Paul Garber/WFDD Radio It could be months before we know how Medicaid could be affected as Congress attempts to trim $2 trillion from federal government spending. State lawmakers have started planning for a possible decrease in funds. Republicans in the North Carolina House of Representatives, including Donny Lambeth of Forsyth...

Jakob Emerson/Becker’s Payer Issues Southern Pines-based FirstCarolinaCare and Champaign, Ill.-based Health Alliance will no longer offer any insurance plans past 2025, with the exception of Medicare Advantage. The organizations cited medical inflation, rising prescription drug costs, increased utilization, higher volumes of chronic conditions, and an increased demand for technology and...

Paul B. Johnson/High Point Enterprise A rematch may be shaping up in the general election race next year for Guilford County sheriff. Republican Phil Byrd announced this week that he will run for the party’s nomination to take on Democratic Sheriff Danny Rogers in the fall 2026 election. Rogers defeated...

Matthew Sockol/WNCN News The Duke University Board of Trustees approved a 5.9% increase in the total cost of attendance for undergraduate students during the 2025-26 academic year, the university said Tuesday. In 2024-25, undergraduate tuition was $66,325 and the total cost of attendance, including fees, room, and boarding, was $88,886....

James Farrell/WFAE Radio Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials said at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting that the district is making progress in helping students earn industry credentials. It’s part of the district’s overall goal to increase the percentage of students graduating on track to be enrolled, enlisted and employed. CMS officials say...

Ken Lemon/WSOC News  A woman who nearly bankrupted a Gastonia cancer treatment center will spend 18 months in federal prison. Stephanie Roberts accepted her sentence Wednesday four years after the crime. She claims she did it because of her anxiety. Leaders at Cancer Services of Gaston County said they are...

Gary D. Robertson/The Associated Press Another $500 million would be spent toward Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in western North Carolina in legislation the state House unanimously approved Tuesday. The measure, if enacted, would add to the funds the Republican-controlled General Assembly already approved in late 2024 to spend on disaster...

Alan Wooten/The Center Square  Interest-free loans for Hurricane Helene relief have begun to flow, the North Carolina treasurer says. Buncombe County ($8.4 million), Chimney Rock Village ($7.7 million) and the city of Morganton ($5.4 million) were the three largest. Twenty governments were awarded more than $1 million. The first round...

Julian Berger/WFAE Radio North Carolina Senate Republicans filed a bill Monday to require state law enforcement agencies to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The “North Carolina Border Protection Act” would require the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Adult Correction, the State Highway Patrol and the State...

WWAY News The North Carolina Department of Transportation is expected to replace three bridges in Wrightsville Beach, according to the town. The Town of Wrightsville Beach says that due to the aging infrastructure of these bridges, it has been determined that the three bridges must be replaced, as upkeep and...

Becky Johnson/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Local governments in Haywood County have been hemorrhaging cash to pay for flood recovery and repairs, with no clear timeline for when FEMA reimbursements will start rolling in. Towns and the county have been footing the bill for everything from roadside debris pick-up to bridge repairs...

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily A local state legislator aims to enshrine legal marriages between those in the LGBTQ+ community in North Carolina as protections for the community erode at the federal level. New Hanover County’s Rep. Deb Butler introduced two bills affecting the North Carolina General Assembly Monday. The bills...

Coastal Review Online Of the more than $265 million that will go to fund 99 drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects in 45 counties, about $60 million will go to the coast, the governor’s office announced last Friday. “When we invest in our infrastructure, we build a stronger and safer...

Laura Leslie/WRAL News Michelle Kirchner graduated from NC State in spring 2024 with a double Ph.D. in biology and entomology. She was excited to find a position with the United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] that allowed her to apply her scientific skills outside the lab. Kirchner was working in...

Jessica Stump/The Watauga Democrat Appalachian State University has received a Research Activity Designation of Research 2 from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education — the nation’s leading framework for categorizing U.S. higher education institutions. This new designation is awarded to institutions with high research activity and doctorate production....