Jessica Banov

4 days ago | charlotteobserver.com | Jessica Banov

North Carolina's Supreme Court election was decided on Wednesday, six months after Election Day. Since November, Republican judge Jefferson Griffin had contested the results of the election, which he lost to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs by 734 votes, according to two recounts. As the case pinged from court to court like a silver ball in a pinball machine, the threat loomed of over 65,000 ballots being tossed out. Good morning, and welcome to the North Carolina Observer.

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Jessica Banov

Most weeks, the topics that generate discussion among my colleagues are what you might expect: politics, a breaking news story, struggles at the DMV. But this week, we spent a lot of time talking about Boo, the cockatoo. Please, let me introduce him via this story by Josh Shaffer. Among the many things I learned in this story is that cockatoos can live to be 80 years old. So when Boo, who at 40 has half a lifetime left to live, went blind from cataracts, his owner had a big decision to make.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Jessica Banov

The News & Observer is proud to welcome our 2025 summer interns and fellows. The journalists will work in departments across the newsroom, including on our metro, politics, business, sports, visuals and audience teams. They’ll work alongside our staff covering everything from breaking news and the state legislature to Triangle happenings. They bring experiences from college and regional publications and have been leaders at their schools’ news outlets.

1 month ago | newsobserver.com | Jessica Banov

In the Helene aftermath, powerful photos were widely shared on social media of the devastation and destruction. Perhaps you saw a photo of this massive water tank that was somehow extracted from its longtime home near the old Taylor Togs textile plant and then transported 100 yards to a nearby intersection. This was in Micaville, a tiny community in Yancey County, about 25 miles or so from the North Carolina and Tennessee border.

1 month ago | charlotteobserver.com | Jessica Banov

Good morning, and happy Sunday. Welcome to the North Carolina Observer, where we look back at the big news and stories of the week from The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer. I'm Jessica, one of the editors at The N&O, and I've reached the point of the year where basketball is a guiding force in my schedule, albeit a sometimes stressful one. The teams in the Triangle have filled up my calendar, at least for this past weekend.