House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger have a deal on state-employee salaries and tax policy that clears the way for legislators to finally finish their work on the state’s 2025-27 budget. Teachers and law enforcement are in line for big raises, with most everyone else on the state’s payroll getting an average […]
This year’s ABC bill could put premixed cocktail brands like Cutwater and High Noon on grocery store shelves, just like beer and wine. The idea is already drawing opposition not just from temperance advocates like the Rev. Mark Creech, but from trade groups like the N.C. Beer & Wine Wholesalers and the N.C. Association of […]
Colin Campbell/WUNC News A state House committee voted Tuesday to close an affordable housing tax loophole that’s causing major budget problems for urban counties. Representative Erin Paré, R-Wake, says real-estate investors are abusing a tax exemption designed to help nonprofits build and operate affordable rental housing. It’s costing local governments, particularly in urban counties, millions […]
Elvis Menayese/WFAE Radio Charlotte City Council voted Monday night to withdraw its support for the controversial I‑77 expansion project, a decision that some residents say is encouraging but not yet reassuring. The council voted 6–5 to direct its representative on the regional transportation planning body to rescind the city’s support for the multibillion‑dollar toll lane […]
Lucas Thomae/Carolina Public Press Renewable solar energy represents a key component of Duke Energy’s plan to be carbon neutral by 2050, but a surprise order from the chairman of the North Carolina Utilities Commission directed the company to halt its procurement of new solar energy resources until a new carbon plan is approved later this […]
Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm one person from North Carolina is among the passengers evacuated from the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak. That passenger, along with 15 other Americans, was transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit for monitoring. […]
Catherine Kozak/Coastal Review Online Large amounts of underground oil contamination left behind decades ago at a former beachfront U.S Naval facility may finally be gone after the recent completion of an intensive seven-month excavation project, but additional sampling will still need to be done in the fall to confirm that petroleum is no longer a […]
WRAL News North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is planning to hold a news conference to share an update on his lawsuit against a wedding photography company accused of taking people’s and failing to deliver. Jackson plans to speak at 1 p.m. Wednesday about the suit against Holly Christina Photography outside of the North Carolina […]
Analisa Sorrells Archer/Education NC Roughly 1 in 5 children in North Carolina face hunger. But what does that statistic mean for the well-being of North Carolina’s students? Josh Wells, community school coordinator at Owen Middle School in Buncombe County Schools, sees the tangible toll that hunger can take on students — including falling asleep first […]
WTVD News The so-called “Greatest Show in Sports” brought a major economic boost to the Triangle. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said last month’s Savannah Bananas games at Kenan Stadium generated more than $17 million in economic impact for the region. More than 100,000 fans turned out for the two-game series. They […]
Emily Weaver/The Dunn Daily Record Harnett County Schools officials are seeking an extra $8.28 million in taxpayer funding from the county to cover two new positions and increase pay for teachers, directors and classified staff. The total request equates to $48,278,379 in the next fiscal year that starts July 1, up from $39,995,293 last year. […]
Kelly Kenoyer/WHQR Radio The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement has proven far more expensive than early estimates — and delays have only driven the expected costs of construction up. In the face of those tremendous challenges, a toll bridge is starting to look inevitable, pending some unforeseen funding miracle. There are many potential knock-on effects […]
Duke Energy, the NC Chamber and Blue Cross topped the state’s list of big spenders on lobbyists in calendar 2024, according to a Carolina Forwardanalysis of the statistics reported to the state. Reports to Secretary of State Elaine Marshall’s office indicate that Duke spent $957,622 on lobbying in 2024. The Chamber spent $866,121 and Blue […]
House Speaker Destin Hall isn’t inclined to join the parade of elected officials criticizing the proposed WakeMed/Atrium hospital-system merger. “Both of them certainly know what they’re doing, and I imagine they’ll get it figured out, one way or the other, and I hope they do that without us having to have any involvement with it […]
There could be enough lithium ore under the Carolinas and the rest of the U.S. East Coast to supply U.S. needs for 328 years at current rates, U.S. Geological Survey scientists estimate. That’d be enough to kit out 2.9 million new electric vehicles with batteries, they say in a new paper published in April. USGS […]
