North Carolina
North Carolina regulators say nonprofit run by lieutenant governor's wife owes the state $132K
RALEIGH. N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state regulators now declare a nonprofit run by the wife of North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson must repay over $132,000 for what they call disallowed expenses while carrying out a federally funded child care meal program.
The state Department of Health and Human Services revealed a larger amount in a Friday letter to Yolanda Hill following a compliance review of Balanced Nutrition Inc., for which Hill is listed as owner and chief financial officer. Robinson, who is also the Republican nominee for governor this fall, worked in the nonprofit years ago before running for elected office, according to his memoir.
Hill previously announced she was shutting down the nonprofit’s enterprise and withdrawing from the Child and Adult Care Food Program on April 30. But state officials had already announced in March that the fiscal year’s review of Balanced Nutrition would begin April 15.
The review’s findings, released Wednesday, cited new and repeat problems, including lax paperwork and the failure to file valid claims on behalf of child care operators or to report expenses accurately. The program told Hill and other leaders to soon take corrective action on the “serious deficiencies” or regulators would propose they be disqualified from future program participation.
The state health department said on Thursday that the Greensboro nonprofit also owed the state $24,400 in unverified expenses reimbursed to several child care providers or homes examined by regulators in the review.
But Friday’s letter counted another $107,719 in ineligible claims or expenses that the state said was generated while Balanced Nutrition performed administrative and operating activities as a program sponsor during the first three months of the year. Forms signed by regulators attributed over $80,000 of these disallowed costs to “administrative labor” or “operating labor.” The records don’t provide details about the labor costs.
This week’s compliance review did say that Balanced Nutrition should have disclosed and received approval from the program that Hill’s daughter was working for the nonprofit.
The owed amounts and proposed program disqualification can be appealed. A lawyer representing Balanced Nutrition and Hill did not immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment.
The lawyer, Tyler Brooks, has previously questioned the review’s timing, alleging Balanced Nutrition was being targeted because Hill is Robinson’s wife and that “political bias” tainted the compliance review process. Program leaders, meanwhile, have described in written correspondence difficulties in obtaining documents and meeting with Balanced Nutrition leaders.
The health department is run by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration. He was term-limited from seeking reelection. Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is running against Robinson for governor.
Balanced Nutrition helped child care centers and homes qualify to participate in the free- and reduced-meal program, filed claims for centers to get reimbursed for meals for enrollees and ensured the centers remained in compliance with program requirements. The nonprofit received a portion of a center’s reimbursement for its services.
Balanced Nutrition, funded by taxpayers, has collected roughly $7 million in government funding since 2017, while paying out at least $830,000 in salaries to Hill, Robinson and other members of their family, tax filings and state documents show.
Robinson described in his memoir how the operation brought fiscal stability to his family, giving him the ability to quit a furniture manufacturing job in 2018 and begin a career in politics.
North Carolina
Three Breakout Players in North Carolina’s 2026 Preview
This was one of the most disappointing developments in college football this season, with the North Carolina Tar Heels failing to qualify for bowl eligibility. In Bill Belichick’s first season as the head coach, the team finished with a 4-8 record and 14th in the ACC.
Handing over the keys to the 73-year-old head coach was supposed to offer prosperity. Instead, Belichick’s arrival brought off-field distractions and disappointing performances on a weekly basis.
That being said, North Carolina’s offseason has been productive, landing 39 commits on National Signing Day, including 10 four-star recruits and 29 three-star recruits. There have been several departures in the transfer portal, but the talent assembled for 2026 should open up opportunities for multiple players to break out next season.
Jordan Shipp
The second-year receiver is the most obvious candidate for a breakout campaign in 2026. The Tar Heels landed four-star quarterback Travis Burgess in this year’s class, and there is a legitimate possibility the incoming freshman signal-caller beats out Gio Lopez for the starting position.
No other player would benefit more from a quarterback change than Shipp, who secured 60 receptions for 671 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. That production is not terrible, but with Shipp’s abilities, he should be producing much more than that.
With the inevitable quarterback change, Shipp could be closer to 900-1,000 receiving yards in 2026.
Travis Burgess
Burgess was mentioned earlier in correlation with Shipp’s potential uptick in production next season, but the incoming quarterback also has an opportunity to hit the ground running in his collegiate career.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback possesses the tools to be a game-changing quarterback for North Carolina. Shipp is a great receiver to have when arriving at a program with high aspirations. Additionally, the Tar Heels landed the 10th-overall ranked wide receiver in the class in Keeyun Chapman, who figures to be an immediate-impact player for North Carolina.
Shipp and Chapman could form one of the most electrifying wide receiver tandems in the country next season and will make Burgess’ life much easier when he takes over as the starting quarterback.
Keeyun Chapman
Chapman will seemingly slide in as the WR2 behind Shipp. With multiple wide receivers leaving the program due to graduating or the transfer portal, Chapman has the ability to make an immediate impact on the Tar Heels’ offense.
As mentioned, Chapman was the 10th-best receiver in the recruiting class. His ability to create yards after the catch will open up the offense, which will benefit both Chapman and Shipp to reach their full potential.
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North Carolina
NC Made cookie mix gives homemade taste with ingredients you feel good about
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — This time of year, the to-do list is as long as Santa’s naughty/nice list, and you’re probably looking to save time any way you can.
So, sometimes that means ripping open a box of cookie mix. One Kernersville mom is hoping her mix will add more deliciousness and less mom guilt.
“I wanted something that tasted homemade. I wanted something that had really clean ingredients,” said Lindsay Hancock, My Better Batch.
And that’s where My Better Batch comes in.
“If you’ve ever gone to the grocery store and picked up a box or a bag off the shelf, the ingredients are not great. They’re not things you would find in your own kitchen pantry. That is actually what defines our product and that homemade taste is that these are things you can find in your own kitchen pantry,” Lindsay said.
I wanted something that tasted homemade.
Lindsay mixed up My Better Batch and shipped out her first order in April of 2024. Now you can buy the cookie mix at Costco, Lowes Foods, and Amazon. And this year, she even launched exclusive holiday flavors at Target-chocolate mint and holiday cheer.
“When you’re working on this day in and day out, you certainly have dreams of being able to get to the shelf, but it is pretty surreal to see. And the fact that we were able to get there so quickly,” Lindsay said.
A single mom and entrepreneur-mixing up holiday cheer for her family from her kitchen to yours.
“They taste homemade and they’re ingredients that you can feel good about feeding to your family,” Lindsay said.
See More NC Made Stories Here
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North Carolina
Research on animal nutrition at the North Carolina Zoo
ASHEBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The North Carolina Zoo continuously collects data on its animals to make sure they are thriving in their environments. As a result, zoo researchers recently made some major changes to how and what they feed some animals.
FOX8’s Shannon Smith shares their findings in today’s Zoo Filez.
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