Carthage
“Buckle up, everybody.” That was the warning from former UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp to his “UNC peeps” in the wake of a stunning midterm election that dramatically shifted the balance of power in North Carolina state politics towards Democrats. Since the state legislature appoints the UNC System Board of Governors and many of the members of individual campus boards of trustees, that shift could trickle down and inform who controls public higher education. As it stands, Republicans dominate the UNC System Board of Governors and the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees. That’s shown itself in myriad ways: the rejection of diversity, equity and inclusion measures, the embrace of a controversial civic life center, the energetic budget-cutting, the deals with the Trump administration, the continued questioning of tenure, and more. But conservative influence on higher education policy could become less potent in the coming years. Thorp worries that the political diversity will make it harder to get things done at UNC. According to Thorp’s analysis, “the Board of Governors (that is responsible for the UNC System) will get 6 seats out of 24 in July 2027 from the NC House, presumably Democrats. That will make it 18R-6D,” he wrote. “At
SOUTHEASTERN N.C. (WECT) – Attorney Jeff Jackson says that his office has followed up on 51 consumer complaints about gas stations since launching N.C. Fuel Check. North Carolina’s 41-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and diesel is suspended from Oct. 10 through Nov. 30 under a law signed by Gov. Josh Stein in October.
Editor’s note: An article in last week’s The Smoky Mountain News titled “ What $144 million looks like” examined how President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill impacted SNAP and Medicaid recipients. This week, SMN examines how the legislation impacts county governments in Western North Carolina.
North Carolina’s Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Commission received notice of Joseph Costa’s Granville County appointment nearly two years after he took the oath in June 2024, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. The notice followed a court filing by prosecutor Mike Waters that raised questions about Costa’s departure from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. Costa remains certified while the commission investigates; no outcome has been announced.
April Montgomery, an independent candidate for North Carolina’s 51st State House district, has won. Originally this was a three-way contest, but then the Democratic nominee withdrew, so Montgomery’s only opponent was a Republican. See this story. She is the first independent to be elected to the North Carolina...
Lithium-ion batteries tossed in the trash can spark fires in garbage trucks and recycling facilities, a risk New Hanover County officials hope a new North Carolina law will help reduce. Starting Dec. 1, the law makes it illegal to put lithium-ion batteries in household trash or recycling. The batteries power...
Matthew Harmody, M.D., has spent his career serving others. From decades of leadership in emergency medicine and emergency medical services to his extraordinary work as a living kidney donor and national advocate for organ donation, Dr. Harmody’s impact reaches far beyond the thousands of patients he has personally treated.
A law that eliminated North Carolina’s interim climate target increased Duke Energy earnings per share 17% in 2026, according to Duke’s most recent earnings report. But Duke says the difference comes from a different part of the law — and that the effect on earnings will be “neutral” in the long run.
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Gov. Josh Stein honored North Carolina veterans during a Veterans Day ceremony at North Carolina Central University on Wednesday, recognizing several residents for their service while highlighting efforts to make the state more military-friendly. Stein inducted six North Carolinians into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the state’s […]
With North Carolina’s State Health Plan beginning to see higher costs in its financial outlook, the Board of Trustees approved a financial adjustment that will temporarily double the Retiree Health Benefit Fund’s monthly contribution from $300 to $600 per retiree. The benefit increase will hit employers rather than...
There’s a picture of America that never goes out of style. A farm stand at the edge of a gravel lot. A hand-lettered sign. Buckets of zinnias by the register, a flat of strawberries still warm from the field, and someone behind the table who can tell you exactly where it all came from.
Two years after Hurricane Helene, most of Western North Carolina’s small-scale farms have steadied, but recovery remains uneven. Drawing on survey data and interviews, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) has released a third report in its series on the impact of the storm on farms in WNC. The first two reports, released in May and November 2025, estimated the storm’s immediate physical and financial toll and looked at how farmers accessed financial support and technical assistance.
With Democrats now in control of the North Carolina Statehouse, public education funding has become a primary focus.
North Carolina environmental regulators say Chemours must do more to identify and address PFAS contamination in groundwater across the southeastern part of the state.
North Carolina’s Child Fatality Task Force is hopeful 2027 brings new attention and more financial resources to issues they have been urging the General Assembly to address for years. With Democrats taking control of the N.C. House and Republicans holding a slim majority in the N.C. Senate, members highlighted on Tuesday their priorities for the […]
North Carolina’s rich literary tradition will be celebrated Dec. 4 as the 2026 North Carolina Book Awards are presented during the annual meeting of the N.C. Literary and Historical Association at 109 E. Jones St. in Raleigh.
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Democrat Tim Merrick’s lead over Republican Dane Scalise in the race for North Carolina House District 20 is down to 81 votes. The race is one of the closest contests in New Hanover County. New Hanover County Democratic Party Chair Jill Hopman said she expects the margin to change but believes Merrick will hold on.
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A North Carolina tax preparer has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for her role in a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme that sought nearly $24 million in fraudulent tax refunds. Nejlai Mitchell, 48, was sentenced for conspiring to prepare false tax returns claiming...
North Carolina voters delivered Democrats major victories last week but largely rejected higher local sales taxes, turning down proposed increases in nine of the 11 counties where they appeared on the ballot. The results continued a long pattern of resistance: Since 2007, only about a quarter of local sales tax referendums have succeeded.
