An invitation The Assembly obtained backs up an online claim that some N.C. lawmakers planned a weekend bourbon outing in Kentucky, where they have been accused of getting drunk and disruptive. ⬇️

theassemblync.com/politics/nc-la…

UNC-Chapel Hill’s business school secretly recorded a professor’s classes, apparently in violation of its own policy. Exclusive reporting by Billman for The Assembly. #ncpol #unc theassemblync.com/education/high…

NEW: An invitation The Assembly obtained backs up a claim that some N.C. lawmakers planned a weekend bourbon outing in Kentucky, where they have been accused of getting drunk and disruptive. Exclusive reporting by Bryan Anderson for The Assembly. #ncpol theassemblync.com/politics/nc-la…

Meet Jonathan Felts.

He’s the North Carolina Republican operative who shaped Ted Budd's upset over Pat McCrory in the 2022 U.S. Senate Republican primary.

Now the 'Sultan of Snark' is back for more in 2024. ⬇️

theassemblync.com/politics/nc-el…

The Wilmington StarNews, the state’s oldest continuous daily newspaper, once covered complicated topics in the region aggressively. But that vigor has since waned.

“Our local paper has melted away.” ⬇️

theassemblync.com/media/wilmingt…

By most reckonings, North Carolina has never seen anything quite like the Bliss Boogie.

It may never again.

Take a look inside the festival that many hope will peel back the so-called “Magnolia Curtain” that hangs over sex in the South. ⬇️

theassemblync.com/culture/bliss-…

Let’s talk about sex, baaay-bee ... My feature in The Assembly peels back the ‘Magnolia Curtain’ to reveal paddles and ropes, yes, but also a universal yearning for connection. And a good dose of courage:
theassemblync.com/culture/bliss-…

The StarNews does still produce fresh, in-depth news. But it’s hard to imagine the paper of yesteryear leading its morning roundup on April 17 with “Downtown Wilmington sandwich shop has closed.”

It was a Subway.

The Fading Star theassemblync.com/media/wilmingt…

Stoney Greene, a North Carolina Republican currently serving on the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners, stepped down as board chair last month after revelations of a 2001 dogfighting arrest.

Leaders in both parties are demanding a full resignation. ⬇️

theassemblync.com/politics/nc-wi…

In North Carolina, the odor of marijuana can still be used as probable cause to search a vehicle despite the emergence of legal hemp products that are similar in look and smell.

Does this endanger the constitutional rights of state residents? ⬇️

theassemblync.com/politics/court…

In Wilkes County, a commissioner's past charges for dogfighting have helped bridge a partisan divide. From Jacob Biba.
Dog Bites Man theassemblync.com/politics/nc-wi…

The North Carolina state legislature comes back to Raleigh today to make adjustments to the budget and tackle bills lawmakers didn’t finish last year.

Here’s a look at what might come up in the so-called short session. ⬇️

theassemblync.com/politics/nc-le…

The legislature’s staff forecasts a budget shortfall of $51 million in 2026–27, growing to $2.46 billion in 2030–31. Are casinos and other forms of gambling the solution? By Bryan Anderson for The Assembly. #ncpol #ncga theassemblync.com/politics/casin…

NEW: “You need to get the alcohol out of the car,” a man said after a serious accident at Rep. Destin Hall’s wedding weekend, according to a recording obtained by The Assembly. Exclusive reporting by Billman. #ncpol #ncga theassemblync.com/politics/desti…

Out with an in-depth story today for The Assembly on an approaching budget shortfall and the most divisive solution that's been proposed to bring in additional funds: casinos. #ncpol

theassemblync.com/politics/casin…

For years, law-enforcement officers could use the smell of marijuana as probable cause to search someone’s vehicle. Now that hemp is legal, the criminal justice system faces a quandary in discerning the difference. By Michael Hewlett for The Assembly. #ncpol theassemblync.com/politics/court…

Following years of tax cuts and increased state spending, analysts project major budget deficits for North Carolina starting in 2026.

Are casinos part of the revenue solution? ⬇️

theassemblync.com/politics/casin…

A second 911 call raises additional questions about an accident that seriously injured a lobbyist at the December wedding of state Rep. Destin Hall, who’s in line to become state House speaker in January.

“You need to get the alcohol out of the car.” ⬇️

theassemblync.com/politics/desti…

Destin Hall, who’s in line to become N.C. House speaker, was in a truck that briefly left the scene after a friend fell off the back.

The Assembly obtained the 911 tape showing confusion at the site. ⬇️

theassemblync.com/politics/desti…

Destin Hall, who’s in line to become House speaker, was in a truck when a friend fell off the back during Hall’s wedding weekend and was seriously injured. “What the f—-happened?” someone says on the 911 call. By Billman for The Assembly. #ncpol theassemblync.com/politics/desti…