Month: May 2026

5. UNC System evaluates public universities’ financial health amid legislative budget stall

Brianna Atkinson/WUNC News  NC Central was the only institution that didn’t meet the System’s financial health threshold. Chancellor Karrie Dixon said long overdue state enrollment funding is key to restoring the HBCU’s finances. Public university chancellors are still making a case for state enrollment funding as the General Assembly deliberates the state budget. For NC […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

6. Changes in law dramatically shift NC juvenile detention population

Mackenzie Thomas/Carolina Public Press  A change in the makeup of North Carolina’s juvenile detention population with adult court youth surging from 39% to 65% in a year presents new challenges for the juvenile detention system as it scrambles to accommodate this changing population, according to a new report from the North Carolina Division of Juvenile […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

7. Currituck Commissioners to support repeal of NC’s hardened structures ban

Mark Jurkowitz/Outer Banks Voice With oceanfront homes collapsing and beach erosion an increasing concern, the Currituck County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve a resolution backing state legislative efforts to repeal the hardened structures ban at their May 18 meeting. In expressing support for the NC Senate Bill 1009, which would repeal the ban, […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

8. Mooresville mayor may step down after town hall incident

WFAE Radio Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney said he may step down in the coming months following a 2024 incident in which he was recorded late at night in town hall without pants with a female companion. On Monday, Carney said he plans to consider his future after the town’s budget is passed. “And then the […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

9. Wilson the model for state economic plan

Christopher Long/The Wilson Times North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley walked down Barnes Street with a group of city and state representatives Wednesday afternoon, May 20, noting all the things that make downtown Wilson different from other downtown footprints across the state. Lilley visited Wilson to shine a light on the city for its […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

10. ‘This is our community’: Davidson County rallies to lift up businesses devastated by uptown fire

Jill Doss-Raines/The Lexington Dispatch  In the wake of the devastating Main Street fire in uptown Lexington on Tuesday, Davidson County is coming together with a powerful show of support for the business owners whose lives and livelihoods were upended. From heartfelt social media posts to grassroots fundraising efforts, neighbors, fellow business owners and longtime customers […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

1. Constitutional amendments for November, two tied to taxes, advance

Alan Wooten/The Center Square  Voters in November will have a choice on lowering the cap for personal income tax in North Carolina and asking the General Assembly to generate a property tax levy limit. One other constitutional amendment may reach them as well. Lower Taxes for All NC, known also as Senate Bill 1080, passed […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

4. ‘There’s a crisis’: McFadden defends decision to reopen Jail North amid overcrowding

Julian Berger/WFAE Radio Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden spoke to WFAE Wednesday morning following the agency’s announcement that it would reopen Jail North. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden on Wednesday pointed to worsening overcrowding at the county’s main detention center in uptown Charlotte as the main reason to reopen Jail North, its second detention facility, […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

5. DOT firm on circle’s final design

Ana Risano/The Seven Lakes Insider Few things have been more cyclical in discussion than the Pinehurst Traffic Circle, with an ongoing debate between state transportation officials and Pinehurst about the future design of the five-spoke intersection. But the Department of Transportation has been clear: The design it unveiled in 2025 is the final iteration and […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

6. SBI to break ground on new headquarters in Raleigh

Tom Barclay/WRAL News The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation will break ground on its new headquarters on Tuesday. SBI is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. on May 19 at the site of its new campus on Garner Road in Raleigh. The campus will include a new headquarters building, a separate logistics building, […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

7. Charlotte budget provides significant pay raises for mayor and city council

Joe Bruno/WSOC News Charlotte City Councilmembers and the mayor’s office are slated for significant pay raises in Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones’ budget. Right now Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles makes $49,774. The budget increases the mayor’s salary to $57,054, a 14.6% raise. The current total compensation for the mayor, which factors in auto, expense and […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

8. NCDEQ breaks ground on $6.3M electric grid resilience project in Cumberland, Sampson counties

Matthew Sockol/WNCN Work has begun on a $6.3 million project intended to strengthen the resilience of electrical grids in eastern Cumberland and Sampson counties, state officials said. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality State Energy Office and Four County Electric Membership Corporation broke ground on the project in Magnolia on May 15, which state […]

Written by on May 21, 2026

9. Upscale hotel development proposed for empty lot near county courthouse

Paul Woolverton/CityView Cumberland County leaders want a developer to build an upscale, full-service hotel with 126 rooms, meeting space, a restaurant, and a rooftop bar on Gillespie Street in front of the county courthouse in downtown Fayetteville. No price has been publicly discussed for the project. No decision has been made on how the project […]

Written by on May 21, 2026