The State of Our State
Wake County Commissioners Green-light WakeMed-Atrium Merger
After four months of public deliberation and some additional concessions from the state’s largest hospital system, commissioners voted 5-2 for changes that will allow the deal to go through.
Lake Lure’s Brief, Bizarre Chapter as the Headquarters of a Model Cult
Residents recall the far-out happenings at a lakefront compound featured in an HBO docuseries about a doomsday cult.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Football Investigation is Over. Will We Ever Know What It Found?
University officials are providing few details. They say the secrecy is necessary to build trust with future whistleblowers.
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
What the Censure of a GOP Leader Says About Michael Whatley
After Richard Burr voted against Trump at his second impeachment trial, state party chair Whatley retaliated. Trump rewarded him—twice.
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.”
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.
Higher Ed
Fayetteville State Lands $10M Award to Build Defense-Focused AI Program
FSU plans to use the five-year award to expand artificial intelligence research, develop a new doctoral program, and strengthen defense research near Fort Bragg.
How UNC Asheville Plans to Attract More Students After Another Enrollment Drop
The liberal arts university has struggled with enrollment challenges, but the chancellor says she has a plan to turn things around.
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.
Health
The Gig Is Up: UNC Health Does an About-Face on BidShift
The hospital system’s plan to make nurses bid against each other for extra shifts was abandoned after a social media firestorm.
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.
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
The Proposed WakeMed-Atrium Deal’s Outsize Impact on Southeast Raleigh
Local governments across the state have passed temporary bans on new data center construction. Unlike Durham County, most don’t have data centers.
How the Border Belt Will Use Millions of Dollars from Chemours Settlement
The company will pay Bladen, Columbus, and Robeson counties and the city of Lumberton at least $66.4 million over the next decade.
Fayetteville State Lands $10M Award to Build Defense-Focused AI Program
FSU plans to use the five-year award to expand artificial intelligence research, develop a new doctoral program, and strengthen defense research near Fort Bragg.
City Faces State Scrutiny Over Finances
A letter from the Local Government Commission placed greater scrutiny on Greensboro’s financial moves and raised questions of transparency.
Big Littles Lies
A popular children’s clothing boutique that began in downtown Cary appeared to be expanding quickly. But behind the flourishing facade, vendors, contractors, customers, and employees say they were being swindled.
CAM Is Selling Its Iconic Building. Could It Have Done More to Keep It?
The decision comes after a 2020 rezoning made the museum’s property much more valuable. CAM leadership maintains they want the institution to “be here for years to come”—but many in the art world feel skeptical.
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.
