UNC-CH Civics School Report Spurs Recriminations and Resolutions The university hasn’t released its findings on the School of Civic Life and Leadership. At a faculty meeting, one professor claimed to have information.

Berger Calls to Shorten Early Voting After Primary Loss The state Senate leader said he thinks the current early voting period is “pretty excessive” for primaries.

Feds Fines Durham-Based Energy Efficiency Company $722 Million American Efficient says it was incentivizing energy savings at major companies. One Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member claims “their entire business is a scam.”

How North Carolina Officials Kept the Truth About a Police Shooting Hidden In 2019, a state trooper killed Brandon Webster claiming self defense. Evidence contradicted that account but wasn’t made public—until now. 

N.C. Republicans Reach Deal to Close $319 Million Medicaid Shortfall Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall said they plan to send a bill to the governor soon.

Leandro is Dead. Long Live Leandro? After landmark litigation collapsed this month, public education advocates are mulling the next best way to make the state’s constitutional promise of a sound, basic education for all a reality.

Democrats Say They Didn’t Ask to Join Panel Probing Cooper General Assembly leaders said the subcommittee would investigate a 2021 settlement that allowed prisoners to be released during the pandemic.

Join us for our All-Access Q&A this Wednesday. This week our guest is @blackmuse.bsky.social, who covers criminal justice and courts for The Assembly.

Lawsuit Alleges Repeated Sexual Assault by Durham Rescue Mission’s Former Volunteer Coordinator In the suit, an anonymous plaintiff says Mission leadership discouraged him from reporting the abuse.

Protester Banned From U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards’ McDonald’s Properties Candler resident Leslie Boyd got the notice after she and other activists played a protest song inside a Hendersonville McDonald’s.

North Carolina Democrats Are Outraising Republicans in Key Races In the three races considered competitive, new campaign filings show Democrats finished with more cash on hand and outraised their Republican opponents.

How Jesse Helms Paved the Way for Donald Trump  While the senator, who died in 2008, would have been scandalized by Trump, the two men shared many political attributes. 

UNC Wilmington Wants to Start a Medical School The school, which would take at least seven years to get off the ground, would be the latest boon to health education in the state.

A Rural County’s Tax Squeeze Rural Harnett County residents are alarmed at higher property appraisals. State lawmakers want to lighten their tax burdens, but county services might suffer.

Join us for our All-Access Q&A this Wednesday. This week our guest is @carlibrosseau.bsky.social, who covers K-12 education for The Assembly. Carli has recently worked on coverage of the Leandro case, a multi-decade fight in the courts over school funding.

Guilford County Brushes Off a Berger Theory In a report recently provided to the State Board of Elections, Guilford County’s election director pushed back on the theory that some people got an incorrect ballot.

Will Federal Recognition for the Lumbee ‘Transform’ Southeastern North Carolina?   Members of the Lumbee tribe, which won full federal recognition last December, can soon access more federal programs and may open a casino.

Life in the Shadow of Big Beaver As Buc-ee’s expands its range north, other parts of the gas-station and convenience store eco-system are feeling the squeeze. Photojournalist Kate Medley documents their survival. 

State-Run Insurance Plans for Foster Kids Leave Some of Them Without Doctors Some families using North Carolina’s special insurance plans for children in foster care have faced hurdles obtaining care.

How N.C. Universities Plan to Prove Their Value Three UNC System chancellors discussed pressures and opportunities for higher education during The Atlantic Across America tour’s stop in Durham, in partnership with The Assembly.

🎫 Our event tonight with The Atlantic is SOLD OUT! See you tonight at Bay 7 in American Tobacco Campus in Durham. If you missed this event and want to hear more about our upcoming events, sign up for our newsletter here: www.theassemblync.com/newsletters/

DeCarlos Brown, the man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee last year in a Charlotte light rail train, has been deemed mentally incapable of proceeding to trial, according to a court document.

Charlotte Man Found Incapable of Proceeding to Trial in Iryna Zarutska Case DeCarlos Brown had a long history of mental illness. His lawyers filed a motion this week saying a state psychiatric hospital found him unfit for trial, though a judge will ultimately decide.

Most People Arrested in ‘Charlotte’s Web’ Hadn’t Been Convicted of Crimes Despite the Trump administration’s claims that federal agents would target the “worst of the worst,” less than a third of those arrested had ever been convicted of a crime.

How an ‘Agnostic Atheist’ Got Students to Scrutinize Their Faith Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman wanted his students at UNC-Chapel Hill to think seriously about what it means to believe—and they did.

