☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. Public Money, Private Schools
2. Whatley’s New Playbook
3. Around Our Network
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories

Two years ago, the General Assembly’s Republican majority dramatically expanded a program subsidizing private school tuition. Ever since, questions have swirled around the consequences for public schools and the state’s fiscal health.

But the voucher change wasn’t the only provision benefiting private schools, as Carli Brosseau reports.

In the same budget bill, Republicans gave nearly half a million in grants to two private schools for capital projects aimed at growing their enrollment—which appears to be a first for North Carolina and perhaps the country.

How State Funds Are Helping Private Schools Expand

School vouchers aren’t the only way the General Assembly has funneled money to private schools. At least two schools have received grants for new facilities and property.

Michael Whatley, who until last month served as chair of the Republican National Committee, is happy to campaign on Republicans’ reconciliation bill. That’s a departure from the retiring Republican senator he’s running to replace, who saw it as a political liability.

And it’s just one of several ways that Whatley is embracing the MAGA agenda. While that political strategy carries a level of risk in a battleground state like North Carolina, Whatley tells our partners at NOTUS that he has little concern.

Michael Whatley Is Throwing Out the Tillis Playbook

While many candidates would look at the N.C. terrain and hew to the center, Whatley is betting that his alignment with Trump will appeal to voters.

“People forget President Trump carried North Carolina three times. It is the only one of the seven battleground states that he won all three times,” Whatley said. “And so having his support, as his endorsed candidate, with his complete, total endorsement, is really, truly important, not just in the primary but also in the general.”

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

Cumberland County will spend $250,000 in unused pandemic-era funds to for a pilot voucher program that pays up to three months of rent for residents who are homeless or at risk of losing their housing, CityView reports.

An anarchist bookstore collective in Asheville capped off Labor Day with a potluck and flag burning. The event was organized in response to Trump’s recent executive order pledging to “prosecute those who incite violence or otherwise violate our laws” while burning the flag.

The state Supreme Court declined to overhaul the definition of “good moral character,” as it weighed in on the case of a former Columbus County sheriff’s deputy accused of dishonesty, per Border Belt Independent.

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What We’re Reading

GAO No: The Government Accountability Office warned Tuesday that Trump administration cuts to FEMA are risking the country’s preparedness for natural disasters like Hurricane Helene, per NOTUS.

Heir Jordon: UNC’s most famous girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, is looking to trademark “gold digger,” “Chapel Bill,” and 20 other terms, according to the New York Times.

Tata For Now: The Cut reports that Anthony Tata, a former N.C. Department of Transportation secretary and Trump’s pick for a top job at the Pentagon, is entangled in a lawsuit with a former paramour who has been described as “the internet’s most notorious astrologer.”

Our Recent Stories

Facing The Music

After the cancellation of this year’s historic Eastern Music Festival over a labor dispute, the future of the organization hangs in the balance.

A College Sports Fan’s Lament

As college programs become more professional, a loyal Duke fan mourns what has been lost.

A New Way to Pay to Play

After a company that sells camera technology donated to a Republican fund, lawmakers passed legislation that could make it millions.

Supreme Politics

State Supreme Court campaigns used to be removed from the political debates of the day. Not any more.

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