Trista Talton/Coastal Review Online Reid Wilson does not disagree with those who tell him he had the best job in state government. He loved being secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. It’s a role he said he’s going to “miss terribly” when he steps in Monday as head of the […]
From covering Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Durham I’m no stranger to seeing road-planning fights break out between local leaders and NCDOT. Still, it’s kind of a surprise when it happens elsewhere in the state. Officials in Matthews, however, are balking at the agency’s $25.4 million plan to widen East John Street from Trade Street southeast […]
State Treasurer Brad Briner appointed a John Hopkins University health-insurance expert to the board of the State Health Plan. The new appointee, Dr. Brian Miller, replaces Winston-Salem internal medicine Dr. Pete Robie as one of the treasurer’s two appointees to the board that oversees the insurance program for state-paid employees, teachers and retirees. Miller’s appointment […]
With new State Auditor Dave Boliek pledging to follow through on his campaign promise to audit the Division of Motor Vehicles, I want to ask readers for some information and thoughts. My own experiences with DMV as a customer over the years have left me with absolutely nothing to complain about. I renew my vehicle […]
Jeff Stein/The Washington Post President-elect Donald Trump’s aides are exploring tariff plans that would be applied to every country but only cover critical imports, three people familiar with the matter said — a key shift from his plans during the 2024 presidential campaign. If implemented, the emerging plans would pare back the most sweeping elements […]
Jane Winik Sartwell/Carolina Public Press Brad Briner inherits a daunting problem as he assumes the job of North Carolina state treasurer this month: the $507 million debt of the State Health Plan, which provides health insurance to 750,000 state employees. The budget shortfall is estimated to grow to $1.4 billion by 2027. In August, current […]
Hannah Vinueza McClellan/Education NC Across North Carolina, community partnerships with faith groups can play an important role in helping our public schools and students succeed. From school supply drives and afterschool programs to tutoring and affordable building space, churches and houses of worship can offer extra support and resources to their local families and school […]
Michelle Crouch/NC Health News & Charlotte Ledger When pediatrician Jocelyn Wilson sees patients at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Charlotte Pediatrics, she begins each visit with a simple request: for permission to record the conversation. The reason isn’t surveillance — it’s efficiency. Like a growing number of doctors, Wilson uses an artificial intelligence tool that listens […]
Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily The majority of Southport’s surveyed population is resistant to big changes, namely more residential development, though there are several areas they hope are addressed per the city’s new comprehensive plan. The Southport Planning Board met before the holidays to hear a presentation from Stewart Consultants on its draft 2050 Comprehensive Plan, […]
Jeremy McDermott & Steven Dudley/Insight Crime Increased cocaine production delivered an extra $25 billion in earnings to transnational organized crime in 2024, ensuring greater criminal sophistication and state penetration which, combined with a new Trump administration, will have profound effects on criminal dynamics in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025. In Colombia alone, cocaine […]
Molly Wilhelm/Wilmington StarNews The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued four serious violations to a construction company after an employee was killed in an excavator incident in Leland last summer. On Aug. 19, 2024, first responders arrived at Eagles Island in Leland after an amphibious excavator had overturned and became submerged in the Cape […]
Carly Haynes/WRAL News Johnston County residents learned their property values have skyrocketed after receiving reappraisal notices in the mail last week. On Monday, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners heard from the public for the first time since the notices were mailed, including many neighbors concerned about what the increase could mean for their taxes […]
Katie Peralta Soloff/Axios Charlotte The sale and consumption of nonalcoholic beer in North Carolina is on the rise, mirroring a nationwide trend. Why it matters: Americans increasingly point to the health benefits of abstaining from or limiting their alcohol consumption. These days young Americans — those ages 18-34 — are more likely to say alcohol […]
Aarik Long/The Mountaineer Despite hundreds of moving parts, rescue efforts in Haywood County ran like a well-oiled machine during and after Hurricane Helene, thanks in large part to the controlled chaos at the two main command centers. Storm preparation began about a week ahead of Helene’s arrival, when weather reports first indicated something big and […]
The UNC System and UNC Chapel Hill employ a former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, to help the flagship campus manage relations with its host communities. As of the end of September, a system database shows, Ivy Taylor was receiving a $327,064 annual salary as a senior adviser to system President Peter Hans. She is […]
