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1 week ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer |Mark Bergin
Critics of the Republican-penned federal budget bill that passed the U.S. House last week say proposed cuts to federal spending could mean deep cuts to safety-net programs that help some of North Carolina’s most vulnerable citizens. They could also leave a significant hole in the state budget, which state budget analysts expect to soon be in the red. Federal funds, mainly through block grants, account for a sizable chunk of the state’s spending on social services, education and disaster recovery.
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1 week ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer
This is a picture of the North Carolina flag, although it's a bit tattered. As North Carolina legislative leaders begin to negotiate a spending plan for the next two years, they’ll have a little less money to work with than expected. Economic forecasters who work in state government have revised their budget projections downward for the next two years. Forecasters at the legislature and the Office of State Budget and Management come to what’s known as a consensus revenue forecast every year.
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1 week ago | 
wral.com | Mark Bergin |Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer
North Carolina is among the top states in the country for clean energy technology, from solar panels and battery plants to electric vehicles and public chargers. But changes at the federal level could slow down that boom. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to North Carolina’s clean energy sector, providing tax credits for businesses and consumers that invested in it, as well as funding for infrastructure like EV charging stations.
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1 week ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer
As North Carolina House and Senate lawmakers negotiate a final budget deal, tax policy is likely to be a major sticking point between the two chambers. House and Senate Republicans have already agreed to cut the state income taxes in tax year 2026 by a quarter percent, from 4.25% to 3.99%. The Senate budget proposes an even bigger tax cut in 2027, lowering the rate another half-point to 3.49%.
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1 month ago | 
wralsportsfan.com | Shaun Gallagher |Josie Zimmer |Mark Bergin
Jordon Hudson, the 24-year-old girlfriend of UNC head football coach Bill Belichick, interrupted an interview that aired on "CBS News Sunday Morning." ECONOMY IS SIMPLY TOO HARD TO PREDICT. AT THE MOMENT ALRIGHT, COUNTING DOWN TO TAR HEEL FOOTBALL SEASON. I KNOW FOOTBALL FANS DON'T LIKE THIS. NUMBER 126 DAYS TO GO. >> UNTIL KICKOFF AND IT'S ALREADY SHAPING UP TO BE QUITE AN INTERESTING SEASON.
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1 month ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Mark Bergin |Josie Zimmer
North Carolina House lawmakers are moving ahead with a bill requiring wireless providers to cooperate with law enforcement. Providers would be required to quickly provide cell phone location data to police in case of a 911 call or emergency. More than half the states have a similar law, which the result of a woman's murder nearly 20 years ago. In 2007, Kelsey Smith was kidnapped from a Kansas shopping center and murdered. Police wanted to use the location of her cellphone to help find her. State Rep.
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2 months ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Mark Bergin |Josie Zimmer
NC leaders scramble to track cuts to federal funding, worry about more aheadInterim State Health Director Dr. Kelly Kimple said the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services had no advance warning about cuts to the department. Kimple said the department is still trying to unravel which programs and jobs will be cut. The department announced Wednesday it is cutting 80 jobs and NC Health and Human Services Department to cut 80 jobs, lose $100 million in federal funding.
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2 months ago | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Josie Zimmer |Mark Bergin
Some state lawmakers want to go beyond just banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state and local government. A bill that passed the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday would make it a criminal offense to use public funds to give special treatment to any group. Critics say House Bill 171 could shut down critical discussions about discrimination and civil rights. The state NAACP is vowing to fight it, calling it “an attempt to rewrite history.”“DEI has failed.
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Mar 7, 2025 | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Jodi Leese Glusco |Josie Zimmer
All across the country on Friday, scientists and their supporters held rallies. They called it "Stand Up for Science Day."In Raleigh, several hundred people gathered on Halifax Mall to call attention to funding cuts being made to federal research by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on behalf of the Trump administration. Noelle Muzzy, was a research fellow at the EPA. Now her social media bio reads "Professionally unemployed." She was an organizer of Friday's event.
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Mar 5, 2025 | 
wral.com | Laura Leslie |Mark Bergin |Josie Zimmer
Gathered on Wednesday morning in Raleigh, advocates said five undocumented workers from Winston-Salem were detained last month in Florida. As North Carolina lawmakers consider whether to give immigration powers to state law enforcement, advocates for the immigrant community are saying a similar law recently enacted in Florida is already harming North Carolina families.
