Month: December 2025

10. Southern Pines fire station renovations underway

Ana Risano/The (Southern Pines) Pilot A fresh coat of paint and new kitchen cabinets are top of the work for a remodel of the Southern Pines Fire Department’s downtown station. The town budgeted about $40,000 for the work this year, which includes painting, updating the kitchen and some new ceiling tiles, flooring and furniture. The […]

Written by on December 4, 2025

Asheville retirement community gets bonds for expansion

Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community in south Asheville is planning a nearly $400 million expansion that will include about 200 units. The project proposes about 165 additional independent-living apartments, 10 assisted-living units, 12 memory care units and 12 skilled-nursing beds.  Also included in the plan is a community center with dining and administrative space. The Deerfield […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

Wolfspeed secures CHIPS Act credits

Durham-based chipmaker Wolfspeed says it’s received $698.6 million in federal tax refunds authorized by the CHIPS Act. The advanced manufacturing investment tax credit follows $186.5 million in refunds that came the company’s way in its 2024-25 fiscal year. Wolfspeed officials say the latest refund bolstered the company’s cash balance, leaving it at around $1.5 billion. […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

Potential new town gets favorable LGC opinion

Local Government Commission members voted 6-2 to say they think a new town in Alexander County could be financially viable if legislators allow it to incorporate. But the required advisory opinion about the potential incorporation of Bethlehem came with caveats. One of those, written into its opinion, is that the state has a “severe shortage […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

Duke Health gets OK for tax-exempt bond issue

Duke Health has gained access to up to $275.7 million in tax-exempt bonds to cover the cost of its purchase in April of the former Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. Local Government Commission members signed off on the issue on Tuesday, during their last meeting of 2025. There was no discussion. The bonds will retire […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

1. Protesters pack normally quiet Atrium Health hospital authority meeting

Michelle Crouch/NC Health News & The Charlotte Ledger The board that oversees Atrium Health attracted an unusually rowdy crowd Tuesday afternoon as protestors from two groups packed the room with signs and medical equipment, and a man who tried to speak was escorted out by police. It was a stark contrast to typical Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

2. Proposed Edgecombe County data center draws criticism during county meeting

Zachary Turner/WFAE Radio Energy Storage Solutions plans to break ground on a $19.2 billion, 900-megawatt data center in Kingsboro. Community organizer Janice Bulluck worries the developers are extolling the community benefits, while downplaying the cost. “When you come in, and you present this, then make it sound as though it’s the best thing since sliced […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

3. Moore marks three years since power station attacks

Jonathan Bym/The (Southern Pines) Pilot For the more than 45,000 Duke Energy customers who unexpectedly lost power three years ago when gunfire damaged two Moore County power substations, there were questions about why they were in the cold and dark for three days. On the three-year anniversary of the attack, few specifics have come from […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

4. Impending federal hemp ban puts North Carolina’s $1B industry at risk

Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily A sweeping change tucked into the federal government’s latest funding package is poised to wipe out most of North Carolina’s hemp industry, banning nearly all cannabinoid products and leaving farmers and retailers across the state facing an uncertain future. Under a provision tucked into the bill, most hemp-derived products sold in […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

6. Partnership to test living shorelines on two Cape Fear islands

Trista Talton/Coastal Review Online To get a sense of just how severe Battery Island’s shoreline is changing, look no farther than its trees. As waves lick away at the fringes of this little island in the middle of the Cape Fear River near Southport, trees rising off its shores are toppling. “The mature trees that […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

8. Newly elected Sylva councilmember shares experience, values and vision

Lily Levin/Smoky Mountain News At any given moment, Perry Matthews — caterer, culinary instructor, homeschool curriculum-builder and veteran chef of upscale restaurants — was juggling enough responsibilities to fill an entire resume. Then along came November, and with it, another new role. After a sweeping victory in last month’s municipal elections, Matthews became a newly […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

9. Frye marks 44 years and counting

Paul B. Johnson/High Point Enterprise After 44 years as a Randolph County commissioner, Darrell Frye shows no sign of calling it a day as an elected official. The 80-year-old Republican from Archdale filed for his 12th consecutive term on Monday. He serves as chairman of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners and said that he […]

Written by on December 3, 2025

10. Mayor pro tem vote exposes divisions in new Fayetteville City Council

Rachel Heimann Mercader/CityView Three new members joined the Fayetteville City Council on Monday, when calls for unity gave way to division during a contentious vote for the board’s second in command. The council initially voted 6-4 to appoint Derrick Thompson as mayor pro tem, drawing a mix of applause and boos from the audience and […]

Written by on December 3, 2025