Virginia
By Nathaniel Cline (Virginia Mercury) Published: August 27, 2026 Virginians can now carry their state-issued driver’s license or identification card on their iPhone or Apple Watch, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles announced Wednesday in Richmond. The update comes as Virginians increasingly turn to smart devices for everyday
housing
ICE facility coming to Hertford County, NC; End of Rankin County, MS schools desegregation order worries Black residents
Georgia
By Ariel Hart (Georgia Recorder) Published: August 20, 2026 Patient advocates reacted with alarm this week at the suggestion by the administration of Gov. Brian Kemp that it could end Georgia Pathways to Coverage, his signature Medicaid program that gives health coverage to about 18,500 poor Georgians. Precious Andrews,
Puerto Rico
Drought and a ruptured pipeline have forced Puerto Rico into revolving water shut-offs. For many people, the disruption started years earlier, as did loss of faith in the utility.
Asheville
At first redistricting hearing, Mississippians call push for new maps a ‘power grab’; Wisconsin to hold commutations hearing Friday; Alaska on course to approve new campaign donation limits in Ballot Measure 1
Alabama
By Anna Barrett (Alabama Reflector) Published: August 13, 2026 Key points * The contest between U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile and Republican nominee Rhett Marques for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District is likely to draw national attention. * The district was redrawn to favor Republicans after the U.S. Supreme
climate change
On extremely hot days and in the aftermath of storms, people tend to hole up inside. Losing festivals, traditions and gathering places can worsen that loneliness.
North Carolina
Thanks to new evidence, Durham man cleared in robbery after serving time; New Study: Black Lung Disease Rate in Appalachia Is the Worst in 50 Years as Coal Miner Protections Stall; What It’s Like in Prison Just Miles Away From Washington State’s Destructive Fires
Lumbee Tribe
By Andrew Jones Jul 31, 2026 LUMBERTON, N.C. — Soybean fields surround Angie Lowery’s home in Robeson County, on a plot of rural land in southeastern North Carolina. Dozens of antique gas station signs, 20 feet tall, dominate her front yard. A framed re-creation of The Last Supper,
The best state and local government news
By Larry Griffin (Tennessee Lookout) Published: July 30, 2026 Data centers, which store and facilitate data for computer applications, have become more ubiquitous in public discourse over the past few years as artificial intelligence, AI, tools have risen in prominence. In areas where the data centers have located, residents have
Two more face federal charges with making threats in Nolan Wells’ death investigation
by Walker Livingston, Carolina Public Press July 27, 2026 Every Wednesday afternoon in the heart of Swannanoa, volunteers hand out seasonal produce while community members flow through the produce market in an old church building that nonprofit Bounty and Soul hosts. Last week, it was summer squash, fresh tomatoes and
Texas Catholic churches unite residents over ICE detention center, water concerns; How one man’s Olympic moment brought new life to Jackson, Miss. rugby
By Robbie Sequeira (Stateline) Published: July 23, 2026 After school cellphone bans passed many statehouses with bipartisan support in recent legislative sessions, state lawmakers are turning to legislation governing how long students should spend looking at screens. This year, four states passed laws restricting or regulating screen time for students
By Yiqing Wang/WHRO (Virginia Mercury) Published: July 23, 2026 Howard Weinberg keeps his Parkinson’s medication in a small container attached to his keychain, so he always has it wherever he goes. The retired doctor from Virginia Beach has to take the medication every six hours, at 1 o’
N.C. audit clears up one Rocky Mount utility headache, draws attention to another; How South Carolina Prisons Are Limiting Access to Books; WVU Health leadership failed to address painkiller thefts for years as opioids devastated West Virginia
By Berry Craig (Kentucky Lantern) Published: July 16, 2026 Democratic socialism is on the rise in some blue states, but socialists are still rare in ruby red Republican Kentucky. That wasn’t always so. Six-score years ago, Louisville hosted the Christian Socialist Fellowship movement’s first national convention. The
By Lisa Sorg (North Carolina Newsline) Published: July 14, 2026 This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Forever War: This is part of a series about the PFAS crisis in
N.C. advances plan to reopen Martin Co. hospital; Advocates, elected officials call for statewide siren system after 14 tornadoes touch down near New Orleans.
By Kevin Hardy (Stateline) Published: July 9, 2026 Household water costs could nearly double in some American cities, new research suggests, as climate change further stresses municipal water systems. Researchers at Stanford University and other institutions studied how a hotter, drier climate is poised to spike water bills for residents
By Shannon Heckt (Virginia Mercury) Published: July 9, 2026 Prince William County supervisors voted against a rezoning proposal for the Dulles Cloud South data center project Tuesday, less than a week after developers retreated from a legal battle over building the 1,760-acre Digital Gateway data center complex in
