Jacob Hancock-Hernández/WFDD Radio The High Point Public Library unveiled its new sensory garden on Wednesday. The goal of the garden is to appeal to the senses of sight, sound, touch, and smell. One of the most popular features is the Kugel fountain, a sculpture with a sphere that sits on...

Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily A North Carolina Senate bill seeks to define and regulate e-bikes, though some advocates say it raises more questions than answers. E-bikes are defined in N.C. general statute under vehicle definitions, but there aren’t regulations for them, meaning no helmet, age, speed limit or license rules....

Sydney Lupkin/WFAE Radio President Trump signed an executive action Tuesday intended to lower prescription drug prices for Americans. A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters ahead of the signing that the move would include “delivering lower prices to seniors” and improve the Medicare drug price negotiation...

Hannah Vinueza McClellan/Education NC The North Carolina Senate released its 2025-27 budget proposal on April 14, allocating approximately $73 million over the biennium for Propel NC, the N.C. Community College System’s (NCCCS) new funding model that was first unveiled in Jan. 2024. This long session, the system asked lawmakers for...

Zachery Eanes/Axios Raleigh The Raleigh City Council appears ready to support using toll lanes to speed up the expansion of Capital Boulevard into a six-lane highway between Raleigh and Wake Forest. Why it matters: The section of Capital Boulevard, also known as U.S. 1, is among the region’s most congested...

Marc Sallinger/NBC News The U.S. Air Force has removed certain articles about a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and the first female Thunderbird pilot from military websites, stating they were taken down in compliance with the Trump administration’s directives to eliminate content related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Retired...

Andrew R. Jones/Asheville Watchdog The list includes people who died of gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, choking and falling bricks. Some of the bodies had to be returned to the hospital from funeral homes as far away as Georgia. Some were already buried. Buncombe medical examiners shared their list of morgue...

Jennifer Fernandez/NC Health News A bill that would further shorten the practice period for young drivers stalled Wednesday in the Transportation Committee of the N.C. House. Sponsors of House Bill 584 asked to rescind a motion that would have pushed it closer to a final vote in the House of...

Monica Casey/WRAL News North Carolina Central University Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon responded to those who rallied on campus Wednesday with three words: “We hear you.” Dixon said, in a message sent to students, staff and faculty Thursday morning, that she and other NCCU leaders were off campus when police detained...

Vicki Hyatt/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer What makes Haywood County a special place to live — and visit — comes from its rural character, pastoral scenes and fertile agriculture land. It is an attraction that’s disappearing fast, warned speaker after speaker at the Haywood County Farm Bureau Legislative Breakfast on Monday. Don...

Alan Wooten/The Center Not a single member of the North Carolina House of Representatives opposed a prohibition of hostile foreign governments such as China or Russia from purchasing farmland and property within 75 miles of a miliary installation. N.C. Farmland and Military Protection Act, or House Bill 133, would bar...

Gary D. Robertson/The Associated Press North Carolina Senate Republicans have advanced a two-year budget for the ninth-largest state that spends less than what the new Democratic governor requested and doubles down on already enacted income tax cuts. Largely along party lines, the GOP-controlled Senate gave initial approval Wednesday evening to...

Yuki Noguchi/National Public Radio In and around Asheville, N.C., there are still visible signs of devastation that remain from the floods of Hurricane Helene six months ago: rusted debris in the yards of water-damaged residences in ruins. But Helene, a federal disaster worker who coincidentally goes by the same name...

Anna Roman/The (Raleigh) News & Observer Plans for a $1 billion sports and entertainment district around the Lenovo Center cleared a significant hurdle Tuesday afternoon. The Raleigh City Council unanimously agreed to rezone 81 acres to allow up to 40-story buildings, the city’s tallest, dramatically changing west Raleigh. “There are...

Rylee Wilson/Becker’s Hospital Review Greensboro-based Cone Health is now the sole owner of HealthTeam Advantage. Cone Health purchased Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health’s stake in the plan, according to an April 15 news release. Novant Health became a co-owner of the plan in 2022. HealthTeam Advantage has more than 22,000 Medicare...