The Assembly

N.C. Residents Inundated with Mailers Urging Them to Vote. Here’s What to Know. A group has flooded mailboxes encouraging North Carolinians to cast a ballot, including some who already have.

Don Davis Tests His New Boundaries Rep. Don Davis is reaching out to voters of different parties in hopes of hanging onto his seat in a redrawn district.

The Company That Built eCourts Will Pay North Carolinians for Problems Tyler Technologies did not admit to wrongdoing in the settlement over eCourts, but it will create a fund for people who were wrongfully detained or arrested.

Mountain Man Two years after Helene, Democrats have a shot at flipping North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District with a farmer from Fairview. Can he convince wary voters that he can bring meaningful change?

Payroll Delay Unnerves Staff at Randolph Health Payroll for Randolph Health's roughly 800 employees did not arrive Friday, amid concerns about the finances of its for-profit owner.

Fat Strikes Back  As weight loss drugs like GLP-1s flood the market, North Carolina's plus-size activists aim to make their own splash.

Interactive: The Assembly’s Races to Watch 2026 View an interactive version of the North Carolina races we're watching in 2026.

Michael Lee’s Two-Front War The Wilmington Republican wants to become the next leader of the state Senate, but he’ll have to get reelected first.

How the 2026 Election Could Lock in GOP Policies for Years Three state constitutional amendments could give the party a lasting policy legacy.

Why These Two UNC System Schools Are Partnering on the Arts UNC-Chapel Hill and the UNC School of the Arts plan to share technology and let students take classes on both campuses.

UNC-CH Signs ‘Agreement’ With Federal Government Over Alleged Discrimination UNC-Chapel Hill is the latest university to settle with the Trump administration, but it will avoid the major financial penalties the government has imposed on many of its peers.

A Taxing Proposal Republican leaders say proposed constitutional amendments will save taxpayers money, but critics warn of long-term consequences.

Employees at Asheboro’s only hospital say its private equity-trained owner hasn’t delivered on promises—and conditions have only gotten worse. @theassemblync.bsky.social www.theassemblync.com/news/health/...

The Making of Blue Velvet Was Even Weirder Than You Think Forty years after David Lynch’s iconic film, the people who helped make it say Wilmington was the strangest character of all.

Epiphany on a Plane How an oncologist’s sci-fi-inspired insight, layoffs at a pharma giant, and the unique culture of Research Triangle Park birthed a major cancer innovation.

State House Candidate Owns Undisclosed Property Being Used for Video Gambling Lee County Republican Charles Taylor is listed as the owner of a property that hosts video gambling that was not disclosed on ethics forms.

The Long Game of Preserving the ‘Livers of the River’ Meet the state biologist on a mission to save the endangered elktoe mussel, hard-hit by Helene and critical role for river health.

Dave Boliek Says He’s Focused on Auditing, But All Eyes Are on the Election The state auditor declined to comment on his political ambitions while vowing voters won’t see significant changes at the polls this year.

Fired UNC Civics Associate Dean Breaks His Silence on Investigation David Decosimo objected to a Wall Street Journal editorial about UNC-Chapel Hill’s embattled civics school. The paper didn’t publish his response—which he says is part of the problem.

Lawsuit: ICE Action in N.C. Hasn’t Cooled  A federal lawsuit alleges that ICE agents are routinely stopping people to ask them about immigration status, without any reasonable suspicion of illegal activity.

Joe Rogers lost his wife and everything he owned when Hurricane Helene swept away his mobile home. Now others are living on the same land. “Ain’t that the definition of insanity: keep doing the same thing, hoping for a different result?" he said. with @theassemblync.bsky.social

UNC might have hired the wrong coach, but by investing more in football, North Carolina is increasingly well positioned to thrive in the next round of TV-driven realignment — if there is one. For @theassemblync.bsky.social www.theassemblync.com/news/culture...

Michael Jordan Gives $10 Million to UNC’s School of Social Work in Honor of His Mom The basketball superstar’s gift is the largest in school history. It will support master’s students and international work.

What to Expect When Lawmakers Return to Raleigh to Tackle Gas Prices Lawmakers hope to put a temporary dent in fuel prices during a Wednesday special session.

