North Carolina
Weekend reads: A crisis of confidence, heated politics, making a mockery of campaign finance laws | NC Newsline
Across the UNC System, campuses face a crisis of confidence
By Joe Killian
At N.C. State and UNCG, recent faculty votes reflect cultural, philosophical and political tensions
When members of N.C. State University’s College of Education faculty voted to express “no confidence” in the university’s chancellor and provost last weekend, it was a first in the university’s history. But the largely symbolic vote reflects greater tensions on campuses across the UNC System, as faculty say they feel locked out of high level decision-making by administrators and political appointees. [Read more...]
Bonus read: Former UNC System presidents: less politics, more diversity needed in governance
Students remember Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s ‘cruel comments’ on Parkland shooting anniversary
By Greg Childress
On the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., North Carolina students have released a video about what they say are “cruel comments” Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson lodged against its survivors.
Robinson, R-Guilford, is a gubernatorial candidate.
Seventeen students and faculty died during one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings at the high school, which has since been demolished.[ Read more …]
Crowded GOP Lt. Governor’s race includes NC newcomer who’s never voted in the state
By Lisa Sorg
A prophetic evangelist who said God told her she was Jewish. A long-time Democrat turned Republican. A sheriff. Another Christian minister endorsed by Ted Nugent. Several current and former state lawmakers. A head of the opaque “Election Education Foundation.” And a paramedic from Florida who believes COVID is a hoax, has never voted in North Carolina, and has lodged unfounded accusations about the integrity of the election process.
Eleven Republicans are running in the March 5 primary for lieutenant governor; the winner will face one of three Democrats — state Sen. Rachel Hunt, Ben Clark or Mark H. Robinson — in the General Election this fall. [Read more...]
On rancor and rhetoric: North Carolinians search for civility in an uncivil political season
By Clayton Henkel
When Rep. Deborah Ross (NC-02) is in her home district, she loves taking her dog Wiley to the local parks.
“A lot of people see me walking my dog all around Raleigh,” said Ross, who enjoys the chance to make a personal connection with her constituents. “It really breaks down that grassroots feel, knowing your member of Congress.”
But Ross is increasingly aware those interactions can be combative and unpleasant in today’s heated political climate.[ Read more …]
Backsliding, toothless enforcement are making a mockery of North Carolina’s campaign finance laws (commentary)
By Rob Schofield
There was a time in North Carolina, not that many years ago, when the state’s political establishment – elected leaders, judges, regulators, lobbyists, reporters, reform advocates – were hugely and rightfully obsessed with the laws governing campaign finance and political influence peddling.
In the early 2000s, spurred on by the energetic muckraking of a nationally acclaimed government watchdog named Bob Hall and, in particular, his courageous investigations of Democratic state House Speaker Jim Black, campaign finance laws and lobbying laws (and the corruption they were designed to police) frequently dominated lawmaking in the Legislative Building and the state’s political news headlines. [ Read more …]
DHHS putting $5.5 million into behavioral health program for formerly incarcerated people
By Kelan Lyons
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will award $5.5 million to a program that provides psychiatric and physical health care services to people coming home from jail or prison, the agency announced this week.
The money will go to the FIT Wellness Program, a part of the North Carolina Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program in the UNC School of Medicine. The initiative helps imprisoned people with serious mental health conditions as they try to navigate life outside the confines of a cell, helping them with their health needs and, once they’re free, connecting them with community supports like housing and transportation. [Read more…]
Bonus read: Prison reentry council sets ambitious goal for helping people released from prison
Federal judges seem split on ordering new Senate districts Black voters are challenging
By Lynn Bonner
Two federal judges on a three-judge panel were wary of immediately ordering new state Senate districts that Black voters in northeastern North Carolina said illegally weakened Black voting strength.
