N.C.
First $55 Million Round of North Carolina's $193.5 Million Helene Infrastructure Grant Program Closes; State Sources List Sept. 8 and Sept. 16 Deadlines
The Renew NC Community Infrastructure Program's opening round covers water, sewer, roads and parks work in 29 storm-affected counties, and arrives amid a two-year fight over how slowly Helene recovery money has moved.
North Carolina Awards $2.4 Million to 46 Small Businesses Under One NC Small Business Program for Fiscal 2026
The state announced 50 technology-commercialization grants across 13 counties for the fiscal year that ended June 30, down from $4.12 million and 90 businesses the year before, in a year when the federal SBIR/STTR programs the grants are tied to lapsed for six months.
UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty Question Chancellor and Police Chief Over No Alert Carolina Message After Aug. 31 Greenlaw Hall Incident
At a Sept. 4 Faculty Council meeting, Chancellor Lee Roberts and Police Chief Brian James said the suspect was in custody within about 17 minutes, faster than a campus-wide alert can be approved; some faculty and students called the silence an abandonment.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.