☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. The War at Home
2. Party Lines Cross
3. Around Our Network
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories

From 2001 to 2024, Army explosive ordnance disposal technicians died by suicide at a rate up to two times higher than other soldiers, and four times as high as the national population, according to data The Assembly obtained from the Department of Defense in response to a public records request.

The data also shows EOD techs are dying of illnesses at a rate higher than all other jobs in the Army. The average age of these EOD techs was just 30, which should have been the peak of health.

Our analysis appears to be the first detailed breakdown of the Army’s data. Because North Carolina is one of the military’s largest hubs for EOD units, it’s a problem that hits close to home. But as Daniel Johnson reports, many veterans feel progress on addressing their needs has been painfully slow. 

‘Death By a Thousand Cuts’

Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians have the highest rate of suicide and illness-related deaths in the service. Despite increasing awareness, veterans say there’s been little progress made to protect them.

“The bottom line is that we want to stop EOD techs from killing themselves and build a network of EOD techs that can manage a crisis,” said Jeff Truex, founder of support group for EOD technicians, “before it becomes a crisis.”

Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.

Party Lines Cross

For the first time in state history, North Carolina has more registered Republicans than Democrats.

Data released Saturday by the State Board of Elections show that Republicans became the second-biggest voting group last week. Unaffiliated voters remain the largest voting bloc in the state, representing nearly 39% of the state’s more than 7.6 million registered voters.

Bryan Anderson talked to state Republican Party Chair Jason Simmons about the milestone.

N.C. Republicans Overtake Democrats in Voter Registration

Midterm elections historically don’t bode well for the party in the White House, but the state GOP is looking to build momentum.

Around Our Network

A nearly decade‑long legal battle over whether Fayetteville taxpayers should repair private dams blown out by Hurricane Matthew ended abruptly when a Superior Court judge dismissed the case moments before it was set to go to the jury. CityView has more.

Bladen Community College is among the 16 schools awarded state grants to host a series of free Child Care Academies, with the goal of reducing the statewide shortage of day care workers, per Border Belt Independent.

Durham’s Arcana was designated one of 36 “official” lesbian bars across the country last year. Now it’s celebrating a decade in business, as INDY reports.

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What We’re Reading

So Long: Longtime Greensboro News & Record columnist and Bitter Blood author Jerry Bledsoe died last week at 84. Read our story retracing his roadtrip across the state’s longest highway.

Dad Reckoning: A North Carolina senior married a woman he met on a dating website. His children soon learned that she had served three decades in prison for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford—and that’s not the wildest thing in this New York Times article.

Jack in the Pot: Despite record-breaking sales, a state audit found that the amount of money from the North Carolina Education Lottery that actually goes to public schools has been steadily declining, per WRAL.

Our Recent Stories

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.

Our Most-Read Stories of 2025

These are The Assembly stories that made the biggest waves this year, from beach parking to cattle fraud to the state Supreme Court race.

2025 in Photos

Some of the most memorable photography we published this year.