Month: March 2025

Target Belichick

A 4,100-word March 7 story by ESPN unearthed more details about the hiring of football Bill Belichick and dissension between UNC Chapel Hill board of trustee members and university officials. Perhaps the story’s main news involved Sen. Thom Tillis’ involvement in the hiring, which UNC fans hope will lead to gridiron glory in Chapel Hill. […]

Written by on March 11, 2025

2. For Lumbee tribe, ‘the time has come’ to finally be federally recognized

Lucas Thomae/Carolina Public Press Who gets to claim the title of American Indian? That is the question at the center of a fight over potential federal recognition for the indigenous Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. For more than a century, the Lumbee — with a claimed membership of 60,000 people concentrated in the southeastern part […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

4. Plans to increase state employee health insurance costs draw criticism

Lynn Bonner/NC Newsline State employees are criticizing plans to make their health insurance more expensive, saying options officials are considering will hurt hiring and recruitment efforts and tarnish a benefit of working for the state. The State Health Plan spends more money than it takes in. Its Board of Trustees is considering ways to prevent […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

5. North Carolina construction industry faces uncertain future amid immigration crackdown

Julian Berger/WFAE Radio On a frigid morning in Myers Park, Carlos works diligently to renovate a patio and install a new jacuzzi. Carlos moved from Venezuela three years ago with temporary protected status (TPS), which allows him to work, but he’s unsure what’s next. President Trump recently revoked TPS status for Venezuelans. “Well, one tries […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

6. No congressional offices in Greensboro, Winston-Salem or High Point after revamp

Paul Garber/WFDD Radio The Triad’s biggest cities do not have citizen-accessible Congressional offices — one of the many results of redistricting across the state. Local district offices are places where constituents can go for one-on-one help without having to go to Washington, D.C. Maybe they need assistance with a passport — or help managing their […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

8. Trump’s proposed budget cuts to EPA and NIH spark alarm in NC

Will Atwater/NC Health News Five weeks into the second Trump Administration, and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency continues to do what it calls restoring accountability of government by taking a buzz-saw approach to what it calls government waste. Critics warn that the administration’s actions risk destabilizing multiple federal agencies, including two — the […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

9. UNC pulls request to test new fuel at cogeneration plant, saying pellets fall short of requirements

Brighton McConnell/WCHL Chapelboro After initially seeking to use an alternative fuel source of plastics and packaging materials at its cogeneration facility, UNC announced Monday it withdrew its request for a permit modification to test the pellets. A release from the university said it would steer away from the engineered fuel by the Wisconsin-based Covergen Energy, […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

10. Waynesville Rotary turns 100: Local service, global impact

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News Few volunteer service organizations can claim a century of community engagement alongside world-changing influence, but as Waynesville’s Rotary club rolls into its second century, its leaders are looking to bolster the personal, professional and philosophical ties that have brought the organization to where it is today. “It’s kind of exciting where […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

SEANC battling crypto bill

One thing that I’ve skated past in previous coverage of House Speaker Destin Hall’s proposal to allow the state treasurer to invest cash in crypto ETFs is that the State Employees Association of North Carolina opposes the bill. SEANC lobbyist Flint Benson told members of the House Commerce committee last week that the “cryptocurrency craze” […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

Global TransPark eyes bigger military missions

The expansion of Fleet Readiness Center East at the Global TransPark already promises big things, but TransPark leaders are hoping it someday goes beyond servicing just C-130s, UH-1 Hueys and HH-60 Pave Hawks. Some of the hangars that workers are building for FRC East at the Kinston Regional Jetport are large enough to potentially handle […]

Written by on March 10, 2025

1. Classrooms in Crisis: The state of North Carolina’s education system

Maya Waid/WFAE Radio At Creekside Elementary, Megan Reed sits in a too-small desk chair, looking around the classroom that wasn’t hers just weeks ago. The name tags on the cubbies still bear the handwriting of the teacher who had left midyear. The children are still adjusting — so is she. Reed, a veteran teacher of […]

Written by on March 9, 2025

2. Mission Hospital owner says profits, far more than quality of care, will determine executive bonuses in 2025

Peter Lewis/Asheville Watchdog HCA Healthcare executives will be awarded performance bonuses in 2025 based primarily on hitting profit targets, rather than success in providing quality of care, the company disclosed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. HCA operates Asheville’s flagship Mission Hospital and five other regional hospitals in western North Carolina. In […]

Written by on March 9, 2025