You probably saw videos of a nighttime raid in Chicago. Agents rappelling from a helicopter, bursting down doors, questioning brown-skinned immigrants. We investigated -- and found little evidence to support the government’s claims about Tren de Aragua. www.propublica.org/article/chic...

Come hear my colleague Korie Dean interview UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts on Monday www.eventbrite.com/e/how-will-c...

Into the Woods With the Dix Park Trolls indyweek.com/culture/trol...

Elon University will launch a private primary school specializing in educating children with dyslexia next fall, joining Vanderbilt and two other universities in the South that offer similar programs funded by the same donors. www.theassemblync.com/education/el...

North Carolina sees record gains in Advanced Placement exams. Will state keep funding them? New data shows record totals taking AP courses & exams & passing them. NC Senate wants to remove most of the funding that lets students taken the tests for free. newsobserver.com/news/local/e... #ncpol #nced

Some North Carolina teachers walked out on Friday in protest. It could happen again soon. Teachers are talking about adding a Nov. 17 walkout after a social media post encouraged them to call out today and Nov. 10. They want lawmakers to raise pay. www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e... #ncpol #nced

Interesting item from @raleighreporter.bsky.social's weekly newsletter* about a new PAC, "NC True Conservatives", that supports Senator Berger in his primary campaign against Sam Page. mailchi.mp/06b0806cbb66... #ncpol *if you're not subscribed, there's an easy (& free) fix for that.

See how new NC math standards could change the classes high school students take. First draft includes several high school changes, such as dropping Math 3. Students would still take 4 math credits, incl. Math 1 & 2, & choose other 2 math credits. www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e... #nced

New: Elon University will open a private school for children with dyslexia next fall, the result of a "visionary investment" from donors who have funded similar programs at three other universities — including Vanderbilt. www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

I wrote for @slate.com about a legendary (and violent) Tennessee sheriff who more likely than not murdered his wife and the people who want to keep him on a pedestal. slate.com/news-and-pol...

A lovely piece on Allan Troxler, who died last month. indyweek.com/culture/reme...

Via @notus.com | North Carolina, Wisconsin, Maine, Arizona, and Michigan are among a coalition of states suing the federal government over new restrictions on disaster-relief grants, increasing pressure on the Trump administration from battleground states. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...

The Assembly Network is looking for an ambitious and visionary newsroom leader in Fayetteville to oversee CityView’s current editorial team and plans for future growth.

Via @insideclimatenews.org | A company with connections to the cryptocurrency industry is considering drilling for natural gas near the Deep River north of Sanford in Lee County. www.theassemblync.com/environment/...

The partisan shift has divided candidates, as some worry it will drive a wedge between local officials while others argue it’s unavoidable in today’s caustic political atmosphere. www.theassemblync.com/politics/gre...

"The lack of a state budget means that we're level-funded at a time where we have inflation," Amy Cubbage said. "It's simply not keeping up with the costs that providers have for insurance, for the food that they're providing… and for salaries and benefits." #ncpol www.wunc.org/education/20...

A dispute between an elite Charlotte private school and parents who objected to its responses to the murder of George Floyd and the pandemic has put questions about private schools’ autonomy before the state Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court has forbidden using gender as a reason to remove potential jurors, but North Carolina appellate courts have done little to enforce that. Now two men convicted of murder hope the high court will act. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...

Wake County schools say one reason for the increase in special-ed complaints since the pandemic is proximity to Duke and UNC hospitals, which attract “families of children with significant and complex disabilities,” @keunghui.bsky.social reports. www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

“Some will say that this plan is too bold,” Mo Green said. “We need to prove them wrong. Some will say it’s impossible. Show them that it’s inevitable. Some will say that it costs too much. Remind them that ignorance costs more.” www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

A dispute between an elite Charlotte private school and parents who objected to its responses to the murder of George Floyd and the pandemic has put questions about private schools’ autonomy before the N.C. Supreme Court. www.theassemblync.com/education/pr... #ncpol

Legal Aid of North Carolina, the state’s largest non-profit law firm, estimates that the freeze will result in a loss of nearly $6.3 million they had expected to get during the grant cycle that begins in January 2026, Anne Blythe reports. www.theassemblync.com/politics/leg...

At least five houses collapsed on Hatteras Island this week. As more homes are lost to the sea, government and homeowners reach a crossroads. www.theassemblync.com/environment/...

The Post’s analysis quantifies how the strongest vapor plumes measured each year, which are most likely to fuel severe storms, have intensified—in some regions peak IVT has increased by >15% in just three decades. www.washingtonpost.com/weather/inte...

Here’s How Much Obamacare Prices Are Rising Across the Country

When Rep. Don Davis runs for reelection in 2026, it will be his third bid for Congress—and the third congressional map he’s had to contend with. www.theassemblync.com/politics/don...

