fire the elections director.
The NC Folk Festival Levels Up
The festival returns to Greensboro this month with major headliners, The Roots. With more eyes on them than ever, organizers say they’re continuing to explore and expand what the festival can be.
Cary Clarifies Rules for Public Comment Following Raucous Meeting
State law and the First Amendment allow towns to make their own rules for public comment, with some important caveats.
For Chatham Estates Residents, the Experience of Relocating Has Been Mixed
Residents of the former Cary mobile home community largely secured new housing, but some are paying much more in rent, moved far away, or are dealing with other disruptions.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
