☀️ In Today’s Edition
1. DOGE Comes for DV
2. Tariffs Pinch Small Business Owners
3. Contract Killer
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories
Last year, Kinston’s Safe from Abuse and Family Education office served 748 survivors of domestic violence—a 13 percent increase from the previous year. But like many nonprofits these days, they’re now being asked to do more with less.
SAFE is one of 93 intimate partner violence programs across North Carolina, all of which saw more than 40 percent in cuts from the federal Crime Victims Fund in each of the past two funding cycles.
Even more cuts may be on the horizon, as President Donald Trump aims to reduce all non-defense discretionary federal funding by 22.6 percent. Meanwhile, staff cuts have nearly shuttered the federal offices that administer domestic violence-related funding. As Janine Latus reports, many shelters and service providers are now facing a cliff.
DOGE Cuts Come for N.C. Domestic Violence Orgs
As the Trump administration targets the funding streams that shelters and service agencies rely on, providers wonder how they will keep going: ‘This isn’t something we’re going to bake sale our way out of.’
“Our members have exhausted cushions and rainy-day funds,” said N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence Policy Director Kathleen Lockwood. “They’re already at a skeletal level, where if some of those other sources are under attack, it threatens not just the programming but the very existence of these agencies.”
Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.
A Message from our Chapel Hill Visitors Bureau
Feeling the Pinch
In places like Whiteville, small business owners say they are already struggling with rising costs, shipping delays, and economic uncertainty due to the Trump administration’s higher tariffs on goods from a number of countries. Some say they’re trying to keep prices steady for customers, even if it puts the financial burden on them.
“My people are devout regulars, and I love helping them on their wellness journeys,” said Bree Sanders, who owns a downtown shop selling supplements and smoothies. “I’m not in this for the money, but I do need to feed my kids and keep the roof over my head.”
Small Businesses Feel the Pain of Tariffs and Economic Uncertainty
‘Do I want to raise prices? Yes. Should I? Yes. But if I do, then I feel it would damage my reputation as a passionate member of the community.’
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Contract Killer
The N.C. Division of Emergency Management last week fired a subcontractor that had been founded by top officials at ReBuild NC, the now discredited state agency that botched response efforts after hurricanes Matthew and Florence in 2016 and 2018.
The company, PathBuilt, had been hired to work on Hurricane Helene recovery after a mid-level official who once worked for ReBuild steered the subcontract to her former bosses.
Lisa Sorg has more in a piece co-published with Inside Climate News.
What We’re Reading
Stall Tactic: Smoky Mountain News takes us inside a brief, awkward moment in a women’s restroom at Western Carolina University that became a viral moment in America’s ongoing culture wars.
Pleas and Thank You: The N&O reports that the State Board of Elections has revealed its first criminal convictions in the six years since state lawmakers made campaign finance investigations secret. Two leaders of a political action committee for the Sons of Confederate Veterans pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and paid $100 fines.
House Rules: The House’s budget bill would delay income tax cuts while giving higher raises to state employees and teachers than the Senate’s bill. WUNC has more.
Our Recent Stories
Helene’s Unheard Warnings
As Hurricane Helene barreled toward Yancey County in North Carolina, communities along the Cane River in the Black Mountains were particularly vulnerable. But there were no evacuation orders.
Guilford College Debates How ‘Quakerly’ It Should Be
Amid its second financial crisis in five years, Guilford College faculty hatched a radical plan to run the school by Quaker-inspired councils.
U.S. Lawmakers Urge Duke to End Partnership With Wuhan University
Two House committee chairmen say Duke’s partner school is a ‘direct extension of the Chinese military and intelligence apparatus.’
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