We spoke to dozens of survivors, read thousands of pages of court and police records, identified 200 alleged church abusers across decades. Our investigation reveals a 50-year pattern of sex abuse, silence, complacency & cover-up in the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination. Read it here:

Few people outside North Carolina have heard of Paul Newby, the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court. But Newby has had a huge impact on America and his state. He’s done this with the goal of delivering what he’s called “biblical justice, equal justice, for all.” THREAD 👇

Among the story's many newsworthy findings: Newby made at least one (prohibited) political donation as chief justice and decided a case involving an adoption agency that he founded (in the agency's favor). #ncpol www.propublica.org/article/paul...

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools have paid off the debt they owed the state. journalnow.com/news/local/e...

Two years ago, the General Assembly’s Republican majority dramatically expanded a program subsidizing private school tuition. But the voucher change wasn’t the only provision benefiting private schools.

Viral post encourages NC teachers to call out of work these 2 days. Anonymous post says teachers should take a stand & call out Nov. 7 & Nov. 10. Wake NCAE is downplaying it, saying 'big serious actions aren’t generated by viral social media posts.' www.newsobserver.com/news/politic... #nced #ncpol

Catty Moore, 62, is perhaps the most prominent member of North Carolina’s public school rescue crew—about a half-dozen retired superintendents willing to take short-term contracts to help a school district through a particularly tumultuous period. www.theassemblync.com/education/wi...

Since retiring as Wake County schools’ superintendent, Catty Moore has become perhaps the most prominent member of North Carolina’s public school rescue crew. www.theassemblync.com/education/wi...

For a while, I’ve also wondered if ghosts are living inside my house. So I did what any self-respecting journalist in pursuit of truth would do. I turned to Onlyphantoms, a group that offers free paranormal investigations in the Triangle area. www.theassemblync.com/place/raleig...

Wake County Superintendent Robert Taylor and School Board Chairman Chris Heagarty have said the youngest children -- such as kindergarten and first graders -- may not need laptops and may learn better without them, Emily Walkenhorst reports. www.wral.com/story/does-e...

Dan Kane pulls back the curtain on another questionable state budget earmark. #ncpol www.newsobserver.com/news/politic...

Amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, residents of this majority-Latino town are afraid, beloved cultural events are being canceled, and the community is at risk of becoming more isolated. www.theassemblync.com/place/siler-...

Ongoing federal shutdown threatens Head Start access for 65K+ kids: "We don't want to see our children ... caught in the crosshairs of these types of political fights," Head Start's deputy director said. @amandageduld.bsky.social @the74.bsky.social #EduSky www.the74million.org/zero2eight/o...

The new N.C. congressional map turns the battleground 1st District red. It passed the Senate on Monday evening on a party-line vote—after Republicans cleared the gallery amid chants of “Cheaters!”—and will likely be approved by the House by Wednesday morning. www.theassemblync.com/politics/dem...

It’s been more than 600 days since the N.C. Supreme Court heard arguments in the latest round of legal wrangling over funding for public schools. Education advocates are wondering if they’ll see a Leandro decision anytime soon—or ever, Anne Blythe reports. #ncpol theassemblync.com/education/wa...

Looooong #redistricting thread about the GOP attempt to redraw the congressional lines in NC. #ncpol (1/?)

The 2,900 pages of chats, shared among a dozen millennial and Gen Z Republicans, chronicle their campaign to seize control of the national Young Republican organization. Many chat members already work in government or party politics. One serves as a state senator. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

The number of voucher students has exploded since NC lawmakers opened the program last school year to all families, including wealthy families and those already attending private schools, @keunghui.bsky.social reports. www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

North Carolina is one of 27 states that has been given the designation “needs assistance” two years in a row. www.wral.com/story/nc-isn...

North Carolina wipes out $6.5 billion in medical debt for 2.5 million residents. Here’s how. The state's Medical Debt Relief Program is resulting in hospitals forgiving the debt for low- and middle-income residents. (Via @lucianaperezu.bsky.social) www.newsobserver.com/news/politic... #ncpol

<insert The Joker's "and here we go" gif> It's official: NC will yet again redraw its congressional map, from 10-4 Republican to 11-3 Republican. But could they go for all 14 districts? New Substack post from @bowtiepolitics.bsky.social: #ncpol open.substack.com/pub/ncpoliti...

Duke Energy officials point to the Trump administration's coal-friendly policies as key to its decision to keep three North Carolina coal plants -- Belews Creek, Cliffside, and Marshall -- online longer than previously intended.

The White House’s mass firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff on Friday has decimated offices related to injury prevention, respiratory disease surveillance, and chronic disease. www.statnews.com/2025/10/11/c...

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight. Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...