Just hours after a hearing on Judge Jefferson Griffin’s challenge to more than 65,000 ballots in the state Supreme Court election, a state judge upheld the state election board’s rejection of those claims in a late Friday ruling.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein sued Friday to block part of a Republican-led law that limits who he can appoint to vacancies on state courts.
Thousands of peaceful protesters encircled the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh for hours Wednesday as part of a nationwide movement opposing President Donald Trump and his agenda.
The court found evidence of discrimination in the case as well as in others filed in Johnston County.
President Donald Trump said he would change the name back, while campaigning in Fayetteville in fall of 2024. The location was renamed in June 2023 after having been named Fort Bragg since 1922.
Fort Bragg was a reference to confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg from Warrenton. The name change came as part of an initiative by the Department of Defense to rename nine military installations bearing the names of confederate soldiers.
The Army referred questions to the office of the secretary of defense. A spokesperson for the office did not respond to a request for comment.
Earl Hess, the author of Braxton Bragg: Most Hated Man of the Confederacy, explores the history of Gen. Bragg as "having a reputation for incompetence, for wantonly shooting his own soldiers and for losing battles.” <More>
A recently filed class action lawsuit is alleging a series of issues within the foster care system in North Carolina.
The lawsuit, directed at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service (NCDHHS), alleges their failures have led to the foster care system operating in a state of crisis for years.
Attorneys Marcia Lowry and David Baloche, who are leading the suit, say the state is hurting children who need help the most.
“What’s really happening to the children of North Carolina is they’re being neglected – both by the counties and by the state. And it’s really a tragedy. The stories are heartbreaking,” Lowry said. <More>
ASHEVILLE - Coming on the heels of a Trump administration directive authorizing federal authorities to conduct immigration arrests on school campuses, Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said he believes a court order is required for those arrests to occur.
“As the Sheriff, I am not in charge of operating the churches or schools within this community but I am elected to ensure the safety and security of ALL the residents in Buncombe county,” Miller said in a Feb. 7 statement released by the sheriff’s office. “WE are a community of WE and because I have deputies positioned in schools as School Resource Officers, my stance is clear and strong that immigration enforcement is not allowed on our school campuses unless forced through a valid court order.”
Miller’s statement aligns with previous statements the sheriff has made related to working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In November, Miller expressed his opposition to House Bill 10, a Republican-backed bill forcing county sheriffs to honor ICE detainers. The law went into effect Dec. 1.
“I have repeatedly spoken out against cooperation with ICE, saying federal immigration law is not the responsibility of local officers and damages law enforcement’s trust within the immigrant community,” Miller said in his Feb. 7 statement. <More>
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
A judge gave federal employees facing a dilemma to accept the recent “buyout” option a temporary reprieve. Employees originally had until midnight Thursday to accept or reject an offer from the new Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk. A federal judge suspended the deadline during a court hearing earlier in the day, stating he would reconsider the matter on Monday.
The ruling impacts North Carolina’s 23,000 federal employees, including about 4,000 in Asheville. Among them, 175 work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with most based at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), which houses one of the world’s largest climate and weather data archives.
Craig McLean, who spent nearly 40 years at NOAA and led the agency’s research division, told BPR that the interference could disrupt day-to-day life and commerce. He said the Asheville office, a repository of the country’s climate data, is essential.
“Asheville holds a data record that’s important to every American citizen,” McClean said. “Simple things like an emergency coming, the floods in Asheville, those forecasts were accurate.”
Researchers around the world, as well as professionals in both the public and private sectors, use data and access tools—including insurance companies, which base their rates and risk analyses on climate data records and projections.
“Banking, finance, real estate, the transportation industry, agriculture,” McClean added. “Economy, safety of life and property are all delivered to the American citizen by NOAA.” <More>
Proposed relief for western NC would be largest package since October, but falls short of what governor says is needed immediately
State lawmakers are preparing to spend an additional $500 million in relief for western North Carolina, laying the groundwork for their fourth aid package since Hurricane Helene and the first of 2025.
Under a bill introduced by GOP lawmakers Wednesday in the House Select Committee on Helene Recovery, the General Assembly would move another $275 million into the state’s Helene relief fund. Together with a bill passed in December that set aside without spending more than $200 million, the total new commitment would exceed a half-billion dollars.
The new relief package would be the legislature’s largest aid bill since mid-October, when it set out $600 million in a second round of relief. It would push the state’s total financial commitment to the storm well over $1 billion. <More>
