Some tribal members say they support gaming but question who should hold the power to make big decisions.

A Magical Run: How Raleigh Came Together for the Canes  The Carolina Hurricanes’ journey to the Stanley Cup Final finally brought out some hockey joy in the capital city. 

Buckhout’s Website Loses Gas Laurie Buckhout’s campaign overhauled her campaign website amid the war with Iran and removed a reference to gas prices.

Lawsuits accuse a North Carolina hospital owner of financial mismanagement and using company accounts to fund personal expenses.

State House Republicans on Tuesday advanced a sweeping bill that would make a number of changes to state election laws if enacted.

Local politicians were so desperate to save Asheboro’s only hospital that they supported a for-profit buyer with a spotty track record. Now they say he hasn’t kept his promises. @theassemblync.bsky.social www.theassemblync.com/news/health/...

An INDY investigation found that in an unprecedented and still-murky saga, landlords and companies like IBM and Blackstone won billions in property tax appeals. City leadership, banking on the revenue, didn’t know until April.

How Asheville Became a City of Healing Tuberculosis patients flocked there 100 years ago. Here’s why health nuts of all stripes still come to this mountain oasis.

Jordon Hudson Celebrates Her ‘BANniversary’ With More UNC-CH Records Requests Jordon Hudson, who is dating Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick, filed requests for information on the university’s communications with reporters.

Community Leaders Ignored Red Flags and Gave a CEO Millions to Buy Their Hospital. Now He’s Ghosting Them Local politicians were desperate to save Asheboro’s only hospital. Now they say the for-profit buyer hasn’t kept his promises.

Democrats Keep Losing Voters in Swing Districts—Including in N.C. An analysis by U.S. House Republicans’ political arm found their party gaining an advantage in key districts across the country.

How Long Memories Killed the Biggest Road Project in State History The state planned a $3.2 billion effort to add toll lanes to I-77 near downtown Charlotte. Then the past threw a roadblock.

N.C. Rep. Sarah Stevens to Resign, Focus on Judicial Campaign The Surry County Republican has served in the General Assembly since 2009. She is running to unseat Democratic Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls.

Crowded N.C. Jails Grapple with Iryna’s Law Some law enforcement officials and district attorneys say the law has put strain on local jails without providing more resources.

Possible Settlement in eCourts Lawsuit People who said they were wrongfully detained due to problems with the digital records system filed a class-action lawsuit three years ago.

From 2025: The fast-growing state capital appears to be a good candidate for a Major League Baseball franchise. But even a minor league team has eluded it for more than a half-century. www.theassemblync.com/news/culture...

Duke Energy Wants an 18% Rate Hike. Here’s What That Means. The utility says it needs more money for grid upgrades and power plants. Thousands of customers have responded in opposition.

Prosecutors Say a N.C. Woman Poisoned Her Daughter at Thanksgiving. Even Before That, Her Life Was Hardly Ordinary.  Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel has been accused of serving tainted wine that led to her daughter’s death. Her family says she’s being blamed for a terrible accident.

This App State Researcher is Taking Wasted Sweet Potatoes—And Turning Them Into Milk Brett Taubman expects Rootsii’s milk to reach markets within the next two years.

Can Michael Whatley Name a Hurricanes Player? The U.S. Senate candidate posted AI-generated images of the Stanley Cup Finals team, then struggled to name his favorite player.

Filmed in Durham, a New Movie About Cosmic Coincidences Has Flown Under the Radar The Bull City is somewhat of a main character in the indie rom-com ‘Everything & the Universe,’ streaming since last year on Amazon Prime. So why has no one heard of it?

New Bill Puts the Brakes on Data Centers, but Incentivizes Fossil Fuels The price of fuel and the build-out of fossil fuel infrastructure are largely behind recent rate hikes in the state.

Inside Outlanders, Raleigh’s Self-Governed Homeless Community Outlanders has a mayor, a charter, and a tight-knit community. As Raleigh pushes to end unsheltered homelessness, the camp could serve as a model for helping people get back on their feet—or be cleared out.

The ABCs of PCS You can get used to hearing those three letters a lot. The PCS process is the primary way lawmakers gut and amend bills.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards’ Tough Mountain Test  The 11th District has been solidly Republican since 2012. But a sluggish Helene response and misconduct allegations have put the two-term congressman on defense. 

