Place

Booming Times, Busted Budgets

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has seen a boom in visitors—14 million last year alone. It’s put a strain on the resources in and around the park’s 500,000 acres.

BY Holly KaysAugust 11, 2022

Media

Below the Fold

North Carolina’s third-largest city, Greensboro, once had a thriving newspaper in the News & Record. What’s left after years of media-conglomerate cuts is a shell of the paper’s former self.

BY Margaret MoffettAugust 09, 2022

Religion

Schism in the Body

After years of acrimonious debate, the United Methodist Church has started to rupture. One church—with members ranging from 'flaming progressive to dang near fundamentalist'—tries to reconcile an increasingly unavoidable divide. // Photos by Julia Wall

BY Barry YeomanAugust 02, 2022

Politics

The Education of Duke’s Eric Greitens

An ambitious student from St. Louis left a mark at Duke University before becoming governor of Missouri and resigning amid scandal. As Eric Greitens attempts a comeback, people who thought they knew him wonder who he really is.

BY Katie Jane Fernelius and Carly SternJuly 28, 2022

Politics

Hurricane Sandy

Sandy Smith—MAGA champion, culture warrior, conspiracy theorist, alleged domestic abuser—could become the first Republican to represent northeastern North Carolina in Congress in 140 years. Her own party isn’t sure what to do with her.

BY Jeffrey BillmanJuly 21, 2022

Culture

Cast In a New Light

The Lost Colony, a play about North Carolina’s first English settlers, is in its 85th year. Can it be modernized to reflect a more contemporary perspective on race, history, art, and colonization? // Illustrations by Abraham Matias

BY Chris KammererJuly 12, 2022

Politics

King of The Road

Last year, the Burlington City Council unanimously supported transforming a bleak avenue leading from the interstate to downtown. Then power broker Sam Hunt derailed the plan—and helped exile the three-term mayor. // Photos by Chris Facey

BY Ahmed JallowJuly 07, 2022

Sports

The Courage To Change

Three years ago, one of the best women’s soccer teams in the world was the centerpiece of a potential $2 billion investment in the Triangle. Now they’re mired in scandal and protest. // Photos by Alex Boerner

BY Matt HartmanJune 30, 2022

Place

Andy Griffith's Real Mayberry

The North Carolina native and comedic actor who played TV sheriff Andy Taylor made his home in Manteo. Townspeople, who shared his belief in supporting flawed friends without judgment, embraced him.

BY John RaileyJune 23, 2022

Essays

Beyond Juneteenth

One hundred and fifty-six years after the first official celebration of Juneteenth, the question remains whether Black Americans can have full freedom without economic emancipation. The fight over the future of Durham’s historic Hayti neighborhood tells that story. // Photos by Jade Wilson

BY Henry McKoyJune 16, 2022

Criminal Justice

The Shooter In The Video

When Pitt County’s district attorney prosecuted former pro-basketball player James Richardson for a drive-by double murder in 2011, he showed surveillance footage to convince jurors of Richardson’s guilt. Did a low-quality video help convict the wrong man? // Photos by Peyton Sickles

BY Pam KelleyJune 15, 2022

Criminal Justice

The Shooter in the Video

When Pitt County’s district attorney prosecuted former pro-basketball player James Richardson for a drive-by double murder in 2011, he showed surveillance footage to convince jurors of Richardson’s guilt. Did a low-quality video help convict the wrong man? // Photos by Peyton Sickles

BY Pam KelleyJune 14, 2022

Culture

A New Wave Of Top Chefs

North Carolina’s food scene—and Black chefs in particular—are getting a new level of attention in this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards.

BY Jimmy RyalsJune 09, 2022

Education

Trying Times at ‘The Great 58’

North Carolina’s community college system is broad, diverse, and imbued with a remarkable level of autonomy. But turnover and enrollment woes are raising concerns about its future. // Photos by Matt Ramey

BY Emily CataneoJune 07, 2022

Environment

Intemperate Climes

Spreading avens are only known to exist in 14 places, including the mountains of western North Carolina. As temperatures rise, the delicate flowers are finding they have nowhere left to go. // Photos by Mike Belleme

BY Dan ChapmanJune 05, 2022

Criminal Justice

Climate of Fear

A decade of collaboration between the Henderson County sheriff's office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have driven a wedge between police and the Latino community. Hope that a new sheriff might drop the partnership didn't last long.

