Author: The Carolinian

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

CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS - In 2015, Mark Oakley, then an officer with the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, slammed a detainee at the Halifax County jail to the ground, then "tased him" while the man was "in handcuffs and posed no threat," according to a civil lawsuit later filed against Oakley. An officer who is found to have used excessive force against an unarmed person risks losing his career in law

WUNC - The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles is rolling out a new online tool to help cut down on wait times at its driver license offices. Customers can now check how busy each site is before heading out. The feature is available on the NCDMV website and covers locations statewide. Each office will show one of three statuses: accepting walk-ins and appointments, busy with longer waits or at

STATELINE - The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative justices on Monday appeared skeptical of the validity of mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, in a case that could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of voters during the upcoming midterm elections. The high court heard arguments on whether federal law overrides a Mississippi law that requires mail-in ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted as long

  By Guns & Ammo Staff Virginia is poised to become the 12th state in the nation to ban so-called "assault weapons". Senate Bill 749, which passed along party lines by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly and now sitting on Gov. Abigail Spanberger's desk, will prohibit the sale, purchase, importation, manufacture, and transfer of a broad category of semi-automatic firearms beginning July 1, 2026. Spanberger, who has publicly supported such legislation,

THE HILL - On a humid afternoon in Lagos, a shoot for a comedy skit is under way on a set that looks more like a small film production. Dozens of people mill about: lighting assistants, a sound engineer, a makeup artist and even a content creator recording unscripted behind-the-scenes footage. At the centre is Broda Shaggi, born Samuel Animashaun Perry, who is issuing instructions, rehearsing lines and performing caricatures.