Author: The Carolinian

(RALEIGH) Today Governor Josh Stein joined the NC Rural Center's 2026 Rural Summit to highlight his commitment to investing in the infrastructure and resources North Carolina's rural communities need to thrive. Governor Stein also marked the third anniversary since North Carolina passed Medicaid expansion, which has provided more than 720,000 North Carolinians, including 250,000 rural North Carolinians, with affordable health care. "Our state is home to more than 3.5 million

NASHVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Ricky Brinkley has lived in rural North Carolina nearly all of his 65 years, and he likes it “out in the county,” past the street lights and bustle of the small towns that carpet the landscape. But the former truck driver can feel left out when elections roll around in this battleground state. “People don’t come out like they should and ask you how you feel about things,”

BPR News - New data from a national insurance-comparison platform, Insurify, shows that homeowner's insurance rates are rising across the nation - in many cases, due to climate risk. Insurify projects North Carolina's insurance premiums to rise only by about 5% in 2026, and have risen 14% overall since 2023, though rates actually fell a little in 2024. Compared to other high climate-risk states, the premiums are fairly flat -

DURHAM, N.C. - March 23, 2026 - M&F Bank, North Carolina's only Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and minority-owned bank, awarded $10,000 to Sherrill's University through its Empowering Growth Small Business Grant. The Raleigh business provides vocational and entrepreneurial training focused on cosmetology, barbering, natural hair care, and instructor training. The award was made possible through the bank's ongoing partnership with Fiserv, a leading global provider of payments and financial

THE HILL - The U.S., Israel and Argentina on Wednesday voted against a United Nations resolution led by Ghana to label the international slave trade as the "gravest crime against humanity" and call for reparations. The resolution received 123 votes from the U.N. General Assembly in favor and 52 countries abstained, including all 27 European Union members, the United Kingdom, Australia, Oman and Japan. It states that the "trafficking of

WUNC - Duke University says it will commit more than $200 million to expand economic opportunity in the Triangle. The "HomeGrown" initiative will unfold over the next three years and include a combination of hiring, investing in affordable housing, and spending with local and regional businesses. More than half of the money, $120 million, will go to increasing partnerships with Triangle-based construction companies. Another $45 million is earmarked for contracting

RALEIGH, N.C. - Foster families across Wake County will now have greater access to joyful, hands-on play thanks to a new partnership between Marbles Kids Museum, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) and Wake County's Department of Social Services. Foster families licensed through Wake County will receive a membership to Marbles that provides free museum admission for foster parents and all children in the household.

NC NEWSLINE - Thousands more rural North Carolinians will receive access to high-speed internet by the end of 2026, following a nearly $26 million state investment announced Monday. The awards come from the Stop-Gap Solutions program, administered by the N.C. Dept. of Information Technology's Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity. The additional funding targets 5,161 homes, businesses and community anchor institutions in 66 counties across rural areas across the state.

NC NEWSLINE - In today's highly partisan environment, it's hard to get Republicans and Democrats to agree on much. But when it comes to North Carolina's transportation infrastructure, both sides agree the current funding formula needs to be reworked. Members of the House Select Committee on North Carolina's Transportation Future held an initial meeting last week to discuss challenges, opportunities and strategic needs affecting the state's transportation systems. N.C. Dept.

NC LOCAL - In North Carolina, nearly all documents that city and county government officials create or receive while carrying out their duties are considered the property of the people. State law requires officials to make those documents - including written communications like emails, text messages, and social media posts - available "as promptly as possible" when anyone requests to inspect or copy them. Although the law is the same