BY Katie Jane Fernelius and Benito Garcia GarciaJune 02, 2022

Politics

Cheri Beasley’s Record Is On Trial

The U.S. Senate candidate and former chief justice of the state Supreme Court touts her independence as a jurist, an assessment many court watchers share. But Republicans are already taking aim at her record in TV ads. // Photos by Cornell Watson

BY Jim MorrillMay 24, 2022

Environment

The Lithium War Next Door

A lithium mining startup promised to make Gaston County a clean-energy boomtown. But perceived slights and concerns over water have turned neighbors against the project. // Photos by Brian Blanco

BY Alexander C. KaufmanMay 22, 2022

Place

A $1.25 Billion Bet

The New Hanover Endowment, created from the sale of a Wilmington hospital, has the power to radically change the lives of county residents. All eyes are on CEO William Buster to get it right. // Photos by Andrew Craft

BY Kevin MaurerMay 19, 2022

Politics

Patrick Cannon’s Campaign for Redemption

The former Charlotte mayor was the youngest person ever elected to the city council but went to prison for taking bribes. Queen City voters are wrestling with whether to give him another chance. // Photos by Cornell Watson

BY Tim FunkMay 12, 2022

Politics

How to Overturn an Election

An obscure North Carolina law allows the General Assembly to decide some contested elections. As overseeing voting becomes a partisan battleground, some fear that the law could be used to override voters' will.

BY Jeffrey BillmanMay 05, 2022

Religion

The Soul Truth

One of North Carolina’s most prominent pastors, the charismatic J.D. Greear of The Summit Church, is trying to convert the Triangle with love and a hard line: You’re damned without Jesus. Can it work? // Photos by Maddy Gray

BY Molly WorthenApril 28, 2022

Politics

Between Place and Party

Charles Graham has rejected party orthodoxy, gone internet viral, and run a dozen points ahead of the Democratic ticket. Now, his bid for an upset congressional victory highlights the challenge for North Carolina’s moderate rural Democrats // Photos by Roderico Díaz

BY Barry YeomanApril 21, 2022

Media

Is WUNC Ready to Turn It Up?

North Carolina’s largest public radio station has banked $20 million in cash with strong broadcast numbers and listener support, but it has also left gaps. Now WUNC is seeking a new president, and a vision for moving forward, in a shifting universe of local news and media // Photos by Kate Medley

BY Melanie SillMarch 31, 2022

Politics

The Search for the Next Phoenix

For decades, two congressional districts have been the primary routes for Black candidates seeking federal office in North Carolina. With redrawn lines, that could change in November—if Democrats match their votes with their rhetoric // Photos by Travis Dove and Peyton Sickles

BY Michael GraffMarch 17, 2022

Criminal Justice

Lorrin Freeman's Balancing Act

Wake County’s district attorney has taken the middle road during her two terms as one of North Carolina’s most powerful prosecutors. As a contested primary approaches and progressives criticize her cautious incrementalism, a verdict from voters awaits // Photos by Cornell Watson

BY Jeffrey BillmanMarch 03, 2022

Politics

Pat McCrory's New Game

The former Charlotte mayor and governor considers himself a Reagan Republican and believes in “constructive conservatism.” Now, as he runs for the U.S. Senate against a Trump-endorsed candidate, the ground has shifted—and he’s trying to find his footing // Photos by Alex Boerner

BY Jim MorrillFebruary 24, 2022

Politics

Disorder in the Court

As it tackles high-profile cases, the North Carolina Supreme Court is struggling to be seen as nonpartisan. Among its critics is its own chief justice, a steadfast Republican who recently scolded Democratic justices for having what he says is a partisan agenda.

