Matthew Dembicki/Education NC There are anecdotal stories about how wraparound services — from child care and transportation, to mental health and academic and career counseling — are helping to keep community college students enrolled and on a path to completion. Now, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (Richmond Fed) wants...

Colin Campbell/WUNC Radio The N.C. House recently passed a bill to allow the state treasurer to invest a portion of state pension funds in cryptocurrency and other digital assets. First-term Rep. Mike Schietzelt, R-Wake, made the case for the bill on the House floor, amid concerns from state employees and...

Zachery Eanes/Axios Raleigh Data analytics company SAS Institute is now using technology from the video game maker Epic Games to make “digital twins” for its customers. Why it matters: It’s the first time that Cary’s two largest tech firms, led by the state’s two richest residents, have ever publicly partnered...

William R. Toler/The Richmond Observer Esther Jones was wheeled into her new home late Friday morning by the man who saved her life: state Rep. Dean Arp. “This is beautiful,” she said as Arp pushed her through the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home built just a few miles south at the Cavco...

Becky Johnson/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Dueling civil lawsuits have landed Shining Rock Classical Academy charter school in the crosshairs of an emotional court trial in Haywood County. On one side, parents, former staff and a former board member have portrayed Head of School Josh Morgan as a controlling leader who is...

Daniel Sheehan/Wilmington StarNews New Hanover County purchased the 60-acre Bryan Tract for $11.6 million to create a community greenspace. The county’s two-thirds ownership stake reduced their cost to $3.86 million, funded without raising property taxes. Future development is possible for several large properties, including the 65-acre Beau Rivage tract and...

John Boyle/Asheville Watchdog Western North Carolina’s congressional representative and a state senator pushing a bold Helene-related recovery plan are at loggerheads over the bill’s potential effects, with both issuing barbed statements about the other’s take on the proposal. U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards says a state bill sponsored by Republican state...

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily A general aviation project is now in a holding pattern as two of the airport’s tenants seek relief from Superior Court and the Federal Aviation Administration. ARQ Realty has pulled back on its plans to construct a 30-acre private-aircraft base at Wilmington International Airport after airport...

Trista Talton/Coastal Review North Carolinians whose raw drinking water sources are contaminated with chemical compounds will have to wait at least another two months before proposed rules establishing monitoring requirements for dischargers go out for public comment. The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission’s Water Quality Committee unanimously voted earlier this...

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News Canton’s toilets will continue to flush thanks to an agreement born of urgency but put on paper with cooperation and cautious optimism. After a closed session discussion on May 8, the Town of Canton Board of Aldermen/Women approved an interim agreement with Two Banks Development to...

Kristen Blair/Education NC More than 1,500 students have enrolled or been offered seats at 10 new North Carolina charter schools expected to open this fall. Enrollment numbers for these “Ready to Open” (RTO) schools were presented for the first time to the North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board (CSRB) on...

Paul Nielsen/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Damage repair from Helene is picking up steam in Maggie Valley. Town alderman recently approved more than $400,000 in contracts for three storm-related projects with the bulk of the money going for two sewer projects. The biggest fix is a $332,000 project to repair damage to...

Michael Koh/WCHL Chapelboro An Orange County property owner is facing numerous charges after a party on his land attended by more than 2,500 people led to underage, intoxicated revelers wandering through traffic and numerous calls for assistance. Dwight B. Poole, 60, is charged with six counts of aiding and abetting...

Jose Sandoval & Lilly Knoepp/Blue Ridge Public Radio Vecinos, a non-profit free clinic and rural health center dedicated to serving uninsured and underinsured residents, has opened a new permanent location in Franklin. The new Macon County community health hub will serve residents of Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, and Swain counties...

Audrey Kashatus/Watauga Democrat On a wet, early April afternoon, the air was thick and humid, moisture hanging heavy. Rain was spitting down slowly after a few hours of steady showers. Everything was wet. Nestled in a valley amongst rivers and creeks, Valle Crucis is a small community just west of...