Emily Walkenhorst/WRAL News North Carolina public schools aren’t evaluating students for special education in a timely manner, they’re not resolving complaints quickly enough, and they’re not properly helping most disabled students 16 and older prepare for adulthood. Those are among the findings of a new federal report that found the...

Jennifer Fernandez/NC Health News Most people likely know pertussis by its more common name — whooping cough, which comes from the “whoop” sound made as the person tries to catch their breath in between violent coughing spells. The Corbin family in Chapel Hill is well acquainted with the other nickname...

Katie Dukes/Education NC At the Oct. 6 meeting of the North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education, two child care providers were asked what advice they would give to their younger selves or to someone else thinking of opening a child care program in North Carolina. “Don’t...

Ashley Fredde/NC Health News For some North Carolinians, the road to retirement is anything but even. While some workers can count on employer-backed savings plans, nearly half of North Carolinians will be left navigating the path to their golden years without a map, according to an AARP analysis. The AARP...

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily More details have emerged on a Southport alleyway dispute since Monday, when the Southport Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to request its former mayor, Joe Pat Hatem, withdraw his claim of ownership. Now, Hatem and other aldermen are alleging the vote was influenced by incorrect information...

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News When Amazon drivers in Franklin showed up for work Oct. 8, they were met not with their usual routine but instead with news that the facility will close on Dec. 10 — right around the time a new one opens 31 miles west in Hayesville. For...

Brighton McConnell/WCHL Chapelboro Ever since this summer’s decision by Orange County to reject parts of Union Grove Farm’s agritourism expansion and the farm’s decision to appeal for its proposed music stage, Oct. 8 was circled on the calendar for a high-profile Board of Adjustment hearing. But the date came and...

Emma Dill/WilmingtonBiz Global Nuclear Fuel, a GE Vernova-led alliance with Hitachi Ltd., plans to fabricate a new nuclear fuel product at its Wilmington facility, starting early next year. Development of the new product, called GNF4, began in 2023 and is a “significant investment” for the company, according to spokesperson Jon...

Jaymie Baxley/NC Health News Before he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009, Job Gilliam paved roads in the winding mountains of western North Carolina. Today, the 49-year-old can barely move around his home in rural Catawba County without assistance. His autoimmune disease caused lesions to develop on his spinal...

Lynn Bonner/NC Newsline Gov. Josh Stein said he will soon have a “comprehensive mental health plan” to send to the legislature, following several recent violent deaths charged to people with mental illnesses. Some elements of his plan will require funding, Stein said, but some won’t. “We’ll have it all laid...

Alan Wooten/The Center Square  Recipients in North Carolina of benefits through the food stamps and WIC programs will continue to receive them in October, the state Health Department says. More than 1.4 million people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and roughly 262,000 women, infants and children rely on...

Jane Winik Sartwell/Carolina Public Press Much of the economic attention in post-Helene Western North Carolina is focused on small businesses — but they are not the only sector struggling across the region. For nonprofit organizations in the mountains, the past 12 months have been heavy, complex and transformative. Yesica Miranda...

Colin Campbell/WUNC Radio A new state law prevents local governments from restricting American and North Carolina flags on private property, ending a legal despite between the city of Greenville and an R/V dealership that flies an enormous American flag. The provision was one of several limiting the powers of local...

Sarah Krueger/WRAL News A WRAL investigation into Raleigh firefighters’ overtime spurred a call to action by Mayor Pro Tempore Stormie Forte at this week’s city council meeting. The WRAL report, which aired last week and again over the weekend, showed Raleigh firefighters worked more than 117,000 hours of overtime in...

The Associated Press The leader of a southeastern North Carolina tribe is about to join the state legislature to succeed his brother, as the Lumbee’s efforts to attain full U.S. government recognition have gained recent momentum but still face obstacles. Members of a Robeson County Republican Party committee voted unanimously...