Omira Thompson sat on the floor Wednesday feeding lunch to two of the boys in her infant classroom at First Presbyterian Child Development Center. One made a face, then tried to wipe out his mouth with his bib, which made Thompson laugh. “Guess he doesn’t like pear,” she said. Thompson,...

Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang is causing increasing concern in the United States, even though the group appears to have no substantial US presence and looks unlikely to establish one. US federal lawmakers recently asked President Joe Biden to declare Tren de Aragua a transnational criminal organization, calling the group...

Currituck County will appeal the March 19 unanimous decision by the North Carolina Court of Appeals that the county has improperly spent occupancy tax funds. The county has 35 calendar days from the date of the decision to file their appeal with the State Supreme Court. Chair of the Currituck...

We use the internet for just about everything. It’s needed for school, work, entertainment. Maybe even your laundry machine connects to it. But internet, let alone good internet is not a given in some rural areas. A lack of internet access in poses challenges for existing businesses and potential growth...

Developers looking to build in rural parts of Moore County could incur higher set-up fees when tapping into county water and wastewater infrastructure under a new draft proposal. At its Tuesday meeting, The Board of Commissioners approved initiating the process of updating the fees that allow for county utilities to...

Fayetteville has missed the deadline to submit its annual audit to the state for the second time in a row. The city had until April 1 to submit its fiscal year 2022-23 audit to the N.C. Dept. of State Treasurer, but will be turning it in late, according to an...

The North Carolina Democratic Party is leading its Republican counterpart in fundraising. Both parties have new leaders but Democrats enter election season with triple what the GOP has in the bank to fund campaign efforts. The state political party organizations help build the infrastructure for successful campaigns. So far this...

Two lawsuits challenging how North Carolina legislators recently tightened same-day voter registration can continue, even though state election officials have recently made adjustments to address a judge’s constitutional concerns. U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder refused on Tuesday to dismiss the suits filed by several voter advocacy groups and a voter,...

The controversial nonprofit operated by Yolanda Hill, the wife of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, appears likely to close at the end of April. In an email obtained by The Assembly, Hill told clients of Balanced Nutrition Inc.—which assists daycares in securing federal funding to feed low-income children—that “with a heavy...

When Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey met last month in Manteo for a brief overview and Q&A with community members worried about property insurance issues, he stressed that his office had limited power over building code changes and insurance company business decisions in North Carolina that have unnerved homeowners. First of...

More than 10,000 North Carolina teachers left the state’s classrooms in 2023, the highest 12-month total reported in at least the past two decades, according to a new state report. The exodus, up 42% from 2022, was fueled in part by resignations among first-year teachers and teachers newly eligible for...

North Carolina’s regional managed care organizations that will administer specialized Medicaid plans for people with complex needs say they’re ready for the plans — which have had multiple delays — to finally go live on July 1. CEOs for the four organizations, known as LME-MCOs, appeared Tuesday before the state...

The Haywood County Farm Bureau’s legislative breakfast is an annual tradition where the usual topics of conversation include crop prices, ever-escalating expenses, fuel and fertilizer costs, migrant labor policies, subsidies and what is — and isn’t — in the federal government’s current or proposed Farm Bill. But this year’s gathering,...

Waynesville Pharmacy, an institution since 1890, closed its doors last week. Long-time customers are mourning not only the closure of the family-run business but the end of an era, as another piece of Waynesville’s small-town identity and soul are lost to the changing times. “They knowed everybody by name,” said...

Buncombe County Commissioners will soon vote on a proposal to develop a program that would pay Airbnb owners between $12,000-$20,000 to convert their properties into affordable housing. The current estimates to pay Airbnb owners are lower than Buncombe County’s average subsidy for a new affordable housing unit through the Affordable...