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☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. A Cross to Bear
2. In the Stacks
3. Around Our Network
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories

Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. didn’t need a script or a microphone when he began preaching on the grounds of the Black Jack Free Will Baptist Church in March 1984. Hunt testified to his faith in God, his adherence to “biblical truths,’’ and his belief in Jesus’ love before leading the group in prayer.

“Although it’s been said you can’t go home again, having grown up in a Free Will Baptist Church, I want to tell you that I do feel at home tonight,’’ said Hunt, who was then running for the U.S. Senate. “You are my kind of people, the kind of people I grew up with, and am part of, and there’s no place I’d rather be.’’

Despite a deep background in the church and strong personal faith, the late governor often wrestled with how to be a Democratic leader of faith amidst the rise of the Religious Right. After his passing last month at age 88, longtime reporter Rob Christensen looked back at this part of Hunt’s career.

Jim Hunt’s Cross to Bear

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

In the Stacks

Staff at the State Archives field thousands of inquiries each year, about everything from family history, to old architectural surveys, News & Observer clips, and 200-year-old court reports. 

Kelly Policelli is eager to dust off documents and help answer questions as the state’s new head archivist, taking over last month after the retirement of longtime lead archivist Sarah Koonts. Policelli recently talked about the new job with culture editor Sarah Edwards.

Talking With North Carolina’s New State Archivist

Kelly Policelli on advocating for public history, the records people can find in the archives, and how her office is preparing for the country’s semiquincentennial.

Around Our Network

For INDY, a writer remembers his late father through their shared love of basketball, from the scuffed courts of Durham YMCAs to the hallowed stands of the Dean Dome. 

Repeated methane alarms from detectors placed in homes near the Cliffdale Landfill have prompted renewed questions about the safety of living near the site, CityView reports.

After years of struggle and speculation, Greensboro’s Interactive Resource Center, a day center for those experiencing homelessness, bought the downtown building it has occupied for more than 15 years, per The Thread.

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

What We’re Reading

Naked Ambition: Brunswick County approved a request from Whispering Pines Nudist Resort to expand from 57 recreational vehicle sites to 69, WWAY reports.

Paper Chase: The Burke County Board of Education has revoked media access for The Paper, which the outlet’s legal counsel says violates the First Amendment and punishes protected speech. They wrote about it a few weeks ago.

Inland Empire: At an appearance in McAllen, Texas, on Friday, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley argued that former President Joe Biden’s policies “made North Carolina a border state,” per The Center Square.

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Our Recent Stories

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?

A Narrow Window of Hope for People Sentenced to Die in Prison

About 225 people serving life-without-parole sentences are eligible for review under an obscure North Carolina law.

‘Death By a Thousand Cuts’

EOD techs have the highest rate of suicide in the service. Veterans say there’s been little progress on protecting them.