News
Go tell it on the mountain: Folklorist dishes on Appalachian Easter
Tipper Pressley has dedicated the past 18 years to archiving the unique customs of mountainfolk and sharing them with an ever-growing audience.
Opinion
The White Christmas no one wanted
Two hundred and fifty years ago this week, thousands of Carolinians were trudging through deep snow. They weren’t in search of Christmas trees, or heading over the river and through the woods to their grandmothers’ houses for holiday feasting. These were Patriot militiamen, from both Carolinas, hunting for Tories in modern-day Greenville County, South Carolina....
News
Tillis asks Bondi to investigate Cherokee marijuana operation
US Sen. Thom Tillis asked US Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into the Eastern Band of the Cherokee potentially marketing marijuana to children, and transporting it outside of their western NC reservation, a violation of federal law.
News
Stein announces $30 million small business grant program for Helene-affected businesses
Gov. Josh Stein announced a new $30 million small business grant program on Friday that will help small businesses in western North Carolina struggling to recover after Hurricane Helene. He made the announcement at the Boone Chamber of Commerce. “Small businesses are the heart of western North Carolina and need our support to get through...
News
Budd, Tillis raise concerns over planned Cherokee marijuana superstore
As the days grow closer to the opening of a Cherokee Indian-planned marijuana superstore in western North Carolina, the state’s Republican U.S. senators have questions about how communities in the state will be kept safe.
News
Sports betting legislation passes first Senate committee
Sports betting legislation passed the state Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, clearing an initial hurdle on its way to the full Senate. The primary sponsor Sen. Jim Perry, R-Lenoir County, has gotten support for Senate Bill 688 by pointing out that many North Carolina residents already bet on sports with black market websites or apps...
News
Sports betting legislation ‘in the mix’ for remainder of legislative session
While the N.C. Senate didn’t handle sports betting legislation before the Fourth of July break, there’s still hope of legal wagers in the state outside of the two Cherokee casinos. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said recently that he expects lawmakers to discuss sports betting legislation later this session. The Legislature focused on...
News
N.C.’s lax census response could affect state’s congressional delegation
More than 4 million North Carolinans are missing from the 2020 census. Major media reports have emphasized a low census count could put billions in federal dollars at risk. But it also could keep North Carolina from gaining a congressional seat. The census count, done every 10 years, helps determine how federal money is allocated...
News
Proposed tribal casino in Kings Mountain pits Cherokee versus Catawba
The South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation wants to build a $340 million casino in Kings Mountain. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opposes the competition. Most N.C. state senators say the federal government has no business approving the resort. The Cherokees claim the proposed 16-acre site would encroach on their aboriginal territory. They also say...
News
Treasurer, DOT differ over debt limit’s impact on transportation bonds
The N.C. Department of Transportation doesn’t have enough debt space to borrow the full $3 billion for local road and bridge construction promised in the Build NC Bond Act of 2018, State Treasurer Dale Folwell says. Folwell made this comment Tuesday in his monthly conference call with reporters. He cited the just-released state debt affordability...
News
A steep road to care
ROBBINSVILLE — David Lee Satterfield is a big man stuffed into blue, bibbed overalls. He’s wearing a well-worn orange baseball cap, and a thatch of impressive white whiskers flow around his weathered face. When he shakes your hand the powerful grip and leathered skin are evidence of a life hard work. It’s ironic yet sobering...
News
DEQ Secretary Regan selects ‘environmental justice’ board
DEQ Secretary Michael Regan has named a 16-member Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board. The group was set to be introduced during a ceremony in the agency’s Green Square Lobby on Wednesday, May 2. A news release said the board will help DEQ achieve and maintain fair and equal treatment in developing, implementing, and enforcing...
