A second 7.5% base‑rate hike takes effect June 1, deepening a statewide insurance affordability squeeze and drawing criticism from Democrats and consumer advocates.

Permit filings show Whataburger plans to convert a former Popeyes at 275 Smokey Park Highway into Asheville's first Whataburger; the application is under city review and no opening date was given.

County Manager Mike Bryant pitched a $2.6B FY2027 plan that freezes the tax rate while boosting funding for schools, housing, mental‑health services and pay. Public comment is scheduled tonight.

Excavators are tearing down Bar‑B‑Q King on Wilkinson Boulevard as the site prepares for a planned bank branch.

Charlotte Douglas Airport landed a $28M FAA grant to replace roofing and HVAC in its atriums and Concourse D. The work dovetails with the airport’s ongoing terminal upgrades.

Federal prosecutors say a 30-year-old man was indicted after a Charlotte traffic stop that turned up a handgun and about 427 grams of methamphetamine.

Cohen & Steers' nontraded REIT paid about $61.2M for Winslow Bay Commons in Mooresville, a 268,000‑sq‑ft open‑air center anchored by Target and national retailers. The deal was done via a joint venture with Sterling Organization.

Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez will become Wake Forest University’s 15th president on July 1 as Rice prepares an international search for his replacement.

Police ordered evacuations near North Pryor Street in Gastonia after a person was reported barricaded with a weapon; a command center was set up and officials urged residents to avoid the area.

A 3-0 North Carolina Court of Appeals ruling rejected a bid to recognize a state right to “fair elections,” upholding a dismissal of a high-profile challenge to recent maps. The decision leans on a 2023 state precedent that limits judicial oversight of partisan gerrymanders.

Copperheads are turning up near homes across North Carolina as snake season ramps up. Experts and poison control explain when they’re active and how to reduce encounters.

Three tagged white sharks pinged along the North Carolina coast this week. Researchers say the detections reflect seasonal migration and offer new data for scientists.

A motorcyclist was killed Tuesday on Rink Dam Road north of Lake Hickory. State troopers say speed is suspected; the rider was identified as Dean Patrick Lewis, 58.