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My name is Ronni Butts, politics reporting intern at The News & Observer, the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Campus Echo and future politics reporter.

I am seeking a journalism internship that will allow me to further develop my skills in reporting, writing, interviewing, and editing. Please see my resume attached in the About Me section. Also see photos of me in action in the "Ronni in Action" section.

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My Most Recent Articles

Raleigh News & Observer •

No, don’t leave your child or pet in the car, even with the AC on. Here’s why.

It was 91 degrees in Wake Forest on Tuesday, but the temperature inside the car was over 140 degrees. And it had likely taken less than an hour to get there.

According to No Heat Stroke, the temperature in a vehicle in 90-degree weather can rise 35 degrees in 30 minutes. Even cars in 70-degree weather can reach 110 degrees in 45 minutes.

Wake County and the town of Wake Forest held a community event at the Wake County Northern Regional Center on Tuesday on the danger of leaving children and pe...
Raleigh News & Observer •

You can now drive with an expired NC license. But can you vote with it?

Drivers in North Carolina can now legally drive up to two years past the expiration of their license due to a new law in place until 2027. But will voters be able to use an expired license to vote?

The News & Observer received that question from a reader after reporting on Senate Bill 391, which gives drivers an extension on renewing their licenses in an attempt to reduce long waits at the Division of Motor Vehicles.

Patrick Gannon, North Carolina State Board of Elections public information di...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Free tuition, housing and meals: How a summer program helped change this NC HBCU

In 2021, Fayetteville State University trailed behind all UNC System schools in graduation and retention rates. When Chancellor Darrell Allison stepped into his role, he knew he needed to do “something radical.”

After implementing a summer-school scholarship offering tuition-free classes and free room and board, more students are staying and graduating on time.

After five years, the program has helped push the university’s 2025 retention rate to a projected 80% from 63% in 2020. The class of 2...
Raleigh News & Observer •

NC drivers will now get an extra 2 years to renew their licenses due to DMV delays

North Carolinians can now wait two additional years to renew their driver’s license after its expiration date.

The “temporary moratorium,” initially proposed by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday, seeks to relieve the Division of Motor Vehicles from backlogs of appointments.

Arranging an appointment or walking into a DMV office has become increasingly difficult across the state. There’s widespread and growing agreement that the long wait times are tied to insufficient...
Raleigh News & Observer •

With Tillis out, NC Senate race projected as a ‘toss-up.’ What experts anticipate.

With Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announcing Sunday that he won’t run for reelection, many experts are considering how the political landscape in North Carolina may change — including possibly making way for a Democratic Senate win for the first time since 2008.

According to The Cook Political Report, a politics analysis organization that predicts congressional and gubernatorial races nationwide, the upcoming Senate race is now a “toss-up.”

North Carolina is now the top opportunity for Democrat...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Do parents need more say over library books? NC bill focuses on schools, gender

The state Senate has approved a bill that expands the rights of parents to object to school library books and assignments that clash with their beliefs.

House Bill 805, which has gone through substantial changes since its inception, also bans the use of state funding to pay for health care for transgender prison inmates, among other changes aimed at LGBTQ+ people. And the measure sparked heated debate on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon.

The Republican-backed bill amassed opposition from Dem...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Thousands of inmates in NC prisons withstand heat waves with no air conditioning

During this week’s heat wave, inmates in prisons across North Carolina face sweltering heat with no air conditioning.

More than one in five of the state’s prison beds, 21%, still do not have air conditioning, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections website.

That’s a double-digit drop from a year ago, when 34% of beds were in spaces without air conditioning. And almost all prisons either have air conditioning systems or have installation projects in progress. Johnston an...
Raleigh News & Observer •

NC Democrat apologizes for post of protest sign appearing to show beheaded Trump

Rep. Julie von Haefen apologized Tuesday evening on the floor of the state House of Representatives after her controversial social media post following Saturday’s No Kings protest.

The Face book post by the Apex Democrat contained a video with an image of a protester holding a sign with a guillotine and a mask appearing to be a beheaded President Donald Trump.

The post sparked criticism, including from a committee of the state chapter of Moms for Liberty, a socially conservative education advo...
Raleigh News & Observer •

NC House Democrat deletes X account after post with ‘inappropriate’ protest image

State Rep. Julie von Haefen is under fire after posting a video on social media including a protester holding a sign with an image of a guillotine and a mask of what appears to be a beheaded Donald Trump.

The sign reads, “In these difficult times, some cuts may be necessary.”

The picture was taken during Raleigh’s downtown No Kings protest Saturday.

Von Haefen deleted her account on X, formerly known as Twitter, after criticism of the post.

A press release late Monday morning from the state...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Raleigh protesters declare there are ‘no kings,’ part of demonstrations across US

A few thousand people lined both sides of Capital Boulevard in North Raleigh Saturday, holding signs and American flags to protest the policies and tactics of President Donald Trump.

Rather than gather in a park or march through downtown, “No Kings” protesters chose the busy seven-lane road near Triangle Town Center mall to spread their message. The crowd frequently erupted in cheers as passing cars honked their horns.

Camille Schiele said she came to the protest because she wants “to live in...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Activist groups gather in Raleigh in solidarity with Los Angeles ICE protests

Protesters in Raleigh gathered in Moore Square on Monday afternoon to display solidarity with ongoing protests in Los Angeles and in response to the arrest of labor union leader David Huerta.

The Raleigh protest, which was organized by the Union of Southern Service Workers and Service Employees International Union, amassed a crowd of over 100. Members of North Carolina’s state chapter of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the North Carolina Asso...

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