Caroline Yaffa/WRAL News The North Carolina Utilities Commission on Monday cleared the way for faster construction of a transmission line in Johnston County — a move expected to help power a $920 million plant expected to employ up to 1,000 workers. The 1.31-mile, 230-kilovolt line is expected to serve Vulcan...

Ahmed Jallow/NC Newsline North Carolina’s graduation rate reached a record high last school year as overall test proficiency climbed to its highest level in three years. The four-year graduation rate reached 88.8%, up from 87.8% the previous year and marking the fourth consecutive annual increase, according to results the North...

Nolan Wilkinson/The Raleigh News & Observer  A developer wants to build a new seven-story student apartment complex next to N.C. State University. The problem, some Raleigh residents have pointed out, is that the new apartments would replace existing “naturally occurring” affordable housing. Developer Gilbane is asking the city of Raleigh...

Mary Ramsey/The Charlotte Observer Mecklenburg County rolled out its plan Tuesday to address “systemic” problems within its social services department that were found after a child’s death triggered a state investigation. The Department of Health and Human Services ordered the county to develop a corrective action plan in May after...

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra/WUNC News An aging apartment complex where evicted tenants left empty units behind is a typical jobsite for Tito Sabillón. That’s because landlords in the Charlotte metro area consistently hire Sabillón to do what he does best: professionally remodel the apartments before they’re listed for rent again. Paint-stained hands...

Zachary Turner/WFAE Radio Carolina Farm Trust closed its farm stand in the Thomasboro-Hoskins community in July. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County awarded millions in federal grants to nonprofit Carolina Farm Trust, or CFT, to open a local food distribution center and grocery store in west Charlotte. But over the past year,...

Ted Clifford/Asheville Watchdog In August, UNC Health Pardee celebrated the opening of a 23-bed adolescent mental health unit. Dozens of people crowded into the future dayroom; standing against walls painted carefully chosen tones of soothing blue and green and sitting in chairs that are too heavy to lift, or throw....

The Bladen Journal Recreational fishermen heading out for flounder will have a new step to remember this year as North Carolina’s recreational flounder season gets underway. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is reminding anglers that state law now requires recreational fishermen to report flounder they harvest, along with several...

Greater Fayetteville Business Journal An east-facing view of Creek Road approaching U.S. 74, where drivers are redirected into turning right. This reduced conflict intersection will be upgraded into an overpass. Photo provided by NCDOT. The N.C. Department of Transportation will take another step toward upgrading U.S. 74 in Robeson County...

Jonathan Bym/The Southern Pines Pilot Internet access in rural areas has always been a shortcoming, and the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the need for ways for students to stay connected. Hotspot accesses temporarily provided in parking lots at schools and grocery stores helped to keep northern Moore County students without...

Catherine Kozak/Coastal Review Online Over two days last week, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission and its advisory panel viewed presentations with vivid views of battered oceanfront buildings, severely eroded beaches and remains of various sand barriers and traps designed to hold back ocean forces. With legislation that would repeal...

Sarah White/The Waynesville Mountaineer Electric rates are going up for Haywood Electric Membership Cooperative customers for the first time in eight years. HEMC will raise its rates by 9% starting in October. A typical residential member using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month will see their average bill rise almost $15 per...

Analisa Sorrells Archer/Education NC Community colleges play a crucial role in driving workforce development and economic mobility. Yet in North Carolina, just 49% of community college students complete a credential, transfer, or are still enrolled after four years. In the 2021-22 school year, when leaders at Isothermal Community College disaggregated...

Kyle Perrotti/Smoky Mountain News Ralph Hise will square off against challenger Frank Hughes III for the second campaign in a row as he vies to become the longest-serving member of the state Senate. Hise (R-Mitchell) is angling  to become Senate president pro tem when Phil Berger, who leaves his seat...

Bradley George/WUNC News North Carolina-based Samaritan’s Purse is sending more than 40 tons of aid to Nepal, as rescue teams race to find survivors from last week’s catastrophic flooding along the Chinese border. The combined deaths in Nepal and China surpassed 950, with more than 4,400 people missing. A Boeing...