Carly Haynes/WRAL News Financial records show the Town of Cary previously paid tens of thousands of dollars in tuition payments for a council member’s master’s degree. Lori Bush, who was sworn in as Cary’s Mayor Pro Tem last week, received $37,300.97 from the town toward a degree in Northwestern University’s...

Colin Campbell/WUNC Radio Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam launched a campaign Thursday to unseat Democratic Congresswoman Valerie Foushee in the March primary. Allam ran against Foushee in 2022 but came a few thousand votes short. Allam has served on the Durham County commission since 2020. She recently wrapped up a...

Sarah White/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer Visions of Canton’s future began to come to life as more than two dozen citizens hovered over maps of the town with colorful markers in hand at the first of several community workshops that will help shape how and where the town grows. “Not a day...

Lily Levin/Smoky Mountain News Swain County’s standing animal services ordinance dates back to late 2019, pending the establishment of an animal services center and adequate funding for its operation and staff. As Swain’s first county-operated animal shelter prepared to open its doors — with staff to include Jerry Bryan, who...

Gary D. Robertson/The Associated Press North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein is canceling Medicaid reimbursement rate reductions he initiated two months ago, a decision that protects short-term access to care for vulnerable patients while a political fight with Republican legislators to enact additional funding is resolved. Stein and state Health...

Carrie Hodgin/WXII News The family of a North Forsyth High student stabbed to death during a fight Tuesday morning at the school is asking for prayers. The family said 16-year-old Cameron Graham was killed. Graham’s aunt, Charlita Summers said he was a “good boy who loved sports, people, and was...

Jesse Campbell/Ashe Post & Times Living without a net above 3,000 feet is fraught with perils — a tight-rope balancing act for families juggling overdue bills, lapse in stopgaps, and ongoing financial constraints in what was once a land of plenty that relied more on subsistent agriculture. While public health...

Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline A North Carolina representative seeking re-election has been endorsed by Gov. Josh Stein, securing the support of the state’s most prominent Democrat as he faces a primary challenge. Rep. Rodney Pierce (D-Halifax), a first-term Democrat, posted the endorsement to his campaign’s Facebook page Dec. 9. Asked last...

The Sanford Herald New first-year, full-time students who reside in Harnett County will have 100% of their undergraduate tuition covered by Campbell University beginning in 2026, the University announced earlier this week. The Campbell University Tuition-Free Guarantee for Harnett County Residents initiative reflects Campbell’s commitment to expanding access, supporting local...

David Beasley/The Center Square Renewals for 10 years based on their performance have been accorded to 13 charter schools in North Carolina. Another 27 schools that did not meet the standards for automatic renewal have requested the North Carolina Charter Review Board grant the extensions. Those requests will be considered...

Lily Levin/Smoky Mountain News Travis Smith began his career with the Tribal Alcohol and Beverage Control Commission on Feb. 27, 2024. He was guaranteed a four-year term until a fellow TABCC member submitted a grievance to the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s Office of Internal Audit and Ethics Aug. 14 of...

Pat Kimbrough/The High Point Enterprise A proposal to develop apartments in downtown High Point is advancing. The would-be buyer of about 4 acres at W. English Road and N. Lindsay Street, an affiliate of the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation, has the property under contract and is on track...

James Farrell/WFAE Radio The Union County chapter of the NAACP says Union County Public Schools has failed to make good on an agreement to partner on several education initiatives — an accusation the school district denies. Union County NAACP president Archie Hansley said in a news release and at a...

Sarah Nagem/Border Belt Independent North Carolina law prohibits anyone from serving in two elected positions—a county commissioner, for example, can’t also be a state senator. So some voters might wonder why John Lowery, chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina since 2022, can serve in the N.C. House. Lowery...

Andrew Jones/KFF Health News & WUNC Radio A western North Carolina hospital was supposed to be built and running by 2025, but the state’s certificate of need law has been used to delay the project for years. A sign in the mountain region heralds the coming hospital, but the site...