Rage Against the Machines
Puff, Puff … Pass?
Everyone agrees the hemp industry needs to be regulated. Why can’t lawmakers figure out how to do it?
Stein Signs Long-Awaited N.C. Budget
The budget funds many of the governor’s priorities, but it strips his power to make appointments to several state boards.
Detention Officers Denied Immunity in Orange County Jail Death
A federal appellate court ruled that two detention officers sued for their role in Maurice King’s death can go to trial.
A Raleigh Neighborhood Ditched Its Slave-Owning Namesake. Some Are Still Fighting to Keep It.
Many residents of the neighborhood formerly called Cameron Park say they’ve moved on under a new name, Forest Park. But some want a court to declare the name change invalid.
Politics
Why Did N.C.’s Budget Take So Long?
For the first time since 2023, state lawmakers have sent the governor a budget. Here’s how it got to this point and what happens next.
The Innocence Commission Lives On in State Budget. The Name Does Not.
The latest state budget spares the N.C. Innocence Inquiry Commission from an attempt to abolish it.
Barely Legal: An Assembly Investigation Into N.C. Hemp
N.C. created what one industry insider called “the best recreational cannabis state in the country” in legalizing, but not regulating, hemp.
Higher Ed
Few N.C. Programs Will Qualify for New Workforce Pell Grant
Congress expanded a federal financial aid program to help students pay for job-training certifications. But only a tiny fraction of North Carolina programs meet the requirements.
The Life of Young Lee Roberts
We learned a lot about the UNC-Chapel Hill chancellor by reading what his journalist parents wrote about him. Some of it may even be helpful.
The Faculty’s Numbers Man
When professors want to dispute cuts, they turn to Howard Bunsis. Is he just telling them what they want to hear?
Health
Affordable Care Act Enrollment Dropped in Almost Every N.C. County This Year
Data show North Carolina recorded the sharpest drop nationwide in residents enrolling after Congress let premium subsidies expire.
Emergency Measures
Available data indicate that cannabis-related emergency visits have skyrocketed among people under 18 since the legalization of hemp.
These Church Members Disagree on Politics. Together They’re Wiping Out Medical Debt.
Trinity Moravian Church, a politically diverse congregation in Winston-Salem, has been raising money to retire medical debt.
Culture
The Man Who Put the Outer Banks on the Map
Aycock Brown, small of stature but gigantic of heart, almost single-handedly brought N.C.’s barrier islands to the outside world.
What We Can’t Forget This Independence Day
We are gearing up to mark America’s 250th, but commemorating our history is a year-round commitment for these North Carolinians.
Small Town, Big Pride
Flamy Grant lived in fear growing up in Western North Carolina. Now She’s taking center stage.
From Our Network
Durham County Moves Toward Data Center Moratorium
County commissioners could vote on a moratorium as early as next month, joining the City of Durham in banning data center construction.
Crowded N.C. Jails Grapple with Iryna’s Law
Some law enforcement officials and district attorneys say the law has put strain on local jails without providing more resources.
Fayetteville City Council Reinstates Youth Curfew
The ordinance restricts teens 16 and under after 11 p.m., penalizing adults—not juveniles—as council members clash over whether the policy protects or harms youth.
The Budget No One Wanted
A state-mandated moratorium on property tax revaluations gave Greensboro and Guilford county little time to pivot as they finalized their budgets. The result? A substantial tax rate increase.
Q&A: What Deborah Ross Saw Inside the ICE Processing Facility in Cary
U.S. Rep. Ross recently toured the Cary ICE facility as part of a congressional oversight visit.
How $4 Billion Came Off Durham’s Tax Rolls and Blew a Hole in the City Budget
A county board granted billions in property value reductions to corporate landlords. City leaders, banking on the tax revenue, didn’t know until April.
Featured Stories
Even if Phil Berger Wins, He Lost
The Senate leader’s primary might not be resolved for weeks. But even Berger’s best-case scenario will leave the political giant diminished.
Whistleblower Pushes to Regulate Controversial Organ Retrieval Technique
A North Carolina surgeon has raised concerns about an innovative procedure that reanimates a dead body to enable organ transplants.
Greg Bovino’s Last Stand
North Carolina native Greg Bovino was known for being theatrical and hyperaggressive. Those traits just cost him his job.
As Helene Survivors Await State Help, Some Victims of Earlier Hurricanes Are Still Out of Their Homes
A new housing recovery program created to avoid the delays and cost overruns that plagued past efforts is already seeing similar problems.
The Enduring Hazards of College Hazing
Administrators have worked for years to eliminate fraternity hazing. But we found more than 1,500 pages of records showing it continues.
Well I’ll Be Dammed
North Carolina is about to get its first Buc-ee’s, the massive, cult-classic gas station. What’s all the hype about?
Lost and Found
Meet the teams working to reunite people with mementos they lost during Hurricane Helene.
If You Build It, Will They Come?
New charter schools are struggling to enroll enough students to stay solvent. One High Point school’s implosion shows the consequences.
How Tupac Came to Rest in North Carolina
The cremated remains of the rapper, still omnipresent three decades after his death, now lie in a Lumberton grave.
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.
From ‘Superstar’ Cop to Drug Kingpin
A talented police officer busted drug rings along I-85. Then he bewildered everyone who knew him by becoming a drug trafficker himself.
How North Carolina Officials Kept the Truth About a Police Shooting Hidden
In 2019, a state trooper killed Brandon Webster claiming self defense. Evidence contradicted that account but wasn’t made public—until now.
A Tale of Two Six: J. Cole’s Fayetteville
A native son, a homecoming-inspired final album, and how Fayetteville—if only for a weekend—became the center of the hip-hop universe.
Transgender State Workers Are Facing Whiplash
The state’s health insurance plan no longer covers gender-affirming care, which has left some employees in limbo.
I’ve Seen How the Neo-Nazi Movement Is Escalating. You Should Worry.
A reporter gets a first-hand look at how the ‘militant accelerationism’ movement operates.
