North Carolina
DEQ releases revised Martin Marietta permit for public notice
The site is in Craven County, near New Bern
Ben Ledbetter
Ben Ledbetter, MPA, is a former journalist. Down Ballot covers local and state news in the U.S.
North Carolina
Helene relief ongoing a year later
Autopsy Finds Trey Reed’s Hanging Death at Delta State Was a Suicide; Kaepernick to Fund Private Autopsy, Mass. residents still lean toward in-person care as telehealth booms; Policy requiring Georgia college professors to put their class syllabus online to start in 2026
new hanover county
New Hanover County parking deck on 2nd Street to reopen Monday, Sept. 22
Down Ballot Staff Reports Beginning Monday, September 22, the New Hanover County-owned parking deck located at 212 North 2nd Street (between Chestnut and Grace streets) will reopen for public use. The deck has been closed since August 4 to allow for essential structural repairs. The deck will provide free
California
California redistricting could silence rural voices
Mobile reentry center helps people get back on their feet after incarceration; Artist-in-residence program highlights Danville’s growing public art scene
Helene
N.C. DEQ awards $3M for Helene debris removal, biochar for farms in Haywood County
Tropical Storm Helene devastated more than 800,000 acres of forestland across Western North Carolina, leaving behind massive amounts of downed trees and stream debris.
Abortion
S.C. Senate subcommittee to hold Oct. 1 meeting on anti-abortion bill
Written and electronic correspondence must be received by Monday, Sept. 29 at 9 am.
State and Local Government
Next phase of American Tobacco waterline replacement starts in Durham on Monday, Sept. 15
Spartanburg County Council to consider joint industrial park with Cherokee County
climate change
Duke Health aims for statewide expansion
Growth collides with rising seas in Charleston, Why Dozens of Killings In Mississippi Prisons Go Unanswered, Feds Cancel Study on Health Impacts of Industrialized Hog Farms That Produce Biogas
South Carolina
UPDATE: Boil water advisory that started Thursday in York County is lifted
UPDATE: According to York County, water test results are clear and the advisory is lifted for all customers. On Thursday afternoon the presence of E.Coli bacteria was detected in a water sample taken from the water system in western York County. York County Water routinely takes 30 water samples
Environment
N.C. requiring Chemours to expand well testing in the Lower Cape Fear
The state agency is requiring Chemours to expand sampling eligibility for PFAS contamination in private drinking water wells, now including additional portions of New Hanover, Brunswick, Columbus and Pender counties in southeastern N.C.
Federal Occupation
Illinois expecting ICE in Chicago
It's Friday, September 5, 2025 and in this morning's issue we're covering: Illinois expects ICE to come to Chicago, Charlotte primary forecast: Expect low turnout, high impact, Doctors appointments on demand, no insurance required, Shadow Arrests: When a Call for Help Turns Into Involuntary
North Carolina
Brunswick County Highway Reopens After Improvements
Down Ballot Staff Reports FUNSTON - A portion of River Road (N.C. 133) in Brunswick County will reopen to traffic on schedule after being closed for several months for improvements. The road near Funston Road is scheduled to open on Friday, Sept. 5. It has been closed since mid-December.