WRAL News UnitedHealthcare officials announced WakeMed is leaving the network. On Saturday, UnitedHealthcare officials told WRAL News that WakeMed’s facilities and specialty providers will be out of network for members enrolled in commercial and Medicare Advantage plans, effective Nov. 15, 2025. “WakeMed has chosen to leave our network after refusing...

Jennifer Allen/Coastal Review Online The coastal county lawmakers that formed a new group to support commercial fishing have submitted a resolution opposing more restrictions on the commercial harvest of blue crabs ahead of the Marine Fisheries Commission Nov. 19-20 meeting in Wrightsville Beach. The Marine Fisheries Commission is expected to...

Pat Kimbrough/High Point Enterprise Developers have submitted plans for the first phase of a proposed major industrial park in south High Point. A site plan to support ground-up construction of a 131,040 speculative warehouse building on South Road is under review by the city. The plan depicts a truck court...

Shelby Swanson/The (Raleigh) News & Observer The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees voted to raise tuition for in-state undergraduates for the first time in nearly a decade, in a narrow 6-5 decision Thursday morning. The 3% hike, which would take effect for students starting in the 2026-27 academic year if...

Kate Denning/Carolina Public Press You may not have heard of SEL, but it’s the latest educational tool that may have found itself in the crossfire of politically motivated culture wars in North Carolina. Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making are the five competencies that Social-Emotional Learning, or...

Sally Kestin/Asheville Watchdog The cancer patients on floor K9 were among the sickest at Mission Hospital, in need of close monitoring. Dr. Martin Palmeri, an oncologist at Messino Cancer Centers, already had grave concerns about the quality of care under HCA Healthcare’s ownership when he received a call about a...

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra/WUNC Radio North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley announced this week a new advisory body created to strengthen worker protection and address heat stress in the workplace. The state’s new Heat Stress Advisory Council includes 14 representatives of different industries like agriculture and construction, who employ people who work...

WRAL News North Carolina State University leaders on Thursday are considering a proposal to raise tuition. The university’s Affairs Committee will meet to look at raising the tuition for all incoming students by 3% – which would be an increase of $196 per year. Current undergraduates would not see their...

Rachel Heimann Mercader/CityView In a unanimous vote during its Nov. 6 work session, the Fayetteville City Council formally requested that State Auditor Dave Boliek’s office conduct an audit of six city construction projects left incomplete after contractor disputes and delays—some of which now appear to be under criminal scrutiny. The...

Paul Nielsen/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer A nearly two-year discussion on how to best regulate vacation rentals in Waynesville is nearing its end. And the proposed changes are few. A surge in homes being converted to vacation rentals prompted Waynesville to consider whether it’s time to rein them in. But in the...

Sergio Osnaya-Prieto/Education NC Gov. Josh Stein has directed one of his councils to make recommendations for the implementation of Workforce Pell grants in North Carolina, according to a Monday press release from the North Carolina Department of Commerce (NCDOC). “North Carolina is committed to maximizing Workforce Pell to create new...

Zachary Turner/WFAE Radio Mecklenburg County purchased a historic farm in Huntersville and plans to turn it into a park sometime next year. The farm sits on 38 acres at the corner of Brown Mill and Beatties Ford Road. Erin Stanforth, sustainability and resilience manager for Mecklenburg County, led a tour...

Coastal Review Online Plans are in motion for the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher to close early next year for a $65 million renovation and expansion. The project, announced May 8, is to include the largest shark habitat in the state, expanding the facility to the largest aquarium in...

Sarah Michels/Carolina Public Press It wasn’t so much a blue wave as it was a blue mist permeating North Carolina’s municipal elections. On Nov. 4, while Democrats rode a tsunami of anti-establishment discontent to victory nationally, from New Jersey and Virginia governorships to California’s redistricting proposition, North Carolina held its...

WRAL News WakeMed announced on Tuesday that UnitedHealthcare will no longer cover Medicare Advantage plans starting Saturday, Nov. 15th, unless a deal is reached. The two organizations are in the middle of negotiations, both with the contracts set to expire on Saturday. Officials with UnitedHealthcare told WRAL News they are...