The Herald Sun
Gov. Stein, North Carolina launch ‘air taxis’ for health care
Gov. Josh Stein buckled his seatbelt Wednesday and sailed into the Lee County skies inside an electric plane no louder than a toy drone — a symbolic flight launched as North Carolina opens a new era of hightech aviation. By climbing into the cockpit,...
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Cooper vs Whatley: North Carolina economic policy clash
North Carolinians say the economy is the No. 1 issue leading to their vote this November. In a recent poll by East Carolina University, 43% of likely voters said so. The next closest issue was border security and immigration at 12%. The leading...
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Commissioners approve Wakemedatrium Health merger
Wake County commissioners voted 5-2 Monday evening to approve the merger of Wakemed and Charlotte-based Atrium Health, sending the proposal to state and federal officials for approval. The vote was interrupted by protesters, and Chair Don Mial had the...
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Stein won’t block Wakemed’s merger with Atrium after changes
Gov. Josh Stein said he wouldn’t oppose Wakemed’s proposed merger with Charlottebased Atrium Health. The announcement from the Democratic governor came Sunday, a day before Wake County commissioners were expected to vote on a deal that has been...
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Family honors NC pilot lost in WWII Egypt mission
VANCEBORO After 84 years, Capt. Marvin Lancaster finally came home — a soldier surrounded by corn and cotton fields he left as a boy, buried in Craven County soil next to the father, mother, brothers and sisters who believed him lost forever. He...
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Trump contradicts AG on NC crime at Gastonia rally
President Donald Trump criticized North Carolina in Gastonia Wednesday evening as he called its cities “bloodsoaked killing fields.” Trump spent Wednesday evening at Gastonia Municipal Airport in Gaston County stumping for U.S. Senate candidate...
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NC identifies most likely source of brain-eating amoeba infection
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services identified a water feature at a community organization in Durham as the most likely source of the brain eating amoeba that killed a North Carolina teenager in August. NCDHHS announced a...
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EPA repeals climate pollution limits for power plants
Most coal- and natural gasfired power plants in North Carolina no longer will face federal limits on their greenhouse gas emissions, drawing pushback from state leaders and environmental groups. The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Monday...
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NC food banks face record need as SNAP cuts loom
So far, Catholic Charities’ food pantry in Raleigh has been able to keep up with growing needs. In the roughly halfcentury it has been running, it has never had to turn people away or shut its doors. That’s despite the number of families it serves...
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Apex street work delays hurt downtown businesses
Above Salem Street, a sign welcomes visitors: “Downtown Apex is open for business!” Below it, excavators tear into one side of the street while the afternoon sun beats down on the other. Between them, cars creep single file along the oneway...
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25 years later, the Triangle remembers 9/11
The Triangle awoke on September 11, 2021 to a sunny fall Tuesday. But things would take a dark turn about 8:45 a.m. With no smartphones pinging news headlines, many people first started hearing the news on the network morning shows or on the radio...
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Raleigh council wants to rein in Glenwood South’s party scene
Raleigh City Council members want Glenwood South to change. Council member Jane Harrison — who represents the district — said despite the area’s reputation as a nightlife hub, it’s more than bars. There are a diverse array of businesses and dense...
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Growth, traffic strain Durham emergency service response times
In a critical medical emergency, eight minutes can mean the difference between life and death. In Durham County, that response time is under pressure as population growth, more traffic and a shortage of staffed ambulances stretch the county’s...
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Rare NC butterfly’s fate uncertain as caretakers leave
A woman walking on the boardwalk at Fort Macon State Park stopped when she saw Laura Taylor wearing longsleeves and a cargo vest sagging under the weight of myriad gadgets despite the 95 degree heat. “Have you had any luck?” she asked. She added,...
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Raleigh adds warnings for 'Peace Street Peeler' bridge
A railroad bridge over West Peace Street is technically slightly higher than its posted clearance of 12 feet and 4 inches, according to the city of Raleigh. That hasn’t stopped five vehicles from scraping or wrecking into the “Peace Street Peeler"...
