Month: June 2026

SEIU role in Charlotte council race draws criticism

An anti-union Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group is asking federal officials to study whether the Service Employees International Union violated laws in helping oust a Charlotte City Council candidate last year in an election decided by 34 votes. For years, the SEIU has urged the Charlotte council to pressure American Airlines subcontractors to provide workers at […]

Written by on June 29, 2026

1. Health Department revenues up $6.3B, fueled by federal Medicaid money

Alan Wooten/The Center Square  Total revenues have grown $6.3 billion in North Carolina’s Health Department, fueled by $6 billion from federal revenues in Medicaid, says an audit of fiscal year 2025 released Friday. North Carolina’s total enrollment in Medicaid is about 3.1 million, says the analysis from first-term Republican state Auditor Dave Boliek. The audit […]

Written by on June 28, 2026

3. SAS eliminates hundreds of positions across the company, spokesperson says

Joseph Ochoa/WRAL News One of Wake County’s largest employers said Thursday it cut hundreds of jobs across the company. Cary-based software company SAS eliminated 300 positions throughout the company last week, a company spokesperson said.  The company said the job cuts were “targeted changes” and that employees who were affected by the cuts would be […]

Written by on June 28, 2026

5. ‘Jetsons coming to life’: WMPO wants in on state’s air taxi funding

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily A local transportation authority is requesting to join the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s advanced air mobility program, which will explore bringing new aircraft technologies to North Carolina cities. The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization voted unanimously to submit an application to NCDOT at its board meeting Wednesday. NCDOT has […]

Written by on June 28, 2026

6. The murky future of Mission. Will Western NC hospital face ‘immediate jeopardy’ again? Will it matter?

Walker Livingston/Carolina Public Press HCA-owned Mission Hospital in Asheville has received four “immediate jeopardy” warnings from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the past five years. This warning, the most serious from CMS, means that a medical service provider has caused, or is likely to cause, harm or impairment to recipients of […]

Written by on June 28, 2026

7. Southern Pines Fire prepares for commercial flights

Ana Risano/The Southern Pines Pilot Southern Pines Fire Station Two is across the road from the Moore County Airport, making it a key player in any airport-related emergencies and future planning as commercial air service is sought. On Tuesday, Fire Chief and Assistant Town Manager Mike Cameron gave the Town Council a rundown of a […]

Written by on June 28, 2026

8. Unaffiliated candidates test their mettle in WNC counties

Kyle Perrotti/Smoky Mountain News As unaffiliated voters have overtaken Republicans and Democrats as the largest voting group in the state, candidates running outside of the two major party apparatuses still struggle in elections, but several Western North Carolina candidates hope to change that narrative. There are four unaffiliated contenders in The Smoky Mountain News coverage […]

Written by on June 28, 2026

9. Solar has minimal impact on NC farmland, new study shows

Christine Zhu/NC Newsline A new study is refuting claims by critics that the solar industry is taking over productive farmland and interfering with agricultural production. “You travel across the state of North Carolina, and it’s occupying the best farmland in the state,” said N.C. House Agriculture Chairman Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin) in a 2025 hearing on […]

Written by on June 28, 2026

10. 40% of Mecklenburg County Latino residents lack a primary care doctor, study finds

Julian Berger/WFAE Radio Many Latino residents in Mecklenburg County still face significant barriers to accessing health care. That’s what community members heard Friday at the Mecklenburg County Health Department’s annual Meck Design conference, where officials presented the department’s 2025 Community Needs Assessment, which in part focused on Latino health outcomes. The assessment found that 40% […]

Written by on June 28, 2026

1. Cape Fear River dredging review continues amid environmental concerns

Gareth McGrath/USA Today Network Nearly four months after receiving objections from state officials over the proposed deepening of the Cape Fear River shipping channel, the Army Corps of Engineers is continuing to revise its environmental and feasibility review of the proposed deepening of Wilmington’s harbor. David Connolly, spokesperson with the corps’ Wilmington District, said the […]

Written by on June 25, 2026

2. Buncombe bombshell hits Haywood fire departments

Becky Johnson & Sarah White/The Waynesville Mountaineer  A troubling trend is playing out at fire departments across the region: new recruits are few and far between, and can’t keep pace with retirements and resignations. “Three years ago, we would have had 20 applications within a week and a half,” said Waynesville Assistant Fire Chief Cody […]

Written by on June 25, 2026

3. Putting guardrails on AI in education. Bipartisan support for NC legislation.

Kate Denning/Carolina Public Press An artificial intelligence and social media safety bill more than a year in the making is progressing toward passage after receiving unanimous, bipartisan support in the latest vote on it by the North Carolina Senate. House Bill 301 would overhaul current standards of AI in schools, regulating and mandating AI education […]

Written by on June 25, 2026