☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. A Writer’s Complicated Legacy
2. It’s All Politics
3. Around Our Network
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories

When Jerry Bledsoe died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 84, state and national publications lauded him as a brilliant journalist and author, a Southern raconteur in the tradition of Mark Twain. 

Friends, former colleagues, and admirers recalled his decades of humorous and heartfelt newspaper columns, often championing underdogs and everyday North Carolinians. They remembered his triumphant leap to the top of The New York Times Best Seller list with 1988’s Bitter Blood, the first of a string of deeply reported true crime books that spawned TV movies and miniseries.

But all that talent came with its complications. Bledsoe knew how good he was and had an ego and independent streak that often brought him into conflict with editors, authority figures, or anyone who questioned or criticized him. His later writing was often personal and vindictive. Joe Killian looks back on Bledsoe’s career and considers how we view a writer with so many layers.

‘A Hell of a Writer’

Jerry Bledsoe, a titan among North Carolina writers, leaves a legacy that includes both beloved books and persistent grudges. What do we make of a complicated figure after his death?

It’s All Politics

Here’s some other political news from our reporters this week:

  • A new lawsuit filed in a federal court in North Carolina accuses Kyrsten Sinema, the former U.S. senator from Arizona, of pursuing a romantic relationship with a member of her security team, leading him to dissolve his marriage. The Caucus has more on the alienation of affection suit.
  • U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Fayetteville this week as part of the Department of Education’s “History Rocks!” tour, put on by a coalition that includes the America First Policy Institute and Turning Point USA. As CityView reports, the tour has drawn criticism from those who say it blurs the lines between civic education and political advocacy.
  • Columbus County residents won’t have the option of early voting on Sunday ahead of the March primary election, as the State Board of Elections rejected a plan to do so this week. “I don’t think we should be voting on Sunday,” Republican board chairman Francis X. De Luca told reporters. “I know lots of people who do nothing on Sunday because that’s the Lord’s day.” 
  • Former Gov. Pat McCory thinks both Republican and Democratic elected officials are using their power to skew election results and limit competition from independent candidates. He talked to the Greater Fayetteville Chamber on Thursday, per CityView.

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

Around Our Network

UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees member John Preyer has resigned with a year left in his term, after a stint as chair that, at times, was marked by questions about whether he and other board members had overstepped their authority. Read more from The Quad.

Accusations of secrecy, mismanagement, and withheld documents have fractured the nonprofit Fayetteville‑Cumberland County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, putting the future of the taxpayer‑funded MLK Park project in jeopardy. CityView reports on the leadership crisis.

Western Wake County now offers dozens of options for Indian food. While these are plenty of restaurants that offer American interpretations of classic dishes like chicken tikka masala and garlic naan, you’ll also find many that focus on specific regions, from North India and Punjab to South India and Tamil Nadu. Read more from INDY.

What We’re Reading

Life on the Line: ProPublica writes about a Greensboro police officer who died of heart failure while waiting for an abortion, as doctors declined to perform a life-saving cardiology procedure due to her pregnancy.

Quite A Gamble: Former N.C. A&T State University athletes are among those the NCAA is investigating for alleged violations of sports betting rules, CBS 17 reports. A total of 13 former players across six schools are involved.

Better Sell Some More Feastables: YouTuber MrBeast says that despite his $2.6 billion net worth, “I have negative money right now.” The Greenville native’s company is valued at $5 billion, per E! Online.

Our Recent Stories

The Enduring Hazards of College Hazing

University administrators have worked for years to eliminate fraternity hazing. But an Assembly review of more than 1,500 pages of records shows the initiation rites are deeply ingrained.

Jim Hunt’s Cross to Bear

The four-term governor and committed church-goer politicked with evangelical fervor. But he still struggled to sway the Religious Right.

Well I’ll Be Dammed

North Carolina is about to get its first Buc-ee’s, the massive, cult-classic gas station rapidly expanding across the southeast. What is the hype about?