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Hundreds protest as tech billionaires attend G20 meeting
The Carolina Inn on Unc-chapel Hill’s campus is no stranger to the occasional high-profile guest. But on Wednesday, it was full of them. Sam Altman, CEO of Openai, with a net worth of $3.3 billion. Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, with a net worth valued...
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Wake, NC school test scores reach pre-pandemic levels
The Wake County school system saw its largest singleyear gain in test scores in more than a decade — finally reaching pre-pandemic achievement levels this year. New statewide data released on Wednesday shows that Wake’s passing rate on state exams...
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Pullen Park lake will soon be filling with water again
The water is returning to the lake in Raleigh’s Pullen Park. Lake Howell, where ducks, geese and pedal boats normally glide, was drained last winter, so contractors for the city could replace the crumbling concrete retaining walls around the...
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Can Raleigh make Moore Square a family-friendly destination?
Raleigh’s downtown business community gathered Wednesday, handing out awards and celebrating growth, but one part of downtown remained a sore spot: Moore Square. “If I’m going to have you believe me when I tell you the good things happening downtown,...
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Rocky Horror star Tim Curry draws tribute at Raleigh Rialto
They came sporting leather corsets, ripped stockings, glittery top hats, kilts and the occasional tuxedo — a horde of unabashed freaks stretching for blocks down Glenwood Avenue at midnight, gathered for a raucous, giddy, semi-naughty vigil. For...
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Wake County teachers weigh state pay raises
North Carolina teachers are getting some of their largest pay raises in recent years, but some educators say it’s not enough during a time of rising inflation and healthcare costs. The Tools4schools store in Raleigh was filled this week with Wake...
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North Carolina set to receive funds from Meta settlement
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is promising hundreds of millions of dollars to North Carolina in settling a landmark federal case over whether its social media platforms were addictive and caused harm to kids and teens. It’s also...
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NCSU honors astronaut with building – and something sweet
Pink hair, ripped jeans and an “inexplicable love of rockets.” That’s how astronaut Christina Koch remembers herself as an undergraduate at NC State University. Walking into those first classes, she said she felt like “everyone else in this room...
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Gov. Stein greets Wake students starting the new school year
Conn Elementary School had some unexpected greeters on Monday morning as Gov. Josh Stein welcomed students starting their first day of classes. Stein, State Superintendent Mo Green and Wake County Superintendent Robert Taylor shook hands and posed for...
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Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander fights for survival
JJ Apodaca sent the drone up over the ridge because he had see for himself. It had been a month since the remnants of Hurricane Helene brought torrential rain to the mountains of Western North Carolina, and the only road into Hickory Nut Gorge was...
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Raleigh to shut entrance to downtown bus station
The city will soon close a pedestrian tunnel the connects Goraleigh’s Moore Square bus station with Wilmington Street and the heart of downtown as part of a broader effort to try to make people feel safer. City officials say they will block off both...
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Rehabbed Piedmont engine gets special America 250 paint job
North Carolina’s passenger rail service welcomed back one of its locomotives Tuesday with a traditional christening ceremony, a new number and a paint job that honors the country’s 250th birthday. The nearly 50-year-old engine, one of eight that move...
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Church’s free summer meals ease grocery burden for families
Kenya Lawrence walked into Redeeming Love Missionary Baptist Church one Wednesday this summer with two of her children to pick up lunch. That day, they had ground beef and cheese with tortilla chips, vegetables and chocolate milk. The meals provided...
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NASA astronaut Christina Koch to visit NC State
The first woman to leave low Earth orbit and take a trip around the moon is set to embark on a new expedition: a trip to N.C. State. The university is celebrating Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch — who earned her degrees from N.C. State — later...
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How gel from shark heads may inspire future antibiotics
the coast of Morehead City, the Capricorn rocks as the crew hauls in an Atlantic sharpson nose shark. Hands fly everywhere — measure, tag, release, all within minutes — a maneuver practiced hundreds of times before. In the controlled commotion,...
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NHTSA administrator sees Raleigh truck underride crash test
When the SUV crashed into the side of the truck trailer at 40 mph, Jonathan Morrison was among the first to move in for a closer look at the car’s crumpled hood. Morrison leads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency in...
