Charlotte Water’s interest in obtaining an additional 30 million gallons a day allocation of Catawba River basin water continues to draw opposition from Hickory-area lawmakers. Wednesday saw the House Agriculture committee endorse House Bill 850, which would put a moratorium on the approval of a new interbasin transfer of 15 million gallons a day or […]
A proposal to give victims of “historic flood events” like Hurricane Helene a building-code waiver so they can rebuild in place is on the move in the Senate, and its lead sponsors is signaling that he has even bigger things in mind. Senate Bill 266 cleared the chamber’s Regulatory Reform committee on Wednesday, and now […]
Senate Republicans are willing to give the UNC Chapel Hill and NC State athletic programs a piece of North Carolina’s sports-wagering tax revenue pie — but at a price. If the caucus proposal becomes law, each would get an extra $55.9 million over the 2025-27 biennium, according to the so-called “money report” that accompanies the […]
Senate Republicans want the N.C. National Guard’s commander to take charge of state’s emergency response team in future disasters like Hurricane Helene. Their budget bill says that in the first 30 days of a state of emergency, the Guard’s adjutant general will head the team and answer only to the governor. He or she will […]
Rep. Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, has scaled back a bill that that aims to curb the use of farmland for solar-power arrays. House Bill 729 emerged from a House Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday without a section that would’ve barred the N.C. Utilities Commission from certifying a solar project on land that’s currently in agricultural or […]
The Senate’s budget proposal for the 2025-27 biennium is going to include $638 million in additional funding for the new children’s hospital UNC Health and Duke Health intend to build, Senate leader Phil Berger says. Counting prior appropriations, that would raise the state’s total contribution to the project to $855 million, Berger said. He added […]
In my Henderson Dispatch days, I drove home along U.S. 1 down to Interstate 540 about four times. A couple were “for science.” The rest were because I was leaving an assignment somewhere on Henderson’s east side and it made sense, on paper, to use the most direct route. In actuality, I’d have been better […]
Business groups are warning that a medical malpractice case currently pending in the state Court of Appeals could have dire consequences for their interests if its judges find a statutory liability limit unconstitutional. Long story short, a Buncombe County family is asking the court to overturn the restriction on malpractice awards, currently $656,730 for non-economic losses. […]
Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily A North Carolina Senate bill seeks to define and regulate e-bikes, though some advocates say it raises more questions than answers. E-bikes are defined in N.C. general statute under vehicle definitions, but there aren’t regulations for them, meaning no helmet, age, speed limit or license rules. However, Sen. Michael Lee (R-New […]
Sydney Lupkin/WFAE Radio President Trump signed an executive action Tuesday intended to lower prescription drug prices for Americans. A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters ahead of the signing that the move would include “delivering lower prices to seniors” and improve the Medicare drug price negotiation program, which was created by […]
Hannah Vinueza McClellan/Education NC The North Carolina Senate released its 2025-27 budget proposal on April 14, allocating approximately $73 million over the biennium for Propel NC, the N.C. Community College System’s (NCCCS) new funding model that was first unveiled in Jan. 2024. This long session, the system asked lawmakers for nearly $100 million to implement […]
Zachery Eanes/Axios Raleigh The Raleigh City Council appears ready to support using toll lanes to speed up the expansion of Capital Boulevard into a six-lane highway between Raleigh and Wake Forest. Why it matters: The section of Capital Boulevard, also known as U.S. 1, is among the region’s most congested roadways, with an increasing number […]
Marc Sallinger/NBC News The U.S. Air Force has removed certain articles about a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and the first female Thunderbird pilot from military websites, stating they were taken down in compliance with the Trump administration’s directives to eliminate content related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Retired Col. Nicole Malachowski, who served […]
Andrew R. Jones/Asheville Watchdog The list includes people who died of gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, choking and falling bricks. Some of the bodies had to be returned to the hospital from funeral homes as far away as Georgia. Some were already buried. Buncombe medical examiners shared their list of morgue concerns with Mission executives and […]
Jennifer Fernandez/NC Health News A bill that would further shorten the practice period for young drivers stalled Wednesday in the Transportation Committee of the N.C. House. Sponsors of House Bill 584 asked to rescind a motion that would have pushed it closer to a final vote in the House of Representatives, citing the need to […]