BREAKING: UNC-Chapel Hill and former provost Chris Clemens have settled their lawsuit in a stalemate. Neither side admits fault or wins any money, and each will pay its own legal fees. www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

Former UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Settles Lawsuit With University Chris Clemens alleged the board violated open meetings and public records laws, but both sides said they resolved the dispute with neither paying any penalty.

Join us for our new All-Access Q&A this Wednesday. This week our guest is Johanna F. Still (@j-still.bsky.social). Johanna covers healthcare for The Assembly.

Democratic Candidate Recruitment Is Booming, Even in GOP Districts Democrats, hoping for a wave, are pushing candidates in state legislative districts that until recently went unchallenged.

Drawing from Real Life “Islands in the Sky,” a crowd-funded graphic anthology, depicts Hurricane Helene through the stories of its survivors—with the help of some nationally recognized comic writers and artists.

The state Supreme Court ended a marathon court battle over funding for public schools with a ruling Thursday that said state courts can't order the legislature to spend money on education. www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

N.C. Supreme Court Reverses 2022 Ruling on Leandro School Funding Plan Leandro v. North Carolina began in 1994, when five low-wealth counties sued the state over what they contended was inadequate funding.

The state Supreme Court ended a marathon court battle over funding for public schools with a ruling Thursday that said state courts can't order the legislature to spend money on education. www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

BREAKING: In a 4-3 ruling, North Carolina's Supreme Court has overturned its 2022 ruling in the Leandro lawsuit, a long-standing school funding case that began in 1994. #ncpol

Leandro v. North Carolina began in 1994, when five low-wealth counties sued the state over what they contended was inadequate funding. The case has been in and out of court as the state grappled with how to ensure a fair education for all students. #ncpol www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

Lawyers Trying to Overhaul State Bar Discipline System Say They ‘Will Not Be Bullied’ Critics say the committee is trying to politicize the State Bar and shield many misconduct complaints from the public.

Facing pushback against several controversial decisions this school year, Roberts has repeatedly issued a similar apology: He could have communicated better. www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

📳We’re trying out something new at The Assembly… Our All-Access Members can now text our reporters directly! We’ll be holding a weekly Q&A with an Assembly reporter each Wednesday afternoon. Our first Q&A is today with higher ed reporter @themhartman.bsky.social.

How North Carolina Opera Is Beating the Odds In recent years, companies nationwide have fought to keep opera profitable and relevant. In Raleigh, NC Opera just put on the best-selling show in company history.

Setting the Bar A controversial proposal on the State Bar’s disciplinary process moved forward last week despite concerns it will politicize the disciplinary process and reduce transparency.

Appreciate @theassemblync.bsky.social asking for my thoughts on the Hubert Davis and Will Wade situations. Despite obvious differences, they're more similar than you might think, with both coaches and both schools being tossed about by the same turbulence. www.theassemblync.com/news/culture...

The only thing that was missing last week regarding conversations around UNC and NC State was a @lukedecock.bsky.social column. Thankfully, @theassemblync.bsky.social delivered: www.theassemblync.com/news/culture...

“The way NRP developed in the U.S. was just careless,” surgeon Claire Morgan said. “It was hubris and carelessness.” www.theassemblync.com/news/health/...

The untold story of how a Duke student accidentally made UNC-Chapel Hill basketball fans’ favorite website. www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

Hubert Davis and Will Wade Are Just Cogs in a Money Machine In today’s college sports, everything is expendable, loyalty is worthless, and there’s a price tag on anything and everyone. 

Hidden in the Hills  Some of Western North Carolina’s “rockhounds” are mining for rubies and emeralds. Others dig for something deeper.

No Shortcuts Prosecutors wanted the state Supreme Court to review an August ruling that overturned four men’s convictions in the murder of Nathaniel Jones.

N.C. Republicans Want Markwayne Mullin to Unlock FEMA Funds All 10 House Republicans in the delegation wrote the new secretary of Homeland Security to ask for a review of unallocated FEMA funds.

The demand for organ transplants has prompted an innovative procedure that reanimates a dead body. A North Carolina surgeon worries that when it’s done incorrectly, donors might feel pain in their last moments. For @theassemblync.bsky.social www.theassemblync.com/news/health/...

The Next Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease Could Come Out of UNC Pembroke  Ben Bahr leads the university’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Lab, which is working to develop a low-cost treatment for the brain disorder.