Gathering offered ‘intimate’ dinner with utilities regulators. Who from NC went.

NC Utilities Commission member Tommy Tucker participated in a conference that promoted “American energy dominance.”

newsobserver.com

Jeff Conolly, Manic Garage-Rock Frontman, Dies at 70

Known as Monoman for his love of vintage LPs, he kept the punkish torch burning by leading Lyres, a Boston group that became an institution.

nytimes.com

With federal probe into domestic abuse program seemingly stalled, Wake DA steps in

Exclusive: Wake County DA Lorrin Freeman has asked the SBI to probe the electronic monitoring program.

newsobserver.com

Company tied to NC officials was left off a UNC System leader’s ethics statement

A company tied to several state officials was left off this one’s economic interest disclosure.

newsobserver.com

Free tickets, parking, food at Charlotte speedway — if you’re an NC lawmaker

Exclusive: The speedway spent $51,000 on NC lawmakers and the people they invited to attend this year’s Coca-Cola 600.

charlotteobserver.com

SBI director appears at NC fundraiser. Why ethics experts say that’s a problem

Chip Hawley spoke at a fundraiser as his agents are working an investigation that has led to charges of illegal gifts to lawmakers.

newsobserver.com

Wake DA: Greater Carolina probe expanding to include a look at Florida developer

M Group CEO says “absolutely no affiliation or correlation” with Mooresville nonprofit under investigation.

newsobserver.com

NC quietly ends decades of tracking racial disparities in policing

The repeal, found in the newly passed budget, eliminates a key tool used to uncover patterns involving police agencies and individual officers, some experts said.

newsobserver.com

U.S. Withdraws Subpoenas Issued to New York Times Journalists

A federal judge raised questions about the government’s handling of the subpoenas, which The Times called an attempt to intimidate the free press.

nytimes.com

Free Charlotte speedway passes for NC leaders went undisclosed. That’s going to change

Charlotte Motor Speedway says it will report who received free passes after a News & Observer inquiry.

newsobserver.com

Times Journalists Subpoenaed as Trump Escalates Pressure on Media (Gift Article)

The Justice Department is seeking to compel testimony from reporters who wrote about the new Air Force One. The Times called the move a “brazen act.”

nytimes.com

More NC lawmakers identified as attending bourbon trip, search warrant says

Exclusive: One lawmaker who went on the 2022 bourbon tour, the SBI says, now seeks to be the next Senate leader.

newsobserver.com

NC rep pushed costly plan for liquor warehouse that favors developer, ABC official says

Exclusive: A developer seeking to build a $300 million liquor warehouse for NC is tied to $500,000 in donations helping Republican legislative candidates.

newsobserver.com

‘Pray you make it home:’ Why driving a CATS bus in Charlotte is dangerous work

CATS bus drivers are three times as likely to be physically or verbally assaulted than the average bus driver nationwide, an Observer analysis found.

charlotteobserver.com

Search warrant details Kentucky bourbon distillery trips taken by NC lawmakers

The search warrant says 11 lawmakers went on a trip in 2022, while nine went in 2024. Allegations of bad behavior on the second trip exposed them.

newsobserver.com

Columbus County Agrees to Pay Lawyer Fees In Our Public Records Case

A judge ordered the county to cover partial costs of lawyers who have represented The Assembly and Border Belt Independent in the case.

theassemblync.com

Short Naps, Long Hours: How Autism Clinics Squeeze Medicaid Dollars Out of Preschoolers

nytimes.com

Lawmakers Direct Funds for Teaching Civil Rights History to Conservative Group

The General Assembly earmarked $350,000 for the Clarence Henderson Education Foundation, named for an outspoken Black Republican.

theassemblync.com

NC insurance commissioner accused of sending ‘uncomfortable’ texts to ex-staffer

Exclusive: Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey says he has “no recollection” of sending the messages and denies initiating any inappropriate contact.

newsobserver.com

Lobbyist and former NC lawmaker is no longer on firm’s website

Former Rep. Jason Saine joined The Southern Group in November 2024 and has more than 30 clients this session.

newsobserver.com

They paid tens of thousands toward ‘dream homes.’ Then this NC company ghosted them.

Dozens of customers nationwide together lost nearly $2 million they paid toward log home kits before a Charlotte-area business shuttered.

charlotteobserver.com

The Data Center That Didn’t Exist

Nondisclosure agreements kept a land deal secret for months. Internal emails show officials were preparing for a Microsoft data center.

theassemblync.com

NC lawmakers gave autism nonprofit $2 million. Much went to a former colleague.

Former Rep. Cecil Brockman won grants for three nonprofits that then hired his predecessor, Marcus Brandon. The SBI has been called in on one.

newsobserver.com

How North Carolina Officials Kept the Truth About a Police Shooting Hidden

In 2019, a state trooper killed Brandon Webster claiming self defense. Evidence contradicted that account but wasn’t made public—until now.

theassemblync.com

Since Congress Let Obamacare Subsidies Expire, Millions Are Dropping Coverage

nytimes.com

NC elections director hired private GOP-linked law firm without board approval

A spokesperson for the board said the hire was a “routine step in legal engagements.”

newsobserver.com

I’m signing off, but readers need to stay on. Democracy depends on it | Opinion

It has been a tough political decade or so in the North Carolina and the nation, but encouraging signs of change are showing as citizens take action.

newsobserver.com

Federal judge punishes ex-US attorney over AI use, error-riddled court brief

“In this Court, his name will be synonymous with a failure to uphold the basic duties of competence and candor,” a judge wrote about the former assistant U.S. attorney Rudy Renfer.

newsobserver.com

Four lobbyists indicted over Kentucky bourbon distillery trip for NC lawmakers

The indictments follow a 2024 Kentucky Bourbon Trail trip for North Carolina lawmakers.

newsobserver.com

The Forces of Scarcity Hitting Asia May Soon Spread Across the World

nytimes.com