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☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. Getting a Fair Shake at the Peace Booth
2. SNAP Shot
3. November Newsmakers
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories

Every fall, the North Carolina State Fair brings Ferris wheels that fold out of trucks, long rows of livestock, and every battered and fried food imaginable to 344 acres in Raleigh.

And in the white stucco Education Building, just down the hall from illuminated cases of jams and baked goods, there’s the Peace Booth, now in its 75th year.

While the area between the pickles and the peanuts might seem like an odd place to pitch peace, organizers say the state fair gives them a chance to talk to people from every slice of life about nonviolence. But as Caelan Bailey reports, the booth’s future is more of a question.

Give Peace a Chance?

For 75 years, local pacifists have organized a “Peace Booth” at the State Fair. Is it exactly what our moment needs, or a relic of the past?

“I think it’s good, especially for the young people, to see those people out there that are crazy enough to stand at a Peace Booth for several hours,” said booth volunteer BriAnne Dopart.

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

SNAP Shot

A bipartisan coalition of state officials, including North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, sued the Department of Agriculture on Tuesday to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program partially funded through November.

Jackson said at a press conference Tuesday that the administration is letting SNAP run out of money when it could tap emergency funds for the program colloquially known as food stamps.

North Carolina Joins Bipartisan Suit Over SNAP

A coalition of state officials wants a federal court to force the Trump administration to release contingency funds to protect SNAP programs.


“This is wrong, and it’s against the law,” Jackson said. “If Congress gives a department money to fund a program, that department cannot refuse to fund that program.”

Looking to the Future with Lee Roberts

Join us next month for our second Newsmakers event, which will be a discussion about the future of UNC Chapel Hill and higher education. Our team will interview Chancellor Lee Roberts and additional guests to be announced, going beyond the headlines and providing new insights. 

The event will be held on November 17 at UNC’s Wilson Library. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6. A reception will follow. Ticket sales support The Assembly’s journalism. Ticket holders will also have a chance to submit potential questions in advance.

This event has limited seating capacity, so purchase your tickets today!

Buy Tickets Now

What We’re Reading

Tier Jerker: North Carolina created a three-tier system to sort our 100 counties into different levels of economic distress, which was meant to help boost job growth. But as Carolina Public Press reports, many communities still face persistent problems.

After An Overdose: NC Health News looks at how counties across the state are adapting programs to provide people more support after they’ve overdosed on opioids, connecting them with recovery and harm reduction resources.

IVWTF: Summer McKesson was shocked to learn that her biological father had been a Duke University Hospital fertility doctor, and that she had more than 20 half siblings. WRAL reports that she’s now raising awareness for others.

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Our Recent Stories

Rep. Don Davis Says He Won’t Go Down Without a Fight

The incumbent Democrat is running for reelection for a third time—and under a third congressional map.

They Called Their Shot: The Babe Ruth Era of Redistricting Is Here

GOP leaders appear to have achieved their goal of shifting a congressional district from swing to reliably Republican.

The Fixer

Catty Moore retired two years ago. Then she was called in to help save Forsyth County schools from a financial crisis.