Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.

N.C.

N.C. Justice Officials Brief State Crime Commission on Rising Fraud and Sextortion Reports, Citing $432 Million in 2025 Internet-Crime Losses

State Department of Justice staff told the Governor's Crime Commission on Sept. 3 that fraud, extortion and sextortion complaints in North Carolina have climbed, drawing on SBI, FBI and FTC data that measures reports rather than confirmed crimes.

Sep 8, 2026 · 16 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

Matthews Mayor Asks Charlotte to Cover Small Towns' Share of I-77 Toll Penalty Before Sept. 23 CRTPO Vote

Mayor John Higdon says Charlotte should pay the state repayment bill facing smaller towns, as regional planners face an Oct. 5 state deadline to restore support for the I-77 South express lanes or reimburse NCDOT for design work it puts at $69.58 million.

Sep 8, 2026 · 18 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

Two NCCU Students Shot From Passing Vehicle Near Durham Campus; No Arrests

Durham police say a man and a woman, both North Carolina Central University students, were hit by gunfire from a passing car late Sunday near Concord and Dupree streets; both have been released from the hospital.

Sep 8, 2026 · 13 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked

Oxfam's 2026 Best States to Work Index Ranks North Carolina Last Among 52 States and Territories

The advocacy group scored North Carolina 4.90 out of 100 on labor-policy measures, including a zero on organizing rights; the same state placed second on CNBC's 2026 business ranking.

Sep 8, 2026 · 14 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

Federal Judge Denies Kyrsten Sinema's Motion to Dismiss North Carolina 'Alienation of Affection' Suit, Citing Nine Messages

U.S. District Judge David Bragdon ruled on Sept. 4, 2026 that North Carolina courts have jurisdiction over former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in Heather Ammel's civil suit, because Sinema messaged Ammel's then-husband while he was at his home in the state.

Sep 7, 2026 · 12 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

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.

Sep 6, 2026 · 20 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked

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.

Sep 5, 2026 · 10 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

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.

Sep 5, 2026 · 22 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

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.

Sep 5, 2026 · 19 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

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.

Sep 4, 2026 · 13 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

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.

Sep 4, 2026 · 17 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked
Developing

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%.

Sep 3, 2026 · 14 sources cited · ✓ fact-checked