Governor Josh Stein has announced that the Department of Environmental Quality will dedicate more than $244 million to water infrastructure projects across the state. Officials say these projects will increase resilience against future storms, reduce the contamination of forever chemicals, and replace lead pipes.

North Carolina has seen the most growth in federal student aid applications of any state in the country this year.

Mount Airy approved a 60-day moratorium on new data center projects on Thursday. Davidson County leaders are considering a six-month pause of their own.

North Carolinians now use the 24-hour service more than twice as much as when it first began in 2022.