BY Anne BlytheFebruary 17, 2022

Higher Education

Disquiet at Cape Fear

Cape Fear Community College President Jim Morton has been controversial since trustees hired him in 2018. What does his selection—and his staying power—say about accountability in North Carolina’s community college system? // Photos by Maddy Gray

BY Pam KelleyFebruary 10, 2022

Politics

Dale Folwell Battles the Health Care 'Cartel'

Amid robust profits at urban hospitals across the state, the Republican state treasurer is fighting for lower prices and more transparency in his distinctively aggressive, stubborn style. Hospitals don’t like him – and the feeling is mutual.

BY Steve RileyFebruary 03, 2022

Business

How the Fall of NC Mutual Hurt Black America

The last remaining Black insurance firm in the U.S., which is based in downtown Durham, will disappear this year. Its demise reflects the decline of an era of Black capitalism that supported African-American upward mobility.

BY Henry McKoyJanuary 20, 2022

Higher Education

A Higher Ed Subsidy from the Right

The state’s signature college affordability program, once controversial, is now credited with saving one institution, growing two others, and was just expanded to cover a fourth: Is it a model or a fluke?

BY Sarah BrownJanuary 13, 2022

Sports

Football, Soccer, Fútbol

Big investments in professional soccer could reshape North Carolina’s sports landscape and its biggest cities. In Charlotte, success depends on combining Hispanic and white fan bases—and their two very different soccer cultures // Photos by Kate Medley

BY Matt HartmanDecember 16, 2021

Sports

N.C. State's Band of Brothers

Fifty years ago, as the number of Black athletes began to grow rapidly at Southern universities, a group of young men joined forces in Raleigh in a quest for a national college basketball championship. Now, after the death of an irrepressible teammate, they look back on the bond they still share.

BY John DrescherDecember 09, 2021

Media

On Guard in Asheville

The Asheville Watchdog is powered by a cadre of accomplished journalists who retired to the North Carolina mountains. The staff’s investigative reporting has made a splash, and they’d like it to be a model—but it’s unclear whether their startup can be duplicated // Photos by Chelsea Lane

BY Jim MorrillNovember 18, 2021

Police Reform

Police Reform Finds Its Backlash

Durham was transforming the police long before ‘Defund’ became a national discussion. But after an electoral shift in the deep blue city, the future of an aggressive push on policing alternatives is uncertain—and shootings continue // Photos by Peyton Sickles

BY Jeffrey BillmanNovember 07, 2021

Higher Education

UNC's Mild-Mannered Change Agent

After a quiet, decades-long rise to power, Peter Hans is atop the UNC System. He brings strong personal and political skills, but is short on executive experience. Can a great conciliator keep his restive factions at bay and shepherd the institution through its next big transformation? // Art by Clay Rodery

BY Kyle VillemainNovember 02, 2021

Business

David Tepper's Charlotte Conquest (and SC, too)

The Carolina Panthers owner is a tough finance bro who knows how to use leverage to get what he wants—and he wants a lot from Charlotte, including a new stadium. It’s a complicated challenge for a city that’s never seen anyone quite like him.

BY Austin WeinsteinOctober 28, 2021

Music

Playing Above Its Weight

Merlefest, a famous and eclectic music festival in Wilkes County, is one of the area's few institutions that has stood the test of time and lifted up its community. Its future success will depend on keeping the evolving and sprawling festival young // Photos by Travis Dove

BY Rick HendersonOctober 24, 2021

Education

The State's Looming Constitutional Crisis

The long-running Leandro case has promised transformative investments in K-12 education. As a judge prepares to take action, the state is anticipating a constitutional impasse with enormous consequences for students and North Carolina’s system of checks and balances // Cover Photo by Sam Roberts, AP

BY Rebecca Klein and Jim MorrillOctober 17, 2021

Politics

The Untouchable Student Vaccine Mandate

Federal regulators are poised to give full approval to a COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 16. That would turn the spotlight to an obscure—and seemingly reluctant—state commission in North Carolina that has the power to mandate vaccines for school children and college students.

BY Elizabeth Anne BrownOctober 14, 2021

Politics

When Reparations Meet Bureaucracy

Asheville’s historic reparations resolution made national news in 2020, helping spark a wave of similar city-level initiatives across the country. But mounting delays show that while winning a vote may be hard, moving through a hesitant and halting bureaucracy can be an even more difficult challenge.

