☀️ In Today’s Edition
1. Inside the Fight Over Hemp Legislation
2. Getting Western NC Back on Track
3. A Service Reorg at UNC
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories
There has been a growing, bipartisan push to regulate hemp. While marijuana remains illegal here, North Carolina is one of the country’s most lenient states for psychoactive hemp-derived consumables.
But John Bell, who runs the hemp manufacturing and distribution company Asterra Labs, says that if the hemp-regulation bill the state Senate overwhelmingly passed on Thursday becomes law, he’ll have to lay off all 20 of his employees.
And because Bell, a Republican state representative from Goldsboro, is also chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, he can single-handedly prevent the bill from getting a floor vote. As a key member of the House leadership team, he could also shape the legislation to be more favorable to the industry—and his own bottom line. Lucille Sherman has more in a story co-published today with Axios.
John Bell’s High Hopes
The House Rules Committee chairman runs a hemp company. He’s also trying to kill a bipartisan Senate bill to regulate the hemp industry. He doesn’t think that’s a problem.
“As long as I’m not doing something exactly for Asterra Labs and my business, there’s no ethical challenges there,” Bell said.
Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.
Gain fresh insight into how education access directly impacts workforce development, leadership pipelines, and economic growth – especially for historically marginalized communities. At Perspectives 2025 on Tuesday, July 29, the opening session will set the tone for a day focused on workplace strategies that align equity with opportunity. From interactive workshops to expert panels, you will leave with practical tools and renewed purpose to help shape more inclusive, future-ready organizations. Don’t miss this chance to learn, lead, and take action alongside professionals across the Triangle. Register today at www.raleighchamber.org/events.
Getting WNC Back on Track
Hurricane Helene left Western North Carolina’s railways in disarray, causing $345 million in damage and halting all rail traffic west of Hickory. We took a look at the region’s efforts to repair miles of damaged tracks and bridges.
Back on Track
Hurricane Helene wiped out several major rail lines in Western N.C. Now most are back up and running. Jimmy Ryals and Jesse Barber capture scenes from the rebuilding.
Are you signed up for our politics newsletter? Anchored by Bryan Anderson with reporting from the rest of our politics and courts team, The Caucus is a twice-weekly dispatch that will keep you in the know on all things North Carolina politics.
This newsletter is only available to our Premium Subscribers, but you can try it FREE for six weeks!
Service First
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently initiated an administrative restructuring plan that has prompted concerns among staff about possible layoffs amid growing financial pressure on colleges around the country.
At last month’s Board of Trustees meeting, Chief Financial Officer Nate Knuffman presented the “ServiceFirst” plan, which he said aims to implement a “shared services” model across the university. That will begin with an examination of administrative units such as finance, human resources, information technology, communications, and research administration.
UNC-Chapel Hill Wants to Restructure Admin Roles, Sparking Layoff Fears
University leaders launched the initiative, called ServiceFirst, as part of a broader plan to address increasing financial uncertainty at the state and federal level.
“We’re highly decentralized,” Knuffman said. “We want to be able to think Carolina first—not just at the unit level—and ask units to think that way. Then, we can achieve some savings.”
Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here to get The Assembly’s statewide newsletter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
What We’re Reading
Court Adjourned: The Marshall Project reports that A Wilkes County effort to create a recovery court—which supports treatment and connects people charged with substance-abuse-related crimes to services like housing and insurance—is on ice as the Department of Justice slashes funding.
CHIPS and Dip: Several North Carolina companies, including Wolfspeed, are still awaiting promised funds from the federal CHIPS Act, per WUNC.
The Party’s Over: The Constitution, Justice for All, No Labels, and We the People parties will no longer be recognized in N.C., state elections officials determined Thursday, making 30,000 voters now “unaffiliated.” WRAL has more.
Our Recent Stories
Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200
The official Monopoly game for Greensboro omits key local landmarks. Some say knock-off versions better represent the city.
Talking to North Carolina’s Latest Pulitzer Prize Winner
UNC-Chapel Hill historian Kathleen DuVal won a Pulitzer Prize for her book Native Nations: A Millennium in North America.
Lacrosse’s Path to National Growth Runs Through North Carolina
How an upstart from Maryland built a championship program in Chapel Hill and expanded the reach of lacrosse.
- Want to see your message here? Contact advertise@theassemblync.com to learn how you can reach the 34,000-plus subscribers on The Assembly’s statewide newsletter.
You must be logged in to post a comment.