How Much Will the 2027 Military World Games Cost North Carolina?
Why These Two UNC System Schools Are Partnering on the Arts
UNC-Chapel Hill and the UNC School of the Arts plan to share technology and let students take classes on both campuses.
Democrats Are Trouncing Republicans In Early Voting
Compared to 2022, turnout is down for Republicans but substantially up for Democrats and unaffiliated voters.
Audit Finds NCCU Employees Violated Spending Policies
The audit office recommended the university increase its oversight of spending and provide recurring training to cardholders.
2026 N.C. Election Guide: Who’s On Your Ballot
The Assembly’s voter guide gives you the information you need to know heading to the polls this primary season.
Politics
A Taxing Proposal
Republican leaders say proposed constitutional amendments will save taxpayers money, but critics warn of long-term consequences.
Legal Aid Groups Sue Lawmakers Over Funding Shut-off
The Republican-controlled General Assembly redirected funds that have been used to help low-income residents with civil cases.
Will the Real Sarah Stevens Please Stand Up?
With the help of AI, the Republican Party’s camera-shy state Supreme Court candidate shows up in a new way online.
16 More Races to Watch in 2026
Ahead of the midterms, we broke down the North Carolina races that are expected to be competitive, consequential, or interesting—or all three. Here are the rest of our top 26 for ’26.
What’s Trending
1. Staff Cite Supply, Maintenance, and Paycheck Issues at Randolph Hospital
October 15, 2026Health2. 2026 N.C. Election Guide: Who's On Your Ballot
September 8, 2026Elections3. The Making of Blue Velvet Was Even Weirder Than You Think
October 16, 2026Culture4. Top Races to Watch in 2026
October 13, 2026Elections5. Will the Real Sarah Stevens Please Stand Up?
October 14, 2026Courts & JusticeHigher Ed
UNC-CH Signs ‘Agreement’ With Federal Government Over Alleged Discrimination
UNC-Chapel Hill is the latest university to settle with the Trump administration, but it will avoid the major financial penalties the government has imposed on many of its peers.
This N.C. University Offers the First 3-Year Bachelor’s Degree in the Southeast
Charlotte’s Johnson & Wales University launched a “career-focused” undergraduate degree in hospitality management this fall.
Fired UNC Civics Associate Dean Breaks His Silence on Investigation
David Decosimo objected to a Wall Street Journal editorial about UNC-Chapel Hill’s embattled civics school. The paper didn’t publish his response—which he says is part of the problem.
Health
Staff Cite Supply, Maintenance, and Paycheck Issues at Randolph Hospital
Employees at Asheboro’s only hospital say its private equity-trained owner hasn’t delivered on promises—and conditions have only gotten worse.
Wake County Commissioners Green-light WakeMed-Atrium Merger
After four months of public deliberation and some additional concessions from the state’s largest hospital system, commissioners voted 5-2 for changes that will allow the deal to go through.
The Gig Is Up: UNC Health Does an About-Face on BidShift
The hospital system’s plan to make nurses bid against each other for extra shifts was abandoned after a social media firestorm.
Culture
The Making of Blue Velvet Was Even Weirder Than You Think
Forty years after David Lynch’s iconic film, the people who helped make it say Wilmington was the strangest character of all.
Mooresville Mosque Confronts Fear and Hostility
The Islamic Center of Lake Norman has cleared land for a larger place of worship. Some locals are responding with anti-Muslim backlash.
Epiphany on a Plane
How an oncologist’s sci-fi-inspired insight, layoffs at a pharma giant, and the unique culture of Research Triangle Park birthed a major cancer innovation.
From Our Network
Durham Tech Child Care Academies Draw New Teachers, But Workforce Gaps Persist
The Early Educator Academy offers a streamlined path for child care workers to earn a credential in two months. Demand is high, but the program remains small.
Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Says it Worked with ICE on Traffic Checkpoint
A sheriff’s spokesperson said deputies arrested two people on drug charges on September 24. An immigration advocacy group says more people were detained.
School Board Expands Choice Program, Rejects Moving Spanish Immersion
The Cumberland County Board of Education approved a series of changes to its school choice program Thursday, though a proposal to move a Spanish immersion program failed.
A Dialogue on What’s Next for Greensboro
A diverse crowd came out for an event meant to discuss Greensboro’s assets, its challenges and their solutions.
Cary Town Council Wants to Preserve Town-Owned Downtown Properties as Natural Space
The Cary Town Council is opting not to sell the properties purchased under former town manager Sean Stegall.
What It Takes to Keep History from Fading, Shriveling, or Molding
Talking with Meg Brown, Exhibits Coordinator at Duke Library, about the three Declaration of Independence copies on display in Durham this fall.
Featured Stories
What the Duke Lacrosse Case Says About Roy Cooper
The Senate candidate won praise for declaring three players innocent as AG in 2007. Critics wish he’d done more for other defendants.
Greg Bovino’s Last Stand
North Carolina native Greg Bovino was known for being theatrical and hyperaggressive. Those traits just cost him his job.
The State of Our State
Republicans took control of the General Assembly 15 years ago and have largely dictated the policy agenda ever since. Are we better off?
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.
Hurricane Helene Washed His Wife Away From Their Mobile Home. Now New Residents Live on the Same Land.
Residents of a riverfront trailer park have lost homes and loved ones in multiple storms. A policy gap puts mobile home residents in harm’s way again and again.
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.
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.
