Federal Government
The whistleblower, the Forest Service, and an endless battle in North Carolina’s mountains
Scott Ashcraft warned that the agency was imperiling Native American gravesites and artifacts. Then his three-decade career fell apart.
Latest
Helene
N.C. announces $5.7M for Flood Resilience Projects in the French Broad River Basin
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
A Troubled Hog Farm in Wayne County, North Carolina, Is Hit With a New String of Violations
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
Young, undocumented immigrants are finding it increasingly hard to attend college as South Carolina and other states restrict in-state tuition or ban them altogether
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
Extreme drought impacts three North Carolina counties
Parts of three counties are in extreme drought: Cabarrus, Stanly and Union counties.
Louisiana and Mississippi
Britain quit coal, but changed to burning Louisiana's trees
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
N.C. Judge Upholds the State’s Limits on 1,4-Dioxane Pollution in Utilities’ Wastewater
The chemical, used in solvents, degreasers and some consumer products, is a likely carcinogen that can harm the liver and kidneys
Higher Education
Their value attacked and funding cut, universities and colleges start fighting back
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,
Queens University
Federal Funding Cuts Hit Queens University Programs, Forcing Hard Choices as Merger Looms
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
Minnesota
Hmong refugee stranded in Texas after release from ICE detention
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
NC A&T
N.C. A&T students take lead on early voting
State election officials project confidence after FBI search of Georgia elections office
South Carolina
BRIEFS: Spartanburg County could get another data center
Proposed project needs to pass two more votes before approval by county council