Month: July 2026

8. How a veteran-owned knife shop became a family’s homeschool classroom

Dasia Williams/CityView Behind a clear face shield, 15-year-old Carson Stroup steadies a piece of high-carbon steel against a moving belt grinder, carefully easing it forward with practiced hands. Just a few feet away, Josiah Santos leans over a precision measuring gauge, carefully checking the thickness of a knife blank before it moves to the next […]

Written by on July 12, 2026

9. Three Wake schools need emergency repairs before school starts

Emily Walkenhorst/WRAL News Three Wake County elementary schools have structural problems that need to be repaired before students would be allowed to enter the buildings — raising questions about whether the school year will be delayed for those schools. The school board plans to meet Monday to approve contracts for repairs to issues that “prevent […]

Written by on July 12, 2026

10. The Atlantic Ocean’s great white highway

Jamie Haase/Outer Banks Voice Not too long ago, great white sharks remained largely absent from the East Coast imagination. Spotting one along the Mid-Atlantic felt like something that was supposed to happen somewhere else—in places like California, South Africa and Australia. The Atlantic seemed little more than open water en route to someplace more familiar. […]

Written by on July 12, 2026

1. Audit: Councilmen pay thousands in unpenalized late utility bills

Alan Wooten/The Center Square  Information systems auditing of a North Carolina city has led two City Council members to pay thousands to clear unpenalized late utility bills, and given clarity to what residents believed was double-billing. Rocky Mount did not double bill utility customers, says the analysis from the office of the state auditor. The […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

2. Despite storms, many counties remain in extreme drought

Lauren Rhodes/WUNC News Despite recent showers, Durham and Orange counties remain in exceptional drought along with other Triangle area counties — the strongest category. Experts predict summer rain will continue, although rainfall will likely remain spotty. The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council releases updated conditions every Thursday. This week, Brunswick County moved to exceptional […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

3. Triangle experts explain intestinal bug cases linked to parasite in North Carolina

Mary Smith/WNCN A concerning intestinal illness has been making its rounds in more than a dozen states, including North Carolina. It’s linked to a parasite called “Cyclospora,” found in food and water. It causes the illness cyclosporiasis. “It happens when you accidentally swallow the parasite and there’s a seasonal pattern associated with it. So, a […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

4. 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 July 9, 2026

5. Charlotte’s e-bike debate is picking up speed as officials weigh new rules

Noor Nazir/WFAE Radio It’s rush hour at the intersection of West Boulevard and Camden Road in South End. Shoes strike the pavement as office workers cross the street. A train bell rings nearby. And one by one, men in button-ups and other commuters whiz through the intersection on electric scooters and e-bikes. As e-bikes become […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

6. Bringing relief to NC maternity deserts

Lucas Thomae/Carolina Public Press A former state health director, a family physician and a coalition of healthcare organizations are working to bring perinatal care closer to home for expectant and new mothers across the state. With $2.8 million from the Charlotte-based Leon Levine Foundation, the group seeks to bring prenatal and postpartum care to at […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

7. GoCary suspends Downtown Loop bus service amid driver shortage

WRAL News GoCary is suspending its Downtown Loop bus service as it wrangles with a shortage of drivers. The town announced Thursday that the Downtown Loop service would be suspended until further notice starting July 9. “The service change is the result of an ongoing driver shortage and supports GoCary’s efforts to maintain dependable service […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

8. Flock cameras vandalized in Carolinas; replacement cost $3,500 each

WSOC News More Flock cameras were vandalized in the Carolinas. Part of a camera in Rutherfordton, west of Charlotte, was damaged. Cameras cost $3,500 to replace, Rutherfordton Police stated in a Facebook post. The cameras are not used for speed enforcement. They are not used to issue citations for minor traffic violations or motor vehicle […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

9. Elkin City Schools launches survey for superintendent search

Amy Diaz/WFDD Elkin City Schools is seeking community input in the search for its next superintendent. The Board of Education hired the North Carolina School Boards Association, or NCSBA, to help conduct the superintendent search. To shape that process, the district is gathering feedback from students, parents, staff and other community members about what qualities […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

10. New playgrounds, nonprofit grants and emergency upgrades coming to Pender County

Kaitlyn Aguiles/WECT New playgrounds, nonprofit grants and emergency-response upgrades are coming to Pender County with $620,000 approved in the state budget signed by Gov. Josh Stein. $350,000 of the funding is earmarked for playground equipment and site improvements at county-owned parks. The funding covers plans to add playgrounds in the Maple Hill and Long Creek […]

Written by on July 9, 2026

1. Did a federal agency tell state regulators not to talk to the press about Mission Hospital?

Ted Clifford/Asheville Watchdog Following the sale of Asheville’s Mission Health system to HCA Healthcare in 2019, nurses and doctors left in large numbers, practices closed, regulators sanctioned the hospital multiple times, and the public has clamored for information. But lately, that information has been harder to get. Beginning earlier this year the North Carolina Department […]

Written by on July 8, 2026

2. Saving homes or beaches? NC faces tough call on seawall ban

Gareth McGrath/USA Today Network North Carolina’s love-hate relationship with hardened structures along the oceanfront is heating up. From the Outer Banks in the north to Ocean Isle Beach in the south, many portions of North Carolina’s 320 miles of oceanfront are dealing with erosion woes that are threatening homes, infrastructure and coastal economies. Coastal officials […]

Written by on July 8, 2026