Steve Harrison/WFAE Radio In the debate over whether to build toll lanes on Interstate 77 between uptown and South Carolina, supporters have often focused on one argument: We have no choice. They have said that to widen I-77 to reduce congestion and traffic accidents, that toll roads are the only...

Caitlin Mullen/Banking Dive Truist CEO Bill Rogers defended the super-regional bank’s game plan Friday in response to analyst questions related to the bank’s M&A appetite, succession plan and growth outlook. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Truist and Pittsburgh-based PNC were both mentioned as potential targets in a recent Bloomberg report that said...

Justyn Araya DeBusk/WGHP The North Carolina Zoo’s new Asia Continent is all but ready to open, but one thing is getting in the way: the North Carolina state budget. For years, the North Carolina Zoo has been working on this landmark 12.5-acre expansion, which will bring tigers, Komodo dragons, Visayan...

Jay Price/WUNC News For years, the U.S. military has been fielding small drones equipped with cameras that let troops see, for instance, over nearby hills or inside treelines. Now, though, the U.S. is trying to catch up to geopolitical adversaries such as Russia and China, which are using drones as...

Ken Sweet/The Associated Press The market volatility of the last three months, caused partly by the war in Iran, has been a boon to Wall Street, as another set of banks reported strong profits helped by wild swings in markets and companies looking to make deals while the economy remains...

Kate Denning/Carolina Public Press What’s the point of college? Is the goal to obtain a degree and enter the workforce as quickly as possible? A budding initiative at the UNC System seems to say so, and it could soon offer a chance to do that 25% faster. UNC System Vice...

Lilly Knoepp/The Waynesville Mountaineer North Carolina’s legislature is about to go back into session in April. When the doors on Jones Street open, state legislators face big issues like the budget, tax rates and funding for the state’s Medicaid program. In advance of the session, here are three takeaways from...

Amber Rupinta/WTVD News In Granville County, Carolina Coops is crafting high-end chicken coops shipped around the world, but it all started with scrap metal. Founder Matt DuBois built his first coop in Durham in 2009 during the economic downturn. “We were just in survival mode… one of my happiest moments...

The Mecklenburg Times Construction employment rose in 38 states from January 2025 to January 2026, while 40 states and the District of Columbia added jobs between December and January, according to an analysis of new federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials called on...

Cierra Noffke/WilmingtonBiz The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s over $70 million renovation project will begin next month. The aquarium will undergo a substantial 30-month renovation, according to a press release issued Friday. Plans include adding a 400,000-gallon sand shark habitat, a 10,000-gallon Pacific coral habitat, an interactive shark and ray...

Brianna Atkinson/WUNC News Thousands of high-school sophomores apply to North Carolina’s most prestigious high school annually. One of the most influential factors on whether a student will get into the NC School of Science and Mathematics, however, is determined before admissions professionals even look at their applications. NCSSM opened in...

Liz McLaughlin/WRAL News North Carolina’s drought is pushing water levels lower and putting a sharper focus on whether the state’s water supply can keep pace with growth and a changing climate. The city of Raleigh has announced stage 1 water-use restrictions effective Monday, April 20, which limit when residents can...

Rachel Crumpler & Taylor Knopf/NC Health News After spending six months examining the state’s involuntary commitment process, a special North Carolina House committee released a list of recommendations on Tuesday aimed at improving the state’s intertwined mental health and criminal justice systems. The House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and...

Sophia Luna/Education NC As the name suggests, community colleges are designed to meet the unique needs of their local community, operating as open door institutions that serve a wide range of students. “Community colleges across the country really play a critical role, and a truly unique role, in the workforce...

Virginia Bridges/The (Raleigh) News & Observer   Two weeks after Cumberland County Sheriff’s Capt. Adam Bean was found shot to death at a Hope Mills home, officials will only say it involved a domestic dispute between two off-duty law enforcement officers. For Cumberland County and most others, this is out...