Chase Jordan/The Charlotte Observer On its first day of operations in Charlotte, a Waymo robotaxi was also involved in its first accident in the city — a minor collision in uptown. While Waymo taxis eventually will be driverless, there was a human trainer in the car at the time of...

Bob Liepa/Wilmington StarNews Wilmington’s former DEI director has filed a federal lawsuit alleging systemic racism and retaliatory firing. The lawsuit claims the city discriminated against Black employees, including the former police chief. The complaint also accuses a high-ranking city official of substance abuse that was ignored by other leaders. The...

Zachery Eanes/Axios Raleigh North Carolina farmers are grappling with renewed uncertainty after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of the Trump administration’s sweeping global tariffs. Why it matters: North Carolina farmers of soybean and corn, the state’s two biggest crops by acreage, are stuck in a cost-price squeeze that...

Deonna Dickens/Niner Times After packing a West Charlotte church to protest the I-77 expansion, Charlotte residents have taken their opposition online, creating a petition that has already drawn more than 1,500 signatures. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is implementing a $3.4 billion project that will expand toll lanes...

Cierra Noffke/WilmingtonBiz The Novant Health Marathon returns to Wilmington this weekend for its 16th year. On Saturday, around 5,000 athletes are expected to turn out for the race, which begins at 7 a.m. at the Johnnie Mercers Fishing Pier on Wrightsville Beach and ends at the Live Oak Bank Pavilion...

Willie Daniely/WRAL News Customers arriving at Randy’s Pizza for dinner on Friday night were met with a sign on the door saying the restaurant would be closed until further notice. It comes just one day after a deadly shooting inside the restaurant that killed employee Mohammed Aly. Due to the...

Jack Evans/Asheville Watchdog In 1910, the father of American forestry got canned. Gifford Pinchot had developed his ideas in the woods of the Biltmore Estate, founded the Yale Forest School, and, in 1905, became the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service. But five years later, in a controversy over...

Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily Amidst the artificial intelligence boom over the last few years, some local municipalities are taking a preemptive stance toward facilities powering the industry. The Leland Planning Board unanimously recommended a staff-initiated text amendment Tuesday night that would place strict guardrails on data center development within town...

Dasia Williams/CityView Superintendent Eric Bracy’s proposed 2026-27 budget includes raises for employees and increases in salary supplements for principals and assistant principals. Credit: Cumberland County Schools Cumberland County Schools leaders unveiled a proposed $670.8 million budget for the 2026-27 school year that includes employee raises and a $6.5 million increase...

Ashley Mahoney/Axios Charlotte North Carolina’s Film Office is doubling down on recruiting television series to the state. Why it matters: That’s led to small-screen wins, plus the possibility that a series filming here will return for multiple seasons, North Carolina Film Office director Guy Gaster tells Axios. This employs local...

Sarah Michels/Carolina Public Press When looking at which Democratic legislators have voted to override governor vetoes in recent years, the names of two Mecklenburg House members appear often: Reps. Carla Cunningham and Nasif Majeed. Since 2023, Cunningham has voted to override 15 vetoes from Democratic governors Roy Cooper and Josh...

Jessica Patrick & Brian Murphy/WRAL News It will cost a bit more for incoming undergraduate students from North Carolina to attend most UNC System universities this fall. The UNC System Board of Governors voted Thursday to approve near across-the-board tuition increases at the state’s 16 public universities, including the first...

Taylor Knopf/NC Health News Since November, North Carolina lawmakers have been grappling with the problems plaguing the state’s intertwined mental health and criminal justice systems during hours-long monthly meetings packed with presentations from experts and state officials. Their goal? To address the revolving door of people with mental illness who...

Emily Sawaked/Port City Daily With infrastructure repairs needed and employee costs conceivably increasing, as revenue remains flat, officials in the town of Wrightsville Beach are weighing options on the 2026-2027 budget. It includes discussions about potentially raising property taxes for the first time in more than a decade. In the...

Sally Kestin/Asheville Watchdog Asheville attorney Robert Perry Tucker II was found guilty Wednesday of conspiring with two others to illegally take ownership of a former police officer’s Arden house through bogus court and legal filings. Superior Court Judge Louis A. Trosch Jr. found Tucker guilty of obtaining property by false...