Molly Steur/Education NC The State Board of Education convened virtually this week for its monthly meeting, discussing the new state budget, which was passed by the General Assembly last week and signed into law by Gov. John Stein on Tuesday. The Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) Senior Director of Government...

Kyle Perrotti/Smoky Mountain News  Franklin’s town council has approved a one-year moratorium on the development of any new data centers. The town follows in the footsteps of a growing number of local governments, including those in the Smoky Mountain News coverage area like Canton, Swain County and the Eastern Band...

Dasia Williams/CityView Behind a clear face shield, 15-year-old Carson Stroup steadies a piece of high-carbon steel against a moving belt grinder, carefully easing it forward with practiced hands. Just a few feet away, Josiah Santos leans over a precision measuring gauge, carefully checking the thickness of a knife blank before...

Emily Walkenhorst/WRAL News Three Wake County elementary schools have structural problems that need to be repaired before students would be allowed to enter the buildings — raising questions about whether the school year will be delayed for those schools. The school board plans to meet Monday to approve contracts for...

Jamie Haase/Outer Banks Voice Not too long ago, great white sharks remained largely absent from the East Coast imagination. Spotting one along the Mid-Atlantic felt like something that was supposed to happen somewhere else—in places like California, South Africa and Australia. The Atlantic seemed little more than open water en...

Alan Wooten/The Center Square  Information systems auditing of a North Carolina city has led two City Council members to pay thousands to clear unpenalized late utility bills, and given clarity to what residents believed was double-billing. Rocky Mount did not double bill utility customers, says the analysis from the office...

Lauren Rhodes/WUNC News Despite recent showers, Durham and Orange counties remain in exceptional drought along with other Triangle area counties — the strongest category. Experts predict summer rain will continue, although rainfall will likely remain spotty. The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council releases updated conditions every Thursday. This week,...

Mary Smith/WNCN A concerning intestinal illness has been making its rounds in more than a dozen states, including North Carolina. It’s linked to a parasite called “Cyclospora,” found in food and water. It causes the illness cyclosporiasis. “It happens when you accidentally swallow the parasite and there’s a seasonal pattern...

Christine Zhu/NC Newsline A new study is refuting claims by critics that the solar industry is taking over productive farmland and interfering with agricultural production. “You travel across the state of North Carolina, and it’s occupying the best farmland in the state,” said N.C. House Agriculture Chairman Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin)...

Noor Nazir/WFAE Radio It’s rush hour at the intersection of West Boulevard and Camden Road in South End. Shoes strike the pavement as office workers cross the street. A train bell rings nearby. And one by one, men in button-ups and other commuters whiz through the intersection on electric scooters...

Lucas Thomae/Carolina Public Press A former state health director, a family physician and a coalition of healthcare organizations are working to bring perinatal care closer to home for expectant and new mothers across the state. With $2.8 million from the Charlotte-based Leon Levine Foundation, the group seeks to bring prenatal...

WRAL News GoCary is suspending its Downtown Loop bus service as it wrangles with a shortage of drivers. The town announced Thursday that the Downtown Loop service would be suspended until further notice starting July 9. “The service change is the result of an ongoing driver shortage and supports GoCary’s...

WSOC News More Flock cameras were vandalized in the Carolinas. Part of a camera in Rutherfordton, west of Charlotte, was damaged. Cameras cost $3,500 to replace, Rutherfordton Police stated in a Facebook post. The cameras are not used for speed enforcement. They are not used to issue citations for minor...

Amy Diaz/WFDD Elkin City Schools is seeking community input in the search for its next superintendent. The Board of Education hired the North Carolina School Boards Association, or NCSBA, to help conduct the superintendent search. To shape that process, the district is gathering feedback from students, parents, staff and other...

Kaitlyn Aguiles/WECT New playgrounds, nonprofit grants and emergency-response upgrades are coming to Pender County with $620,000 approved in the state budget signed by Gov. Josh Stein. $350,000 of the funding is earmarked for playground equipment and site improvements at county-owned parks. The funding covers plans to add playgrounds in the...