Month: March 2025

7. Scientists say NIH officials told them to scrub mRNA references on grants

Arthur Allen/KFF Health News National Institutes of Health officials have urged scientists to remove all references to mRNA vaccine technology from their grant applications, two researchers said, in a move that signaled the agency might abandon a promising field of medical research. The mRNA technology is under study at the NIH for prevention and treatment […]

Written by on March 17, 2025

8. Maggie fires back on Pless de-annexation bill

Kathy N. Ross/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer  Maggie Valley aldermen have launched a response to N.C. House Rep. Mark Pless and his proposal to de-annex eight parcels of land from town limits, passing a resolution that called the bill a threat to local control. It was a 4-1 decision, with Pless’ perceived ally, Phillip Wight, casting the […]

Written by on March 17, 2025

9. Is there room for history at area beaches? As property values rise, the answer is often no

John Staton/Wilmington StarNews For decades, Southeastern North Carolina was known for its laid-back, sparsely populated beach towns, their sandy landscapes dotted by low-slung beach cottages with plenty of room between them. Of course, the above description of Wilmington-area beach towns hasn’t been true for many years now. Beach populations swelled with full-time residents long ago, […]

Written by on March 17, 2025

10. UNC Asheville chancellor says campus properties, including urban forest, will be developed

Sarah Honosky/Asheville Citizen Times UNC Asheville Millennial Campus properties, a designation that includes 45 acres of wooded land on its south campus, will be developed, Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said in a March 7 letter to faculty and staff. Possibilities include affordable workforce and student housing, research industry collaborations and facilities for education, sports, childcare […]

Written by on March 17, 2025

Fourth try the charm for sawmill deregulation?

Rep. Karl Gillespie, R-Macon, is having another try at getting legislators to pass a bill that would allow the use of ungraded dimensional lumber in one- and two-family homes and some apartment construction. His House Bill 184 gained an endorsement recently from the House Agriculture and Environment committee, and could reach the floor for a […]

Written by on March 17, 2025

NCInnovation update

NCInnovation’s handling of the private grants it’s received and the research grants it’s distributed both followed state law, a report from State Auditor Dave Boliek’s office says. As of mid-2024, the nonprofit had $25.7 million in private pledges, with all of them documented in writing and due for delivery by the summer of 2028. By […]

Written by on March 17, 2025

1. Why CEOs are calm about tariffs in public — but ‘very discouraged’ in private

WFDD News Wall Street is panic-selling over President Trump’s chaotic new tariffs. Business executives are reportedly making frantic calls to the White House. And on Tuesday, the country’s top CEOs crowded into a closed-door meeting with Trump — setting a record for attendance. Yet in public, corporate America’s leaders are remaining calm — and even […]

Written by on March 16, 2025

2. CDC occupational safety division investigating Station 13 firefighter health

Peter Castagno/Port City Daily A federal agency is evaluating Castle Hayne firefighter health concerns after a local fire captain and the International Association of Fire Fighters alleged the county failed to address toxic hazards at a local station. Assistant county manager Lisa Wurtzbacher sent commissioners an email on Monday, March 10, notifying them the National […]

Written by on March 16, 2025

4. Hundreds of pelicans dead from suspected bird flu on Cape Hatteras

Will Thomas/WTKR News Nearly 400 birds — mostly brown pelicans — were found dead from suspected highly pathogenic avian influenza, a strain of bird flu, in Hatteras, N.C. in late February, Miranda Turner the state wildlife biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission confirmed to WTKR News 3 Friday. “Unfortunately, it looks like this […]

Written by on March 16, 2025

5. ‘A basketball problem’: ACC men’s basketball struggling as NCAA Tournament begins

Brian Murphy/WRAL News  For decades, the Atlantic Coast Conference was synonymous with college basketball excellence. The conference of David Thompson, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner and Tim Duncan, of Jim Valvano, Dean Smith, and Mike Krzyzewski produced basketball royalty and claimed a bonanza of national titles. Now the league is making a different kind of history. […]

Written by on March 16, 2025

6. Congress may mandate AM radios in every car, for safety and security

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News A bipartisan collaboration to bolster critical communication resources during natural disasters is gaining momentum in Congress after lessons learned during the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina last year. Called the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025, Senate Bill 315 mandates that all new passenger motor vehicles […]

Written by on March 16, 2025

7. Congressman Edwards faces angry crowd, but keeps his cool

Vicki Hyatt/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Western North Carolina residents presented a show of force at a town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards Thursday — from a deeply critical audience inside the venue to a massive protest outside. The auditorium at A-B Tech could fit less than 400 people, but by the times doors opened […]

Written by on March 16, 2025

8. State’s fix for costly litter problem ‘not efficient or sufficient’

Trista Talton/Coastal Review Online The cleanup of more than 7,000 tons of litter in North Carolina cost state agencies, local governments and nonprofits more than $56 million in 2023, according to a new report. Those figures highlighted in “The Cost of Litter in North Carolina,” a 14-page report created through a collaboration of nonprofits and […]

Written by on March 16, 2025

9. 50+ NC businesses face $62,400 in fines for alcohol violations, ABC Commission says

Rodney Overton/WNCN News North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control officials said this week that more than 50 establishments were caught on various violations — facing more than $62,000 in fines or suspensions. The violations are for businesses that are licensed to sell alcohol across North Carolina — including bars, clubs, restaurants or stores. Each month, The […]

Written by on March 16, 2025