Colin Campbell/WUNC Radio Gov. Josh Stein’s newly released budget recommendations include a plan to increase starting teacher pay above $50,000, with the goal of making it the highest in the Southeast. Stein noted in his State of the State address that Republicans in the N.C. House have already filed a...

The Associated Press Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation Sunday in a North Carolina county still recovering from Hurricane Helene, and South Carolina’s governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in that state. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety announced a mandatory evacuation starting at 8:20 p.m....

Peter Castagno/Port City Daily An international advocacy group is partnering with Brunswick County residents pushing county officials to ensure safe water for African American and low-income residents. This comes as federal spending cuts reduce grant opportunities, leading some to argue the county should directly fund water extensions. International human rights...

Paul Nielsen/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer The idea of banning new vacation rentals in certain Waynesville neighborhoods appears to have fizzled out. A surge in homes being converted to vacation rentals and the associated problems that come with that prompted Waynesville last year to consider whether it’s time to rein them in....

Jack Evans/Asheville Watchdog In 2004, David Clarke, a botanist who teaches in the biology department at the University of North Carolina Asheville, bought a house on Dortch Avenue, on an edge of the Five Points neighborhood that bleeds into campus. The home was still under construction when Clarke set his...

Nick Fogleman/The Watauga Democrat The Blowing Rock Town Council has tabled a proposed rezoning and redevelopment project for further discussion following concerns over building height, aesthetics and overall community impact. Chris Barefoot of Oak Hill Management presented plans to redevelop the Shoppes on the Parkway property into a mixed-use residential...

WRAL News Brad Briner left a career in high finance to pursue one of the highest-pressure roles in North Carolina government: state treasurer. The treasurer’s department is responsible for managing one of the biggest pension plans in the nation, as well as overseeing health benefits for hundreds of thousands of...

MacKenzie Sigalos/CNBC Bo Hines has no professional background in crypto. He earned his law degree three years ago from Wake Forest. He’s twice unsuccessfully run for Congress in North Carolina. Now the 29-year-old former football player is wrapping up his second month as one of the leaders of President Donald...

Cristina Bolling/Charlotte Ledger For years leading up to 2023, the financial situation at the Aldersgate retirement community in east Charlotte was quietly deteriorating, and neither state regulators nor residents grasped the magnitude of what was happening. Entrance fee refunds that were due to former residents or their estates were going...

Jane Winik Sartwell/Carolina Public Press Last year was an all-time low in the history of North Carolina farming, thanks to drought and flood. Farmers are desperate to catch a break in 2025. But just as planting season begins, large swaths of the state are still plagued by dry conditions. At...

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra/WUNC Radio North Carolina is home to more than half a million people of Mexican origin, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The Consulate of Mexico in Raleigh is tasked with serving thousands of them annually across the Carolinas and surrounding states. WUNC sat down with Roberto Burgos, the...

Christopher Milller/The (Concord) Independent Tribune As Cabarrus County continues to see its population increase — it is among the fastest growing counties in the state — so too does Concord-Padgett Regional Airport. Just in the past year, the airport, located at 7435 Zephyr Place NW, Concord, formed a partnership with...

Ben Humphries/EducationNC At a press conference on Wednesday, lawmakers and advocates unveiled a bill to restrict youth vaping in North Carolina. The bill would raise the minimum age to buy tobacco in North Carolina from 18 to 21. Federally, the required age has been 21 since 2019. It would also...

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily Amid commissioner budget discussions on Thursday, county manager Chris Coudriet confirmed progress on the Northside Food Co-op’s grocery store, planned for 10th and Post streets, has been halted at least temporarily. After a question about a hold on the store from Chair Bill Rivenbark, Coudriet told...

Kathy N. Ross/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Almost six months after Hurricane Helene, work will soon begin to start removing flood debris from the Pigeon River. The first phase will focus on removing debris that could pose a hazard to public structures, particularly bridges. An initial 22 sites have been identified, all...