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Jacksonville annexation bid for Camp Lejeune sparks fight

Camp Lejeune’s service needs and Jacksonville’s ability to meet them have sparked an intramural battle among Onslow County’s all-Republican legislative delegation. It played out this week in House Finance when Sen. Michael Lazzara, R-Onslow, asked members via Senate Bill 817 to support allowing Jacksonville to annex much of the southern...

By Ray Gronberg

June 19, 2026

Stevens leaves the House, focuses on Supreme Court race

Rep. Sarah Stevens resigned her District 90 seat to “devote [her] full time and energy” to running for a N.C. Supreme Court seat this fall. The Surry County Republican stepped down as of noon on June 16. She is in the midst of her ninth term — a longer tenure...

By Ray Gronberg

June 19, 2026

House votes to regulate crypto kiosks

The House has passed and sent to the Senate a bill that for the first time in North Carolina would set up a regulatory system for crypto-currency kiosks. House Bill 920 cleared the chamber on a 115-0 vote after members voted down an amendment that would have set tighter limits...

By Ray Gronberg

June 19, 2026

North Carolina owns a piece of Claude

North Carolina’s State Investment Authority put $250 million into AI firm Anthropic back in the winter when the San Francisco company sought $30 billion in Series G venture capital, State Treasurer Brad Briner says. The purchase ’s value has since grown to $650 million, and it’s possible that even greater...

By Ray Gronberg

June 9, 2026

WakeMed, Atrium address county leaders’ questions

Atrium Health and WakeMed officials discussed their proposed combination with Wake County Commissioners Monday after producing a 61-page document providing more explanation of the deal. The two hospital systems held a secret meeting with the commission in mid-March, but didn’t disclose their plans until Friday, May 4, when it was...

By Ray Gronberg

June 9, 2026

Jackson: Utilities Commission needs to clamp down on Duke returns

Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s office wants the N.C. Utilities Commission to give Duke Energy’s return on equity a haircut as it considers the utility’s request for a rate increase. “We think they overshot the mark,” Jackson says of Duke’s request. Duke’s rate request for 2027 and 2028 asks the commission...

By Ray Gronberg

June 9, 2026

Granville-Vance House candidate steps aside

Democrats in Granville and Vance counties need to find themselves a new candidate for the House District 32 seat. The previous nominee, Oxford City Commissioner Curtis McRae, is withdrawing from the race “due to personal health matters requiring his full attention,” the House Democratic Caucus says. McRae — who’s also...

By Ray Gronberg

June 8, 2026

State Health Plan ready to expand “preferred provider” system

Come July, it appears likely State Health Plan trustees are likely to approve an expansion of the plan’s “preferred provider” program intended to steer members to lower-cost hospitals, clinics and doctors. The docket for next month’s trustee meeting will include votes both on the framework, premiums and provider contracts for...

By Ray Gronberg

June 8, 2026

Reg reform and granny flats

House members have passed and returned to the Senate an omnibus regulatory reform bill that among other things instructs local governments in parts of the state to allow more home construction. The 85-28 vote on Senate Bill 445 came after large, bipartisan majorities rejected amendments proposed by Rep. Jay Adams,...

By Ray Gronberg

June 5, 2026

Chamber pods state on Wilmington rail link

NC Chamber leaders want the state to begin looking at reactivating an abandoned rail corridor that would connect Wilmington and its port to the Goldsboro area. The first order of business for restoring the line from Wallace in Duplin County to Castle Hayne in New Hanover County is obtaining an...

By Ray Gronberg

June 5, 2026

FTC warns Hendrick, other dealers about price ads

Federal regulators in March warned Hendrick Automotive and several other North Carolina car dealers against advertising their vehicles for prices lower than what they actually charge customers. The warning letters from the Federal Trade Commission stopped short of accusing the dealerships of wrongdoing, but they did encourage them to “review...

By Ray Gronberg

June 5, 2026

UNC Health takeover of psychiatric hospitals?

The House’s involuntary-commitment reform bill includes provisions that ask UNC Health to consider taking over the operations of North Carolina’s three state-owned psychiatric hospitals. House Bill 1104 wants an answer from UNC Health by December. It also gives the system the option of taking over only “certain operations,” or of...

By Ray Gronberg

June 5, 2026

DOT boss: Money can’t sit waiting for Charlotte on I-77

State Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson is pushing back against the idea that his agency is making unfounded threats when it comes to pulling money from the Interstate 77 widening. The fate of the $600 million the state’s earmarked for the project has been up for grabs ever since the Charlotte...

By Ray Gronberg

June 5, 2026

Hall on I-77: “Unbelievable to me”

House Speaker Destin Hall says he doesn’t know if there’s “anything in terms of punitive” action legislators will take against Charlotte-area governments for rescinding their support of the Interstate 77 widening. But he’s sure other regions will welcome news that the $600 million the N.C. Department of Transportation otherwise would’ve...

By Ray Gronberg

June 5, 2026

Legislators want to clamp down on occupancy-tax diversions

House members aren’t about to let the ink dry on a recent state Supreme Court ruling without acting to stop Currituck County and other places from using motel-tax money to fund police, EMS and fire services. On Tuesday the House Finance and Rules committees gutted Senate Bill 484and replaced it...

By Ray Gronberg

June 5, 2026