The News & Observer
Track early voting wait times across North Carolina counties
Early voting is the most popular way for North Carolinians to cast their ballots — but this can sometimes lead to long lines at the polls. To mitigate this, some counties have created wait time trackers for early voting sites, so voters can check how...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Early voting is starting in NC. What you need to know to cast your ballot
North Carolina’s early voting period for the 2026 midterms starts Thursday. Here’s everything you need to know about how to vote and what to expect. WHEN AND WHERE CAN I VOTE EARLY? The early voting period starts on Thursday, Oct. 15 and ends on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The 5 best new foods at the 2026 NC State Fair
Like the universe itself, the culinary wonders of the North Carolina State fair are always expanding. This year the State Fair unveiled 34 new fair foods, from Nashville Hot mozzarella sticks to cheesecake dipped in dill pickle icing. Here are the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Crews to assess suspected tornado damage in central NC
After heavy rain and severe storms that spawned suspected tornadoes across central North Carolina over the weekend, sunny weather is forecasted for the week ahead. On Sunday, the remnants of Hurricane Isaias tore through the state, bringing excessive...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New food hall to open at NC State Fairgrounds in 2026
The new food hall at the NC State Fairgrounds has polished terrazzo tiles on the floor, a ceiling of exposed light bulbs dangling from silver threads and, of course, ice cream and hot dogs on the wallpaper. The fair will unveil the new Midway Event...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
How fast-tracked gas tax pause reached governor in hours
In the span of an afternoon, the North Carolina General Assembly revealed and passed legislation that will pause the state’s gas tax through November, if it becomes law. Though nearly all Democrats voted for the GOP-written bill, they questioned the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lawmakers move to suspend NC gas tax ahead of election
With 27 days before the election, North Carolina Republicans called a special one-day legislative session to pass a gas tax pause. GOP senators said ahead of the expected votes that the tax pause would last through the end of November, if it becomes...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Evangelist brought down by scandal dies at 86
Jim Bakker, the pioneering TV evangelist who became a symbol of the glitz and greed of the 1980s when his PTL empire near Charlotte collapsed amid sex and money scandals, landing him in prison for fraud, died Monday, according to his wife, Lori, on his...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Raleigh may add $1.8M playground at Moore Square
Raleigh leaders could spend up to an estimated $1.8 million on a new “play experience” at downtown’s Moore Square if they decide to move forward with options recently presented to them. The Raleigh City Council heard three options for new features at...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New ICE facility in NC sparks economic hopes, protests
Carolina’s first immigration detention center is set to open in the state’s northeastern corner before year’s end. Though activists have protested against the center, some residents say they don’t sense that opposition in their communities and look...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NC election boards face scrutiny over changes
Members of Congress, voting rights advocates and a state Supreme Court justice warned of potential threats to North Carolina’s election security during a “shadow hearing” in Raleigh on Wednesday. Convened by Democratic U.S. Reps. Deborah Ross and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The Canes’ banner rises amid cheers — and Raleigh’s championship memories return
Under rows and rows of energetic, chanting fans, members of the Carolina Hurricanes stood with their arms each other’s shoulders, basking in the glory of their hard work all season culminated in one form: a banner that reads, “Stanley Cup...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Jury selection begins in Faith Hedgepeth murder trial
Faith Hedgepeth’s parents, Connie and Roland, walked down a Durham County courthouse hallway Monday toward the trial of the man charged with killing their daughter over 14 years ago. Their faces were solemn as a legal assistant from the District...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NC State barely breaks even on its ice cream brand
At the ice cream shop on NC State University’s dairy farm, a line winds outside the door nearly every summer weekend. That sweet, cold ice cream comes from the cows raised on the school’s nearly 400-acre farm on Lake Wheeler Road. NC State students...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wake special-ed students face low proficiency rates
Most Wake County specialeducation students are graduating from high school, but few are considered to be proficient in math or reading. Wake County school administrators laid out Tuesday their plan over the next three to five years to try to improve...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
UNC System board debates athletic spending controls
It’s a favorite saying of UNC System leaders that athletics is the front porch of its universities. Increasingly, that front porch is looking much messier: athletic budgets are skyrocketing as the industry transforms, and universities are struggling...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Raleigh wants to redesign Nash Square
Nash Square has evolved significantly since its creation over 200 years ago, and city parks officials are eyeing another new design. There’s a lot that’s going to change about the square, said city planning supervisor T.J. McCourt at a Raleigh City...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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"...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wake County teachers weigh state pay raises
RALEIGH 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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
How minimum lot sizes shape housing in the Triangle
Multifamily zoning in the Triangle isn’t regional — it’s concentrated in just a few cities. A new two-year analysis from the National Zoning Atlas digitized and standardized all 8,400 zoning districts in North Carolina, including every city and county...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NC bill would require state auditor to do election audits
An elections overhaul bill that has gained traction in both chambers of North Carolina’s state legislature worries some that the state auditor could gain too much power. A final vote could come this week. A provision in House Bill 958 requires the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wake County’s new school welcomes 430 students
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 serenaded the crowd...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NC debates minimum liquor price policy
North Carolinians can now weigh in on if distilled spirits like whiskey and vodka should have a government-mandated minimum price. The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission is conducting a study on whether it should impose minimumbased...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Woman says Rougemont castle dream cost her everything
Robert Mihaly told Julie Seel he needed someone who believed in him and time to focus on finishing the castle he had spent decades building, Seel testified this week. She tried to give him just that, she said, but it ended up costing her nearly...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
An emergency childcare group offers help for NC families
Days after delivering her second son, Silke Knebel got an infection from her C-section scar that kept her in bed. She had no one nearby to call to hold her baby, get medicine, or help her stand up. “I didn’t want any parent to have to experience this....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)