Month: July 2025

2. Policing pays? A look at Asheville Police Department salaries

Daniel Walton/Blue Ridge Public Radio Asheville city government employees all started getting bigger paychecks July 11, as funded by the $256 million budget Asheville City Council unanimously approved in June. But one group of municipal workers, the officers of the Asheville Police Department, saw proportionally greater gains than their colleagues. Most city employees received either […]

Written by on July 28, 2025

3. CFPUA assesses treatment options for 1,4 dioxane, pilot-test could come next year

Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily The local water authority is actively seeking advanced solutions to address the challenge of 1,4-dioxane contamination in the region’s drinking water. The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s (CFPUA) Long Range Planning Committee convened July 24 to discuss and evaluate potential strategies for improving the removal of the chemical from the region’s […]

Written by on July 28, 2025

4. Durham unveils initial bus rapid transit plans

Zachery Eanes/Axios Raleigh Following in the footsteps of Raleigh and Chapel Hill, Durham has unveiled initial plans for adding a bus rapid transit line through the center of the city. Why it matters: With dreams of light rail and commuter rail across the Triangle seemingly quashed, officials in the region have increasingly turned their eyes […]

Written by on July 28, 2025

6. ‘A new direction’: Shining Rock shakeup signals shift in school strategy

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News In its first regular meeting since a superior court judge ruled that Head of School Joshua Morgan was responsible for the “improper use of governmental authority to stop or inhibit the public from accessing public records,” Shining Rock Classical Academy’s governing board doubled down on Morgan’s leadership, bid farewell to two […]

Written by on July 28, 2025

7. Bharat Forge issued multiple safety, health violations

Caleb M. Soptelean/The Sanford Herald An aluminum automotive component manufacturer in Sanford was issued numerous health and safety violations last year. Bharat Forge Aluminum USA, which is located at 777 Kalyani Way on the north side of Sanford between Route 1 and Colon Road, was inspected in late 2023 and early 2024 by the North […]

Written by on July 28, 2025

8. WCC to end participation in federal Direct Loan program in fall

Olivia Neeley/The Wilson Times Wilson Community College will no longer participate in the federal government’s Direct Loan program in an effort to reduce debt risk for students. The decision does not affect financial aid options, including Pell grants, scholarships or work study. Amy Noel, WCC’s vice president of student development, informed the WCC Board of […]

Written by on July 28, 2025

9. Construction of Fayetteville’s Civil War & Reconstruction museum about to begin

Paul Woolverton/CityView North Carolina’s long-awaited Civil War & Reconstruction history center will open in Fayetteville in spring 2028, project advocates said on Friday. Construction of the 60,000-square-foot museum building is about to begin, museum board Chair Mac Healy told about 50 people gathered Friday for a ceremony on the construction site. “This is a turning […]

Written by on July 28, 2025

10. Albemarle city council hears recommendations for business center

Jesse Deal/The Stanly News & Press      At the Albemarle City Council meeting on Monday night, councilmembers were presented with the Speculative Building Feasibility Study conducted for the Albemarle Business Center. Sponsored by ElectriCities of N.C., Inc. in partnership with the Albemarle’s Economic Development Department, the study was designed to determine if a spec building program […]

Written by on July 28, 2025

2. A mill town lost its mill. What is it now?

Emma Goldberg/New York Times The first thing the mill workers noticed on what they later deemed “Black Monday” was the series of dark SUVs pulling up near the paper mill, at the heart of Canton, North Carolina. The mill’s hulking towers and plumes of smoke were visible for miles, rising above the Pigeon River and […]

Written by on July 27, 2025

3. CFM Bridge grant review complete, finalized agreement to come

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily The Trump Administration has completed its review of a $242 million federal grant for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement project, thus allowing the funds to be released for the project. North Carolina Department of Transportation spokesperson Veronica Newsome notified PCD of the status change on Friday. She said NCDOT was […]

Written by on July 27, 2025

5. As affordable housing issues get prickly, advocates react

Cece Nunn/WilmingtonBiz Some Wilmington-area workforce housing advocates say the community needs a combination of public and private efforts to address a growing shortage of affordable dwellings. The New Hanover Community Endowment can’t be the only source of funding, they say, reacting to recent statements and actions by local officials. “You have to have multiple people […]

Written by on July 27, 2025