How North Carolina Wasted the Chance To Fix Hog Pollution

A pact between the state and Smithfield Foods “failed miserably.” Those who worked on the agreement explain why.

NC announces more funding in storm recovery areas

Kentucky writer, farmer and advocate Wendell Berry dies at 92, U.S. Forest Service declines public meeting on Wilson Creek ICE operation; Advocates call response ‘a shell game’, Women on parole face higher rates of mental health, housing challenges

GOP lawmakers call for more oversight of license plate cameras after string of misuses in Georgia

By Maya Homan (Georgia Recorder) Published: August 26, 2026 A pair of influential Republican lawmakers are calling for greater oversight into the use of automatic license plate readers that critics say allow law enforcement officers to illegally surveil Georgia residents. Sen. John Albers, a Roswell Republican who chairs the Senate’

Apple Wallet adds driver’s licenses and IDs for Virginia residents

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

Gov. Stein announces funding for housing in Western NC

ICE facility coming to Hertford County, NC; End of Rankin County, MS schools desegregation order worries Black residents

Would Gov. Brian Kemp really shut down his Pathways Medicaid program?

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 is rationing water, but many residents stopped trusting the tap long before the drought

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.

Global finance leaders to be in Asheville for G20 summit

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 2nd Congressional District race could have national implications

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 may be making us lonelier: How heat waves and extreme weather disrupt social connections everyone relies on

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.

NC lawmakers look into Rocky Mount family’s death after city cut off electricity

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

The Newest Federally Recognized Tribe Wants Better Healthcare. It May Be On Its Own.

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,