Almost Anyone Can Start a Private School. We Put This to the Test. Reporting has shown how easy it can be to found a private schools. That led us to an experiment: Could we do it?

The Belichick Experiment Had to Happen UNC might have hired the wrong coach, but by investing more in football, it's well positioned to thrive in the next round of TV-driven conference changes.

How N.C. Community Colleges Aim to Foster Economic Mobility for High Schoolers Three students shared their experiences taking dual enrollment classes at The Assembly and United Way of the Greater Triangle’s Newsmakers event in Durham.

Climate Change’s Compounding Pressures on Rural N.C. Areas like Robeson County face some of the greatest climate risks, but have fewer resources to cope.

New UNC System Faculty Chair Wants ‘Best Practices’ for Shared Governance UNC Asheville music professor Toby King enters his role as chair of the UNC System Faculty Assembly after a contentious year.

The Little-Noticed Policy Change Promoting Three-Year High School Diplomas North Carolina’s universities are debating three-year degrees. In 2023, the General Assembly directed public high schools to create an accelerated path too.

The Incident at Little River  The brutal crime that catalyzed the LGBTQ movement in North Carolina has never been fully chronicled—until now.

Panel Probing Cooper Prison Settlement Goes Quiet A GOP aide said the group hopes to share something before the election, but its work could extend past November.

Roy Cooper’s Secret Sauce The Democratic Senate candidate is campaigning on his rural upbringing, but his recipe for success is less remarkable than you might think.

Newsmakers: Strengthening Economic Mobility in the Triangle What is the role of accelerated and dual-enrollment programs in the state’s economic future?

A Hand Up for the Helpers A new Wake County program is testing an apprenticeship model to help instructional assistants get the training they need to lead a classroom.

The High Schoolers Graduating with College Degrees Thousands of N.C. students are getting college credits, professional certifications, and even degrees while they’re still in high school. By 2028, Durham Public Schools hopes a quarter of its graduates will also have an associate’s degree.

Durham Tech Child Care Academies Draw New Teachers, But Workforce Gaps Persist The Early Educator Academy offers a streamlined path for child care workers to earn a credential in two months. Demand is high, but the program remains small.

After the Flood Came the Lies Social media conspiracies hampered relief efforts after Helene. Two years later, officials say they’re better prepared to address it.

This N.C. College Leader Thinks Two-Year Schools Can Save the Middle Class Monty Sullivan, the new president of the N.C. Community College System, talks like an evangelist for the schools.

The Long Wait For Helene Housing Recovery Funds Renew NC is meant to help homeowners who fall in the gap. But many have faced delays and confusion about their application status.

Pat McCrory’s Raleigh Reckoning McCrory expected to bring a different style of governing to Raleigh. He got an education in legislative power and the limits of his office.

Wake County Commissioners Green-light WakeMed-Atrium Merger After four months of public deliberation and some additional concessions from the state’s largest hospital system, commissioners voted 5-2 for changes that will allow the deal to go through.

Wake County Commissioners Green-light WakeMed-Atrium Merger After four months of public deliberation and some additional concessions from the state’s largest hospital system, commissioners voted 5-2 for changes that will allow the deal to go through.

new piece from me on @theassemblync.bsky.social www.theassemblync.com/news/culture...

Lake Lure’s Brief, Bizarre Chapter as the Headquarters of a Model Cult  Residents recall the far-out happenings at a lakefront compound featured in an HBO docuseries about a doomsday cult.

UNC finished its football investigation and once again released few details about the findings. I asked the investigators why www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

UNC-Chapel Hill’s Football Investigation is Over. Will We Ever Know What It Found? University officials are providing few details. They say the secrecy is necessary to build trust with future whistleblowers.

The eCourts Legal Saga May Be Over A settlement has been reached in the three-year litigation against Tyler Technologies over eCourts system, which has faced complaints across North Carolina.

How UNC Asheville Plans to Attract More Students After Another Enrollment Drop The liberal arts university has struggled with enrollment challenges, but the chancellor says she has a plan to turn things around.

A Battle for the Soul of Chatham County  A rezoning request for a planned church outside Chapel Hill is now a federal case, with religious-freedom groups and the U.S. Department of Justice weighing in.