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...

Peter Castagno/Port City Daily A renewable energy advocacy group is urging Gov. Josh Stein to oppose legislation that would allow Duke Energy to charge customers upfront costs for new power plants. The nonprofit argued ratepayers should not bear additional risks since Duke has a history of expensive canceled nuclear projects....

Sarah Michels/Carolina Public Press When Anderson Clayton took control of the North Carolina Democratic Party at 25 years old, she knew she needed to make some changes. The previous election cycle, Democrats had left a quarter of the state’s legislative seats unchallenged, giving Republicans a free ride to Raleigh. From...

Mary Helen Moore/NC Newsroom Sports betting brought in $128 million in taxes the first year it was legal in North Carolina. With that figure projected to grow, legislators are seeking to change who gets a cut, a move that will benefit state schools’ athletics departments. Both chambers’ budgets would, for...

Felicia Sonmez/Blue Ridge Public Radio Norfolk Southern will rebuild a key section of track east of Asheville, officials confirmed Tuesday. The plan may pave the way for the eventual return of passenger rail service to Western North Carolina. The 16-mile stretch was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene. It includes the...

Jaymie Baxley & Rose Hoban/NC Health News Sally Herndon has spent more than three decades working to get North Carolinians to quit smoking. As head of the state Health Department’s Tobacco Prevention and Control branch, she oversaw various initiatives aimed at reducing tobacco and e-cigarette use among young people. She...

Vicki Hyatt/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer N.C. Rep. Mark Pless’s proposals to change requirements for emergency medical personnel and remove local government control over ambulance services are dead in the water, at least for this session of the General Assembly, much to the relief of a number of EMS personnel across the...

Alan Wooten/The Center Square Regulations imposed, American consumers ultimately paying, and industry volatility are damaging impacts from across-the-board tariffs in a world economy where measures vary by country and product. “The reason managed trade doesn’t work is no one is smart enough to manage it,” said H.O Woltz, president of...

Lucas Thomae/Carolina Public Press When Tropical Storm Helene tore across North Carolina in September, it left behind more than just downed trees and flooded homes. It ripped open a hidden fault line in the state’s transportation system — one that has existed for the state’s roads, largely unquestioned, for nearly...

Steve Harrison/WFAE Radio Republican Edwin Peacock was appointed Monday to finish the final six months of Tariq Bokhari’s City Council seat representing District 6 in south Charlotte. Bokhari resigned last month for a high-level job with the Federal Transit Administration. The vote deadlocked, with five voting for Peacock and 5...

Jessica Wakeman/Blue Ridge Public Radio Funding to rebuild in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene is severely lagging, according to new data released by North Carolina’s Office of State Budget Management (OSBM). Overall, federal and state government funding allocated for Helene recovery has totaled about $5.95 billion—only about 10% of...