Month: May 2024

7. Mill closure looms large over Canton municipal budget

Administrators for the Town of Canton have presented a conservative fiscal year 2024-25 budget that seeks some sense of sustainability after last year’s closing of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill, which created a substantial revenue deficit and has now forced the small town to plan for a huge new expense it’s never had to worry […]

Written by on May 29, 2024

8. NHC Endowment unveils $19 million affordable housing plan

The New Hanover Community Endowment announced it is allocating up to $19 million as part of its affordable housing investment strategy. According to a press release sent out Wednesday morning, the funding will toward existing and future housing programs. “Our investment strategy underscores our unwavering commitment to addressing this challenge head-on, with a focus on […]

Written by on May 29, 2024

10. UNC Students for Justice in Palestine: ‘There is something bigger than us’

UNC’s academic year wrapped up with several weeks of contentious demonstrations against the war in Gaza, culminating (but not ending) with a tent encampment that drew a forceful response from campus police. Organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the encampment went up on April 26 and lasted through the weekend, but police broke […]

Written by on May 29, 2024

1. Jordan Hennessy threatens to sue Dare Commissioner candidate

Two weeks after the Dare County Commissioners terminated their housing partnership with Coastal Affordable Housing (CAH) and voted to return $35 million in state housing funds, an attorney for CAH principal Jordan Hennessy wrote to Dare Commissioner candidate Katie Morgan accusing her of “false and defamatory statements” and threatening litigation if the matter is not […]

Written by on May 28, 2024

2. F-15E Strike Eagle divestment process given sunlight

Before the F-15E Strike Eagle divestment can happen at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, the Air Force and the Department of Defense will need to produce reports and research contracts outlining the risks involved. Funding for a Combat Arms Training & Maintenance Complex at the base is also among 16 amendments secured […]

Written by on May 28, 2024

5. UNC’s diversity vote will ripple through UNC Charlotte soon

Leaders of UNC Charlotte are awaiting further direction on what last week’s UNC System Board of Governors vote will mean for Charlotte’s Diversity and Inclusion Office. The vote repealed a previous diversity policy, effective immediately, and replaced it with a policy that emphasizes “equality of all persons and viewpoints.” The previous policy, passed in 2019, […]

Written by on May 28, 2024

7. Audit: Fayetteville State University employees misused $692,000 in credit cards

Fayetteville State University employees are under investigation for unapproved purchases and misuse of university-issued credit cards. According to an investigative audit from the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor (OSA), staff members in Fayetteville State University’s Office of Strategic Communication (OSC) used FSU-issued travel cards and purchasing cards for undocumented and unallowed credit card […]

Written by on May 28, 2024

9. Groups ask court to stop use of chemical treatment at Lake Mattamuskeet

Conservation groups are asking a federal court to stop the use of a chemical treatment at Lake Mattamuskeet in eastern North Carolina. The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, argues the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is violating several national policies with the use of this chemical. “A bird sanctuary is […]

Written by on May 28, 2024

10. Harvest reporting rules draw expletive-laden comments

The anglers have spoken. And they apparently did not spare using colorful language to express their thoughts on proposed temporary mandatory harvest reporting rules state regulatory agencies must enforce later this year. The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission received a combined more than 3,700 public comments on the […]

Written by on May 28, 2024