Carolina Public Press

Carolina Public Press is a nonprofit news organization that operates independently and focuses on providing nonpartisan, thorough, and investigative journalism. Our goal is to deliver the essential facts and context that the people of North Carolina require. With award-winning journalism, we aim to break down barriers and highlight important issues that are often ignored or underreported, serving the needs of our state's 10.2 million residents.

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Last-ditch legal effort tries to halt NC regional library system breakup over LGBTQ+ content

1 week ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Lucas Thomae

With less than two weeks before Yancey County officially exits its regional public library system, opponents to the change are making a last-ditch legal effort to force the county to reverse course. The two-year-long debate over the future of the library in Burnsville began with residents’ complaints over a Pride Month display in 2023.
Few Helene victims in NC had flood insurance. Future of federal program unclear.

1 week ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

Less than 1% of people affected by Tropical Storm Helene in Western North Carolina had flood insurance. That means that most of the personal property and business property losses incurred as a result of the costliest disaster in North Carolina history will not be reimbursed by insurers. While the numbers of flood insurance holders may increase in the mountains after Helene, the future of flood insurance in America is rife with uncertainty.
McDowell DSS shakeup after child abuse not reported to NC DHHS

1 week ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Lucas Thomae

More than three months after McDowell County placed its Department of Social Services director on leave, officials have kept quiet about upheaval inside the office responsible for child welfare and a range of other public services. A letter obtained by Carolina Public Press revealed that McDowell DSS failed to alert law enforcement to evidence of child abuse — and violated other state policies, too.
Federal cuts to NC public health funding trickling down to local programs

2 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

Two months after sudden cuts to federal public health funding for North Carolina, the impact on local health departments is just beginning to come into focus. But there’s no time to sit back and assess the damage. A slew of separate program eliminations and administrative delays means that even less money is coming to these departments — dismantling programs related to HIV, tobacco cessation, and testing well water.
Trains rolling again in Western NC. Rail repairs after Helene continue.

2 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

Asheville’s train has come. Norfolk Southern, Western North Carolina’s primary rail carrier, resumed rail service from Tennessee into Asheville on May 20. Those trains are the first the mountains have seen since Tropical Storm Helene left tracks utterly destroyed last year. Plus, plans for a passenger rail line to Asheville are back on the table. The repair work on the region’s rail network is far from over.
Looting and fraud that didn't happen. Warnings seem to have stopped many crooks after Helene.

2 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Lucas Thomae

In April, Attorney General Jeff Jackson stood shoulder to shoulder with local law enforcement outside the Haywood County courthouse to launch Safe to Rebuild, an effort to fight looting of property and contractor fraud amid Tropical Storm Helene reconstruction. The gesture, Jackson told Carolina Public Press, was to give Western North Carolinians “peace of mind” as they work to restore their damaged homes and reopen their small businesses.
Political clashes complicate efforts to mitigate future floods in NC

3 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jack Igelman

As climate-related disasters grow more frequent and costly, communities and governments face tough questions about how to mitigate future floods. Federal, state, and local decision makers often clash because they’re driven by different incentives, budget constraints and timelines, making coordination among governments challenging. State Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, is making resilience from floods a priority, with dam removal and lake dredging a part of the conversation.
'Not a silver bullet.' NC dams problematic during Helene flooding, future role unclear.

3 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jack Igelman

Tropical Storm Helene underscored the dangers of aging dams and flood-control infrastructure in Western North Carolina. Leading up to the storm, some signs already indicated that something more needed to be done should a natural disaster strike. A substantial number of aging dams are in poor condition throughout the state with a risk of failure, posing a significant hazard to property or life if they fail. The cost of repairing them is often prohibitive.
Another rural NC community coping with recent loss of hospital's labor and delivery unit

4 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

Nearly 2,000 women in Harnett County give birth each year. But the county’s only hospital no longer has a space fully equipped for them to deliver. Betsy Johnson Hospital in Dunn closed its maternity care unit in 2023, citing financial trouble. Harnett County women must now travel to seek care, or give birth in an unequipped emergency room. Both scenarios leave both women and their children at risk.
Uncracking the system. NC had outsized number of Biden clemency recipients.

1 month ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Lucas Thomae

In one of the most sweeping clemency actions in U.S. history, hundreds of people convicted of federal nonviolent drug offenses in North Carolina will return home this year. Days before leaving office in January, former president Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 2,490 such individuals nationwide.