Will Atwater/NC Health News In North Carolina, debates over how to regulate emerging water contaminants are moving from the lab to the policy arena — and this week, those debates could translate into binding policy. The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, which sets statewide water quality standards, is scheduled to...

James Farrell/WFAE Radio Hundreds of teachers called out of work to hold protests across North Carolina on Wednesday in support of better teacher pay. They also called out the lack of a state budget, which has stymied potential raises for state employees like educators. More than 50 schools were slated...

Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline The NC Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the General Assembly over Governor Josh Stein in a challenge involving judicial appointments and a restructuring of the state’s Utilities Commission. Senate Bill 382 was passed at the end of the 2024 session, with the Republican majority...

Graham Lee Brewer/The Associated Press An important cultural site is close to being returned to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians after a city council in North Carolina voted unanimously Monday to return the land. The Noquisiyi Mound in Franklin, North Carolina, was part of a Cherokee mother town hundreds...

David Beasley/The Center Square North Carolina Secreatry of Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said Tuesday that stagnant funding for her office by the Legislature threatens the progress the state is making in attracting new businesses. The workload of the office has doubled since 2017 as the number of new businesses...

Sarah Michels/Carolina Public Press You can keep reading Carolina Public Press, your nonprofit source for trustworthy, in-depth reporting that holds power to account in North Carolina, for free. We deliver independent, investigative news coverage of the topics that shape our state and local communities. Rather than just telling stories about...

Amy Diaz/WFDD Radio At a community discussion Tuesday afternoon, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Don Phipps shared a wide range of priorities for the district, including a new goal for paying off debt. Phipps has only been on the job for about a month. But he identified quite a few challenges...

Dan DeWitt/Asheville Watchdog Barry Bialik showed off the basic recipe for more affordable housing – small homes on small lots – last month at his cottage development on a 1.1-acre parcel in West Asheville. The eight 1,280-square-foot, partly prefabricated dwellings he is building on lots averaging less than 3,500 square...

Liz McLaughlin/WRAL News On this warm winter afternoon, a skater drops into a bowl that didn’t exist three months ago. A small crowd instinctively pauses, all watching the same run unfold. He pumps higher with each pass until a miscalculation sends the board flying and running feet scrambling to a...

Brian Burns/WUNC Radio Last month Raleigh’s Coastal Credit Union Music Park announced that in 2026 parking will no longer be free for attendees. The amphitheater, which is operated by Live Nation, stated on Facebook and Instagram that anyone who parks at the venue will need to purchase a parking pass...

Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily Water used by hundreds of thousands of residents in southeastern North Carolina could soon be affected by a decision made far upstream, as state regulators consider a request to divert millions of gallons a day from the Cape Fear River. The Town of Fuquay-Varina, a rapidly...

Jenna Fryer/The Associated Press The fallout from NASCAR’s federal antitrust trial continued into the new year as NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps on Tuesday announced his resignation after more than 20 years with the top racing series in the United States. His resignation comes after last month’s trial in which inflammatory...

Eric Miller/WRAL News As the man accused of killing a Raleigh teacher sits in jail, one past victim says more should have been done to keep the alleged murderer off the streets. 36-year-old Ryan Camacho is facing multiple charges in the killing of Zoe Welsh, a long-time science teacher at...

Will Norman/PV Tech Israeli renewable energy developer Nofar Energy will acquire an almost 1GW US utility-scale solar portfolio from bankrupt IPP Pine Gate Renewables. Under the terms of the deal, Nofar USA will purchase nine utility-scale solar projects across Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas for US$285 million, a...

Zachary Turner/WFAE Radio A 20-mile-per-hour wind blew over the fields and through the timber stands of Chowan County’s wind farm one recent winter morning. Steel behemoths, nearly 600 feet tall, rose from the thousands of acres. Each of the 45 wind turbines in Apex Clean Energy’s Timbermill wind farm sits...