Smithfield approved plans for 7 Brew’s first Triangle drive‑thru, according to town records and the Triangle Business Journal. The move raises questions about queuing and traffic in the area.

North Carolina added roughly 29 Dollar General stores in the past year, pushing the state past Georgia to become the nation’s No. 2 for the chain.

Shake Shack confirmed a new Morrisville location at Park West Village, taking the former Full Moon Oyster space and adding another spot to the Triangle dining scene.

Greensboro’s City Council unanimously voted to raise daily fines for neglected commercial properties from $10 to $250, a move aimed at forcing cleanups and pushing owners to repair or sell.

New polls show a hairline advantage for Rep. Don Davis in NC-01 as Laurie Buckhout won the GOP primary; redistricting and national money have raised the stakes.

Durham police have named a suspect in the March 9 American Tobacco Trail stabbing and are asking trail users for tips. The victim was found near Fayetteville and Pilot streets.

Fresh faces stepped up late as UNC beat Maryland 74-66 at Carmichael Arena and advanced to the Sweet 16, setting up a Fort Worth meeting with UConn.

Dr. David Zaas will return to lead Duke University Health System on May 1, 2026, following a national search. The hire comes after last year’s leadership change at DUHS.

Gov. Josh Stein said TSEA Energy will open a U.S. plant in Rockingham County with a $17M investment and 106 jobs in Eden. Initial details were sparse.

Orange County prosecutors say Tailei Qi will plead insanity in the 2023 killing of UNC professor Zijie Yan. A hospital re‑evaluation is scheduled for June 16, 2026.

NCCU has won a $10M NIH subgrant — part of a Duke-led award — to fund seven years of community-focused medical research, student training and faculty pilot projects. The money will support data dashboards, workforce training and community-engaged studies across 11 departments.

Year two in Chapel Hill opened with spring drills and a more settled roster, and Bill Belichick says continuity — not chaos — is the big change. The staff hopes a steadier spring leads to better results come August.

Oxford startup Plantd is scaling production of carbon‑negative panels made from fast‑growing grasses after a major D.R. Horton agreement and fresh funding.