Karen Kistler/The Salisbury Post     Awareness was one thing that many spoke about at this year’s Earth Day Jam. Whether it was telling about a particular nonprofit or the mission of the event in general or a group raising environmental awareness, that was the message they wanted to share. Earth Day...

Liz McLaughlin/WRAL News More than a month after the Fayetteville Public Works Commission reported that $60 million in federal funding for a PFAS filtration system was under review, the money remains in limbo. The project is intended to remove harmful “forever chemicals” from the city’s drinking water and help the...

Jane Winik Sartwell/Carolina Public Press Extensive personnel shortages at the NC Forest Service hampered the agency’s ability to manage the wildfires that raged in Western North Carolina this spring, state and county officials say. According to Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, 100 positions are vacant at the agency. Fast forward to...

Luke Garrett/WFAE Radio The Trump administration is considering new semiconductor tariffs, after the White House exempted certain electronics from reciprocal tariffs. “We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigation,” Trump posted on social media. Kevin Hassett, director of...

Becky Johnson/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer A triumphant victory in mining rock for Interstate 40 slide repairs from the nearby national forest was announced by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration two weeks ago — but the reality isn’t quite what was telegraphed by the agency. A press release declared that the federal...

Erica Meltzer/Education NC After this story published, President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on most tariffs but said tariffs on China would increase to 125% in retaliation for the China’s response to American tariffs. Faced with rising food costs and delivery fees approaching $400,000 a year, Lauren Weyand decided...

Bill Moss/The Hendersonville Lightning Henderson County and the city of Hendersonville are either edging toward a new escalation in their decades-long war over water and sewer service or tilting instead toward settlement negotiations. The Board of Commissioners appeared to be deadlocked 2-2 on a resolution in support of a bill...

Jennifer Fernandez/NC Health News In a small room at Hillcrest Elementary School in Burlington, students can now meet with a doctor during the school day — virtually. The school joins a growing network across North Carolina where students don’t have to leave school to be seen for physical or behavioral...

Brighton McConnell/WCHL Chapelboro An increased offer of financial contributions to Chapel Hill’s affordable housing efforts helped save a new apartment community along South Elliott Road from falling short in a town council vote Wednesday night. Town council members ultimately approved the conditional zoning application for 200 South Elliott Road with...

The High Point Enterprise A fire at a metal recycling plant grew on Sunday to cover 2 acres of the operation and sent up a large, black plume of smoke, the Kernersville Fire Rescue Department said. The fire at OmniSource Corp.’s plant in the 1400 block of West Mountain Street...

Andrew R. Jones/Asheville Watchdog The mother of a patient who has been at Mission Hospital for nearly four years did not receive due process when a judge found her in contempt of court and ordered her jailed until her son leaves the hospital, Buncombe County public defenders and independent legal...

Shelby Perusi & Angie Schwab/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer When Amanda Stacy, 39, woke up to find her home on fire, her life was irrevocably changed. The electrical fire that tore through her singlewide trailer in the middle of the night reduced everything her family owned to ashes. “We lost everything,” recalled...

Liz Schlemmer/WUNC Radio A bill to grant public schools more control over their academic calendars is advancing in the state Senate. The bill would allow school boards to begin their school year up to a week earlier in August than current state law allows. Supporters say it should address school...

Richard Craver/The (Greensboro) News & Record With the national expansion of legalized sports wagering, including in North Carolina since March 2023, nearly 85% of U.S. adults actively participate in at least one of the six financial vices. Those vices, as defined in a recent Bankrate.com survey, are alcohol, casino games,...

Emma Dill/WilmingtonBiz Up to $855 million in tax-exempt bonds could help Novant Health finance projects across the Carolinas, including upgrades at facilities in the Cape Fear region. Proceeds from the sale of the bonds would help fund various Novant projects, including the construction of Scotts Hill Medical Center, along with...