☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. All Aboard
2. Vouching for Vouchers
3. Around Our Network
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories

On the station platform in Selma, a dozen passengers line up to board the 1:11 p.m. Palmetto, the daily northbound train that runs from Savannah, Georgia, to New York City. It feels almost like the old days, when railways connected many more cities across North Carolina and the country.

Rail advocates hope those days could be coming back to North Carolina as the Federal Railroad Administration evaluates new routes in the region. That includes high-speed rail between Richmond, Virginia, and Raleigh, and lines connecting the eastern and western ends of the state. It’s part of a national effort looking at potential routes on 69 corridors in 44 states, as Kelly Kenoyer reports.

Rallying for the Rails

A project evaluating new intercity passenger rail lines across North Carolina is igniting new passion for an old form of transportation.

If it all comes to fruition, you could hop a train in Raleigh and get to the coast in Wilmington for less than $30.

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

In late July, the General Assembly’s Republican majority raced to pass a bill that would commit North Carolina to participating in the federal school voucher program authorized by President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. The state was poised to be the first to opt in to the program until Democratic Gov. Josh Stein vetoed House Bill 87 last week.

In a statement, Stein said he supported school choice, but, “Cutting public education funding by billions of dollars while providing billions in tax giveaways to wealthy parents already sending their kids to private schools is the wrong choice.”

However, Stein went on to say he intends to eventually opt into the federal program—with the aim of using it to benefit public school students instead.

Carli Brosseau has more.

Chapel Hill’s Crisis Assistance, Response, and Engagement team (CARE) recently marked one year of sending mental health specialists to respond to people in crisis, rather than police. INDY looks at the effort to expand it.

Federal money for Cumberland County’s emergency management are on the chopping block, per CityView. The funds are administered by the state but come from FEMA’s Emergency Management Performance Grant program.

Will the hot chicken bubble burst? The Thread investigates a spicy trend.

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What We’re Reading

Bo Go: Bo Hines, the former North Carolina candidate for U.S. House, is departing his post as a White House cryptocurrency adviser, per Bloomberg.

Care Crisis: After an assisted living facility in Avery County stopped paying staff, only two were left behind to care for 27 residents—which, as the Citizen-Times reports, included some on hospice care.

The Intimidator: The widow of Dale Earnhardt and one of the NASCAR legend’s children are sparring over a plan to rezone 400 undeveloped acres of his Mooresville property to build a $30 billion data center, according to NBC News.

Our Recent Stories

What Remains of St. Andrews

Following the sudden closure of St. Andrews University, Laurinburg grapples with a now-empty campus at the heart of the community.

The Rapid Rise and Fall of N.C.’s Proposed Shrimp Trawl Ban

A last-minute change to legislation prompted a swift rebuke from the state’s shrimpers and their allies. Will it make a comeback?

In Charlotte, Catholics May Have to Give Up the Old Ways

A dustup over the traditional Latin Mass in Charlotte challenges the new pop to set a course for churches across the world.

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