Article Archive

Raleigh News & Observer • 08/05/2026

NC lawmaker warns opening ICE detention center could hurt state prisons

Democratic U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross is calling on Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to reconsider opening an immigration detention facility in Eastern North Carolina, citing concerns about strain on local public services and potential staffing loss at state prisons.

Rivers Correctional Institution, which is set to open this year, is owned by The GEO Group, one of the nation’s largest for-profit prison companies. The facility has 1,320 beds and is expected to make about $80 million in r...

Raleigh News & Observer • 08/04/2026

NC House declines to advance hemp regulation bill amid dueling advocacy efforts

Legislation dealing with hemp did not make it across the finish line in the House on Tuesday.

The Republican-led North Carolina House declined Tuesday to take up a bill that would tighten regulations on hemp products, in a week that could be the last for lawmakers before they return in November, after the election.

That capped a day with a lengthy meeting in the Republican caucus, pro-hemp advocates flooding the legislature, and a press conference by law enforcement leaders in favor of the bil...

Raleigh News & Observer • 07/30/2026

Housing supply may grow after NC Senate passes bill allowing more backyard cottages

North Carolina’s housing supply could increase after a bill with bipartisan support passed the Senate on Wednesday.

The provision, which is part of a broader regulatory reform bill, targets accessory dwelling units, also called “granny flats” and “backyard cottages.” These are separate housing units built on the property of a primary residence in backyards, garages or basements. They can also be attached to a primary residence.

The bill requires local governments in cities with a population of...

Raleigh News & Observer • 07/29/2026

Understaffing, DOGE cuts at NC’s federal wildlife lands stretch workers thin

Monitoring thousands of tundra swans, snow geese and other waterfowl that flock to Eastern North Carolina is among Wendy Stanton’s fondest memories of working at the state’s wildlife refuges. Conserving federal lands and maintaining endangered and at-risk animal populations was more than work, she said. It was a way of living.

In the two years since Stanton retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife and habitat conservation efforts across more than 400,000 acres in the state have...

Raleigh News & Observer • 07/27/2026

Haitian community in NC anxious and uncertain as immigration status is threatened

Ricardo Richardson returned to Durham from his annual visit to Haiti this month. Visiting family and friends in his village in Jean-Rabel gives him hope of retiring in Haiti after living abroad for 49 years, more than 20 of them in North Carolina.

But escalating gang violence, limited healthcare and government instability makes returning seem doubtful.

Haiti’s unstable conditions have their origins in devastating natural disasters that have displaced millions. Since a 2010 earthquake, hundreds...

Raleigh News & Observer • 07/24/2026

ICE detention center reportedly set to open in Eastern NC this year

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will open its first detention center in North Carolina this year, the New York Times is reporting, citing internal ICE documents.

The report Thursday comes after weeks of speculation from local residents who say that they’ve noticed a fence that was put up around the property and have seen construction trucks go in and out of Rivers Correctional Institute, a shuttered for-profit prison in Hertford County owned by The GEO Group.

Caroline Stephenson, one of th...

Raleigh News & Observer • 07/22/2026

Raleigh protesters condemn ICE activity and detention centers

About 100 protesters gathered in downtown Raleigh Wednesday to protest immigration agents’ activity around the country and to memorialize immigrants and U.S. citizens who have died during their operations or in their custody.

The protest comes about a week after two immigrants, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastián Guerrero, were shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Texas and Maine, respectively, less than a week apart.

The protest was organized by various advoc...

Raleigh News & Observer • 07/09/2026

Corporate landlords get tax break meant for nonprofits. NC delays closing loophole

Lawmakers in North Carolina agree that a state property tax loophole is costing local governments millions in tax revenue loss, but the legislature has yet to close it. Two state House members say that lobbying of the state Senate has contributed to the holdup.

The tax break is called the “Blue Ridge Housing” loophole, which allows for-profit businesses to avoid paying property taxes by sharing ownership of a property with a nonprofit. In North Carolina, nonprofit organizations are exempt from...

Raleigh News & Observer • 07/06/2026

NC law extends parental leave to 12 weeks for state employees

State employees will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after Gov. Josh Stein signed new legislation on Monday.

Current law gives eight weeks of paid parental leave to state employees who gave birth and four weeks for other parents.

Staci Meyer, the state human resources director, said that the current system isn’t enough to keep up with the rigor of the 21st century workforce.

“The Stein administration has a core belief that if we invest in our most valuable asset — our pe...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/29/2026

NC sues Trump administration over Medicaid eligibility changes

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is suing the Trump administration over changes to work requirement exemptions for medically frail individuals, which he contends could jeopardize the coverage of tens of thousands of North Carolinians with severe illnesses.

Jackson, a Democrat, and the other officials bringing the lawsuit allege that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, and the federal Department of Health and Human Services violated congressionally passed protecti...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/26/2026

Durham ice cream shop manager tells breastfeeding mom to cover up. Owner apologizes

After being told she could not breastfeed without a covering, a customer said she left Simons Says Dip This ice cream shop in shock. Nursing was the only thing that would quiet her 6-week-old baby, she said.

An anonymous user took to Reddit on Thursday to explain her interaction at the store’s Durham location with the shop’s manager, who told her she needed to cover herself while breastfeeding. The post received more than 300 comments in just 24 hours.

