N.C.
WRAL/WSOC Poll: 74% of N.C. Adults Back Medical Marijuana, 63% Recreational; Data Center Views Split 43% to 42%
A SurveyUSA poll of 900 North Carolina adults, taken Oct. 7–11, found that 6% favor encouraging data centers with few limits. That poll lands in a year when the legislature has scaled back one data center tax break and the House has never voted on a marijuana bill.
Two New Polls Show Cooper Ahead of Whatley by 7 and 14 Points as N.C. Early Voting Opens
An ECU poll found Cooper ahead 50%-43% and a WRAL/WSOC poll found him ahead 54%-40%. Both were released after a top GOP super PAC moved money out of the state, and Whatley's campaign has paused its own TV ads, which it says is temporary.
N.C. Elections Board Sends Citizenship Letters to 1,392 Registered Voters Flagged by Federal SAVE Database
The State Board of Elections says a letter does not cancel anyone's registration; the flagged group is about 0.02% of North Carolina's 7.9 million voters and is smaller than the 1,599 first flagged in July.
More Than 125 N.C. Faith Leaders Ask Stein and Legislators to Repeal Budget Rule That Makes Schools Excuse Students for Off-Campus Religious Classes
The rule became law with the state budget on July 7, 2026, and districts are already following it; an Oct. 6 letter from clergy calls it unconstitutional, while supporters say it protects parents' choices.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright Tours Duke Energy's Roxboro Coal Plant, Touting Up to $28.4 Million in Federal Upgrade Funds
The Defense Production Act grant pays for repairs at two coal units that Duke plans to retire on Jan. 1, 2034, and Duke is adding about $44 million from customers; supporters call it reliability spending, and critics call it propping up a plant that is shutting down.
Stein Signed 'Iryna's Law' One Year Ago, on Oct. 3, 2025; Its Bail Limits Are in Force and North Carolina Has Held No Executions
The crime law named for Charlotte stabbing victim Iryna Zarutska passed with votes from 17 House Democrats and no Senate Democrats. The governor signed it while calling its execution-method language "barbaric."
Judge Denies Bond to NC Highway Patrol Sergeant Indicted on First-Degree Murder Charge in Death of Cumberland Sheriff's Capt. Adam Bean; Order Notes Self-Defense Claim
A grand jury indicted Sgt. Nekime Oxendine on Sept. 8 in the March 27 shooting outside a Hope Mills home; court papers filed since then show he says he fired in self-defense.
NC Highway Patrol, SBI and ALE Sign ICE 287(g) Task Force Agreements Ahead of Oct. 1 Reporting Deadline Under Senate Bill 153
The Highway Patrol, State Bureau of Investigation and Alcohol Law Enforcement signed agreements that let trained officers question people about immigration status and make some immigration arrests, and the prison system signed a narrower deal. The 2025-26 state budget set Oct. 1 as the deadline to report the agreements and policies to lawmakers.
NC's Four Medicaid Managed-Care Plans Start a Joint Fraud Task Force, With Autism Therapy Billing a Top Focus
The plans launched the group in August through their trade association, which calls it the state's first. It lets their fraud investigators share billing data on providers they have in common, as autism-therapy spending faces a state audit and new rules.
Gov. Stein Directs N.C. Revenue Department to Waive State Penalties on Highway Use of Dyed Diesel Through Dec. 31, 2026
The Sept. 30 directive lets farmers use their untaxed off-road diesel in highway vehicles during harvest without state penalties. Federal penalties still apply unless the IRS grants its own relief, which Stein has asked for.
UNC System Reports Record Preliminary Fall 2026 Enrollment of 260,199, Up 1.4%; 11 of 16 Campuses Grew
Preliminary figures show N.C. Central up 9.1% and Winston-Salem State up 4.8%. Five campuses lost students, including Appalachian State, UNC Asheville and N.C. State. This was also the first fall that new in-state students paid higher tuition after a nine-year freeze.