Heidi Kirk/WRAL News North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein addressed the conflict in the Middle East at a Read Across America event in Raleigh on Monday morning. It comes as military bases across our area have increased security. When asked if North Carolina troops are assisting in the military operation in...

Elvis Menayese/WFAE Radio Hundreds are expected to arrive in uptown Charlotte for a three-day conference that kicks off Wednesday and aims to guide church members on topics ranging from daily operations to navigating political discourse. More than 800 clergy and laypeople will gather in Charlotte this week for the Episcopal...

Education NC The Public School Forum of North Carolina’s 2026 Local School Finance Study is now available. Through this study, The Forum has highlighted variations and trends in local spending for public education across our state’s 100 counties for over 30 years. The purpose of this annual study is to...

Taylor Knopf/NC Health News As North Carolina lawmakers grapple with how to keep people with serious mental illness out of jails and hospitals, one intervention that has piqued their interest is forcing people into treatment through involuntary outpatient commitment. It’s a court-ordered program that requires individuals with a severe and...

Jack Igelman/Carolina Public Press Last summer, Southeast director at the Center for Biological Diversity Will Harlan spotted an eastern hellbender through his fogged snorkeling mask during a river survey. “It’s magical to see them in the wild,” said Harlan of the elusive and threatened creatures which depend on clean water....

Kelsey Coffey/WRAL News Higher oil and gas prices may be among the impacts of the U.S.-Israeli attacks in Iran. On Monday morning, North Carolina’s average price per gallon was $2.76, lower than the national average of $3, according to AAA. However, analysts are predicting prices to start climbing after strikes...

Andrew Marshall/The Waynesville Mountaineer A major, multi-year study of flood risk along the Pigeon River will begin this year and could make a difference for generations of Haywood County residents, according to town and county officials. Conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers, the wide-ranging study should provide ideas to...

Brighton McConnell/WCHL Chapelboro After briefly implementing a policy around recording faculty members without their permission, UNC is reversing course and rescinding the practice until new language can be agreed upon. UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts addressed the campus’ Faculty Council during its monthly meeting Friday afternoon and shared the update, saying...

Trista Talton/Coastal Review Online Though it snakes 50 miles through Onslow County from start to finish, the New River is, in a practical sense, two distinct parts. The upper river begins northwest of Richlands, a small but increasingly developing town that’s roughly 10 miles from the Duplin County line. From...

Starletta Watson/WNCN A federal lawsuit that alleged Rex Healthcare, currently known as UNC Health Rex, discriminated against an employee who asked for a religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccination has been settled. In an announcement on Monday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency said UNC...

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...