Annette Weston/PRE News & Ideas An investigation by the VA Office of Inspector General revealed that a flawed automated benefits system mishandled nearly all processed Dependency and Indemnity Compensation survivor claims. “VA OIG, the Office of Inspector General, included a review of 8,100 cases of these automated DIC decisions and found that in 8,000 of […]
WSOCTV.com North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has reached a multi-million-dollar settlement over a rent-fixing scheme. The settlement involves the company LivCor. North Carolina and eight other states sued the company, accusing it of using AI software to raise rents. As part of the settlement, LivCor will stop: Sharing sensitive data with other landlords. Using […]
Randall Kerr/WRAL News For years, WRAL Investigates tracked problems with North Carolina’s unemployment benefits system. Now, two new follow-up audits show the same problems still persist inside the Division of Employment Security (DES) when it comes to paying the correct amount of unemployment and paying those first-time benefits on time. The first audit deals with […]
Celeste Guajardo/WUNC News A fence blocks people from entering parts of West Point on the Eno park in Durham on June 18, 2026. This area was blocked off after damage caused last July by Tropical Storm Chantal. West Point on the Eno, one of Durham’s most popular parks, will be closed for six months starting […]
Hudson Steiner/WECT Gov. Josh Stein signed two bills into law Friday, June 19, including one that authorizes capital projects for University of North Carolina (UNC) system schools. House Bill 1123 authorizes funding for capital improvement projects at five UNC institutions. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington will receive $20,357,028 for a parking deck. The […]
Sarah Michels/Carolina Public Press State Rep. Gerald Pierce, D-Scotland, stands to debate Senate Bill 876, which would make local Moore County and Albemarle elections partisan, on Tuesday, June 16 in Raleigh. Sarah Michels / Carolina Public Press As far as Aberdeen Mayor Robert Farrell is concerned, whether he loves or hates President Donald Trump has […]
Dee Pridgen/828newsNOW Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer says discussions about bringing a Costco store to the area are moving forward again after meeting with company representatives last week. In a social media post Thursday, Manheimer said she recently met with Costco officials to discuss plans for a proposed store in the Enka/Candler area, calling the project […]
House and Senate Republicans are poised to pass an omnibus tax bill that will also allow credit unions to broaden their membership base. The compromise version of Senate Bill 595 passed a second-reading vote in the Senate on Thursday, via a 28-14 party-line vote. A third-reading vote is scheduled for June 23, as is consideration […]
The Trump administration’s approach to trade relations with Canada and Mexico risks destabilizing markets that accounted for nearly a third of North Carolina’s export business in 2025, the NC Chamber says. Its assessment, appearing in a report issued this week, concerns the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA. It’s due to expire in 2036 […]
House and Senate members have passed two bills intended to settle the debate about hotel-tax policy created by a recent state Supreme Court decision. Senate Bill 484 puts a general ban on using occupancy tax revenue earmarked for tourism-related purposes on law enforcement, fire protection, trash collection and other ordinary local-government services. As revised it […]
Senators advanced an omnibus bill for the N.C. Department of Transportation on Wednesday without tacking on language to punish Charlotte-area governments for rescinding their support of the Interstate 77 widening. But Sen. Vickie Sawyer, R-Iredell, told members of Senate Transportation that the clawback amendment she’s proposed “is not a hollow threat.” “That one you will […]
N.C. Utilities Commission member Donald van der Vaart can’t vote on the next version of Duke Energy’s Carolinas Resource Plan because he’s been on vacation during some of the panel’s recent public hearings on it. Commission Chairman Bill Brawley announced the ruling on Wednesday. “The commissioner is allowed to participate in the decision-making if none […]
Sen. Jim Burgin’s healthcare reform bill cleared another hurdle on Tuesday, but it’s unclear whether it’ll eventually got to the Senate floor for a vote by the chamber’s 50 members. Senate Bill 978 got a favorable vote Tuesday morning from the Senate Judiciary committee. Its next stop is the Appropriations/Base Budget committee — and after […]
Senators have removed two proposals intended to bolster housing construction from another regulatory reform bill that’s making it way through their chamber. At the request of the bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson, Senate Judiciary struck language that would have make it harder for cities and counties to set up new historic districts. Senate […]
Former House Speaker Pro Tem Skip Stam and businessman Bob Luddy are speaking up against the Lumbee’s prospective move to jumpstart casino development. The pair got a letter published over the weekend in The Robesonian that urges readers to vote no on the tribal referendum that’s coming up on June 23. Casinos, Stam and Luddy […]
