N.C.
FEMA Obligates $137 Million More for North Carolina Helene Recovery as Home Buyout Approvals Continue
Gov. Josh Stein announced the latest federal disbursement while pressing FEMA to move faster on hundreds of pending home buyouts; a $100,000 spending-approval rule blamed for earlier delays was dropped in spring 2026 by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
North Carolina Awards More Than $9.8 Million in Parks Trust Fund Grants to 25 Local Projects
The state's Parks and Recreation Authority picked the winners on Aug. 28 from 42 applications seeking $15.5 million; every grant must be matched dollar-for-dollar by the local government.
Pardee Hospital's Buncombe County Patient Count Rose From 12,973 in 2019 to 20,981 in 2025 as HCA's Mission Heads to Trial
A county-owned hospital in Hendersonville has grown its services and its share of patients from Asheville's home county, while the state's contract lawsuit against Mission Hospital's owner, HCA Healthcare, is set for trial.
Wake County Hospital Systems Seek More Than 700 New Acute-Care Beds; State Plan Allots 233
WakeMed, UNC Health Rex and Duke filed competing certificate-of-need applications for far more beds than North Carolina's 2026 plan allows in Wake County, while neighbors in Rolesville fight the rezoning for one proposed WakeMed hospital.
Federal Jury in Charlotte Convicts Two on Misdemeanor Counts From November 2025 ICE Facility Protest
William Stanley and Heather Morrow were found guilty September 2 of blocking a federal entrance and impeding federal employees; Morrow was also convicted of interfering with a federal officer, and no sentencing date has been set.
Trump Signs Funding Bill Moving Federal Hemp THC Limits to Dec. 11; NC House Vote on HB 328 Set for November
Congress pushed most of the new federal hemp THC standard from Nov. 12 to Dec. 11, and North Carolina House members say they will take up their own hemp bill, House Bill 328, when they return in November.
North Carolina WARN Filings Show 3,402 Announced Layoffs So Far in 2026, About 30% of Them in the Charlotte Area
State Commerce Department notices logged large cuts at Lowe's, Thermo Fisher Scientific and a Family Dollar distribution center, even as North Carolina's unemployment rate stayed near 3.6%.
North Carolina Releases 2025-26 End-of-Grade and End-of-Course Test Results
The state Department of Public Instruction published proficiency, growth and School Performance Grade data for the 2025-26 school year on Sept. 2, 2026, a year after scores rose on 12 of 15 reading and math assessments.
NCDHHS Releases "Know What's Next" Toolkit on Medicaid Changes; Six-Month Renewals Start Oct. 1, 80-Hour Work Rule Jan. 1, 2027
The state agency published flyers, wallet cards and Spanish-language materials on two staggered changes: twice-a-year eligibility renewals and narrowed non-citizen coverage on Oct. 1, 2026, and an 80-hour monthly work-or-activity requirement on Jan. 1, 2027.
Gov. Josh Stein Meets Irish Companies in Ireland to Promote North Carolina Investment and Tourism
The North Carolina governor's Dublin-area stops came as U.S. tariff policy reshaped pharmaceutical trade, North Carolina's biggest import from Ireland.
Kalshi Suspends NC-01 Republican Laurie Buckhout for Three Years, Fines Her $2,589.96 for Trading on Her Own Race
The prediction-market exchange published a settlement notice on August 31, 2026 saying Buckhout bought under $1,000 of contracts on her House race against Rep. Don Davis; she called it "a dumb mistake," and Davis called it a "disqualifying breach of public trust."
NCDHHS Says October Asheboro Clinic Will Be North Carolina's 100th Opioid Treatment Program; Suspected Overdose Deaths Down More Than 23% in the First Half of 2026
State health officials announced federal approval of an Acadia Healthcare clinic in Randolph County and released midyear data showing fewer suspected overdose deaths and fewer overdose emergency room visits than in the same period of 2025.