“I was so shocked that I got up with my f...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/25/2026

Advocates warn of AI data centers’ harm to water quality at NC legislature

North Carolina has become a “national destination” for data centers, but many residents want policymakers to do more to address their concerns about the facilities.

That was the message Wednesday at a press conference at the General Assembly. North Carolina residents and community organizers joined Rep. Maria Cervania to speak against AI data center development. The speakers, many from rural areas, said data centers’ impacts on water quality and supply are among their chief concerns.

Data cent...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/23/2026

NC GOP bans sex offenders from holding party office in new committee report

The North Carolina Republican Party recently added an eligibility requirement that bars those convicted of sexual abuse, violent felonies or child abuse from holding party office. Advocates for the new clause say adding the clause took years of convincing, despite calls on leadership to make changes.

The decision, which was finalized at the party’s state convention in mid-June, comes just months after long-time GOP leader and donor Harvey West, who was convicted of several sex offenses in 2000,...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/19/2026

More than 250,000 in NC may lose Medicaid coverage under new work requirements

North Carolina has just six months to implement new Medicaid eligibility requirements after receiving final guidance this month. Implementing new federal work requirements and strict state mandates will be costly for the state and could lead to thousands losing health coverage.

More than 3 million North Carolinians rely on Medicaid. But according to Melanie Bush, deputy secretary for North Carolina Medicaid, an upwards of 255,000 of them who access Medicaid through expansion could lose health c...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/11/2026

Top Republican wants NC Democrats ‘disciplined’ after explicit language in video

A top leader in the Republican-controlled state House is calling for two Democratic lawmakers to be punished for appearing in a video with profanity that describes frustration with Republicans and the state’s delayed budget.

House Majority Leader Brenden Jones shared a statement on Thursday morning that asks House Democratic Leader Robert Reives to “discipline” any member of the House Democratic Caucus involved in creating the video. He also asks Reives to investigate any Democratic staff membe...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/10/2026

NC Gov. Josh Stein asks Congress for $10 billion for Helene relief

N.C. Gov. Josh Stein visited Congress to ask for billions more in Helene relief funding on Wednesday.

The storm, which caused $60 billion in damage in 2024, has left the state to slowly pick up the pieces as federal and state funding has come in waves.

Stein is requesting about $10.15 billion from Congress, $3 billion less than his request last September, according to a letter Stein sent to members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation. The funding would be in addition to previous feder...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/04/2026

Should NC pass a law to protect outdoor pets from extreme weather?

A proposal to regulate how owners care for their pets that live outside, aimed at protecting them from harsh weather conditions, has bipartisan support but has languished in the state legislature.

Duke’s Rescue Act, or House Bill 657, would create regulations on how pet owners provide for their dogs or cats that live outside and bars them from staying outdoors in extreme heat and cold. Supporters say it’s especially important in places with no local regulations.

Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article316004927.html#storylink=cpy

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/03/2026

NC Senate candidate Michael Whatley campaigns on tax cut for service workers

U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley walked into a bar in Zebulon, where a group of young workers were waiting to hear him speak about President Donald Trump’s “No Tax on Tips” initiative.

“When we think about this election and we talk about the economy,” Whatley said, “we talk about voters here in North Carolina, we talk about workers here in North Carolina, it really comes down to a pretty simple premise: I want you to take home more money, and I want you to keep more money. I want you to ma...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/03/2026

Group of NC Democrats celebrates defeat of resolution tying Israel to genocide

The North Carolina Democratic Party’s top committee voted against a resolution that accuses Israel of genocide on Saturday, failing to establish it as a part of the party’s platform.

The resolution called for the prosecution in the United States of individuals and entities that committed or enabled genocide regardless or where it occurred or the individual’s citizenship status. It also insisted that those suspected of enabling genocide be vetted before entering any U.S. territory.

The party’s...

Raleigh News & Observer • 06/03/2026

Eliminate the federal Department of Education, these Republican NC lawmakers say

State lawmakers are advancing a symbolic measure calling for Congress to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. House Republicans say doing away with the agency would cut back on wasteful spending and give the state more control over education.

The resolution, House Joint Resolution 1030, aligns with President Donald Trump’s focus on cutting back on federal spending, especially in education, in his second term. Eliminating the department, according to the resolution, would allow local comm...

Raleigh News & Observer • 05/30/2026

NC Democrat Don Davis launches campaign in newly gerrymandered congressional district

Rep. Don Davis, a candidate in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, officially launched his campaign in the state’s most competitive district Saturday in Rocky Mount. Davis said he’s fighting to ensure that Eastern North Carolina does not get left behind.

The Snow Hill Democrat said he’s advocating for the often-overlooked needs of Eastern North Carolinians, including more money for education, protections for farmers, improved healthcare and support for seniors.

“… Within [North Caroli...

Raleigh News & Observer • 05/29/2026

Hamilton the pig is back. Could he bring the Canes good luck in the playoffs?

The Carolina Hurricanes’ biggest animal fan — and perhaps the only pig — has made a return. Hamilton is back.

The 8-year-old pig, a Juliana breed, is famed among hockey fans for his iconic appearances at Canes games and the good luck he seems to bring. Hamilton attended his first Canes game in 2019 and quickly reached unofficial mascot status, although the team already has a porcine mascot named Stormy the Ice Hog.

To his fans’ surprise, Hamilton made his first appearance since 2023 at Saturda...

Raleigh News & Observer • 05/26/2026

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 • 07/29/2025

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’...