WTVD North Carolina’s unemployment rate ticked down to 3.7% in March, a 0.1 percentage point decrease from February, according to new state data. The national rate also fell slightly to 4.3%. The number of unemployed residents dropped by nearly 4,000 over the month to 197,113, while total nonfarm employment increased...

Zac Ezzone/Triangle Business Journal North Carolina State University is pushing for a new advanced nuclear research and test reactor, a project that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and reshape the university’s role in nuclear research and workforce training. The university has completed a feasibility study outlining how it...

Steve Harrison/WFAE Radio Will there be enough dedicated money to fully fund the “Better Bus” pledge made during last year’s campaign for the transit tax referendum? It looks doubtful. The Charlotte Area Transit System pledged a 50% increase in bus service. It also promised 18 new “microtransit” zones where people...

Hannah Hall/WECT Feast Down East has received funding for improving local access to healthy food for people with chronic conditions through a new statewide initiative. According to the organization, the funding from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is part of the “Food is Medicine” initiative....

Frank Daniels IV/The Southern Pines Pilot The country has been in the throes of what many deem a “child care crisis,” with limited access for families due to the low number of facilities and spaces available. Child care centers across North Carolina struggle to meet community needs as the population...

Steve Harrison/WFAE Radio Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who is the city’s second-longest serving mayor and easily won a fifth term in November, announced Thursday that she will resign from office and retire in June. Her decision comes as questions have grown in the community and among colleagues about her health...

Sarah White/The Waynesville Mountaineer  Haywood County taxpayers could see the largest property tax increase in recent history next year. The county unveiled its proposed budget Monday that calls for a 7 cent property tax increase to cover raises for county employees, the jail expansion, rising costs and unfunded mandates. The...

Port City Daily Both the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County commissioners signed off on resolutions in support of UNCW potentially launching a medical school in the area. It will be considered by the UNC Board of Governors on May 21. A UNCW spokesperson told Port City Daily it...

Amy Diaz/WFDD Radio Without a state budget, local school districts are left guessing about teacher salary increases and position allotments for next year. To prepare for the unknown, Davidson County Schools has opted to freeze hiring for vacant positions as a way to protect existing employees. If cuts need to...

Greg Toppo/The 74 The largest study ever of school cell phone bans finds that they offer decidedly mixed results, with teachers reporting fewer distractions when students lock their phones away during the school day, but little evidence the bans quickly bring improved academic achievement or better behavior, as many advocates...

WRAL News Wake County Public School System leaders are investigating a breach involving the system that contains teachers’ and students’ data across North Carolina. According to the school district, they were notified of a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, a statewide learning management system run by Instructure. Teachers use Canvas to...

Ted Clifford/Asheville Watchdog Mission Hospital has no plans to add staff in key areas – including trauma care, security, and nursing administration – as part of its recently approved, now-contested, 95-bed acute-care expansion, according to its application to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Despite conditional approval...

Analisa Sorrells Archer/Education NC Home to nearly 40 million people, California’s population is roughly 3.5 times the size of North Carolina’s. But despite their differences, the two states share one thing in common: they have two of the largest community college systems in the country. California Community Colleges has 116...

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News A new coalition of North Carolina parents is taking aim at Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, alleging his past leadership decisions placed children at risk and demanding accountability ahead of the November election. The group, calling itself Parents Against Whatley, launched this week with more...

Brighton McConnell/WCHL Chapelboro As Orange County continues to explore ways to reform its property appraisal and tax evaluation processes, its Board of Commissioners approved the hire of a firm to conduct a review and make recommendations for improvement. The local government’s elected officials voted to contract the New York-based real...