Three lawsuits filed in 2024 against the U.S. Forest Service highlight concerns that the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forest Land Management Plan is failing to protect mature and old-growth forests, safeguard endangered species and evaluate the climate impact of timber cutting accurately. The Forest Service finalized its forest plan for...

The leadership of North Carolina’s public university system is expected to vote this week to repeal its diversity policies, raising questions of what’s to come for thousands of minority students at the state’s 17 UNC System campuses and hundreds of professors and staff who work to promote diversity, equity and...

Haywood County fly anglers are trying to counteract a massive reduction in the trout stockpile, viewing it as a detriment to trout fishing and a hindrance to the outdoor industry. Trout stocked in Western North Carolina rivers and streams will be curtailed by two-thirds over the next few years due...

Recently, the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority awarded a contract to Lindsey Architecture, P.C. to provide the architectural and engineering design services for the Authority’s “Terminal Modernization Project.” The total estimated fees and expenses under the contract come to $13,428,986. That’s just for the design phase; once that phase is complete,...

A prominent clean energy nonprofit issued a new proposal to revise Duke Energy’s carbon plan to expand rooftop solar throughout the state, arguing the strategy would address climate change and result in lower costs for ratepayers. NC WARN is a Durham-based nonprofit focused on promoting the clean energy transition in...

Developers looking to build a high-end automotive motorsport park have chosen a 400-acre tract near the Moore-Montgomery county line for the project. The Uwharrie Motorsports Park and Resort would represent a $100 million investment on Leach Road north of NC 24-27 and south of Spies Road just a few miles...

In its final week of classes, Western Carolina University became the subject of a video that went viral on social media in which a trans woman was filmed inside a women’s bathroom on campus. In a video posted by Payton McNabb, a student at WCU, on X at 5:04 p.m....

A 2021 lawsuit filed against the University of North Carolina School of the Arts alleging years-long sexual misconduct has been settled for $12.5 million. The settlement agreement announced Friday ends litigation filed by 65 UNCSA alumni. The plaintiffs alleged sexual abuse and misconduct at the UNCSA from the 1970s to...

The Alamance-Burlington Board of Education approved budget cuts and a plan to ask county commissioners for more funding for the 2024-2025 school year. The board gave a “reluctant unanimous vote” for plans proposed by interim superintendent Dr. Bill Harrison at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting. Under the approved budget, several...

A lower-than-expected revenue surplus could delay extra funding for a private school voucher program. State House leaders are looking for other sources of money before taking action on the issue. Late last week, state budget officials announced that personal income tax collections in April weren’t as high as they’d predicted....

During the 2023-24 school year, 169 of the state’s 210 charter schools reported having a waitlist, according to a new report from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Together, the waitlist totals more than 85,000 students. However, that number could include duplicate students on multiple waitlists, Ashley Baquero, DPI’s director...

Pactiv Evergreen has inked a deal to sell the shuttered Canton paper mill to a buyer that would demo and redevelop the site, pending due diligence and final negotiations. Pactiv Evergreen announced Tuesday it had signed an exclusive letter of intent to sell the former Canton mill site to Spirtas...

Although the vote was close, the Lee County school board on Tuesday agreed to join several neighboring counties in suing social media companies for causing various problems with students. Board members talked about the mental health issues associated with too much social media interactions by students on sites such as...

For almost six years, R struggled with addiction. He said he tried to quit using opioids and benzodiazepines more than 50 times — mostly “cold turkey” — but it never worked. In 2020, he got arrested. When he got out of jail on bond a few days later, R said...

The Wayne County town of Fremont is under investigation for allegedly letting people live inside Town Hall, among other violations, according to the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor. An investigative audit found eight violations of town policy, state law and federal tax law in Fremont. Among the allegations,...