Stanly and Currituck recorded the state’s lowest unemployment in March at 2.8%, while Charlotte metro added thousands of education and health jobs even as manufacturing and hospitality lost positions.

Hot afternoon near 95°F in Raleigh with storms likely Thursday; plan outdoor activities accordingly.

Lenoir Community College opened the Senator Jim Perry Aviation Center at the NC Global TransPark, creating a hands‑on pipeline to aviation and defense jobs for eastern North Carolina. The facility pairs degree tracks with a high‑school academy and university partnerships.

Chatham County deputies are investigating after 85‑year‑old Betty Alston was found dead outside a home near Apex; three dogs were secured at the scene.

A student at East Wake High School in Wendell was found with a loaded firearm on campus. The weapon was confiscated, no one was hurt and juvenile petitions are expected.

Gov. Josh Stein signed Executive Order No. 36 directing state agencies to coordinate to boost housing supply, cut red tape and expand access to affordable homes across North Carolina.

Carillon Assisted Living says it wired nearly $2M to a fraudulent account and lost about $940K; it has sued TD Bank, which denies liability.

A $12.9M PCORI-funded trial co-led by Duke and UNC will test linaclotide against MiraLAX for constipation in autistic children, recruiting 320 participants across 30 sites.

The State Bureau of Investigation broke ground Tuesday at its Garner Road campus in Raleigh on a multi‑building project to centralize staff into a modern headquarters. The redevelopment includes a new HQ, logistics building and renovations to existing facilities.

A house fire near Erwin Road in Chapel Hill left six children and two adults homeless and closed a section of Erwin Road; the Red Cross has been notified.

State inspectors flagged more than a dozen Triangle gas pumps for faults like damaged hoses and meter creep; some pumps were taken out of service until repaired.

Cumberland County will hold a May 18 hearing on a proposed pause that would block new data‑center permits while officials study water, power and noise impacts.

A multi-agency raid in Vance County led to the arrest of Ta’Shawn Baskerville and the seizure of fentanyl M30 pills, hundreds of heroin doses, cash and a rifle.