The 2026 budget added the Student Lifeline Act, so schools and colleges must put 988 and Crisis Text Line contacts on new student IDs, websites and registration materials statewide.

A Wake Forest man matched all five Cash 5 numbers, turning a $1 Quick Pick into a $685,796 jackpot and taking home about $493,842 after taxes.

The retro round hotel on Hillsborough Street will reopen as Hotel Indigo on July 28 after a $36M renovation, adding a rooftop lounge and refreshed rooms.

A Smithfield home childcare worker was arrested after an 8‑month‑old required emergency brain surgery; investigators say the alleged abuse happened at an unlicensed home daycare.

Kahlovera is opening a West Franklin Street outpost in Chapel Hill this week — the taco truck’s third Triangle location.

Durham approved a comprehensive update to its Minimum Housing Code, the first major rewrite since 2016. The changes add clearer standards for drainage, pests, walls and AC and strengthen enforcement tools.

Sen. Ted Budd says about $25 million in federal funds will go toward roadway upgrades at Asheville Regional Airport as passenger traffic and tourism rebound. Local leaders see improved access as a key to sustaining growth.

Holly Springs moved to Stage 1 water‑shortage measures on July 6, limiting sprinkler days and banning Friday irrigation as drought pressures mount.

NWS warns Surry County could see rapid flash flooding through Wednesday night as storms dump heavy rain across Mount Airy and nearby communities.

Raleigh began Thursday under patchy fog and 74°F, then will climb to the mid‑90s with a Heat Advisory for parts of the southern Coastal Plain. Cooling centers are available; avoid midday exertion.

NWS Raleigh issued a special weather statement for Cumberland and Sampson counties; gusts up to 40 mph and frequent lightning are possible this afternoon.

State Auditor Dave Boliek reassigned Dallas Woodhouse and discontinued the auditor’s elections-liaison role after reporting showed Woodhouse pressing local boards over early‑voting sites.

A Selma man received a minimum eight-year sentence after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit pills that killed 19-year-old Alesha Meshaw in August 2025.