Opportunity for an Audit Dave Boliek confirmed that his office is pursuing an audit of the Opportunity Scholarship program.

Fish Your Wish Hurricane Helene severely damaged a key Western North Carolina hatchery used to boost the trout stock of local rivers.

Affordable Care Act Enrollment Dropped in Almost Every N.C. County This Year Data show North Carolina recorded the sharpest drop nationwide in residents enrolling after Congress let premium subsidies expire.

When Billy Graham Peered Into the Nation’s Soul The handsome young minister from North Carolina took Los Angeles by storm in 1949, holding tent revivals that attracted 350,000 people and made him a national figure. 

How the Trump Admin Could Speed Up a Controversial New Accreditor A state official said the UNC System’s Commission for Public Higher Education could win federal recognition in 2027.

We're currently holding our Wednesday All-Access Q&A until 3 p.m.! This week our guest is Bryan Anderson, who covers politics for The Assembly. Bryan anchors the Assembly’s politics newsletter The Caucus. Bryan’s recent coverage has focused on the N.C. legislature’s attempts to pass a budget.

North Carolina’s Medical School Boom New schools in Charlotte and Fayetteville—and soon Wilmington—could help ease the state’s doctor shortage.

UNC Offered WakeMed $5 Billion, More Than Double Atrium’s Bid WakeMed snubbed UNC Health, despite its rival offering $2.5 billion more than Charlotte-based Atrium Health.

Leon Levine launched the Family Dollar chain in 1959 and also built one of the South’s leading philanthropies. Now the foundation is embarking on a $2 billion effort to help communities in need, while the chain stands accused of harming those communities. By Greg Lacour. @theassemblync.bsky.social

Trump’s $50 Billion Rural Health Bet Meets a Health Care Desert in North Carolina The health care gaps in Martin County illustrate the finite reach of a fund Republicans crafted to strengthen support for Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Sunset, Sunrise Leon Levine built a retail empire and one of the South’s leading philanthropic foundations. Now, the foundation wants to expand its embrace as the business he founded turns its back on those beliefs.

Air Apparent? The state Supreme Court weighs in on two cases involving whether law-enforcement officers can search someone based on a smell they believe to be marijuana.

UNC Health made an offer after learning Atrium had struck a merger deal with its Triangle neighbor. @theassemblync.bsky.social www.theassemblync.com/news/health/...

UNC Health Sent WakeMed an Offer. The Raleigh Hospital Says It’s Sticking with Atrium. UNC Health made an offer after learning Atrium had struck a merger deal with its Triangle neighbor.

Meet Tori Newby Tori Newby recently graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and will split her time between INDY and The Assembly.

Lawmakers Direct Funds for Teaching Civil Rights History to Conservative Group The General Assembly earmarked $350,000 for the Clarence Henderson Education Foundation, named for an outspoken Black Republican.

A 60-Year Duke Professor on Literature, Grade Inflation, and Whether Academia Will Survive Victor Strandberg reflects on what’s changed and what comes next.

State Lawmakers Revive Push to Exempt Campus Discipline from Public Records Law GOP Sen. Michael Lee says the bill would prevent sexual assault victims from being identified. Critics say it would protect perpetrators.

N.C. House Votes to Override Stein Veto, Join Federal School Choice Program Two lawmakers who recently left the Democratic Party joined Republicans to override the veto.

Elections Board Rule Could Limit Public Access to Campaign Finance Complaints A newly proposed rule seeks to formalize the process for how the state responds to alleged campaign finance violations. The draft says complaints would now be “confidential.”

Columbus County Agrees to Pay Lawyer Fees In Our Public Records Case A judge ordered the county to cover partial costs of lawyers who have represented The Assembly and Border Belt Independent in the case.

A Year After Federal Job Cuts, Workers in the Triangle Are Still Picking Up the Pieces Hundreds of federal workers in the Triangle lost jobs in the Trump administration’s early cuts. A year later, the future still seems uncertain.

Come listen to me and my @theassemblync.bsky.social colleagues chat it up at 12pm about the impact of our work and why local journalism is vital to healthy communities. www.youtube.com/live/p2NllsH...

Join The Assembly's 5th Birthday virtual event, starting soon! www.youtube.com/live/p2NllsH...

Holding Hospitals to Their Big Charity Care Promise Hospitals agreed to forgive debt for millions of residents and to help more patients avoid future bills. Now they have to deliver.