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Lawsuits accuse Lyft of negligence after NC assaults and crash
After two incidents involving Lyft drivers this year left a Durham couple dead and a Raleigh woman assaulted, civil rights attorney Ben Crump is suing the rideshare company for what he says is “gross negligence” of their drivers. In February, two...
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In a Durham food desert, wastewater becomes a tool for advocacy
On a road downstream of Grant Street in Durham, a large gray cylinder sits atop a manhole cover, sucking up sewage water every hour — and potentially changing the fight against food insecurity for this historically Black neighborhood. Duke University...
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Raleigh appeals judge’s ruling on nightlife permit ordinance
Raleigh is challenging a judge’s ruling that struck down a city ordinance intended to regulate nightlife. The city is arguing that the suit brought against it by bar owners may be rendered “moot” by new developments and that the judge erred in his...
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How dogs are helping save North America’s smallest turtles
Noses down, tails up, two Labrador retrievers zigzag through a soggy mountain wetland in Western North Carolina, hunting for a prize humans would need a lot of luck to find: North America’s smallest turtle. This July, three conservation groups...
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James Comey filings reveal NC role in ‘86 47’ seashell case
The text arrived shortly after James Comey Jr. posted a photograph of seashells he said he had found on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. “I have held my tongue for a long time,” the writer, an estranged acquaintance, wrote Comey’s wife, Patrice. But...
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NC House declines to advance hemp regulation bill
Legislation dealing with hemp did not make it across the finish line in the House on Tuesday. The Republican-led North Carolina House declined Tuesday to take up a bill that would tighten regulations on hemp products, in a week that could be the last...
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Rep. Chuck Edwards faces censure after ethics finding
Rep. Chuck Edwards faces potential censure by his House colleagues after the House Committee on Ethics found “substantial reason to believe” he “violated House Rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces,” the committee said. Despite...
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Durham tackles landfill crisis with waste sorting study
Inside a cavernous warehouse at Durham’s waste and recycling center, a crew of sanitation workers in yellow vests sorted through loads of garbage, collected from homes across the city that Wednesday morning. They placed each item into one of nearly 30...
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Billionaire's fraud case leaves some victims wary of speaking out
Debbie Griffiths worked in healthcare her entire life, saving more than $600,000 for her retirement. Then she saw it all disappear. She is one of 100,000 people across 47 states who had their money misused by Durham billionaire Greg Lindberg. A...
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Wake County’s new school welcomes 430 students
FUQUAY-VARINA The golden carpet was rolled out Thursday for students at Wake County’s newest school. Buzzy the Bee greeted the 430 students arriving at Hilltop Needmore Elementary School in Fuquay-varina as the Middle Creek High School band...
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North Carolina tightens vape shop rules but gaps remain
North Carolina lawmakers included new vaping-enforcement and youth-access provisions in the state’s morethan-600-page budget passed in July. But an advocate says the changes fall short of what’s needed to keep vapes out of kids’ hands. On the...
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Wealthy neighborhoods breed insecticide-resistant mosquitoes
Mosquitoes in Wake County are rapidly evolving resistance to the insecticides most commonly used to kill them, according to two new studies from NC State University. The trend is strongest in wealthier neighborhoods where residents spray more...
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Vehicle collisions threaten urban deer, NC study finds
A study tracking hundreds of deer across Durham and Orange counties found vehicle collisions are a leading cause of death for urban deer, prompting researchers to look for new ways to reduce conflicts between deer and people. North Carolina is home to...
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Museum a living tribute to Shorty Lawson, hard-working tenant farmer
In his short life, Shorty Lawson owned the reputation as hardest-working man around Person County: first on the job, last off it, plowing tobacco by mule, hauling water by bucket, living off hogs he killed, fish he caught, axes with handles he carved...
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Historic Black-owned bank to be sold, renamed in merger
A historic Black-owned bank in Durham plans to take a new name as it merges with another majority minority-run financial institution. M&F Bank announced Wednesday it will become part of South Carolina’s Optus Bank in a deal that is expected to pay M&F...
