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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

Luddy warns senators to oppose casinos

One of the key backers of Rockingham County Sheriff’s successful bid to unseat Senate leader Phil Berger has a message for the rest of the Senate: No more casinos. “Voter have already made it clear to leadership: They do no want casino gambling in North Carolina,” say Bob Luddy, who...

By Ray Gronberg

April 9, 2026

Legislators urged to tighten autism-care networks

North Carolina’s four managed care organizations say state legislators have to change the law if they want to get a handle on the exploding Medicaid costs associated with a leading type of autism care. Specifically, they’re urging legislators to allow them to return to a “closed network” that allows them...

By Ray Gronberg

April 9, 2026

Get to know Rep. Karl Gillespie

As we’ve all heard, North Carolina runs from Manteo to Murphy, and since the start of 2021, Rep. Karl Gillespie, R-Macon, has been the voice in the state House for the Murphy portion of that. Gillespie’s district, House 120, covers the state’s four westernmost counties. Since Hurricane Helene ravaged the...

By Ray Gronberg

April 9, 2026

FirstHealth sees losses ahead early in 2030s

Executives from Pinehurst-based FirstHealth say the federal government’s One Big Beautiful Bill has put the hospital system on a course that could lead to operating losses by fiscal 2031-32. “We can’t let that happen, we’re not going to let that happen,” FirstHealth CFO Autumn McFann told the members of a...

By Ray Gronberg

April 9, 2026

UNC ups nurse production; legislators unsatisfied

The UNC System says its universities are on track to produce 707 more nurses a year by the 2029-30 school year. Trouble is, that doesn’t fill the 12,459-nurse gap in supply versus demand that UNC Chapel Hill’s Sheps Center for Health Services Research sees coming by 2033. Members of a...

By Ray Gronberg

April 9, 2026

Stein calls for changes to data-center tax incentive

Gov. Josh Stein wants legislators to consider modifying or repealing a 20-year-old tax break North Carolina gives the operators of some data centers. Existing law gives them an exemption from state and local sales taxes on their power purchases and equipment. State Commerce Department officials estimate that it’s already costing...

By Ray Gronberg

April 9, 2026