Sponsored by
☀️ In Today’s Edition
1. Waiting for Leandro
2. Cops on K?
3. The Anti-Trans Ad Escalation
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories
When Republican lawmakers asked the state Supreme Court to reconsider a landmark ruling in the Leandro case in 2023, it took the court’s new Republican majority only 30 days to grant the unusual request. It was the latest in a 30-year legal battle over the right to a “sound, basic education” for North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students.
The justices held oral arguments on February 22, 2024. But 601 days later, they have yet to issue a decision. Can they put it off forever? Anne Blythe looks at the case and the precedent.
Waiting for Leandro
It’s been more than 600 days since the state Supreme Court heard arguments in the latest round of legal wrangling over funding for public schools. Can the court put it off forever?
“The old adage is ‘justice delayed is justice denied,’” said Michael Crowell, an attorney well-versed in North Carolina’s judiciary. “That’s why the Code of Judicial Conduct says, ‘A judge should promptly dispose of the business of the court.’ Trial judges get reprimanded regularly for taking too long to decide a case or enter an order.”
Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.
Cops on K?
A few months ago, Waynesville Police Sgt. Paige Shell was about to give up hope of getting better. The daily drip of violence, death, and misery from almost 20 years in law enforcement had left a mark. Her sleep was poor, depression was a stubborn companion, and thoughts of suicide had taken root.
Shell, who works in a rural community about 30 miles west of Asheville, tried talk therapy, but it didn’t work. When her counselor suggested ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, she was skeptical.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “I’m a cop. It’s a trust thing.”
KFF Health News reports from Western North Carolina.
Ketamine, a Largely Unregulated Mental Health Treatment, Faces Hurdles
Combining psychotherapy with a low-dose of the hallucinogenic drug is a relatively new approach to treating severe depression and post-traumatic stress.
The Anti-Trans Ad Escalation
Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears and her conservative allies have gone all in on anti-trans messaging, launching more frequent attacks—and taking those attacks further—than Donald Trump’s campaign did in 2024.
It won’t be a one-off escalation.
The increased focus on transgender issues is a preview of the Republican Party’s message in the 2026 midterm election—including in North Carolina’s high-profile Senate race, according to political strategists in both parties. Our partners at NOTUS have more.
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
Beast or Famine: In November 2022, the Greenville-based internet personality MrBeast and East Carolina University Chancellor Philip G. Rogers announced a new partnership aimed at helping aspiring content creators. USA Today tries to figure out what happened to it.
Ed in the Game: North Carolina will face more scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Education after failing to meet Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act standards for the second year in a row, per WRAL.
Coal’d Hard Truth: WUNC reports that proposed regulatory rollbacks from the Environmental Protection Agency are key to Duke Energy’s plan to delay retiring three power plants that partially run on coal.
Our Recent Stories
A Short-Lived Win in a Never-Ending Fight Over Forever Chemicals
N.C. activists overcame political and scientific hurdles to convince the EPA to regulate PFAS. Now the Trump administration is reversing that progress.
Joy Follows the Flood
After a year that was both hard and heartening, much of the mountain community of Lansing has finally reopened.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Lesson in Civics
The School of Civic Life and Leadership’s hiring battle is part of a long-running rupture over the mission of similar efforts.
You must be logged in to post a comment.