Top Stories
Request denied: NC Supreme Court returns Griffin case to lower court
Wednesday’s ruling may seem like a setback for the Republican’s election protests. But two months into his fight, there is reason for hope.
Liquid courage: Duke Energy not asking for forgiveness following flooding fiasco
Faced with Helene’s deluge, Duke Energy coped by opening a dam. But excess water drowned a community, which could put Duke in hot water.
Promised lands: Western NC farmers wait for Helene aid to come. And wait.
Reeling from losses to land and livestock, many farmers are holding out for help. If it doesn’t come soon, spring may yield a bitter harvest.
RECENT News
Keep up with what’s important
Keep up with all of our in-depth, investigative news and the public interest issues that matter most in North Carolina.
NC Connection:
Closing the News Gap
A special CPP research project on the news needs of rural North Carolinians
SPECIAL REPORTS
Western NC was devastated by Tropical Storm Helene.
The road to recovery will be long.
And Carolina Public Press will be there to report on it.
Low pay is driving the rapid loss of experienced NC county
elections directors. What makes the situation challenging,
and what policy changes could fix the problem.
Social services in NC may be in the hands of people
who don’t meet minimum qualifications.
Why and how it happens, and how other states avoid the problem.
How climate change affects North Carolina’s fisheries
and the people who rely on them for a living.
The importance of sexual assault nurse examiners
and the difficulty of locating them in North Carolina
Justice elusive for NC sexual assault survivors
NC coastal woodlands face increased risk of wildfires even as human development creeps closer. What problems have created this situation. What solutions could mitigate the hazard.
Climate change is causing erratic weather events and altering
ecosystems in the forests of Western North Carolina’s mountains.
What these changes mean and the challenges
they pose for managing the forests.
How and why North Carolina counties decide to build
or expand jails, the costs of those decisions
and possible alternatives.
Inconsistency and inequity in child welfare policies across NC
Struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic in state’s prison system
Is one of North Carolina’s main systems
for housing those with mental illness failing?
RECOMMENDED
MORE STORIES
Dry run: A lengthy drought in Eastern NC hasn’t led to panic — yet
Months of drought is taking a toll on plants and animals. If rain doesn’t come — and soon — some worry about how bad things may get.
‘Scars of the storm.’ Helene is gone, but its impact is far from over in Mitchell County.
Months after Helene’s devastation, Mitchell County now has the state’s highest unemployment rate. Some fear the job losses will continue.
New editor and location for CPP
Veteran NC journalist Mike Kernels becomes CPP managing editor. The nonprofit news organization is moving its headquarters to Raleigh.
Seeing red: Come June, NC’s election boards could look more Republican
Whether latest GOP attempt to take control of NC election boards away from Democratic governors sticks will likely be decided by the courts.
Some want to move NC town’s Confederate monument. The question is where.
Edenton faces lawsuit after attempting to resolve dispute over relocation of a Confederate monument. Secretive meetings a sticking point.
Out of the mud. Talking with storm survivors in Yancey and Mitchell counties.
A week after Tropical Storm Helene hit NC, storm survivors in Yancey and Mitchell counties talk with CPP. Their stories and a photo essay.
Crime & Justice
Ballot selfies illegal in NC. Unless you’re Susan Hogarth.
What to know about the ongoing lawsuit involving the North Carolina ban on taking selfies in the voting enclosure.
Economy
‘Worst year’ ever for farms in NC
NC farms face bitter harvest after drought and storms. Many farmers thankful 2024 is ending. Mountain farmers need donations, not loans.
Education
Students’ mental state a concern as Helene survivors return to class
Schools at all levels face challenges in bringing NC students back, ensuring they are emotionally able to learn following Helene.
Environment
Finding new homes for NC mountain hellbenders
Conservationists work to transplant protected eastern hellbenders, a large salamander species, ahead of dam removal on the Watauga River.
Health
‘Uncomfortable things’ necessary to fix NC Health Plan, new treasurer says
In a break with previous administration, new NC Treasurer Brad Briner says higher premiums, not legislative fixes, needed for NC Health Plan.
Politics & Government
NC GOP justices block certification of Democratic justice’s re-election win
Challenge that would remove 60,000 ballots bounces between state and federal courts. NC high court issues partisan stay decision.