General Electric Aerospace will make a $650 million investment in its manufacturing facilities and supply chain in 2024, with multi-millions coming to its local facility on Castle Hayne Road. The money will fund increased production to support its commercial and defense customers. A spokesperson for GE Aerospace said it’s to...

For many college students, the timing of North Carolina’s legalization of sports betting had a storybook feel. After Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 347 into law last June, the State Lottery Commission made January 8 the target date for going live. But logistical hurdles pushed the start date back...

Guilford County government currently plays only a minor role in matters related to water systems – that service has always been one provided by towns and cities. However, that could change in a big way as Guilford County government is now considering the ways in which it could play a...

Major political parties’ nominees for governor, Democrat Josh Stein and Republican Mark Robinson, are viewed favorably by just 37% of likely voters statewide. But Robinson faces far more critics than Stein, according to a new WRAL News poll. Twenty-eight percent of likely voters say they hold an unfavorable view of...

The Lexington City Schools Board of Education voted to start the next academic year earlier than outlined by state law. The district joins several others in the state making the same decision. North Carolina legislation states that school can’t start before the Monday closest to August 26. But several districts...

The plane is a Cessna Caravan 208B EX, and is loaded with the latest technology. Jamie Bishop, IOMAX vice president of engineering, said, “The aircraft is equipped with a variety of state-of-the-art equipment such as the high definition L3 Wescan MX-15 EO/IR sensor and Thales I-master radar. These devices are...

The North Carolina Department of Labor last week fined a farm in Nash County $187,509 after the death of a seasonal farm worker last September. The department cited Barnes Farming with what’s called a “willful serious violation,” along with two other “serious” violations, fining the company the maximum penalty. The...

The aroma of cigarettes, coffee, and Snickers bars fills the air outside of Fowler’s Supermarket on a rainy Sunday morning. Just before they head to church, a dozen men gather on the long wooden benches and plastic rocking chairs outside the store and debrief the local goings on. It’s been...

North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature unlawfully tried to seize from the governor the power to choose elections board members in the battleground state, trial judges ruled while saying portions of a new election law must be permanently blocked. The three-judge panel sided unanimously with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in his lawsuit...

A crowd of elected officials and local stakeholders were given insight into the future of Wilmington homelessness if more housing isn’t built at the Cape Fear Housing Coalition’s annual affordable housing event. Gregg Colburn, an associate professor of real estate at the University of Washington and researcher and author on...

Amid what they call “direct attacks” from the North Carolina legislature against LGBTQ+ students, Brennan Lewis recalled how one club at their former Wake County high school helped them in a special way. The club was a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), more commonly known now as Gender and Sexualities Alliances....

Thousands of North Carolina teens and young adults have taken part in programs in the past year that are aimed at helping them to quit vaping or to prevent them from starting. Funding for the programs comes from a $40 million settlement the state won in 2021 against e-cigarette maker...

After July 1, the University of Virginia and other public institutions in the state will no longer be able to give an admissions advantage to students who are connected to alums or donors. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a new bill into law on Friday that will end the use...

More than 4.5 million visitors flock to the mountains annually for one attraction, making it the single most-visited attraction in North Carolina — and the region’s single largest employer. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is a massive operation requiring 3,000 employees at the flagship location — which lies just over Soco...

The nation’s wildlife refuges have taken a federal funding cut that is expected to shutter more visitors’ centers, diminish wildlife management capabilities and further trim an already wafer-thin force of wildlife officers. With just hours looming before a government shutdown, the Senate on Friday approved a resolution to fund about...