The Next Chapter of Hollywood East

Politics

The Next Chapter of Hollywood East

Politics wounded the state’s once-thriving film industry. But now, a bipartisan $68 million incentives bill offers a new script, marked by soaring post-pandemic demand and a shaky ideological truce. As neighboring states seize the regional film mantle, can North Carolina compete?

BY Shaun AssaelJune 09, 2021

Trending Topics

Essays

Say His Name: James Cates

Higher Education

Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Mega-Donor, and the Future of Journalism

Institutions

Mandy Cohen's Fight to Tame DHHS

Politics

The Progressive Fight for Durham’s Soul

Police Reform

The Perfectly Legal Hogtying Death of Marcus Smith

Short Form

Essays

Say His Name: James Cates

A murder 50 years ago rattled Chapel Hill’s Black community, laying bare the college town’s persistent inequality. As the university renames a slate of buildings on campus, it’s time for its historical reckoning to expand to its relationship with the town around it.

BY Valerie P. Foushee and Nate DavisJune 13, 2021

Editor's Note

Reaction and Pushback on UNC's Hussman Story

From The Assembly's Newsletter: Reaction and Pushback from Last Weekend's Bombshell Story on Nikole Hannah-Jones and Walter Hussman Jr., a Statement from Dean King, and an Update on the Greensboro Hog-tying Story

BY Kyle VillemainJune 03, 2021

Long Form

Higher Education

Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Mega-Donor, and the Future of Journalism

Emails obtained by The Assembly show that UNC-Chapel Hill’s largest journalism-school donor warned against Nikole Hannah-Jones’ hiring. Their divergent views represent a new front in the debate over objectivity and the future of the field.

BY John DrescherMay 30, 2021

Institutions

Mandy Cohen's Fight to Tame DHHS

A massive footprint, enormous budget, and complex mission: NC DHHS is an administrator’s nightmare. As the all-consuming pandemic fades, yet another undertaking looms this summer in Medicaid Transformation. Are Cohen and her agency ready?

BY Melba NewsomeMay 26, 2021

Politics

The Progressive Fight for Durham’s Soul

Last year, Durham’s county manager accused a commissioner of racism. Last week, commissioners ousted him. This is the inside story of how North Carolina’s most progressive county is tearing itself apart // Illustrations by Lily Qian

BY Jeffrey BillmanMay 17, 2021

Police Reform

The Perfectly Legal Hogtying Death of Marcus Smith

In 2018, Marcus Deon Smith died after Greensboro police used “maximum restraint” on him. Now, The Assembly has obtained depositions from the officers and their bosses in the civil rights lawsuit filed by the family. These previously unreported documents shed disturbing light on why the officers used a form of restraint that neighboring cities have banned // Photos by Logan Cyrus

BY Ian McDowell and Anne BlytheMay 12, 2021