Federal Government
NOLA group works to improve conditions for Mardi Gras clean-up workers, MS senators call for improved disaster response after winter storm, Tribal court hearing for former Swain, NC sheriff delayed
Jesse Jackson
How Jesse Jackson was shaped by Southern segregation − and went on to reshape American political life
Federal Government
Scott Ashcraft warned that the agency was imperiling Native American gravesites and artifacts. Then his three-decade career fell apart.
Helene
Down Ballot Staff Reports Today in Woodfin, Governor Josh Stein announced $5.7 million in grants from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint to reduce flood risk in the French Broad River Basin. The announcement includes eight projects that will create new floodwater storage,
Environment
Equipped with both a biodigester to capture methane from hog waste and a system to spray what’s left of the feces and urine onto nearby farm fields, the former White Oaks Farm continues to pollute the surrounding environment.
Immigration
William McCorkle, College of Charleston, The Conversation (The Conversation) December 9, 2025 By William McCorkle, College of Charleston The Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policies have heightened stress among the country’s approximately 14 million immigrants who are living in the U.S. without legal authorization. The sharp rise in
Environment
Parts of three counties are in extreme drought: Cabarrus, Stanly and Union counties.
Louisiana and Mississippi
DHS buys El Paso, Texas warehouses, Inside Minnesotans’ moonshot to cover rent for their immigrant neighbors, People in 15 Mississippi counties can receive replacement SNAP benefits without application
North Carolina
The chemical, used in solvents, degreasers and some consumer products, is a likely carcinogen that can harm the liver and kidneys
The best state and local government news
By Jon Marcus (The Hechinger Report) January 27, 2026 A narrator speaks over images of busy cityscapes, children playing in a field and ominous scenes of natural disasters and civil unrest. “There’s no sugarcoating it,” the deep voice warns. “America’s future is under attack.” Its salvation: higher education,
Sawyer Davis (Queens University News Service) December 20, 2025 Queens University of Charlotte is entering a year of major transition as federal funding cuts, enrollment struggles and the looming merger with Elon University converge to reshape the future of the century-old institution. While the university maintains that its core mission
NC prisons face ‘dire’ staffing crisis, Elon University working to bring legal education back to Charlotte, In Iowa, many rivers and lakes improve briefly, then fall back into impairment, NOLA residents work to make Mardi Gras more sustainable
State election officials project confidence after FBI search of Georgia elections office
Proposed project needs to pass two more votes before approval by county council
Rural communities stand with vulnerable neighbors in Minnesota; Mothers, daughters, Girl Scouts traveled to Richmond to watch the first woman become governor of Virginia; Measles cases climb in NC; Duke Energy Plans to Build a Massive Natural Gas Power Plant in Davidson County, NC
Down Ballot Staff Reports RALEIGH – The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants to support stream restoration, water-based recreation and water management projects across North Carolina. The grants were awarded to nine local governments through the Water
Land is in the Leland area near the Northwest Water Treatment Plant
Helena Moreno sworn in as the Crescent City's second woman mayor
Many L.A. fire survivors face insurance delays and can’t return home a year later
Down Ballot Staff Reports RALEIGH – Dry conditions are widespread in North Carolina, according to the latest update from the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council released on Thursday. All or parts of 32 counties in central and western North Carolina are considered in severe drought, or D2 conditions. Another 53
The news coincides with the closure of the Pittsburgh City Paper last week.
