North Carolina
Western NC child care facing severe cuts; Raleigh advances emergency funding
With 29% of North Carolina child care programs saying they would close with many in the west of the state eyeing deep cuts, legislators have advanced emergency funding before a June 30 fiscal cliff.
The N.C. State House voted late June 26 to allocate about $67 million for the first half of the July 1 fiscal year in a bill that must still be approved by the Senate. The move came as a 2021 program using hundreds of millions of dollars in federal pandemic aid to boost child care was set to end. The federally funded stabilization grants that were administered by the state helped provide more than 10,000 child care slots in Buncombe, Henderson and Madison counties, state data said.
The loss of the stabilization grants would mean the closure of 29% of child care programs statewide, according to a February N.C. Child Care Resource and Referral Council survey. A report on the survey, conducted by Well World Solutions, did not make clear how many Western North Carolina programs said they would close. The Citizen Times reached out to June 26 to Well World.
Marcia Whitney, president and CEO of Verner Center, which serves 232 children as young as infants at programs in Swannanoa and Emma Elementary, said they did not want to cut salaries or raise tuition. But would have to look at eliminating positions.
“Where do we have potential? Streamlining positions and obviously cutting expenses every other place we can,” Whitney told the Citizen Times four days before the funding cliff.
Those that don’t receive free or subsidized care at Verner pay a monthly tuition of $1,656 for children up to 3 years old and $1,206 for those 3 to 5 years old.
Advocates have been asking the General Assembly in Raleigh to maintain the funding. But the Republican-controlled Senate and House were at a budget impasse.
Greg Borom, director of the WNC Early Childhood Coalition, said he had hoped legislators would step away from other budget issues and pass some kind of separate funding.
“We really can’t go through the summer without our fragile child care landscape being stabilized,” Borom told the Citizen Times June 26.
The grants were created in 2021, when Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announced that $805 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act would be used to boost pay for child care workers, many of whom were quitting during the pandemic.
How grants affected local child care
The stabilization grants have supported more than 10,000 child care slots in Buncombe, Henderson and Madison counties, according to the N.C. Division of Child Development and Early Education.
- Buncombe: 7,587 child care slots (1,022 staff positions supported)
- Henderson: 4,079 child care slots (398 staff positions supported)
- Madison: 231 child care slots (29 staff positions supported)
A 2023 N.C. Chamber Foundation survey found that 60% of parents with children who are ages 5 and younger said they had to miss work because of a problem with child care and 32% didn’t pursue job training or continued education because of a lack of affordable child care.
Despite the stabilization grants, some child care programs that have historically faced difficulties providing services in poorer areas, continued to struggle. In October of 2023 the nonprofit Southwestern Child Development closed seven programs in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood and Jackson counties. The nearly 300 children affected were were up to 5 years in age with most receiving free or subsidized care due to income.
As the grant money was set to run out in December 2023, advocates asked the legislature for $300 million. But the General Assembly came back with $100 million that extended the grants through June.
In his recommended budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, Cooper has said the state should add another $200 million. The House has proposed $135 million and the Senate $136.5 million in their opposing and deadlocked budget bills.
Isabel Taylor, director of Bells School in Fletcher, said because of her program’s small classes they charge a bit more than other centers. If the funding didn’t come they would likely have to raise rates, she said.
Taylor said her main concern was for centers that serve children coming from low-income households.
“If the state supports child care then they should support the centers that are serving the most needy children,” Taylor said. “The centers that serve 50% public assistance are the most deserving of help from the state.”
More: NC Health Dept: 7 Western North Carolina child care centers to close, lack of funding
More: Asheville school board chair backs historic change: pay, staffing, power for teachers
Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He’s written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A graduation ceremony for NC State University’s Department of Biological Sciences at Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night left hundreds of family members outside, frustrated and emotional after they were not allowed into the building.
Inside, graduates were met with pomp and circumstance as they walked across the stage to accept their degrees.
Outside, people shouted in confusion as they realized they would not be permitted to enter.
“I’m hurt. She’s hurting. We’re hurt,” said Dr. Darlene Jackson, a grandmother from Winston-Salem. “They’re asking, can’t we get here? But this is ridiculous. Ridiculous.”
We get here, and we are turned away. That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well,
– Sally Charlet, NCSU grandparent
Families said they arrived about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. ceremony, only to find a line wrapped around the building. Many said they were eventually told the venue had reached capacity.
“They are saying the fire marshal shut it down because it’s too crowded,” Jackson said. “They should have known how many occupy this. They should have had it in a different place.”
Sally Charlet said she flew in from Florida earlier in the day to watch her granddaughter graduate.
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“We get here, and we are turned away,” she said. “That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well, and they should have tickets. That would have made a lot of sense.”
According to GoPack.com, Reynolds Coliseum seats about 5,500 people.
Some families said they were especially devastated after years of supporting their students’ work.
This is awful, and it needs to be made right.
– Eddie McFall, NCSU parent
“It’s very disheartening,” said Rhonda Bartone, whose son earned his Ph.D. In toxicology. “He did a five-year program getting his Ph.D., and we have no family. And they’re seeing him get his Ph.D. right now. We had to text his professor and ask him to please take some pictures of him. It’s hard not to cry.”
Several people outside shared photos sent by students inside showing empty seats.
“There was unfortunately not better planning for the hundreds of students, maybe even thousands of students, and, of course, thousands of students, even more people, parents, siblings, loved ones,” said Julia Norton, whose fiancé earned his Ph.D.
One father, Eddie McFall, who is also an alumnus of NC State, said he has three children at the university, including a senior graduating Friday.
“His mother was five feet from the door when they shut it down,” he said. “Won’t let anybody in there.”
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About 45 minutes after the ceremony began, someone came outside to address the remaining crowd. Families were told their only option was to watch a livestream from the student union or on their phones.
“I can go to my house and watch the livestream,” McFall said. “Who’s the event coordinator? Who from the school did this? This is awful, and it needs to be made right.”
NC State did not respond to questions about how the situation unfolded or why the event was not ticketed. The university said it provided a livestream for those unable to attend in person and had posted earlier in the week advising visitors to expect delays around the coliseum.
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NORTH CAROLINA — Fifteen lineworkers from North Carolina’s electric cooperatives recently traveled to Guatemala to help bring first-time access to electricity to a rural village.
The group spent three weeks working in El Plan Nuevo Amanecer.
Crews constructed three miles of line, bringing power to more than 50 homes, a school, two churches and the community’s only health clinic.
Photo: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives
Without access to bucket trucks or heavy machinery, volunteers worked by hand across rugged terrain.
The project helped bring light to the village, creating new opportunities for education, economic growth and safer everyday life for the community.
The effort was done alongside NRECA International.
Volunteer lineworkers represented several North Carolina electric cooperatives, including EnergyUnited, Union Power Cooperative, Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, Jones-Onslow EMC, Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, South River EMC, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation and Rutherford EMC.
Photo: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, May 7, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 7 drawing
Day: 3-7-3, Fireball: 0
Evening: 3-5-8, Fireball: 9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 7 drawing
Day: 8-1-3-1, Fireball: 5
Evening: 7-1-5-3, Fireball: 4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from May 7 drawing
10-11-14-19-36
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from May 7 drawing
01-25-31-32-33
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing
05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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