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Western North Carolina is used to musical expressions of old-time religion, but perhaps none quite as old as the Marian Friars Minor, a religious order following a lifestyle St. Francis of Assisi established in 1223.
Members wears close-cropped hair, a simple robe of thick brown cloth, a white rope tied around his waist, and a pair of sandals—an outfit that hasn’t changed in centuries. Most of their prayers are in Latin, following rubrics laid down before the Roman Catholic Church’s widespread adoption of English and other changes through the Second Vatican Council in 1962.
While their way of life may be old, most of the friars are in their 20s and 30s. And under the guidance of the group’s founder, Friar Anthony Serviam Maria, the men are now building a new monastery in the mountains of Western North Carolina where they can live out a very traditional interpretation of their faith.
But as Daniel Walton reports, not everyone is pleased that they’ve found a new home here.
Voices in the Wilderness
A religious order following a lifestyle St. Francis of Assisi established in 1223 is building a new home in the woods of Western North Carolina. Not everyone is happy to see them.
Get in the Know
The General Assembly is in full swing, wrestling with key issues ranging from Hurricane Helene relief to a potential budget cliff, and we want to make sure you don’t miss a moment. That’s why we’re announcing that we’ve expanded our courts newsletter into a broader, twice-weekly premium newsletter covering even more political and legal wrangling.
The first edition of The Debrief will arrive tomorrow morning. Each dispatch will feature insider analysis, essential political and judicial coverage, curated stories from around the state, and conversations with the leaders defining the moment. Whether you work in policy, advocacy, law, or just want to understand how government works, this newsletter is for you. Reporter Bryan Anderson will anchor the legislative coverage, with contribution from everyone else on our politics and courts team.
We’re offering a free six-week trial for The Debrief. Sign up today to get the first edition in your inbox tomorrow morning. Once the trial is done, you can use the promo code DOCKET50OFF to save 50 percent on a Premium Subscription that will also give you access to our higher ed newsletter, exclusive events, discounts on our merch, and more.
A Covid-19 Test for Science
An unassuming-looking lab on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus is central to the story of COVID-19—as well as the distrust of science that has grown in its wake.
Coronavirus expert Ralph Baric and his collaborators helped roll out the first FDA-approved COVID-19 treatment, Remdesivir, then helped develop another, Molnupiravir. Then Baric helped develop and test the Moderna vaccine.
His work earned him global praise and awards. It also brought intense scrutiny and placed Baric’s lab at the center of global investigations and congressional testimony about the origins of COVID-19.
Now, multiple bills have been introduced in Congress that would target aspects of his research. And the Trump administration is seeking to slash National Institutes of Health funding for research. Baric’s lab is one of the state’s largest recipients of such funds.
A Chapel Hill Lab Faces New Threats Five Years After Covid-19
Public health leaders looked to UNC-Chapel Hill virologist Ralph Baric to end the pandemic. Their critics blamed it on him. Now, the White House wants to slash funding for research like his.
The outcomes of Washington’s policy debates could shape his lab, North Carolina’s biomedical industry, and how the world prepares for future pandemics.
Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.
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What We’re Reading
Bit DOGE-y: The state legislature four years ago directed $15 million in funding for sexual assault victims away from Democratic-led agencies and to an obscure group under the GOP-led courts system, ProPublica reports. Payments wound up delayed for months, the outlet writes.
He Loves a Lost Cause: Jefferson Griffin was photographed wearing Confederate military garb when he was a member of a college fraternity that glorified the pre-Civil War South, per The AP. Griffin said the fraternity event “was inappropriate and does not reflect the person I am today.”
One Way to Save Publishing: An eight-figure bidding war has broken out on the rights to a new thriller novel from the unlikely pairing of James Patterson and MrBeast, Deadline writes. The novel reportedly has “shades of Squid Game.”
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Hot-Headed Art Heyman and the Birth of a Rivalry
N.C.’s biggest basketball rivalry wasn’t always Carolina-Duke. A new book brings us the backstory on the battle of the blues.
North Carolina’s Deadliest Inlet
Last March, Oregon Inlet claimed the life of a seasoned mariner. Navigating the tempestuous waters is the stuff of legends and nightmares.
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