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Duke paid no federal income tax in 2025

Duke Energy and three other large, North Carolina-headquartered corporations paid no federal income tax in 2025, a Washington-based advocacy group says. A common thread linking them and 84 other prominent companies, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says, is that many rely on depreciation-related tax breaks. Congress expanded these last...

By Ray Gronberg

April 22, 2026

House panel shelves hospital-taxation proposals

The House’s property tax committee wrapped up its pre-session work on Wednesday without offering any endorsement of the idea of reeling in some of the tax breaks the state gives hospitals. Members endorsed the idea of putting a constitutional amendment on the fall ballot that, if voter-approved, would require the...

By Ray Gronberg

April 22, 2026

First State Health Plan claims-processing RFP comes a cropper

State Treasurer Brad Briner’s staff needs to send out a new RFP for a State Health Plan claims processor because the first one didn’t draw any responses that met their minimum requirements. The new RFP will go out “in the coming weeks” and the goal remains to have options for...

By Ray Gronberg

April 22, 2026

UNC Wilmington pushing for new med school

Officials at UNC Wilmington want the university to set up its own standalone medical school, and have a plan they say can enroll the first 60 would-be doctors for the 2029-30 academic year. Chancellor Aswani Volety briefed members of the UNC System Board of Governors about the idea on Wednesday....

By Ray Gronberg

April 22, 2026

Utilities commissioners: power-rate loophole is anti-consumer

A state law that allows Duke Energy to file rate plans lasting less than three years is anti-consumer, according to two members of the N.C. Utilities Commission. It allows Duke to reap the benefit “of performance-based regulation” while avoiding a third-year cap on rate increases, commissioners Donald van der Vaart and...

By Ray Gronberg

April 15, 2026

Pew frets about state reserves

North Carolina’s primary rainy-day fund had $3.6 billion as of last summer, which would fund about 42 days’ worth of state spending, a drop-off in reserves that parallels national trends, the Pew Charitable Trusts say. The state is two years — and a devastating hurricane — down the road from...

By Ray Gronberg

April 15, 2026

Ferguson set to replace Clampitt in House

Republican leaders in Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties have picked Anna Ferguson to fill out the balance of the late Rep. Mike Clampitt’s term in office. Ferguson will also replace Clampitt on the November general election ballot, the Smoky Mountain News reported. She will face Democratic nominee Mark Burrows. The...

By Ray Gronberg

April 15, 2026

Lumbee gearing up for summer casino vote

Lumbee leaders are preparing an amendment to the tribal constitution that would give the tribe’s enrolled members the promised chance to decide whether or not to have casino gaming. The amendment cleared the Lumbees’ constitution and ordinance committee earlier this week and could get voted on by the Tribal Council...

By Ray Gronberg

April 15, 2026

Plymouth hospital endorses nurse-practice bills

A coastal hospital has joined the groups advocating for a relaxation of the state’s restrictions on advanced-practice nurses. Washington Regional Medical Center has joined a coalition that favors passage of either Senate Bill 537 or House Bill 514. Either would give advanced-practice nurses more latitude to practice outside a physician’s...

By Ray Gronberg

April 15, 2026

Get to know Rep. Monika Johnson-Hostler

Rep. Monika Johnson-Hostler is in her first term in the state House but is no stranger to public service. The Fayetteville State and N.C. Central grad was a longtime Wake County school board member before seeking the Democratic nomination for the District 33 House seat in 2024. She took 60%...

By Ray Gronberg

April 15, 2026

UNC Chapel Hill: We’re not investigating students

UNC Chapel Hill officials have walked back a vice provost’s statement that they’re investigating the student group Hill After Hours over a video lampooning attitudes toward the South Campus dorms. “Please be assured that we are not investigating any student or student group” in connection to that, or to The...

By Ray Gronberg

April 13, 2026

Auditor praises Baptist home repairs in WNC

State Auditor Dave Boliek says Baptists on Mission’s taxpayer-subsidized home-repair effort in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene has complied with all the state’s requirements. It also “met people in [the region] where they needed to be met, and did so with a sense of urgency,” he said Friday after...

By Ray Gronberg

April 13, 2026

UNC workforce report sees big gap in engineering-grad numbers

North Carolina’s public universities mint lots of new engineers every year, but a UNC System analysis says they’re still not turning out enough. But that doesn’t exactly make engineering unique. The system’s new Workforce Alignment Report says the state’s economy can use … well, more of everything. “North Carolina has...

By Ray Gronberg

April 13, 2026

Farm Bureau, Chamber weigh in on Roundup case

State Rep. Pricey Harrison isn’t the only North Carolina voice weighing in with the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of its review of a product-liability verdict against Monsanto over the Roundup weedkiller. The N.C. Farm Bureau, and the NC Chamber, signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief that sides with Monsanto. They...

By Ray Gronberg

April 13, 2026

Carolina’s getting FIREd

UNC Chapel Hill is in trouble with one of the country’s top free-speech advocacy groups. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — more popularly known as FIRE — wants campus administrators to retract their criticism of The Daily Tar Heel’s April Fools edition. They’re also calling on them to...

By Ray Gronberg

April 13, 2026