Month: June 2025

Duke gets DOE dispensation to meet heat wave

It’s hot outside — Mojave hot — and electricity providers up and down the East Coast are having to work hard to keep everyone’s air conditioners running. That includes Duke Energy, which on Monday sought and on Tuesday received temporary, as-needed permission from the U.S. Department of Energy to run some of its generators flat-out, even if they break […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

Water-transfer moratorium advances

Legislation that would temporarily block Charlotte’s attempt to claim a bigger share of the Catawba River’s water for itself is on the move, but it remains to be seen whether it’s moving fast enough. House Bill 850 cleared the Senate’s Agriculture committee on Tuesday. It still has to go through the chamber’s Rules committee before it […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

“Carolinas Finest Seafood”

Shortly before reaching the capitol Tuesday morning, I passed a long line of trucks parked along the left side of Person Street. This was baffling — until I saw that a couple belonged to Pamlico Packing, aka “Carolina’s Finest Seafood.” That was the signal that what I’ll call the Great Shrimp Revolt of 2025 — a […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

1. USDA looks to overturn ‘Roadless Rule.’ How WNC’s favorite spots could be impacted

Katie Myers/Blue Ridge Public Radio Hundreds of thousands of acres of public forestland across the Appalachian region could lose some protection under the United States Department of Agriculture’s plan to roll back the “Roadless Rule.” Since 2001, this federal regulation has limited new road construction through protected forestland. The rule protects 58 million acres of […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

2. Property tax rolls take a hit from Helene

Sarah White/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer When Helene struck last September, Haywood County was just 95 days from completing a four-year property revaluation that would have aligned property values on the tax rolls with increasing market values. Now, the county is regrouping to finish the reappraisal by 2027. However, property owners whose homes were damaged by Helene […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

3. Trump’s signature policy bill is facing trouble on multiple fronts in the Senate

Deirdre Walsh, Claudia Grisales & Elena Moore/WUNC Radio Senate Republicans are racing the clock, trying to meet President Trump’s demand that they pass his domestic agenda bill by July 4th as they work to resolve major sticking points inside the GOP conference. While Senate committee leaders have made several significant changes to the bill in […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

4. Southmont residents plead with commissioners to not build sports complex

Jill Doss-Raines/Thomasville Times A large contingent of Southmont residents pleaded with the Davidson County Board of Commissioners to reconsider plans to build a $65 million sports complex on 359 acres in the unincorporated community south of Lexington. One after another, speakers told the board during a public hearing June 9 that no one in Southmont […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

5. ICE agents search NC workplace in Kings Mountain, some employees in custody

NBC News Employees at a North Carolina business said they were held inside for hours on Wednesday as ICE executed a search warrant on the property. According to ICE, roughly a dozen people were taken into custody after the operation at Buckeye Fire Equipment Company in Kings Mountain. Dozens of protesters stood outside the business […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

9. Asheville Regional Airport opens the doors to its new 136,000-square-foot terminal

Felicia Sonmez/WFAE Radio Catching a flight out of Asheville Regional Airport? Starting today, you’ll pass through a brand new terminal. After nearly two years of construction, the airport’s sprawling new North Concourse is finally open. The terminal, at 136,000 square feet, has floor-to-ceiling windows, new food and retail options, and seats with electrical outlets. “We’re […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

10. OWASA details downtown Chapel Hill water line replacement, major road closure

Brighton McConnell/WCHL Chapelboro A significant project by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority is set to close parts of West Rosemary Street for roughly 18 months starting this fall. The focus of the West Rosemary project is replacing a water main line that’s more than 80 years old. OWASA Capital Project Manager Darren Berger says […]

Written by on June 26, 2025

1. Key GOP senator warns Medicaid cuts could spell political disaster for Republicans

Alexander Bolton/The Hill Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.), one of the most vulnerable Senate Republican incumbents facing re-election in 2026, warned Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) bluntly in a private meeting Tuesday that deep cuts to Medicaid could cost Republicans control of the House and Senate, according to a person familiar with the conversation. Tillis, […]

Written by on June 25, 2025

2. Mayors discuss ‘Triad envy’ and JetZero challenges

Chris Burritt/Business North Carolina For decades overshadowed by the growth of the Charlotte and Raleigh regions, the Triad has grabbed bragging rights with a string of economic recruiting successes that, according to mayors, intensify challenges for the Piedmont area. “I love talking to my business colleagues from Charlotte and Raleigh now because there’s a new […]

Written by on June 25, 2025