North Carolina

Vultures Descend on Small Town—and Won't Leave

For nearly a year, officials in Bunn, in northeastern North Carolina, have tried to deter dozens of buzzards from roosting on local buildings. Even propane cannon aren't working.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Voters Have No Clue How Much Money State Lawmakers Make

Registered voters overshot their lawmakers’ annual pay by large margins in a recent survey. When given the correct salaries, respondents were more likely to support pay increases for legislators.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

'Vaxfluencers' Getting Residents to Get the Shot

Public health agencies are paying local Instagram and TikTok celebrities to promote Covid-19 vaccines, a relatively new outreach strategy that, so far, seems to be working.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

From New Hampshire to California, Parks Departments Embrace Video Games

Esports leagues, where gamers of all ages compete online in tournaments, are an increasingly popular programming choice for parks and recreation departments.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

North Carolina Just Can’t Divorce Adultery Law

A legislative committee deadlocked on a proposal to abolish a law that allows residents to sue a person for having an affair with their spouse. Only six states permit the practice.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In America, Covid Vaccine Eligibility Is a ‘Crazy Quilt’ of State Rules

Across the country, a mishmash of rules to qualify for the Covid-19 vaccine is creating difficulties for people seeking the shots.

  • By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News

States Offer Perks to Inmates who Get the Covid-19 Vaccine

North Carolina is the latest state to offer incentives—commissary credits, bonus visits and early release—to motivate inmates to receive vaccination shots.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In One State, a Racial Equity Task Force Suggests 100 Ways to Change the Criminal Justice System

North Carolina’s task force released a sweeping report calling for changes in policing and the courts.

  • By Emma Coleman

A New Day for Queer People in the South

North Carolina’s ban on local protections for LGBTQ people expires today. But more fights lie ahead.

  • By Giulia Heyward, The Atlantic

Why One Election Official Blocked Her Mother's Mail-In Ballot

Sara Knotts, elections director for North Carolina's Brunswick County, helped her mother complete her mail-in ballot. But then Anne Ashcraft died three weeks before Election Day, making her vote ineligible under state law.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

North Carolina Will Help Test College Students for Covid-19 Ahead of Holidays

The state will distribute more than 74,000 rapid antigen Covid-19 tests to colleges and universities.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Republicans Maintain Advantage in Control of State Legislative Chambers

Democrats failed to make major inroads in state legislative races, in many places leaving them at a disadvantage in the upcoming redistricting process.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
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North Carolina Law Enforcement Spray ‘Pepper-Based’ Vapor on People—Including Children— Marching to Polls

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Kansas recalls license plates with a lettering combo that could be read as a racial slur … Colorado will send out $375 payment to unemployed residents … Louisville police officer sues Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend for allegedly shooting him.

  • By Laura Maggi and Andrea Noble

How One Rural County Struggles to Find Polling Places

In a North Carolina county, polling places shuttered, and voter turnout decreased.

  • By Tim Henderson, Matt Vasilogambros, Carrie Levine and Pratheek Rebala, Stateline

Pennsylvania to Separately Count Late Mail-in Ballots

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Water pollution linked to increased health costs in Wisconsin… Remote learning may have inflated Nashville school test results… Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had trouble voting this week.

  • By Andrea Noble

These State Legislative Chambers Are Most Likely to Flip Blue

Democrats could take control in a handful of states, including North Carolina and Texas. But it won't be easy.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

North Carolina's Treasurer Took On the Hospitals. Now He’s Paying Political Price.

State Treasurer Dale Folwell has unsuccessfully sought to lower the payments the state employees' health plan pays hospitals. But critics say he has refused to embrace other measures, such as convincing legislators to expand Medicaid.

  • By Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News

Voting By Mail? You May Not Get a Sticker That Says So.

Whether you receive an "I Voted" sticker with your ballot depends entirely on where you live. Some election officials are cautioning against dispensing stickers in person out of fears of spreading the coronavirus.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Contact Tracing in Two North Carolina Counties Shows Difficulty of Reaching Patients

The CDC found that in Mecklenburg County, just 77% of patients could be reached after testing positive for Covid-19. Contact information for those peoples’ recent contacts was provided only 52% of the time.

  • By Andrea Noble

A Town Turns to Analytic Modeling—and Data-Sharing—to Improve Flood Monitoring

The town of Cary, N.C., is launching a new flood-monitoring system that uses analytic modeling to predict near-term flooding. The data is shared with neighboring communities, warning officials that downstream flooding could be heading their way.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

A Million Families in North Carolina Could Be Behind on Utility Payments

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | Georgia governor and Atlanta mayor talk settlement on governor’s lawsuit over city mask mandate … Ohio governor issues travel advisory for nine states … Pennsylvania governor criticizes mocking of his health director.

  • By Laura Maggi and Emma Coleman