Higher Education

The Struggle for Power at UNC

Nikole Hannah-Jones declined UNC-Chapel Hill’s offer of tenure, the result of a costly and drawn-out governance debate. At Carolina, the backlash is just beginning // Photos by Ira Wilder

BY John DrescherJuly 07, 2021

Higher Education

Holden Thorp's Cautionary Tale

Nearly a decade after the UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor’s resignation, the story of powerful outside forces, rocky relationships with governing boards, and a well-intentioned leader has striking resonance today // Art by Casey Robertson

BY Andy ThomasonJune 29, 2021

Sports

Circles in the Dirt

NASCAR’s roots in North Carolina are weaker than ever, as an ever-more-corporate sport looks for its identity amidst declining viewership. Does the back-of-the-pack—the scrappy also-rans and up-and-comers—hold answers? // Photography by Ash Bean

BY Rajiv GollaJune 23, 2021

Media

Searching for McClatchy's North Carolina Future

The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer remain the state’s most powerful and essential media outlets. But as North Carolina faces a dire local news and information crisis, the papers’ new ownership, shrinking footprint, and challenging business environment raise doubt about their future as the center of the state’s media world // Art by Israel Vargas

BY Jeremy BordenJune 17, 2021

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

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

Politics

A New Democratic Playbook

Ricky Hurtado bucked party strategists to run a different kind of campaign. Is he the vanguard of Latinx electoral power and millennial campaigning in North Carolina? // Photos by Cornell Watson

BY Barry YeomanApril 21, 2021

Politics

Election Red Meat

Republicans and Democrats vehemently disagree about how to handle North Carolina’s elections, a fight that will only get more intense over the next two years. It’s time to find a modicum of common ground.

BY Rick HendersonApril 07, 2021

Politics

Rocky Mount Is Dead. Long Live Rocky Mount

A deeply divided city has banked on a renaissance fueled by outside investment and historic preservation. But can its reinvention take place without reconciliation?

BY Katie Jane FerneliusMarch 24, 2021

Environment

Silent Waters

Fear, stress, and a growing list of health dangers. “Forever chemicals” have seeped their way into North Carolina’s waters and public awareness. Does anyone have a plan to fix them?

BY Tonya Simpson and Riley DavisMarch 17, 2021

Politics

A Bottle Too Far

North Carolina stands out for its stringent liquor laws and sprawling control bureaucracy. That rigidity is now crashing headlong into a growing array of outspoken entrepreneurs, intent on exposing the system’s absurdities. // Art by The Assembly

BY Jeffrey BillmanMarch 10, 2021

Institutions

The Ill-Fated Chancellor

In Cecil Staton’s three years as East Carolina University’s leader, football fans revolted, enrollment dropped, and an anonymous dossier questioned his hiring as “gross negligence.” What does his tenure say about ECU’s future? // photo courtesy of City of Greenville

BY Pam KelleyMarch 02, 2021

Place

Today’s Outlaws

Extraordinary actions by law enforcement in Graham, North Carolina, briefly captured national headlines last Halloween. But the long-rooted violence it exposed, and the protest movement that endured, are here to stay // Photos by Carolyn de Berry

BY Belle BoggsFebruary 16, 2021

Place

Memory and Monuments in Tarboro

A national reevaluation of Confederate monuments met small-town politics. As the statue came down, the town of 11,000 was left to ask, “What’s next?” // Photos by Hanna Wondmagegn

BY Brenna M. CaseyFebruary 16, 2021

Essays

Fathers and Strangers

Best selling author of The Last Ballad, Wiley Cash, reflects on his father’s journey from mill town to middle class, and the tensions of character and politics that emerged // Animation by Jimmy Simpson

BY Wiley CashFebruary 16, 2021

Place

Oberlin’s Persistence

Buffeted by racism and urban development, Raleigh’s “premier African American suburb” was nearly lost in the wake of Cameron Village and Wade Avenue. As Raleigh reckons with its past, what’s next for a rising Oberlin? // Animations by Clay Rodery

BY Courtney NapierFebruary 16, 2021

Politics

The Motivations of Phil Berger

The state’s most powerful politician enters his 20th year in office but remains inscrutable as ever. As Republicans enter their second decade in power, what does Berger want? // Photos by Andrew Craft

BY Kevin MaurerFebruary 16, 2021