Month: March 2024

6. Mexico fentanyl production migrates north as Chapitos death threats loom

Huddled in the back of a fruit and vegetable stand in the south of Culiacán, the hitman scanned the area as he described the order he received regarding fentanyl producers operating on the outskirts of Sinaloa’s capital city. “They told us to kill anyone still producing fentanyl,” he explained. “There are only a select few […]

Written by on March 19, 2024

8. North Carolina community colleges focus on short-term, high-demand workforce programs

Nearly 5,000 students received a total of approximately $3 million in aid through the short-term workforce development grant program during the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to a legislative report approved by the State Board of Community Colleges March 15th. Approximately 1,136 students have received $510,712.83 in aid during the 2023-24 fiscal year. The General Assembly […]

Written by on March 19, 2024

9. Virginia dementia registry project poised to become state law

A Virginia Commonwealth University-led project cataloging dementia cases and other neurodegenerative diseases across the state is poised to be codified into law, pending Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s signature, through a bill passed by the General Assembly this year. Founded in 2021 by now-VCU professor Dr. Annie Rhodes, the Virginia Memory Project is a partnership between the […]

Written by on March 19, 2024

10. Convicted of fraud, ex-NC housing authority leaders remain on nonprofit’s staff and board

Two women convicted in federal court of fraud while working at the Chatham County Housing Authority continue to hold key positions at a locally and federally funded nonprofit that helps low-income residents. Central Piedmont Community Action Inc., based in Siler City, assists people in Chatham, Durham, Orange and other counties with services that include a […]

Written by on March 19, 2024

1. The very small battlefield over the NC House in this fall’s elections

The fight over whether Republicans keep their supermajority in the General Assembly will come down to just a handful of legislative districts. There are 120 seats in the House. Almost all are preordained in terms of who will win. The GOP has 72 of them — the minimum number needed to overturn vetoes by Democratic […]

Written by on March 18, 2024

2. Shrimpin’ ain’t easy

Flicking heads off shrimp is one of the first jobs you learn when you’re born a Davis. Joseph “Jody” Davis remembers filling up a bucket of beheaded shrimp for his grandmother for a quarter when he was just 4 years old. “It wasn’t bad money in the ’70s,” he said, standing on the dock of […]

Written by on March 18, 2024

6. If Trump’s mass deportations work, Virginia would see its population drop for the first time since the 1830s

When Donald Trump appeared in Richmond the weekend before Virginia’s presidential primary, he vowed that if he’s returned to the White House, “we will begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” This is not new; he’s said this before. Still, this is a serious policy vow, and one that brought a roar of […]

Written by on March 18, 2024

7. Navassa Superfund site cleanup begins; community looks to future opportunities

About 30 people gathered at Navassa’s Town Hall last week, and another 18 tuned in virtually, to hear representatives from Greenfield Environmental Multistate Trust make a long-awaited announcement: Cleanup of the town’s Superfund site was underway. The focus of the remediation project is a 100-acre area, the former location of the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. facility. […]

Written by on March 18, 2024

8. Southport board OKs land offer to NC Wildlife Commission

The federal government has placed restrictive uses on the city-owned parcel, shown here in the purple-shaded area, because of its proximity to Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point. Map: Brunswick County GIS The federal government has placed restrictive uses on the city-owned parcel, shown here in the purple-shaded area, because of its proximity to Military Ocean […]

Written by on March 18, 2024

9. Wilmington continues to ‘grow up’ due to land costs, demand and building trends

As a coastal community, Wilmington’s skyline has traditionally been pretty flat. Increasingly, though, developers want to build taller and taller buildings. First, locals saw the rise of the 193-foot PPD headquarters downtown (now owned by the city and known as the Skyline Center), and then came the 13-story River Place, a mixed-use project. Now, throughout […]

Written by on March 18, 2024