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Preservation NC Explores The Layered History Of Hillsborough

By Jheri Hardaway Staff Writer Hillsborough, NC - Historic Hillsborough is full of character, history, and life. The morning of our Hillsborough Ramble, the main street was flooded with signs defending democracy, calling for healing and love. These same sentiments were felt throughout the tour. This sweltering Saturday ramble, hosted by Preservation North Carolina (PresNC), brought history buffs and preservationists to the quaint, historic, and stunningly beautiful town of Hillsborough.

Duke Energy Offers $500,000 To Support Small Businesses In NC

CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Duke Energy Foundation today announced $500,000 in grants to support nonprofit-led programs that help small businesses start, grow and thrive across North Carolina. Zoom in: Nonprofit organizations can apply for $25,000 grants, which will then fund microgrants of up to $5,000 to individual small businesses. Funding can be used by local businesses like restaurants and retail stores to complete renovations, buy equipment or technology, purchase inventory or

For Black women in abusive relationships, gun‑control loopholes can engender deadly disparities

The Conversation - In April 2026, Dr. Cerina Wanzer Fairfax was shot and killed by her husband while their divorce was pending. She had done what she was supposed to do. She had initiated the legal process to leave Justin Fairfax, the former lieutenant governor of Virginia. It didn't save her. What happened to Wanzer Fairfax has a name: femicide. Femicide is the intentional killing of women on the basis

Taste of Charlotte Draws Packed Crowds Uptown, Showcases City’s Food Scene

By Judaea Ingram Special To The Carolinian CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Uptown Charlotte was filled with dense, steady crowds throughout the weekend as the Taste of Charlotte Festival returned, turning Tryon Street into a packed stretch of food vendors, music, and nonstop movement. From midday into the evening, foot traffic rarely slowed. Groups of visitors moved shoulder to shoulder through the festival footprint, weaving between long lines, live music stages, and

Housing Crisis Deepens as Chatham Estates Shuts Down

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer For years, residents of Chatham Estates in Cary lived with uncertainty after the property's owner first announced plans to sell the mobile home park in 2023. What initially felt distant slowly became reality. By Christmas Day 2025, eviction notices confirmed what many had feared: the community, home to more than 700 residents across 144 mobile homes, would be cleared to make way for redevelopment, with

Blue Ridge Loops and Budget Gaps: #SOCC26 Highlights Financial Strain of Growth With The Raleigh Chamber

By Jheri Hardaway Staff Writer Briar Creek, NC - In an honest and sobering 2026 State of the City and County address hosted by the Raleigh Chamber and the City of Raleigh over lunch, Mayor Janet Cowell and Don Mial, Chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, celebrated the region's unmatched prosperity while pulling back the curtain on the severe financial challenges posed by rapid growth. The central takeaway

Wake County Passes $2.28 Billion Budget, Raises Property Taxes

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Wake County commissioners unanimously approved a $2.28 billion budget for fiscal year 2027, adopting a plan that increases spending while also raising property taxes for residents. The budget includes a 2-cent property tax increase, bringing the rate to 53.71 cents per $100 of assessed value and generating an additional $62 million in revenue. For the owner of a $450,000 home (around the county's median value)

Fela’s Legendary ‘Zombie’ Album Fifty Years Later

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - When in 1976 teenager Yunusa Yau and his friends grew tired of Nigerian soldiers' high-handedness in their school, they turned to a satirical song - "Zombie," by Fela Kuti, the title track of his album released that year. By then, the military had been in power for a decade, following a coup. A brutal civil war killed at least three million people, rocking the fledgling democracy

North Carolina Construction Booms As Construction Worker Deaths Climb

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer North Carolina's construction boom is reshaping the state's economy. But behind the surge in billion-dollar projects and record growth, a more troubling trend is emerging: construction workers are dying at increasing rates. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 196 workers died on the job in North Carolina in 2024, a 10.7% increase from the previous year. The construction industry remains the most dangerous

The Squabbles Over Early Voting Sites Are Déjà Vu For Several North Carolina Counties

CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS - When history repeats itself, it's usually not so quickly. During the lead up to the primary election, students at Western Carolina University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and University of North Carolina-Greensboro raised alarms about the exclusion of campus early voting sites from county plans. At WCU, it was a break from longstanding tradition. NC A&T and UNCG hadn't hosted midterm primary early voting