WFDD Radio The electric company Caudill’s in Kernersville, has released a statement after a fire destroyed its historic building on Saturday night. In reads, in part, “Last night, we experienced a heartbreaking total loss at Caudill Electric as our building went up in flames. Watching it burn was incredibly difficult...

Ely Portillo/WFAE Radio On Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson announced that Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown faces federal indictments on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, stemming from allegedly fraudulent loan applications for COVID relief funds. According to...

Jennifer Berry Hawes & Mollie Simon/ProPublica When Hurricane Helene plowed over the Southeast last September, it caused more inland deaths than any hurricane in recorded history. The highest per capita death toll occurred in Yancey County, a rural expanse in the rugged Black Mountains of North Carolina devastated by flash...

WRAL News Memorial Day weekend continues to to be one of the most popular weekend for folks to hit the road and skies. This year, AAA forecasts a record 45.1 million people in the U.S. will travel at least 50 miles from home during the five days of the long...

Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline The firm that will run North Carolina’s Hurricane Helene recovery program in the western mountains, as it sought to win the critical contract, described itself as the only one up to the task. “Only the HORNE Team has the system, expertise, and experience required to deliver this...

Liz Schlemmer/WUNC Radio North Carolina House lawmakers have passed a budget bill that would raise beginning teacher pay by about 22% by fall 2026. The House’s budget makes several moves to raise teacher pay that are absent in the Senate’s budget bill. During the House’s final debate of its budget...

Gerard Albert III/Blue Ridge Public Radio There’s no property tax increase planned, for the fourth year in a row, in Henderson County. Despite the economic burden from Hurricane Helene on local governments, commissioners say they won’t raise taxes on property owners. The county is one of the only in Western...

Jane Winik Sartwell/Carolina Public Press Darlene Fore is terrified. She’s a nurse at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Asheville: a hard, but stable, federal job. Last year, her family was devastated by Tropical Storm Helene. Now, as she reaches 60 years old, her job, and her retirement benefits, could...

Kyle Perrotti/Smoky Mountain News More than two years after he was shot by Cherokee Indian Police Department SWAT Team members, Jason Harley Kloepfer has reached a $10 million settlement with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee County, ending any chances of what was shaping up to be a...

F.T. Norton/Fayetteville Observer Cumberland County Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green will leave her position at the end of the year due to her spouse’s military relocation. Green oversaw several key initiatives during her tenure, including programs addressing the opioid crisis and maternal health. County officials praised Green’s leadership and contributions...

Drew C. Wilson/The Wilson Times There weren’t any stupid pet tricks or top 10 lists, but there was small-town news when David Letterman showed up at Daniel’s Fine Dining in Wilson on Wednesday night. The late-night television talk show host known to millions sat down for a meal of crab...

Emma Dill/WilmingtonBiz The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has formally recommended that a replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge have a vertical clearance of no less than 135 feet. Following its review of the proposed replacement project, the Army Corps sent a letter to Trevor Carroll, the N.C. Department...

Pat Kimbrough/High Point Enterprise The city of High Point has put a hold on its efforts to enact its proposed Southwest Mill District. The plan to rezone a 171-acre old industrial area around W. Green Drive may conflict with recent changes in state law that limit local governments’ abilities to...

Kyle Perrotti/Smoky Mountain News Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has made headlines by targeting the United States’ most well-known colleges — those with the largest endowments and lowest admission rates — but now, in the latest twist in a year-long saga, his administration is shifting its attention to Cullowhee....

Bill Moss/Hendersonville Lightning Henderson County commissioners want to use a 25-year-old utilities agreement to force to the city of Hendersonville to provide sewer service to an Upward Road cidermaker, although City Manager John Connet says talks are under way to resolve the request. Under the so-called Mud Creek Agreement of...