The voters are appealing a federal district court judge’s decision denying their request to order two Senate districts be redrawn in the state’s Black Belt counties in time for this year’s election. A Fourth Circuit Court three-judge panel heard oral arguments in the appeal Thursday morning. [Read more.…]
Chemours asks federal appeals court to negate EPA health goal for GenX
By Lisa Sorg
Chemours, the company responsible for polluting the drinking water of 800,000 people in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin with GenX, is asking a court to negate the EPA’s health advisory for the toxic chemical.
The Third Circuit Court of Appeal s, based in Philadelphia, heard arguments last week. There is not a timetable for a decision.
A ruling for Chemours could save the company hundreds of millions of dollars because it would not have to provide alternate water supplies to households whose private wells contain GenX between10 parts per trillion and 140 ppt. [ Read more...]
NC Board of Elections endorses adjustments to voter ID rules for use after the primary
By Lynn Bonner
The state Board of Elections on Thursday endorsed permanent voter ID rules for use in future elections.
The new proposed rules must be approved by another state commission before they go into effect. Rules for voter ID in use since last year remain in place for the current primary elections. [Read more…]
Bonus read: From IDs, to selfies to guns: what NC voters need to know about early in-person voting
Five recommendations North Carolina lawmakers may consider to tackle HOA disputes
By Clayton Henkel
Members of the House Select Committee on Homeowners’ Associations are moving closer to advancing a draft bill designed to level the playing field between homeowners and their HOAs.
Following two public hearings in January, five recommendations were presented Tuesday to the committee by legislative staff.
The first recommendation involves an association’s obligation to provide records for examination by its members. [Read more…]
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina lawmakers are nearing agreement on a new state budget that Rep. Zack Hawkins says could bring long-awaited stability to agencies and employees who have been operating under 2023 spending levels.
Hawkins, a Democrat representing Durham, said Monday that legislators are close to finalizing the budget after waiting 1,000 days since the last budget passed
“We’re going to potentially meet the June 30, July 1 deadline, so that there’s stability for all the agencies and all the entities that depend on the state budget,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said the prospect of a finalized budget offers needed certainty.
“The opportunity for them to have a budget means stability,” he said.
The expected spending plan centers on pay increases for educators and state employees. State workers could receive an average 3% raise and a $1,700 bonus for those earning under $75,000. Hawkins said the goal is to ensure workers have a “strong and respectable pay scale.”
“State employees know that they’re not going to get rich, but we need to make sure that they have a strong and respectable pay scale, bonuses that keep up with inflation, and the benefits, of course, that the state of North Carolina brings, and so we’re hoping that we value them in this budget,” he said.
Teachers could see an average 8% raise. Hawkins, a former educator, said he hopes North Carolina can lead the South in teacher pay.
“And eventually beating the national average. But alongside that, we really want to make sure that there’s an opportunity to keep and retain teachers who’ve been teaching for 10, 15 and 25 years,” he said.
The budget is also expected to include a 13% pay raise for law enforcement, according to a post from Rep. Brenden Jones, who celebrated the finalization of the budget.
The budget could come with a plan to reduce the personal income tax rate and a higher tax rate for sports gambling operators. The rate would increase from 18% to as high as 23%, a change Hawkins supports.
“We can bring in even more revenue, because it’s going to some really good places, it’s going to universities, athletic departments, it’s going to support youth sports, it’s going to support outdoor opportunities and grants,” he said.
One proposal not included in the budget is funding for a Major League Baseball stadium in Raleigh. Hawkins said the Senate-led idea was not the right fit this year.
“Because we have to make sure that we’re taking care of our basic obligations, our people,” he said.
Hawkins said agencies have been operating under the 2023 budget, affecting hiring and pay raises. Many are waiting for Tuesday’s release of the new spending plan.
Download the ABC11 News app
Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
North Carolina
North Carolina is hot, dry, and about have fireworks everywhere. Why isn’t there a burn ban?
Right now, it’s unmissable. North Carolina, and especially the Triangle, is both very hot, and very dry. Fireworks stands are popping up, just in time for the Fourth of July. So why isn’t the state under a burn ban?
