Asheville Watchdog A Mission Hospital pharmacy program that provides and tracks patients’ medications to ensure their safety has been plagued by nearly constant turnover for years, Asheville Watchdog has learned. Despite warnings from a supervisor about dangerous errors that could result from staff departures, hospital leadership did not take significant...

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News Apprehension over the fate of a huge industrial parcel in the heart of Canton is now transitioning to cautious optimism. A press release issued Jan. 10 by the St. Louis-based developer who’s been pursuing the 185-acre plot upon which the shuttered Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in...

Peter Castagno/Port City Daily The City of Asheboro dramatically increased discharges of a toxic chemical flowing downstream into the water supply of the tri-county region after a judge halted its regulation. The Environmental Protection Agency is threatening to take over the permit’s enforcement unless North Carolina reinstates discharge limits. North...

Jennifer Allen Cape/Coastal Review Online A recent U.S. Geological Survey study projects that rising sea levels and stronger, more intense storms will exacerbate four specific coastal hazards and associated management challenges for Cape Lookout National Seashore. Rising waters and eroding or sinking lands may be unsurprising on the coast, but...

Keith T. Barber/The (Burlington) Times-News The inspiration to build a film school from scratch in Alamance County began 11 years ago for veteran filmmakers Dean Jones and Starr Jones while working on a locally-produced film project, Jones said. “It started with a film that we had produced here in 2013...

Luke Barber/The Watauga Democrat Watauga County is progressing with hurricane debris removal efforts after contracting with the US Army Corps of Engineers, although it may take some time before the public engineering agency makes its way to the area. According to Watauga County Emergency Services Director Will Holt, the US...

Jimmy Potts/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Haywood County commissioners asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to “step it up” regarding its response in the wake of Hurricane Helene. County Commissioner Jennifer Best kicked off a lengthy dialogue with her fellow commissioners criticizing FEMA’s response so far during a county meeting on Monday....

Pat Kimbrough/The High Point Enterprise The public will have an opportunity next week to weigh in on a proposed new city zoning district aimed at revitalizing former industrial parts of High Point. The Southwest Mill District, created in coordination with the city and the Southwest Renewal Foundation, is intended to...

Liz Schlemmer/WUNC Radio NC public schools have been hit with a major data breach of teachers’ and students’ personal information. A hacker attacked the PowerSchool information system that schools use to track data on student enrollment, grades, health and attendance. PowerSchool is the largest provider of cloud-based education software for...

Rusty Jacobs/WUNC Radio There’s a legal principle — enshrined in a 2006 U.S. Supreme Court case known as Purcell — that says judicial intervention too close to an election is inappropriate because it could undermine the integrity of the voting process. And that principle is why North Carolina Supreme Court...

Rachel Crumpler/NC Health News Overdose is a significant cause of maternal death in North Carolina, according to the state’s latest maternal mortality review. Among the 76 pregnancy-related deaths that occurred in North Carolina in 2018 and 2019, a little over one quarter — 20 deaths — were from overdoses. Nearly...

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily A 20-acre plat annexed into Wilmington city limits in December has been greenlit for 253 apartment units, despite city staff’s claims the development is not suitable for the area. Developer HHHunt wants to build an apartment complex, Abberly Landing, at 7725, 7729, 7753 and 7759 Alexander...

April Laissle/WFDD Radio A judge ruled Wednesday that a lawsuit related to a 2022 fire at the Winston Weaver fertilizer plant can move forward as a class action. Should the plaintiffs win the suit, approximately 6,500 residents who evacuated during the incident could become eligible for compensation. The plaintiffs allege...

Trista Talton/Coastal Review Online They did it. The final $1 million grant the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust needs to top off the cash pot necessary to buy the undeveloped southern tip of Topsail Island has come through. Coastal Land Trust Executive Director Harrison Marks said he anticipates closing on...

Molly Wilhelm/Wilmington StarNews The North Carolina State Ports Authority has submitted an application for a rail line upgrade to improve storage and switching at the Port of Wilmington. Alongside two other ongoing projects, the expansion could help to alleviate traffic congestion on local roadways. The project proposes an upgrade to...