Stantonsburg
Election night was a triumph for Granville County Republicans in county commissioner contests.
Even with polls and analysts predicting a blue wave, the State Senate District 7 race outcome was a bit of a surprise. Democratic challenger Jessica Bichler, a political newcomer, defeated Republican incumbent Michael Lee by a strong margin — despite Lee’s broad base of support and multi-million-dollar war chest.
Wake County school board members are creating a process to punish members for misconduct while saying they’re not going to stifle dissent. The Wake County school board gave initial approval Wednesday to a revised Code of Ethics policy that creates a process for publicly censuring board members. School board chair Tyler Swanson said the policy changes will provide clear guardrails on what board members can and can’t do. “Our job is the governing body,” Swanson said in an interview after the vote. “This policy does not yield that power away to staff. It allows us to have some checks and balances, so the board can stay above the fray, and staff can deal with the day-to-day operations through the superintendent’s guidance.” He said they’re emulating school districts such as Johnston County, which has censured members over their conduct. In 2022, Johnston County school board member Ronald Johnson was censured for actions such as trying to transfer the children of an adversary and for inappropriately texting sexual comments about a female school employee during board meetings. In 2025, Johnson was removed from the school board by a judge after being convicted of extortion and obstruction of justice. Caution urged on enforcing
SMITHFIELD – Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell won an eighth four-year term Tuesday, extending his tenure as the longest-serving sheriff in county history. Bizzell, a Republican, received 54,865 votes in Tuesday’s general election. He was unopposed on the ballot after defeating challenger Randy Ackley in the March Republican primary.
Massive wins across North Carolina for Democrats and losses for Republicans in 2026 election have multiple causes, complex implications.
The Animal Protection Society of Durham has responded to pictures posted on social media showing the shelter in deplorable condition and alleging poor care. The shelter confirmed with WRAL News that the pictures do not reflect what it looks like now following months of changes. WRAL News is not sharing those photos due to their graphic nature.
Downtown Wake Forest is gearing up for an afternoon of chainsaw-wielding ice carvers, snowball tosses, and local dance troupes as the town's annual holiday kick-off returns Saturday, Nov. 21, from noon to 4 p.m. The event doubles as the launch of the Wake Forest Cares Holiday Donation Drive, which collects community support for several town assistance programs through the winter season.
With more than percent of precincts reporting, Democrat and Lee County native Paul Barringer declared victory Tuesday night over Republican Congressional Representative Bradd Knott. If the lead holds, Barringer would become the next representative from North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District – and likely the first member of Congress from Lee...
On Sept. 26, the Wake County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to approve the official merger between WakeMed hospitals and Atrium Health. With more than $2 billion in investment from Atrium, the agreement is expected to provide WakeMed with the resources to renovate existing facilities, improve technology and expand its capacity to meet the growing needs of healthcare services within North Carolina.
Incumbent Sheriff Robert D. Fountain Jr. in a social media post has thanked voters for their support in reelecting him as sheriff of Granville County.
North Carolina's drought continues to worsen, with parts of Wake County now in extreme drought. The areas shown in red below are in extreme drought, according to the latest drought status report released on Thursday, Nov. 5. According to WRAL meteorologist Grant Skinner, the drought has worsened since the last...
Durham County voters cast ballots in record numbers this election, even though there weren’t many local candidates on the ballot. Voters saw no challengers in the election for sheriff, district attorney or clerk of Superior Court. But those were only a few of the races on a ballot packed with federal, state and judicial contests, along with three proposed state constitutional amendments. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Durham County Board of Elections said over 23,700 voters cast ballots on Election Day with polls closing at 7:30 p.m. During the early voting period, Durham County surpassed 100,000 voters, the largest early-voting turnout for a midterm election in the county’s history. There are about 250,000 eligible voters in the county. The big picture The countywide officers on the ballot Tuesday were effectively elected in the March primary, when Democratic candidates won. Sheriff Clarence Birkhead, District Attorney Satana Deberry and Clerk of Superior Court Aminah Thompson were all on the ballot unopposed. For the Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor, two people were on the ballot for two open seats: David Harris and Mark Waller. But Durham County voters were also choosing between candidates in the U.S. Senate race, the 4th Congressional
Granville County Board of Commissioners candidates, Josh Shank, Amanda LaBrecque and Joe Sinnema—all Republicans—won their races in District 7, District 6 and District 2, respectively.
Some ballots haven’t even been counted yet, but a documentary about the 2026 election from the perspective of North Carolina college students fighting for campus early voting sites has already had its debut. “Where Do I Vote Again?” screened Thursday night at The Rialto in Raleigh. It encapsulates the work of students who tried to […]
New balance of power in Raleigh
Choo choo is about to get very serious. More than 500 vendor tables and 16 working layouts are filling one enormous North Carolina room, and I already know I would lose track of time almost immediately. What pulls me in is how many different people can enjoy the same show...
Construction has begun on a 20-story residential tower in Midtown Raleigh that will combine 289 rental apartments with an 80,000-square-foot athletic club and a 40,000-square-foot rooftop recreation area. Dewitt Carolinas and Life Time marked the groundbreaking of Life Time Living at The Exchange Raleigh, formally launching the second phase of...
Last month, a cell tower company applied to expand its relatively small data center in western Raleigh four days before the city passed a data center moratorium. American Tower, based in Massachusetts, wants to expand its approximately 15,000-square-foot data center on Chapel Hill Road by about 10,000 square feet. The News & Observer tried to contact American Tower on Monday but did not receive a response. The facility is far smaller than the 100,000-square-foot data center proposed on Jones Sausage Road near Southeast Raleigh over the summer. That proposal, ultimately withdrawn, asked the city to annex property to allow the data center to move forward. That, in turn, prompted the City Council to pass a six-month moratorium on data center applications on Oct. 6. That was aimed at buying time to develop regulations around the facilities. The moratorium applied to facilities that are 10,000 square feet or larger. But because American Tower’s expansion plans were submitted before the moratorium was passed, the moratorium won’t apply. “There’s nothing we can do to change the approval process that this current data center is under,” said City Council member Jane Harrison, whose district houses the data center. “It’s under our old rules.” What
Dante Pittman won reelection to North Carolina House District 24, defeating Republican Blake Boykin 18,017 votes to 12,910.
DeLeon “Dee” Parker says he is ready to get to work after voters elected him to represent District 5 on the Nash County Board of Commissioners, succeeding longtime Commissioner J. Wayne Outlaw, who opted not to run for reelection. According to unofficial elections results, Parker, a Republican, defeated Democrat Erica Mitchell by a margin of 3,838 votes (60.54%) to 2,502 votes (39.46%), prevailing in the county’s only contested commissioner race. For Parker, the victory represents both an opportunity and a responsibility. “It’s a tremendous honor to follow Wayne,” Parker said shortly after elections results were announced. “He’s been such a solid presence for Nash County and representing our district over the years. He leaves a very strong legacy of leadership, and it’s an honor to follow in those footsteps.” Outlaw’s retirement closes a chapter that began in December 2008. For nearly two decades, he became a familiar voice on issues ranging from county growth and economic development to budgeting and public services. During the campaign, Outlaw publicly endorsed Parker, a move that connected the first-time candidate to one of the board’s longer-serving members. While Parker has never held elected office, he is no stranger to county government. Since 2016, he
