Month: July 2025

6. North Carolina Supreme Court grants Mission Hospital’s request for temporary stay in battle for 67 beds

Andrew R. Jones/Asheville Watchdog The North Carolina Supreme Court has granted Mission Hospital’s request for a temporary stay of a lower court’s decision to grant 67 acute care beds to AdventHealth nearly three years ago. The order, delivered without comment, came just two days after attorneys for Mission Hospital filed a motion seeking the temporary […]

Written by on July 30, 2025

8. Social media cyclone: The real story behind the viral landfill encounter

Becky Johnson/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Haywood County landed in the crosshairs of national social media ire this week after inflammatory videos went viral alleging that a Black truck driver hauling chipped flood debris to a private landfill in Canton was bullied by unhinged workers. The videos whipped up a maelstrom of vile attacks against the workers, […]

Written by on July 30, 2025

9. Last night at Council: Asheville debates change to citizen advisory boards

Daniel Walton/Blue Ridge Public Radio A plan that would shift Asheville’s approach to citizen advisory boards drew concerns from both residents and City Council members during Tuesday’s council meeting. As previously reported by BPR, Asheville city government has been considering changes to 15 of these boards, which consist of local volunteers who offer expertise on […]

Written by on July 30, 2025

1. Civil rights investigation opened at Duke

Alan Wooten/The Center Square  Duke University and the Duke Law Journal are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, accused of violating Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. According to Secretary Linda McMahon’s department, the probe is “based on recent reporting alleging that Duke University discriminates on the […]

Written by on July 29, 2025

3. Stein to Republicans: Do your job and pass a budget

Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline As Republicans in the General Assembly geared up to override several of his vetoes Tuesday, Governor Josh Stein made a plea: stay in town and pass a budget. Speaking to reporters alongside public servants and North Carolina residents impacted by funding shortfalls, Stein urged lawmakers to enact a “budget that invests in […]

Written by on July 29, 2025

4. Immigration veto overruled by NC Republicans with a Charlotte Democrat’s help

Mary Helen Moore/WUNC Radio Republicans — thanks to the help of a single House Democrat — voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of an immigration bill on Tuesday. The new law requires North Carolina sheriffs to work closer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid the federal government’s mass deportation effort. Rep. Carla Cunningham, D-Mecklenburg, […]

Written by on July 29, 2025

5. HCA potentially not in compliance with purchase deal for NC hospital group

Jane Winik Sartwell/Carolina Public Press For the second year running, HCA is potentially not in compliance with its 2019 purchase agreement for the Asheville-based Mission Health hospital system. The repeated compliance issues raise questions about whether HCA is fulfilling its promise to maintain health care services for Western North Carolina residents. HCA purchased Mission Health, […]

Written by on July 29, 2025

6. Southern Pines Brewing Company sued for millions in unpaid loans

Matt Lamb & Frank Daniels IV/The (Southern Pines) Pilot First Citizens Bank has filed a lawsuit against Southern Pines Brewing Co. owner Micah Niebauer and his wife, Patricia, for more than $2 million dollars in unpaid loans and credit card bills related to the company. Filed in Cumberland County last week, the lawsuit from First […]

Written by on July 29, 2025

7. South Charlotte residents push back against development, amid continued canopy loss

Zachary Turner/WFAE Radio Summer is in full swing even as Charlotte loses its best defense against the heat: trees. The city of Charlotte is reevaluating its tree canopy goals, but while the city collects canopy data, developers keep bulldozing forests in residential areas. Claire Morissette started a petition to temporarily end development in Steele Creek […]

Written by on July 29, 2025

8. Center for Biological Diversity sues feds over red wolf listing

Catherine Kozak/Coastal Review Online Nearly 40 years after the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service launched an innovative program to save the eastern red wolf from extinction, a nonprofit conservation group is challenging the agency’s prior decision to not upgrade to a more protective management designation, despite its outsized importance to the species’ survival. Arguments were […]

Written by on July 29, 2025

10. App State’s Corinne Smith named 2025 GEAR UP Professional Leader of the Year

Sergio Osnaya-Prieto/Education NC Corinne Smith, director of Appalachian State University’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) and deputy director of College Access Partnerships, received the 2025 GEAR UP Professional Leader of the Year award at a ceremony in San Francisco earlier this month, according to a press release. GEAR UP is […]

Written by on July 29, 2025