Month: December 2025

After Helene, WNC counties drop in state tier ranking

Mountain counties took a beating from Hurricane Helene, and because of Helene they also took a beating in the latest tier listing from the state Commerce Department. The update saw two of the west’s most populous counties, Buncombe and Henderson, drop from the ranks of the state’s top 20 best counties for economic performers. Commerce […]

Written by on December 2, 2025

Marshall gives up incentives for PTI facility

One of the flagship projects in the developing aerospace-industry hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport is running into some serious headwinds. Marshall of Cambridge’s U.S. subsidiary on Oct. 31 notified the N.C. Commerce Department that it’s giving up its rights to a $2.4 million Job Development Investment Grant because it won’t meet its job-creation and investment […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

Moffitt: Not endorsing in Johnson-Hager primary

Sen. Tim Moffitt, R-Henderson, wants one and all to understand that he’s staying neutral in the upcoming GOP primary between Rep. Jake Johnson, R-Polk, and former House Majority Leader Mike Hager, R-Rutherford. “Trust is essential to my ability to craft complex, bipartisan legislation. Nothing undermines it more quickly than the appearance of involvement in intra-party […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

Appeals Court directs arbitration to Tennessee

A conflict between federal and North Carolina arbitration laws continues to vex the state Court of Appeals, which recently sided with a Tennessee contractor’s push to have its dispute with a Raleigh plumber addressed in its home state. Thomas Builders hired Earnhardt Plumbing as a subcontractor for a Fayetteville-area hotel project, but in 2022 the […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

Tillis talks tariffs, NATO obligations in Canada

North Carolina U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis made waves north of the border over the weekend, criticizing Canada’s low defense spending on one hand and the Trump administration’s handling of tariffs against the country on the other. During a panel discussion with two border-state senators, Tillis said he has “a serious frustration” with Canada and other […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

1. Deepfake of North Carolina lawmaker used in award-winning Whirlpool video

Emmanuel Felton/The Washington Post When DeAndrea Salvador began receiving emails in June from people in Brazil, the North Carolina state senator assumed they were part of a phishing scam. The emails, first to her senate office and then to her campaign, had subject lines like “Is this you?” and “AI manipulation.” But after an email […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

2. No school November. Some NC parents worry about so many days off.

Kate Denning/Carolina Public Press As the semester winds down for students across the state and the holiday season kicks into gear, some North Carolina parents have found themselves scrambling for childcare when their children have days off — and wondering why they seem to be out of school more than they’re in it — week […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

3. NC pitches $1 billion plan to overhaul rural health system

Jaymie Baxley/NC Health News North Carolina is seeking $1 billion from the federal government for a wide-ranging plan that could reshape rural health care across the state. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services hopes to secure the funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program, an initiative created under the One Big Beautiful Bill […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

4. Spring Lake commissioners oppose Fuquay-Varina interbasin water transfer

Trey Nemec/CityView The Spring Lake commissioners said Monday they do not want the Town of Fuquay-Varina to take water from the Cape Fear River Basin and move it to the Neuse River Basin. The Wake County town is asking state environmental officials for permission to withdraw 6.17 million gallons a day from the Cape Fear […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

6. Brunswick County constrained on development moratoria, open burning regulations

Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily Faced with continued complaints over rapid growth and smoke permeation from land-clearing burns, Brunswick County commissioners devoted time last week examining whether they have the legal authority to slow development or restrict open burning. The discussion, requested by Commissioner Randy Thompson, focused on two issues residents frequently raise during public comment: […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

7. Michael Jordan’s fight against NASCAR heads to court, could shake up motorsports

The Associated Press & WFDD Radio Michael Jordan’s bitter fight against NASCAR heads to federal court Monday in a jury trial that could rip apart the top motorsports series in the United States. The antitrust allegations leveled by Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports has exposed salacious personal communications, NASCAR’s finances and a deep […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

8. Nonprofits thankful shutdown is over

Paul B. Johnson/High Point Enterprise Local nonprofit leader Dell McCormick kept up with developments and implications of the federal government shutdown as the deadline neared Nov. 1, but that didn’t fully prepare him for the unprecedented impact he witnessed at his group’s food pantry. McCormick said that the food pantry at the Macedonia Family Resource […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

9. Part of the South of the Border roadside attraction up for sale

Colin Campbell/WUNC Radio Part of the South of the Border roadside attraction — on Interstate 95 on the line between North and South Carolina — has been put up for sale. The owners are selling 30 acres that include the Pedroland amusement park, the “SOB Convention Center,” a motel building, a mini-golf course, vacant land […]

Written by on December 1, 2025

10. Grant fills budget gaps for Robbins police coverage

Jonathan Bym/The (Southern Pines) Pilot Robbins’ Police Department in recent years has worked to crack down on drugs in the town limits, but it also has tracked down grant funding through the federal government to help fund policing efforts. During the last Board of Commissioners meeting, Town Manager Clint Mack congratulated Police Chief Ben Haddock […]

Written by on December 1, 2025