In 2024, Oregon Inlet claimed the life of a seasoned mariner who had been featured on the reality TV show Wicked Tuna. For local fishermen, navigating the tempestuous waters is the stuff of legends and nightmares. www.theassemblync.com/place/oregon...

New (and my first byline @theassemblync.bsky.social!): What does “academic freedom” mean? As many professors around the country feel their rights are being threatened, UNC System faculty leaders want to more clearly define the term for NC’s public universities. www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

As some professors feel their work is being threatened, a faculty group wants UNC officials to be more precise about which activities are protected. www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

Residents in Brevard’s Cherry Street neighborhood are staying in RVs, carrying two mortgages, or living in construction zones while they wait for aid that could take years to arrive. www.theassemblync.com/place/after-...

On October 13, eCourts, the state’s $100 million digital records system, went live in 13 more counties, bringing the platform to every county in North Carolina. www.theassemblync.com/all-newslett...

“I dare them to retaliate” – Wilmington distillery owner who says he just opened the state's first private liquor store

New congressional maps are now passed in #ncpol: www.newsobserver.com/news/politic.... This makes #nc11 the most competitive district in the state. For more on the state of play in the 11th, see this piece I wrote for @theassemblync.bsky.social in June ⤵️ www.theassemblync.com/politics/11t...

The ABC Commission allows distilleries to sell their own liquor directly to customers–only if it’s produced on-site. But one Wilmington man is selling liquor at his new store anyway, relying on legal ambiguity in the state’s interpretation of “production.” www.theassemblync.com/business/mom...

Potentially very cool journalism job: @theassemblync.bsky.social is seeking an editor-in-chief in Fayetteville. Pays $75K or higher www.theassemblync.com/assembly-job...

In August, The Assembly reported that RedSpeed had donated $220,000 to legislative Republicans’ building funds shortly before the General Assembly passed a bill that could make the company millions. 'Could' might be the operative word in that sentence. www.theassemblync.com/politics/red...

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...

In the last two years, 6 states have restarted the death penalty after executions were paused. If N.C. resumes executions, it would be the one with the longest pause at 19 years, said Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

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-...

Camping World’s CEO said the flag is a display of patriotism, while others said local ordinances exist for a reason. Then, the state legislature stepped in. www.theassemblync.com/place/big-fl...

Underneath the headline-grabbing slashing and burning, a more permanent scar is forming on federal workers, including 80,000 in North Carolina.

Although the two university presidents described the strengths of both institutions and spoke warmly of a collegial partnership, it’s clear that the Elon side of the merger will be in charge.

Republicans netted three seats in North Carolina last year, changing the state’s congressional delegation from an even 7-7 split to a 10-4 GOP majority. Now Republicans are looking to pad that margin. www.theassemblync.com/politics/tru...

For 20 years, the location in the Westridge Shopping Center was my second home. When my parents opened Kyoto Fantasy Express there in 1998, I was just six years old. Now, a different restaurant occupies the space.

In 2023, Huntersville was a showcase for Mecklenburg Democrats. Democrats swept the seven contests for town board despite only holding one seat before. “We took this entire town from red to all blue,” Kromer said.

Via @kffhealthnews.org | Combining psychotherapy with a low-dose of the hallucinogenic drug is a relatively new approach to treating severe depression and post-traumatic stress. www.theassemblync.com/health/menta...

The 82nd Airborne Museum is a stop during orientation for every new soldier in the division, which has about 20,000 members. It is where every battalion change of command is held, Lopez said.

The legal battle in Leandro v. North Carolina over the right to a “sound, basic education” for the state’s 1.5 million public school students has stretched on for 30 years. Can the courts continue to delay a decision indefinitely? www.theassemblync.com/education/wa...

This isn’t the group’s first pilgrimage to The Blind Pelican. The mission all started a year ago when the same group made the trek for a birthday trip. Then, the group set The Blind Pelican’s in-house record for biggest Bloody Mary with a $2,600 order.

Via @notus.com | More than half of Republican ads in Virginia are focused on trans issues. Officials say they plan to run similar attacks in North Carolina’s Senate race. www.theassemblync.com/politics/rep...

Nobody wishes for disaster; no one relishes the suffering of friends and neighbors. But across Western North Carolina, people have also found joy in the wake of calamity.

Senate Democrats sent Stein a letter imploring him to veto a bill they called “fundamentally flawed, legally questionable, and morally wrong,” according to a draft obtained by The Assembly. (A Senate Dem said Stein was “pissed” when he received it.) www.theassemblync.com/politics/ste...