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Durham nonprofits build benches for bus stops across the city
Erin Batten-hicks frequently rides the bus to work, school and other commitments. She often carries everything she needs for the day, including a computer, books, a lunch bag and sometimes a bike helmet or change of clothes for hot days. A bench at...
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State audit finds gaps in NC landfill oversight
An overwhelming majority of North Carolina landfill sites that operated prior to statewide regulations have not been adequately monitored of late, posing potential risks to public health and the environment, according to a new state audit. The Office...
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Where North Carolina’s $1.6B in state budget earmarks went
RALEIGH In addition to funding raises for state employees and tax cuts, North Carolina’s newly enacted budget directs nearly $1.6 billion toward a variety of projects in lawmakers’ districts. These one-time appropriations, also called “pork” or...
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NC’S Castle Mont Rouge at center of bitter legal battle
For nearly 30 years, one man has been building a castle by hand on a North Carolina mountaintop. Stone by stone, Robert Mihaly transformed the top of Red Mountain, raising a four-story fortress above a rolling forest of old oaks. He crowned its...
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NC state auditor’s new report on Cary finds ‘excessive’ spending
Following months of reports of mismanagement in the town of Cary, the State Auditor’s Office confirmed a lengthy list of “questionable expenses” and an “intimidating” work environment under former Town Manager Sean Stegall in a new report released...
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Jury deadlocks in murder trial of Durham’s ‘top Blood’
A judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the case of a selfproclaimed “top Blood” charged with killing a Durham club promoter whose body was never found. Darrius Tyson, 34, was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping in the March...
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Animal Center seeks adopters as shelter exceeds capacity
The Wake County Animal Center is asking people to adopt and look for lost pets after a post-independence Day surge has pushed the shelter beyond the number of animals it was meant to hold. The shelter is currently caring for about 630 animals. From...
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Appeals court limits police action on anonymous tips
A federal appeals court overturned a North Carolina man’s 30-month gun possession sentence, limiting the actions of officers responding to vague, anonymous tips in high-crime areas. In a 2-1 decision released Thursday, the majority of the U.S. Court...
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Loud, nighttime calls by tree frogs draw visitors to Downtown Cary Park
CARY Queenk, queenk, queenk. On summer nights, Downtown Cary Park comes alive with a wild chorus echoing from the ponds. It’s not a quirky new sound system — it’s the green tree frog, the headliner of Cary’s summer nights. Most easily heard late at...
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125 NC teens became surgeons, engineers for a day
Dom C. wants to be a sports commentator when he grows up. For one afternoon, though, he decided he’d give surgery a try. It pays well, after all. And when you’re a rising 10th grader trying to win a game designed to test how well you can manage your...
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Raleigh to draft juvenile curfew after ‘teen takeover’ shootings
Raleigh City Council unanimously backed the police chief’s request Tueday for a curfew following a weekend of violence sparked by “teen takeovers” in two different parts of the city. Police Chief Rico Boyce asked the council for a curfew for those 17...
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Opponents urge commissioners to block Wakemed merger with Atrium Health
Wake County commissioners on Monday heard two contrasting visions for what Wakemed’s proposed merger with Atrium Health would mean for the community. Supporters, including an ICU doctor and Wakemed executives, said joining with a larger nonprofit...
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Why Wakemed says it needs Atrium merger to fix Raleigh campus
When you walk out of the visitors parking deck at Wakemed’s Raleigh campus on New Bern Avenue, you stand before the sprawling medical center’s two newest buildings containing the heart center and the children’s hospital. But behind the modern glass...
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Raleigh marks America 250 celebration with heat and history
aas hundreds gathered at the North Carolina state Capitol to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Gov. Josh Stein thanked them for braving temperatures nearing triple digits Saturday. “Now every one of you who is here...
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Triangle drought creates contrasting landscapes
The Triangle’s persistent drought shows its cruelest impact near the west end of Falls Lake: a moonscape of cracked mud, where great blue herons wade in puddles. Take Little Lick Creek, where the Mountains-to-sea Trail carries hikers along a boardwalk...
