Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) told members of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery Monday that legislators are working to finalize the state budget, but the exact appropriation for Hurricane Helene relief has yet to be settled on.

Orange County is mourning the death of longtime county Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford, who died unexpectedly Sunday. Bedford was 67.

The Trump administration illegally overhauled a U.S. Department of Homeland Security computer program in its hunt for noncitizen voters, a judge ruled Monday in a stinging decision that laid into federal officials for violating the privacy of millions of Americans.

As public concerns about energy sucking data centers continue to grow, we’ll get an update on Duke Energy’s latest carbon plan and its assumptions about these facilities in a chat with the North Carolina policy director for the Environmental Defense Fund, Will Scott

The North Carolina legislature’s 2026 session continues to linger on with no end or state budget in sight, and we’ll get an update on several subjects under discussion in an extended conversation with Wake County state Senator, Lisa Grafstein

Four states — Indiana, Nebraska, Washington and West Virginia — enacted laws this year that weaken child labor protections, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank. In all, 13 states had bills seeking to weaken those protections; some are still under consideration.

States and cities are loosening building code requirements in an effort to lower construction costs and boost affordable housing. Some of these changes include allowing apartment buildings to have just one stairway, reducing how often building codes are updated and rolling back specific electrical or fire safety standards. But critics have raised safety concerns, noting that rules were shaped by past tragedies and aim to prevent future harm.

Since Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act in 1993, nearly all states must allow residents to register to vote at motor vehicle offices. But fewer teens are obtaining driver’s licenses today, translating into fewer trips to the local Department of Motor Vehicles and more missed chances to register.

LGBTQ+ advocates have called the rebranding efforts “disappointing” and a deliberate attempt to erase communities that are already vulnerable.

As state lawmakers consider repealing the longstanding ban on jetties on North Carolina’s coastline, some of the state’s top scientists are recommending “a cautious approach” to allowing any new hardened structures.