BY Melba NewsomeOctober 07, 2021

Politics

Egos, Accountability, and High School Sports

A two-year legislative inquiry culminated last week in a bipartisan compromise over the state’s High School Sports Association. The very public fight mirrors a national debate over amateur athletics: Just how big should school sports be? And who gets to benefit?

BY Shaun AssaelSeptember 27, 2021

Environment

The Contested Swamps of Robeson County

A behemoth natural-gas facility, sitting atop a disrupted archeological site, represents the latest environmental challenge for one of the state’s most diverse yet burdened counties. But the debate over history, benefit, and protection is far more complicated than it first appears.

BY Barry YeomanSeptember 22, 2021

Policing

Police Informants, Unchecked

Last month, prosecutors indicted a Raleigh police informant for fabricating drug trafficking cases. His story raises questions about how the police department manages its confidential informants, and why its officers have escaped accountability.

BY Jeffrey BillmanSeptember 17, 2021

Education

The Making of a Mask Mandate

A fight over school mask mandates in a GOP county lauded for its high vaccination rate shows just how tough it is to lead a public institution in the midst of a fast-changing pandemic // Photos by Cornell Watson

BY Emily CataneoSeptember 09, 2021

Politics

The Forgotten Lessons of the Hamlet Fire

Thirty years ago, a deadly fire at a chicken-processing plant in a poor North Carolina town prompted a push for employee safety. Now, workplace fatalities in the state are rising, and an Assembly investigation shows a federal agency involved in the tragedy failed to keep its promise // Photos by Logan Cyrus

BY John DrescherSeptember 01, 2021

Higher Education

Art, Power, and Profit at Duke University

Two longtime Duke faculty members are behind an anticipated $2 million in art sales that raise questions about the ethical use of public-domain images, power imbalances within academia, and a university’s thorny role as a gatekeeper of information and access.

BY Brenna M. CaseyAugust 29, 2021

Higher Education

The Archivist for the Lost Cause

J.G. de Roulhac Hamilton built UNC-Chapel Hill’s renowned Southern Historical Collection. He was also an apologist for the Ku Klux Klan and taught that Black people were inferior to whites. As the university debates removing the professor’s name from Hamilton Hall, his complicated legacy lives on in the archive

BY Pam KelleyAugust 18, 2021

Higher Education

Archivist for the Lost Cause

J.G. de Roulhac Hamilton built UNC-Chapel Hill’s renowned Southern Historical Collection. He was also an apologist for the Ku Klux Klan and taught that Black people were inferior to whites. As the university debates removing the professor’s name from Hamilton Hall, his complicated legacy lives on in the archive

BY Pam KelleyAugust 18, 2021

Politics

North Carolina Aims for a Deal

An extraordinary state budget surplus puts a historic deal within reach. But that would require the Governor and legislative Republicans to put an acrimonious history behind them // Photo by Gerry Broome, AP

BY Craig JarvisAugust 08, 2021

Politics

The Governor of Rural North Carolina

The gregarious, popular agriculture commissioner, Steve Troxler, won re-election in a landslide. But as the communities he champions shift around him, is he changing with them? // Photos by Joseph Bradley

BY Kevin MaurerAugust 06, 2021

Business

The Shallow, Winding Waters of Wilmington's Port

The port of Wilmington has fallen behind its regional peers, a deficiency that has had a quiet but consequential impact on the state and its economy. Does it matter? // Photos by Mallory Cash

BY Ted ReedJuly 29, 2021

Place

The Unstable Permanence of Mobile Homes

Two recent showdowns with investment firms in Chapel Hill outline the trap for mobile home residents: a home you own sits on land that outside investors are eager to buy and profit from // Photos by Rachel Jessen

BY Emily CataneoJuly 25, 2021

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

Politics

Thom Tillis and the Art of the Deal

With his next reelection campaign four long years away, North Carolina’s soon-to-be senior senator has emerged as a bipartisan dealmaker. Back home, his party’s conservative wing doesn’t like it. // Photos by Cheriss May

BY Jim MorrillJanuary 01, 2021