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NC budget proposes raises for teachers, state workers
North Carolina’s state budget, a year overdue, gives raises to thousands of teachers and state employees. Republican House Speaker Destin Hall and Republican Senate leader Phil Berger reached a final deal this week on the budget, which is expected to...
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THE HEAT IS ON THE WAY
The sun sets over U.S. 70 on Monday in Clayton. A heat wave is expected to develop in the Triangle on Wednesday and stick around for the July Fourth weekend, according to the National Weather Service’s Hazardous Weather Outlook. Temperatures at their...
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Professed Bloods leader accused of killing NC man goes to trial
The trial of a Durham man accused of murdering a club promoter whose body has never been found began Monday with jury selection. Darrius Lavale Tyson, 34, is charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree kidnapping in the March...
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Out! Raleigh Pride brings visibility to LGBTQ+ organizations in the area
Throughout the afternoon of Out! Raleigh Pride, a blondhaired street preacher stood atop the steps to the old Wake County Courthouse. He flipped through Bible pages with his left hand and warned through the mic in his right hand about a “gay...
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Duke scientist explores the universe with new telescope
Blinding sun, freezing temperatures, and mounds of dust whipping through the air. The air, thin and sharp, makes every breath an effort. In this otherworldly landscape in Chile’s Atacama Desert, Eve Vavagiakis, an assistant professor of physics at...
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The Stanley Cup visits NC’S State Legislative Building
Adding to its long list of destinations around North Carolina, the Stanley Cup visited a place it hasn’t seen in 20 years: the State Legislative Building. Carolina Hurricanes captain and Conn Smythe trophy winner Jordan Staal carried the Stanley Cup...
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Raleigh ups estimate of Hurricanes’ victory parade to 180,000 people
Raleigh now estimates 180,000 people flooded downtown for the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup victory parade on Saturday. On Saturday afternoon, following a parade and rally, Raleigh Police announced an estimated crowd of 150,000 people. That’s a...
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More than 250,000 in NC may lose Medicaid coverage
North Carolina has just six months to implement new Medicaid eligibility requirements after receiving final guidance this month. Implementing new federal work requirements and strict state mandates will be costly for the state and could lead to...
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Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup win brings surge of fans to parade
If the Carolina Hurricanes’ victory over the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup was indeed a perfect storm, the storm surge arrived in downtown Raleigh Saturday, when an estimated 150,000 people gathered for a loud, boisterous...
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Durham man faces federal charges for illegal reentry
Weeks before a jury will determine whether a Durham man is guilty of murder in a 2025 shooting off Interstate 40 in Wake County, federal officials alleged the man twice entered the United States illegally. Special agents with U.S. Homeland Security...
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Raleigh is adding firefighters. Union says it’s not enough
Raleigh is adding a dozen firefighters, but the firefighters’ union says that’s not enough to respond to fires quickly as the city grows. “The city continues to grow and annex land and expand its footprint,” said Caleb Lewis, president of the...
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Hurricanes return home as Stanley Cup champions
Under an elegant spray of water cannons from two adjacent fire trucks, the Carolina Hurricanes landed back in the Triangle as Stanley Cup champions. The Canes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, cementing their place in history and securing...
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12 killed, dozens injured as Russia, Ukraine trade strikes
At least four people were killed and dozens injured in a Russian airborne attack on Kyiv overnight in which the capital’s 975-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Dormition Cathedral was badly damaged. A number of multistory apartment buildings in Kyiv were...
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SBI gains access to Lowe’s corporate camera network
using a network of cameras that capture detailed images of vehicles passing through. Since last September, the NC State Bureau of Investigation has had the ability to keep a watchful eye over customers at Lowe’s and possibly Home Depot stores across...
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Big changes at NC highway exit as Buc-ee’s breaks ground
Buc-ee’s founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin said he’s happy Alamance County officials reached out when they did about building the state’s first mega-size travel center in Mebane. He was just moving past Orange County’s decision to reject Buc-ee’s first...
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