Grace Vitaglione/NC Health News Lindsi Franklin’s son, Isaac, was 9 years old in June 2024 when doctors found an abscess in his stomach and a section of diseased bowel. He was diagnosed with severe Crohn’s disease — Isaac’s immune system had decided that his own intestines were an enemy. Franklin’s...

Mebane Rash/Education NC The U.S. Department of Education said in a press release Thursday that it is requiring K-12 school districts and state departments of education to certify compliance with federal civil rights law within 10 days as a condition of receiving federal dollars. The press release specifically requests certification...

Gerard Albert III/Blue Ridge Public Radio North Carolina Forest Service crews work to dig a fire line near Holbert Cove road on March 26, 2025. Trees blown down by Hurricane Helene impeded hundreds of firefighters working to control wildfires that burned thousands of acres throughout the Carolinas last month. And...

Paul Nielsen/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer People were so ready to use the Depot Street bridge that two cars drove around “street closed” signs as Waynesville officials were preparing for a ribbon cutting Friday morning to officially reopen the vital link into downtown. That meant that a car driven by Mayor Gary...

Pat Kimbrough/The High Point Enterprise Southside residents gave city leaders an earful Thursday night over concerns about water quality, gentrification and other issues in their neighborhood. They reported discolored water coming out of the faucets in their homes and fears of industrial pollution in Richland Creek, which runs through the...

Collin Binkley, Annie Ma & Makiya Seminera/The Associated Press A crackdown on foreign students is alarming colleges, who say the Trump administration is using new tactics and vague justifications to push some students out of the country. College officials worry the new approach will keep foreigners from wanting to study...

Stan Choe/The Associated Press Wall Street shuddered, and a level of shock unseen since COVID’s outbreak tore through financial markets worldwide Thursday on worries about the damage President Donald Trump’s newest set of tariffs could do to economies across continents, including his own. The S&P 500 sank 4.8%, more than...

James Farrell/WUNC Radio The North Carolina State Board of Education members said Wednesday that they still have reservations about a state pilot program that gives grants to a company that uses a video game to teach kids science, technology, engineering and math concepts. Plasma Games develops a science-fiction-themed video game...

Emily Walkenhorst/WRAL News One in 10 North Carolina teachers quit from 2023 to 2024 – 9.9% – according to the State of the Teaching Profession report released Wednesday afternoon. It’s a slight improvement from the previous report and continues to reflect a change in the state’s teacher workforce, with more...

Peter Castagno/Port City Daily Sen. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) introduced a bill directing state regulators to adopt industrial PFAS discharge limits and safe drinking water standards. Environmentalist groups that previously criticized the local senator’s PFAS legislative record broadly expressed support for his new legislation. Sen. Michael Lee introduced SB 666...

Korie Dean/The (Raleigh) News & Observer NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson told The News & Observer on Thursday that university officials were surprised to learn that two of the university’s international students had lost their visas, adding that both students — who have since left the country — were...

Aarik Long/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer As money becomes available for repairs, towns in Western North Carolina are facing a new challenge when tackling the destruction of Hurricane Helene. Everyone is looking for contractors to help out with their work — at the same time. In Canton, numerous projects have been out...

Justin Welch/(NC State) Technician In November, Marshall Brain II, then director of NC State’s Engineering Entrepreneurs Program, died by suicide in his Centennial Campus office. Hours before he was found by University police, Brain sent an email to his colleagues entitled, “I want to help you understand.” The 12-page email...

Mebane Rash/Education NC Three “Dear Colleague” letters issued back-to-back are further shaping the impact of President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon on schools, districts, and state departments on issues including student privacy, COVID funding, and using federal funding to support provide more choice for parents within public schools....

Insurance Journal North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said Tuesday that he had negotiated a lower average rate increase for mobile home policies than the North Carolina Rate Bureau had asked for. “I am happy to announce that North Carolina mobile homeowners will save more than $10 million a year...