For two years, Austin Collins consumed roughly 14 mg of nicotine a day — the equivalent of nine to 14 cigarettes — while vaping. Now, he consumes more than double the amount of nicotine, the equivalent of at least two packs of cigarettes, using nicotine pouches. They’re one of the...

A diverse group of public officials is calling to overturn the state’s ban on building code updates ahead of hurricane season. They argue the policy will threaten public safety, cut down federal grant funding, and increase homeowner insurance costs. Governor Roy Cooper vetoed H.B. 488 — a bill banning proposed...

Pactiv Evergreen argues it should not have to pay back the full $12 million in economic incentives given to the Canton paper mill by the state before it abruptly shut down in May 2023, leaving more than 1,000 people without a job. Attorney General Josh Stein filed a lawsuit against...

Appalachian State Athletic Director Doug Gillin, who spoke in the field house during the football team’s Media Day on Thursday, Aug. 1, said the football program is “busting at the seams.” Gillin said there is enough demand to demonstrate the need for more places to sit in Kidd Brewer Stadium....

City of Hendersonville leaders are focused on how to accommodate overwhelming post-pandemic population growth, which is projected to continue for the next two decades. That’s according to a comprehensive plan council members unanimously adopted Thursday night. The 2045 plan focuses on how the city will expand housing options while maintaining...

Starting Thursday, North Carolina Medicaid will cover weight loss medications like Wegovy and Ozempic. Known as GLP-1s (Glucagon-like Peptide agonists), they’ve become the world’s best-selling prescription medications, but they’re also some of the most expensive. Kody Kinsley, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, says people...

Democrats hope a Kamala Harris presidential campaign will reach the voters who helped flip North Carolina blue in 2008 but who have tended not to vote as much since then. Young people and Black voters, particularly in rural areas, are at the top of the list of people who have...

North Carolina agriculture is bouncing back thanks to recent rain after a drought devastated crops earlier this summer, though one county — Yadkin County, in the northwest Piedmont — remains in a severe drought. Drought conditions lifted just as suddenly as they started, with many counties, particularly in the eastern...

Past and present community leaders, residents, and even theme park actors gathered for Maggie’s 50th birthday party on July 19, though one political figure declined his invitation, claiming town leaders had lied about him. N.C. House Rep. Mark Pless, R-Haywood, declined the town’s invitation to the celebration. “Thank you for...

New federal funding will move forward a Graham County highway project – originally promised almost 60 years ago. Construction is underway on a 12-mile stretch of the Appalachian Development Highway System, dubbed “Corridor K.” However, the project’s mission to make travel and commerce more accessible in the region still hasn’t...

The Justice Department needed to file a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern for its poor handling of Amtrak’s Crescent because Class I railroads routinely ignore the law that gives passenger trains preference over freight traffic, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Trains on Wednesday. The suit, filed Tuesday, July 30, in the...

A rabid raccoon attacked Durham resident Christine Houghton in broad daylight in May when she was running on a trail at Eno River State Park. Houghton escaped by drowning the animal in nearby water, even as its teeth were still sunk into her calf. She left its carcass behind as...

The effects of deadly flooding in 2021 are still being felt in the town of Canton, but thanks to a federal funding request from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), the town is poised to take another huge step toward recovery. According to a document from the Transportation, Housing and Urban...

The North Carolina Department of Air Quality determined the state can meet federal air requirements without annual vehicle emission inspections for 18 counties, including New Hanover, but environmentalists argue the change will harm public health even if air pollution levels remain under legal limits. The 1970 Clean Air Act gave...

Kane Realty, one of Raleigh’s most influential developers, is investing heavily to turn a once industrial corner of downtown into its next residential and retail destination. The intrigue: It’s dubbing the area — bordered by Boylan Heights to the west, the Warehouse District and the railroad to the north, and...