It’s a straightforward question, with a complex answer.
Both the state, through the North Carolina Forest Service, and individual counties can declare burn bans. The vast majority of the time, county fire marshals listen to the Forest Service. And right now, the Forest Service says the danger isn’t great enough – yet.
“We’re still dry, fire danger is still high, but we haven’t reached that hazardous category yet,” said Phil Jackson, a Forest Service spokesperson.
Jackson points out that the state has two fire seasons, spring and fall, and conditions right now are very different.
For one, humidity is much higher right now, and humidity “tends to bring relief to fire risk and any ongoing wildfire activity that might be happening at that moment,” said Jackson.
Leaves are also key. In spring, plants are trying to wake up from their long winter sleep. Doing that requires a lot of water, drying out the soil.
“Think of each individual root system as being a straw that is just pulling water out of the ground,” said Jackson.
In the fall, the ground is covered in lots of new dry leaves, increasing the danger again.
“When they’re in full green, like they are now, they tend to be more fire resistant,” said Jackson.
Jackson points out it’s not impossible to have a summer-time burn ban. The Forest Service is constantly monitoring conditions, and it’s possible those conditions could get worse in the coming weeks. For now, though, the fire danger, Jackson says, is “manageable.”
But while the fire risk might be manageable, that doesn’t mean people should be careless.
“We always encourage residents to avoid outdoor burning, unless it’s absolutely necessary,” said Johnston County Fire Marshal Travis Johnson.
Johnson says, especially with the Fourth of July right around the corner, anyone burning or lighting fireworks should always have a source of water nearby to douse any runaway flames. “We never want anything to happen, but want to make sure that you’re safe while using those,” said Johnson.
If a burn ban were to be implemented, it would impact Fourth of July fireworks shows. For now, though, those shows are allowed to go ahead, and remain the best option, Johnson says, for anyone who wants to see fireworks this year.
Johnson, and other fire marshals WRAL spoke with, also stressed official fireworks shows are put on by professionals, are strictly permitted and regulated, and there are always firefighters there, on standby, just in case.
“Just be safe, and enjoy the holidays,” said Johnson.
The video above is a live stream of WBTV and affiliated programming, and may not be directly related to the article below.
GRANITE FALLS, N.C. (WBTV) – A man was killed and a teenager was hurt after a head-on crash in Caldwell County on Sunday.
The deadly crash happened along Highway 321 near Glenn Ridge Drive in Granite Falls, just before 7:45 p.m. on June 28.
North Carolina state troopers said 65-year-old Marvin Wayne Anderson was driving the wrong way on Highway 321 when he crashed head-on into an 18-year-old.
Troopers said Anderson died on the highway, while the teenager was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.
Highway Patrol said its initial investigation did not find speed or impairment to have been factors in the wreck. Troopers did not say why or how Anderson ended up on the wrong side of the road.
The crash reportedly shut Highway 321 down for several hours but it has since reopened.
Also Read: Mail worker killed in broad daylight in rural North Carolina, officials say
Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.
-
Entertainment6 seconds ago’47 Ronin’ director Carl Erik Rinsch sentenced to 30 months in prison for Netflix fraud case
-
Lifestyle3 minutes agoAt Mindful Archery, L.A. women take aim at their exes, toxic jobs and Donald Trump
-
Politics8 minutes agoBritish regulator may challenge Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery
-
Science15 minutes agoHospital visits for smoke inhalation spiked during Boyle Heights warehouse fire
-
Sports18 minutes agoContributor: U.S.-born Brian Gutiérrez and Obed Vargas signal a new era for Mexico’s national team
-
World30 minutes ago
‘No MiGs for Ukraine’: Polish defence minister claims Kyiv backed out of deal with Warsaw
-
News1 hour agoRep. Tom Kean returns to Congress, says depression is why he went missing for months
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoLeBron James informs Lakers he will play elsewhere next year
