When it comes to growth, it seems like hospitals can’t get enough of it. Across the country, a tidal wave of hospital mergers and acquisitions in recent years has created multi-billion-dollar hospital giants that serve large swaths of the population. For example, just in North Carolina: Atrium Health’s massive combination with Advocate Aurora in 2022 […]
When Drew Kromer became chair of the Mecklenburg Democratic Party last year, he had ambitious goals. Raise more money. Register more voters. Increase turnout. Soon after, Kromer, who is 27, found an unlikely benefactor: Jeff Blum, a 77-year-old New Yorker with Massachusetts ties who is a longtime Democratic Party organizer. Blum can’t make a difference […]
A second 911 call raises additional questions about an accident that seriously injured a lobbyist at the December wedding of state Rep. Destin Hall, who’s in line to become state House speaker in January. As The Assembly reported last week, Cory Bryson, 34, one of Hall’s groomsmen and a legislative liaison for the University of […]
The House passed legislation Saturday that would ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media platform’s China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake within a year, but don’t expect the app to go away anytime soon. The decision by House Republicans to include TikTok as part of a larger foreign aid package, a […]
New Hanover County beaches could again mine sand from nearby inlets to nourish their oceanfront shores under a proposed law recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would exempt a handful of federal coastal storm risk management projects on the East Coast from a rule that prohibits local governments from tapping sand […]
The usual plodding journey toward a tight budget and minimal tax hike hurtled off the rails Wednesday when Waynesville’s police and fire chiefs declared the town’s conservative fiscal approach was undermining the morale of their departments and their ability to protect citizens. The public works director and recreation director then piled on. That forced town […]
Two Robeson County commissioners are accused of bribing at least 21 voters in the March primary, according to a court petition filed Thursday. Commissioner Wixie Stephens allegedly paid at least nine residents up to $60 to vote for incumbent Judy Sampson in the March 5 Democratic primary for the commissioners’ District 5 seat, according to […]
As the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) and North Carolina Rules Review Commission (RRC) head to court over regulatory language for coastal development and use, Jockey’s Ridge State Park is in danger of losing its Area of Environmental Concern (AEC) protections. The AEC protections, among other things, prohibit removing sand that has migrated off the dune […]
Five large buildings are for sale along the Hay Street and Person Street corridor in downtown Fayetteville — including the former Prince Charles Hotel — and a sixth one, the former AIT Building, was almost sold in March. Downtown properties for sale include: -The eight-story former Prince Charles Hotel on the 400 block, which in […]
The landscape of Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) programs has changed significantly in recent years, from the number of applicants to the requirements needed to become a law enforcement professional, according to local law enforcement officials. Even more changes are coming as the course’s curriculum is being revised to account for the varying nature of […]
For more than 20 years, North Carolina has wielded its incentives program to grow its economy and lure corporate expansions to the state — from large-scale manufacturers such as Toyota to tech companies like Apple. But this year’s gubernatorial election will be a contest between candidates with differing views on the tool. Why it matters: […]
Medical marijuana can now be legally purchased in North Carolina with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opening its long-planned dispensary this weekend on tribal land. Hundreds of people, many with approved medical patient cards to purchase items, celebrated the historic opening of the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. on Saturday within the Eastern Band land […]
As the one-year anniversary of the fatal SouthPark construction site fire nears, so does a potential toughening of North Carolina’s safety codes, which officials hope will prevent similar tragedies. On May 18 last year, flames erupted from the diesel engine of a trailer carrying spray-foam insulation on the bottom floor of a 239-unit luxury apartment […]
Codie Bruce Schiene was sitting in his SUV in a hotel parking lot, scrolling through his phone, when two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers approached him back in 2020. He told them he was a guest at the Baymont Inn. The officers quickly ordered Schiene and his nephew out of the GMC Acadia and handcuffed them, then […]
At Wednesday’s annual joint meeting between the New Hanover Airport Authority and county commissioners, parking bogarted a great deal of conversation, as did ILM’s expedient growth and what infrastructure is needed to keep pace. Last year, the airport had a 21% increase in passengers (1.3 million), a 70% increase in nonstops (now totaling seven), and […]
