N.C.
Chemours Reaches Out-of-Court Settlement With 2,658 North Carolinians Over PFAS Releases
The private deal, terms undisclosed, came days before trial and days after state officials attacked a separate federal PFAS settlement that left North Carolina out.
NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson Leads 18-State Group Urging EPA to Keep PFAS Water-Testing Rules
A coalition led by North Carolina's attorney general asked the EPA to drop its plan to end testing rules for four PFAS chemicals, including GenX, while the EPA says the Biden-era rules broke the law.
Judge Sends States' Meta Child-Safety Case to Trial; First Trial Set for August 18
A federal judge denied most of Meta's bid to end a multistate lawsuit over youth social media use, clearing the way for the first attorney-general trial in Oakland on August 18.
North Carolina's Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.6% in June as Labor Force Shrinks
The state's jobless rate dropped for a second straight month, but the number of people working also fell, and economists disagree on whether the number signals strength or weakness.
North Carolina Budget Makes Statewide Highway License-Plate-Reader Program Permanent
A provision in the state budget signed July 7 authorizes the SBI and NCDOT to run automatic license-plate readers on state-maintained roads permanently, prompting objections from the ACLU of North Carolina over data safeguards.
North Carolina Elections Board Adopts New Mail-Ballot Rules in 3-2 Party-Line Vote
The Republican-majority State Board of Elections approved rules letting county officials reject absentee ballots for sealing and envelope errors; in a separate party-line vote days earlier, it also lowered the vote threshold for rejecting voters' photo-ID exemption requests from unanimous to majority. The envelope rules await Rules Review Commission approval.
Severe Storms Cause Flash Flooding, Downed Trees and Power Outages Across Central North Carolina
A multi-day round of thunderstorms hit the Raleigh-Durham region in July 2026, with the National Weather Service warning of continued risk; the local damage sits inside larger national disputes over climate attribution and federal disaster funding.
NC Attorney General Files Testimony Opposing Most of Duke Energy Progress's Proposed Two-Year Rate Increase
Jeff Jackson's office asks state regulators to cut the utility's requested return on equity and shift more grid costs onto data centers; the Utilities Commission will decide this fall.
North Carolina's Driest Year on Record Prompts Mandatory Water Restrictions Across Triangle and Charlotte Regions
State officials report all 100 counties in drought as reservoirs including Falls Lake sit below normal, and more utilities move to enforceable conservation rules.
Nippon Electric Glass to Close Shelby, N.C. Fiberglass Plant, Ending 282 Jobs; Sells Lexington Plant to Saint-Gobain
The Japanese company says it is exiting North American glass-fiber production; workers face an Aug. 31 shutdown as the sale of a sister plant transfers about 90 jobs to a French rival.
NASCAR Cup Series Returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway After State and Federal Money Helped Rebuild the Track
The historic North Carolina short track hosted its first Cup Series points race since 1996, drawing fresh debate over the roughly $18 million in COVID-relief funds and a state MEGA Fund grant used to revive it.
North Carolina Budget Provision Authorizes Placement of License-Plate Reader Cameras on State Roads
A section of North Carolina's new state budget lets the State Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Transportation put automated license-plate readers along state-maintained roads statewide, extending a pilot that privacy groups across the political spectrum oppose.