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This page has three sections: Featured Articles, Newsletters and Multimedia. Please here to access an archive of all of my work.

Featured Articles

Raleigh News & Observer •

NC Democrats divided over resolution that accuses Israel of genocide

A draft resolution that calls Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide” has sown division in the North Carolina Democratic Party, especially among some of its Jewish members, proving that disagreements over Israel continue to be a point of contention for the party.

The resolution, obtained by The News & Observer from the party’s Jewish Caucus, also calls for the prosecution in the United States of individuals and entities involved in genocide, regardless of citizenship status, in alignment with a 200...
Raleigh News & Observer •

House bill about sexuality, religion in schools now law after veto override

The NC General Assembly voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto on a controversial bill tackling sexuality, religion in schools and school libraries — a win for Senate and House Republicans.

The House voted 72-48 to override the veto, with Rep. Naisf Majeed being the only Democrat to vote with Republicans. The bill then moved to the Senate, receiving a 30-19 final vote.

Majeed, a Mecklenburg County Democrat who rarely votes with Republicans, proved to be the decisive vote in overriding Stein’...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Rural Robeson County hospital says Medicaid cuts are ‘deeply concerning’

The only hospital in one of North Carolina’s poorest counties faces a tough challenge after the passage of the Trump administration’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” Act.

With 58% of Robeson County residents enrolled in Medicaid — and over 15% without any health insurance — UNC Health Southeastern and its patients will be hit hard by federal cuts.

Robeson County has one of the highest rates of Medicaid enrollment in North Carolina, with more than 20% of enrollees enrolled through the state’s recent...
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 •

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 •

NC Central’s public radio station WNCU to face federal funding losses

N.C. Central University’s radio station, WNCU, 90.7 FM, has lost its Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding for the fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

On July 18, Congress passed a rescission bill that eliminated over $1 billion in CPB funding already allocated for PBS and NPR affiliate stations, including WNCU.

WNCU gets about 15% of its revenue from CPB grants, according to station general manager Lackisha Freeman.

Freeman, who has worked at WNCU in various roles since 2006, said losing that...
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 •

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...

Newsletters

Raleigh News & Observer •

Some GOP Congress members from NC wary about megabill, but it’s moving forward

Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Ronni Butts with the latest in North Carolina politics.

Sen. Thom Tillis continues to make headlines for his decision to retire and his opposition to President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” I went to Tillis’ Raleigh office Tuesday to check out what was billed as a rally to thank him for withholding an affirmative vote, though Tillis won’t exactly be able to use it as evidence of a groundswell of support — there were only four people there....
Raleigh News & Observer •

NC legislators end session with no budget and no veto overrides

Good morning and happy Friday. I’m Ronni Butts bringing you Under the Dome and a look at the end of North Carolina’s 2025 legislative session.

The General Assembly concluded the main portion of its session Thursday and passed some final pieces of legislation before taking an extended break. But legislators did not finish their primary task: writing a budget for the two-year period that starts next week.

At the conclusion of their work, senators and representatives also couldn’t agree on when t...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Wide-ranging NC crime bill signed into law limits public access to autopsy records

Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Ronni Butts with your update on North Carolina politics.

First up, Gov. Josh Stein took action on the dozen bills that remained on his desk on Wednesday, signing nine into law and vetoing three. Avi Bajpai reports that one of them would restrict access to public records.

Stein signed Senate Bill 429, the 2025 Public Safety Act, Wednesday morning at an event at the Executive Mansion. He was flanked by lawmakers, a group of sheriffs and other law e...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Is former NC Gov. Cooper ready to make a Senate election decision?

Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Ronni Butts. Happy Thursday!

And now for an update on the North Carolina Senate race: We’re getting closer to learning former Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision about whether he will run in 2026.

And Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, has an announcement of her own, but it’s not what you think.

Cooper, a Democrat, is expected to announce a campaign for Senate next week, according to Axios. Cooper’s adviser told McClatchy DC’s Danielle Battagli...

Multimedia