NCDEQ opens public comment on Egger air permit revision in Davidson County
NCDEQ is accepting public comments through July 9 on proposed air permit revisions for the Egger-Lexington Particleboard Plant in Davidson County.
Health
NCDHHS says Healthy Opportunities Pilots reduced Medicaid costs
NCDHHS says a Medicaid pilot focused on nonmedical needs reduced monthly health care costs for participants.
Hon. Thom Goolsby: Parents, Not Politicians, Should Decide Kids’ Online Access
North Carolina lawmakers are right to be concerned about children’s safety online. Many apps available to kids can expose them to bullying, predators, harmful content, and addictive algorithms that many parents are struggling to manage. Doing nothing is not an option.
Brent Heath: Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA) bill
Lenoir County currently has a 3.5% unemployment rate, and the median income is just over $45,000. Legislation is moving through Congress that would hand Washington bureaucrats sweeping new authority over workplace contracts in eastern North Carolina and across the nation. As a conservative, I see this as disastrous, but this bill should gravely concern you regardless of your political affiliation. It will empower union bosses and unaccountable government arbitrators at the expense of workers andbusinesses alike.
NC bill would ask voters to define life as beginning at fertilization
RALEIGH — A North Carolina House bill would ask voters in 2026 whether to amend the state constitution to declare that human life begins at fertilization and is entitled to legal protection from fertilization until natural death.
Rev. G.E. Parker: Helene Recovery Demands More Than Public Dollars
North Carolina received $1.4 billion in federal funding for Hurricane Helene recovery. More than half was designated for single‑family housing. A year and a half later, only 30 single‑family homes have been completed through HUD‑supported programs—a pace that clearly falls short of the need in Western North Carolina.
R. Lee Currie, Jr.: Senator Budd Must Deliver the REPAIR Act for North Carolina
Modern cars generate massive amounts of data—information that determines not only how they drive but also who can repair them, and which parts can service them. Right now, major automakers are leveraging this data to exclude both independent repair shops and aftermarket parts manufacturers from accessing the diagnostic information North Carolina drivers depend on. Unless Congress intervenes, this quiet power grab will negatively impact our state's manufacturing base, mechanics, and consumers.
Jackson joins lawsuit challenging federal student loan rule for health care degrees
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has joined a multistate lawsuit challenging a U.S. Department of Education rule that his office says would restrict federal loan access for students pursuing advanced health care degrees.
Senate committee to discuss bill allowing organ donor registration on tax returns
RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina Senate committee is scheduled to discuss a bill Wednesday that would allow residents to register as organ and tissue donors through their state income tax returns.
House committee considers broad alcohol, gaming bill
RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina House committee is scheduled to consider a broad alcohol and gaming bill that would affect ABC stores, mixed beverage permittees, premixed cocktails, nonprofit raffles and game nights.
Stein points to overdose death decline while pushing opioid treatment, fentanyl enforcement funding
RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Josh Stein is pointing to a reported decline in overdose deaths in North Carolina while calling for additional state funding for opioid treatment and fentanyl enforcement.
Matt Swain: North Carolina’s Hemp Loophole Is a Kid Safety Problem
Walk into almost any gas station in North Carolina and you’ll find gummies and vapes in bright, candy-colored packaging with names designed to appeal to children. They look harmless, but they aren’t. These are hemp-derived THC products, and right now, North Carolina has no age restrictions on their sale, meaning children can legally buy them.