Drew C. Wilson/The Wilson Times A defense attorney representing one of the two men charged with attempted murder in the Christmas Eve shots-fired incident at Walmart told the judge Monday morning that his client shot at the floor in an effort to prevent a mass shooting. Christmas shoppers were crowded...

Aarik Long/The Waynesville Mountaineer As construction continues its march up Russ Avenue in Waynesville, more than a dozen commercial property owners are still objecting to the right-of-way buyout of their property by the N.C. Department of Transportation. That’s nearly one-fourth of the total 56 parcels that had at least some...

Port City Daily Several small, infill developments have recently been submitted to the City of Wilmington, totalling 27 units to be built from downtown to the Wrightsville Beach area. All three developments are in the pre-Technical Review Committee stage; only one will need rezoning approval from city council before moving...

Dasia Williams/CityView Construction is underway on a $12 million water project designed to deliver drinking water to Gray’s Creek Elementary School and Alderman Road Elementary School—an investment in school safety as Cumberland County Schools continues evaluating long-term facility needs across the district. Both schools are currently outside the public water...

Eliot Duke/State Port Pilot Oak Island and its beach renourishment partners recently offered local media a behind-the-scenes look at the ongoing mobilization of more than one million cubic yards of sand along the shoreline. On Dec. 17, representatives from Moffatt & Nichol, the engineering firm that designed and is overseeing...

WRAL News A Duke Health nurse charged with committing sexual crimes against patients is not a U.S. citizen, authorities said during a court hearing on Monday. Jomil Tugado, 39, of Durham faces three felony counts each of sexual contact/penetration under the pretext of medical treatment and sex acts by a...

Colin Campbell/WUNC Radio The leader of the North Carolina House Freedom Caucus is facing a primary challenger backed by one of his fellow lawmakers. Freedom Caucus Chairman Keith Kidwell is seeking a fifth term representing four coastal counties in the state House (Beaufort, Dare, Hyde and Pamlico). He’s now facing...

Savannah Cade/The Carolina Journal Artificial Intelligence is affecting every profession and area of modern life. North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger, Jr. joined Carolina Journal to discuss the impact of AI on the future of law in North Carolina from legal deserts to faulty filings. Courts nationwide, including in...

Paul Woolverton/CityView The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted unanimously to revive Smith’s protest of the municipal election after the Cumberland County Board of Elections rejected his claim during a hearing on December 2. The state board on December 22 directed the county board to consider new evidence that...

Jaymie Baxley/NC Health News After years of pleading from the child welfare community, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services recently rolled out a Medicaid plan that’s designed to simplify care for children and young adults in the child welfare system — a population that state officials say has...

Lily Levin/Smoky Mountain News Between 2017 and 2025, Swain County Law Enforcement Center failed 13 of 16 biannual inspections, according to Disability Rights North Carolina. The existence of one or more documented violations requires the sheriff to submit a plan of correction to the North Carolina Department of Health and...

Morgan Casey/Border Belt Independent A year and a half ago, Leslie Malpass had one of the worst days of her life. Her youngest daughter was involved in a four-wheeler accident near their home in Delco in rural Columbus County and needed life-saving care. Emergency workers took her to the closest...

Charlie Fossen/Port City Daily A state-run program allowing Medicaid to pay for non-medical needs like food and housing has been frozen due to a state budget stalemate. However, a $1.5-million lifeline could make way for a local organization to fill in the gaps for area residents now left behind. The...

Matt Lamb/The (Southern Pines) Pilot The Moore County Board of Education recently passed a new policy that it hopes will bolster school resource officer recruitment and retention. North Carolina law enforcement officers are eligible for a special separation allowance after 30 years of eligible service. Currently, officers who have joined...

Christopher Long/The Wilson Times Members of the Elm City Board of Commissioners are looking to a new certified public accountant to get the town’s books in order. Commissioners unanimously voted in a special called meeting Dec. 16 to hire Beverly Stroud, CPA at the rate of $150 per hour for...