North Carolina’s Department of Transportation is getting a new leader as of Oct. 1. State Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins — an engineer and NCDOT lifer — is retiring. Taking his place, via a gubernatorial appointment subject to state Senate confirmation, is Daniel Johnson, a lawyer who’s been with DOT since 2017. Johnson has been the […]
Local Government Commission members have given State Treasurer Brad Briner the OK to withhold a portion of state-shared sales-tax money from 11 towns that are behind schedule in filing required financial audits. The decision — procedurally a denial of the towns’ appeals — affects: Morven, which is in Anson County. Kelford, in Bertie County. Siler […]
State Auditor Dave Boliek’s office has released another of its new “rapid response” reports, this time addressing the Charlotte City Council’s decision to give outgoing Police Chief Johnny Jennings a $305,000 settlement. The report offered little new information about the controversial deal, save for some detail on the accounts Charlotte officials tapped to assemble the […]
Anne Blythe/NC Health News In an effort to tamp down confusion and frustration about who can and can’t get a COVID vaccine, and whether they have to have a health care provider’s prescription, state health director Larry Greenblatt has issued orders making access to the new boosters easier. Anyone 65 and older can now go […]
Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily Many people in the southeastern corner of North Carolina could be on a faster path to clean drinking water, following an updated well-testing plan from the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. This week NCDEQ required Chemours to expand its testing under a court-enforceable 2019 consent order. 14,000 homes potentially affected by […]
Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News The field for one of North Carolina’s most closely watched congressional races grew again this week with the entry of Dr. Richard Hudspeth, a physician with deep ties to the region who says his experience caring for mountain families gives him a unique perspective on what Chuck Edwards has failed to […]
Lucas Thomae/Carolina Public Press State officials have intervened yet again at Bertie County’s Department of Social Services, making a dramatic gesture by removing power from the current DSS director and assuming direct control of the county’s child welfare services. Despite being stripped of her authority, Bertie County DSS Director Daphine Little is still employed by […]
Celeste Gracia/WUNC Radio On a clear August morning, Katie Whitehead cautiously wades through prickly bushes and knee-high grass to find a thin tree that’s been marked by a pink ribbon. “This may be the corner of the property,” she said, looking around slowly. The property refers to her 169 acre loblolly pine tree farm that’s […]
Kristen Blair/Education NC In a 6-5 vote, the North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board (CSRB) narrowly approved an amendment allowing TMSA Triangle, a Wake County charter school, to expand across county lines and open a K-8 sub-campus in Durham. It’s a novel approach to charter expansion that required no application. The vote took place on […]
The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Western Carolina University has posted a record retention rate this school year for returning freshmen. The retention rate among last year’s freshmen class returning to WCU as sophomores rose to a record 81.6% as compared to 79.1% last year. “The record retention rate for last year’s entering class is a powerful indicator […]
JD Franklin III/WXII News The Town of Summerfield has completed its internal investigation into alleged wrongdoing by former employees. Officials said they delivered the results of the investigation to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 11. This was after a Guilford County Superior Court order came, authorizing its release. The investigation was initially completed […]
Amy Diaz/WFDD Radio Just four months before being let go, Natalie Long-Stutts was one of eight educators in the district to be recognized with a Beginning Teacher of Promise Award. She’d been nominated by her school, Parkland High, largely for her ability to build trust and relationships with her students. “When you have those kids […]
Brayden Stamps/CBS 17 News Former student-athletes from North Carolina A&T State University and five other schools are being investigated for alleged violations of sports betting rules by NCAA enforcement staff, according to the NCAA. ESPN initially reported in 2023 that a gambling ring had come under federal investigation for unusual wagers that were placed on […]
Critics of North Carolina’s expansion of charter schools have long fretted about what they see as soft state oversight, given that legislators have tended to stack key review boards with charter-school advocates. But never fear. Wall Street (or, more accurately, Midtown Manhattan) is on the case. Fitch Ratings is poised to revise the standards it […]
Details remain pending, but House and Senate leaders say they’re going to propose legislation next week to address the issues surrounding the stabbing death of a woman on Charlotte’s rail system. House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, indicated that the package is likely to include restraints on the discretion of magistrates, especially when people accused of […]