With @insideclimatenews.org & @whqr.bsky.social | For seven years, N.C. activists overcame political and scientific hurdles to convince the EPA to regulate PFAS in drinking water. Now they’re confronting a Trump administration intent on quashing their success. www.theassemblync.com/environment/...

N.C. Rep. Cecil Brockman (D – Guilford) is facing bipartisan calls for his resignation after being charged with multiple sex crimes. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cec...

Underlying the personal animus around UNC's School of Civic Life and Leadership is a rupture over the mission of civics schools: Should they reform pedagogy by prioritizing civil discourse, or should they add viewpoint diversity by hiring conservatives? www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

The combined state and local sales tax has more than doubled since 1970, and Mecklenburg voters are mulling another increase. Why does a tax that hits poor people hardest have so much support? www.theassemblync.com/politics/why...

For the last 19 years, North Carolina has been in a death penalty limbo. But on Friday, Gov. Josh Stein signed Iryna’s Law, a bill named after a Ukrainian refugee stabbed on a Charlotte train. Republican state legislators hope the law will restart executions. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...

Via @notus.com | Once a MAGA poster child, former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn is attempting a political comeback—this time in an open House seat in Florida—but he shouldn’t expect any help from those in President Donald Trump’s orbit. www.theassemblync.com/politics/mad...

In February, the Eastern Music Festival was abruptly canceled. This came after mounting tension between faculty musicians, who teach the festival’s students every year, and the organization’s board and administration.

Duke Health and Aetna have concluded a heated rate negotiation with just weeks to spare before the health care giants’ contract expired. www.theassemblync.com/health/duke-...

MLB last expanded 27 years ago but is nearly certain to select two new teams by 2029, when Commissioner Rob Manfred retires. For seven years, a growing coalition of advocates has built a case for Raleigh. www.theassemblync.com/culture/spor...

A federal judge this week upheld the North Carolina Senate map, siding with Republicans who had been accused of intentionally diluting the voting power of Black Democrats in the northeastern part of the state. www.theassemblync.com/politics/nc-...

Bedlack said people who are more hopeful have different brain patterns than those who lose hope. Their bodies are less inflamed. They tend to live longer. From a clinician’s perspective, these things are all interrelated. And in that sense, hope is a medicine. www.theassemblync.com/health/als-d...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is relying on its Disaster Relief Fund to keep aid flowing during the government shutdown. But already delayed payments and a depleted fund could lead to complications, lawmakers said.

UNC-Chapel Hill has hired K&L Gates, a law firm with ties to Republican state legislators, to lead its investigation into the School of Civic Life and Leadership, people familiar with the probe said.

Carrboro has incurred millions of dollars in damages to 47 miles of roads and other town-owned property, allegedly because of more frequent and extreme weather that resulted from a warming planet.

Since the Trump administration began slashing FEMA’s workforce, a team focusing on improving the online application process for disaster aid has disintegrated. In January, the team had at least 10 people. Now, sources said, it’s down to two. With @theassemblync.bsky.social

The General Assembly can’t come to an agreement on legislation to fund the state’s $319M Medicaid rebase shortfall, which covers the gap between projected and actual expenses. With no deal in sight, NC DHHS said it was planning reimbursement rate cuts. www.theassemblync.com/all-newslett...

A 57-year-old man who’s been incarcerated in state prison for four decades agreed this month to settle a lawsuit he brought against the North Carolina Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission for what he contended is a flawed review process.

Last week, attorneys spent 6 hours trying to answer a single question: Should a jury hear a case alleging that Duke Energy is responsible for lying about the link between climate change and extreme weather that inflicted millions in damage on Carrboro?

SALE: You can get The Assembly through next year's midterm elections for just $26! That's more than 50% off — claim your discounted subscription today. www.theassemblync.com/subscription...

For the anniversary of Hurricane Helene, The Assembly has been publishing stories about the road to recovery in Western N.C. Read the stories below: 🧵 www.theassemblync.com/tag/hurrican...

As of September 27, Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by a mere 9,968 registered voters. At the current rate of change, Republicans will eclipse Democrats by early 2026, if not sooner. www.theassemblync.com/politics/dem...

Democrats are losing members in #ncpol. But are the Republicans gaining? New piece by me in @theassemblync.bsky.social ⤵️ www.theassemblync.com/politics/dem...

The last five years have thrown hurdles in WRAL’s path, including a string of high-profile departures. But in spite of the headwinds, WRAL is still relatively well-positioned. It has a newsroom staff of 143 and a host of profitable companies.

While Trump has suggested he might do away with FEMA, there’s a bipartisan push in the House to elevate its position.