Lucas Thomae/Carolina Public Press A lawsuit alleging that the Moore County Department of Social Services unlawfully institutionalized two siblings with intellectual disabilities will move forward, a federal judge in Winston-Salem has ruled. Disability Rights NC filed the lawsuit last year on behalf of Moore County mother Rumina Slazas and her...

Shea Carver/Port City Daily With a few boos from the audience following a tight vote, a site plan to bring almost 1,700 homes to Brunswick County passed earlier in the week. On Monday, the Brunswick County Planning Board voted 4-3, with Chair Clifton Cheek having to weigh in to break...

Sarah White/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Helene didn’t help Haywood’s declining property tax collection rate. The county’s tax collection rate dropped for the third consecutive year in 2024 since rookie Tax Collector Sebastian Cothran took over, despite ramping up more aggressive enforcement actions. The rate fell from 98.19% in 2023 to 98.04%...

Lily Levin/Smoky Mountain News Cannabis regulation was again debated by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ leadership on Aug. 7 as tribal council considered two resolutions — in both instances, council representatives overwhelmingly favored the status quo. Nonetheless, a few questions were raised in the process. First on the cannabis docket...

Hendersonville Lightning Lynne Russo on Wednesday launched her campaign for the North Carolina House of Representatives in District 117. Touting a platform built around public-school funding, rural recovery, disaster relief and veteran support, Russo, a Democrat, promised leadership focused on action, not partisanship. “There’s too much talk in Raleigh and...

WUNC Radio & The Associated Press A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina next year said Friday that he’s ending his bid now that Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley has entered the race with President Donald Trump’s support. Several months ago, Andy Nilsson revealed his candidacy for...

Jane Porter/IndyWeek The City of Raleigh has been struggling with regulating noise since you could buy a cup of coffee for a dollar at the Morning Times—or even before. And last week, a Wake County Superior Court judge ruled that parts of the city’s nightlife permit ordinance—a separate but related...

Felicia Sonmez/Blue Ridge Public Radio Small businesses in Western North Carolina are still feeling the impact of the tourism downturn caused by Hurricane Helene, according to the latest regional survey by the nonprofit Mountain BizWorks. Among the roughly 700 small business owners surveyed across 23 counties, more than four-fifths said...

Will Atwater/NC Health News & WUNC As the Trump administration keeps pushing to change the focus of scientific research and roll back environmental regulations — moves that critics say favor industry over public health — members of North Carolina’s scientific and environmental communities are speaking out. They’re raising alarms about...

Elena Marsh/The (Southern Pines) Pilot Moore County is still in the process of developing a partnership with Southern Pines for the county’s future water source, but details of that partnership might take time to fully form. At a Wednesday meeting of the county’s Water and Sewer Task Force, County Public...

Justin Smith/The (Whiteville) News Reporter Southeastern Community College has seen steady enrollment increases in each of the last five years, with much of the growth coming from high school students and workforce programs, according to a recent report. “I’d like to congratulate everybody on our enrollment growth. That’s a big...

Kate Denning/Carolina Public Press Durham Public Schools’ network of Montessori schools is more than 20 years in the making, and its newest project — Lucas Montessori, formerly known as Lucas Middle School — is preparing to welcome students back this fall for the first time since its transition. Lucas joins...

Dee-Ann Durbin/The Associated Press Delivery drones are so fast they can zip a pint of ice cream to a customer’s driveway before it melts. Yet the long-promised technology has been slow to take off in the United States. More than six years after the Federal Aviation Administration approved commercial home...

Bradley George/WUNC Radio Psychiatric residential treatment centers in North Carolina will test a new de-escalation method for dealing with youth in crisis, the state Department of Health and Human Services announced last week. Commonly known as PRTFs, these facilities offer inpatient treatment for children with complex behavioral health needs. When...

Nick Fogleman/Watauga Democrat The Town of Boone has listed approximately 20 acres of the Bolick Property for sale after determining that previously proposed municipal development plans were no longer financially viable. The sale was approved by a 4–1 vote during the June Town Council meeting. The parcel was subdivided from...