Local & NC News

High above Charlotte, a suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts past

Ely Portillo

A suspected Chinese spy balloon drifted over Charlotte on Saturday.

Donna Kallner

Keeping your rural driveway clear will endear you to UPS, FedEx, and propane delivery drivers, first responders, and others. Here are things to know when you live in snow country.

Tanya Russell of N.C. Survivors Union shows the harm reduction kits they offer to people with substance use disorder.

More North Carolinians died of opioid overdoses in 2022 than ever before. Advocates call for broader harm reduction strategies.

Jason deBruyn

North Carolina saw record highs in opioid overdose hospitalizations and deaths in 2022.

Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting moving from UNC to Morehouse College

Bradley George

A society for training investigative journalists of color is moving from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to Morehouse College in Atlanta.

NC study maps out shift to electric cars, appliances, factories

David Boraks

North Carolina will need more electric vehicles on the road, cleaner energy sources and a faster shift away from fossil fuels in all parts of the economy to meet its climate goals, according to a new report from Gov. Roy Cooper's office.

NC requires pollution controls but lets wood pellet plant expand

David Boraks

State environmental regulators have issued an air-quality permit that will allow the world's largest wood pellet maker to expand a plant in eastern North Carolina.

NC teacher reports: Attrition is down, vacancies are up and a new challenge is coming

Ann Doss Helms

New reports on the availability of teachers in North Carolina’s public schools paint a complex picture of turnover, vacancies and the pipeline for coming years.

NC Senate Republicans approve controversial 'Parents' Bill of Rights'

Liz Schlemmer

Senate Republicans kicked off their first education committee meeting of the legislative session by approving a controversial bill that critics are calling North Carolina's "Don't Say Gay" bill.

North Carolina state Sen. Michael Lee is pictured center, wearing a dark blue suit jacket, blue shirt, red tie and glasses. He is the background, while two other people's heads are pictured from the back in the foreground a placard reading "Senator Barnes" is in the middle.

North Carolina Senate again seeking LGBTQ limits in schools

Associated Press

A bill advancing in North Carolina’s Senate would prohibit instruction about sexuality and gender identity in K-4 public school classes. The proposal approved Wednesday by the Senate education committee would require schools in most circumstances to alert parents prior to a change in the name or pronoun used for their child. The measure defies the recommendations of parents, educators and LGBTQ youths who testified against it. The bill now heads to the Senate health care committee. A version passed the state Senate last year but did not get a vote in the House.

Duke Energy's solar rebates help homeowners, businesses and nonprofits pay for the cost of installation.

Duke Energy's solar rebates end with a final lottery and waiting list

David Boraks

Duke Energy has awarded the final rebates in a five-year, $62 million program to boost rooftop solar installations in North Carolina. The program was required by a 2017 state law and was supposed to end last summer. But about $1.3 million was left over, so Duke held a final lottery this month.