Triangle/Local
Students and residents protest UNC’s coal plant over health and climate concerns
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Dozens of students and Chapel Hill residents gathered to protest the continued operation of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus co-generation plant, calling for an end to the use of coal and citing health risks, environmental injustice, and…
Duke researchers investigate fungal growth after Hurricane Helene
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Researchers from Duke University are conducting a study on fungal growth following Hurricane Helene in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The research involves collaboration between the Duke University School of Medicine, Pratt School of Engineering, and the Department of Biology. The newly…
Statewide tributes pour in as North Carolinians mourn Pope Francis
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — Leaders across North Carolina are reacting to the news that Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, as confirmed by the Vatican on Monday morning. Many are reflecting on Pope Francis’ impact of life and how his preaching’s had…
Teeing off for a cause: NCFC raises over $45k at 20th annual golf tournament to support youth soccer
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – The North Carolina Football Club (NCFC) announced the group’s annual golf tournament generated more than $45,000 to expand opportunities for youth soccer. NCFC spokesperson Katherine Eberhardt says the tournament offered people a chance to showcase their swing while also supporting the…
North Carolina budget plan advances as Senate Republicans double down on tax cuts
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Senate Republicans have advanced a two-year budget for the ninth-largest state that spends less than what the new Democratic governor requested and doubles down on already enacted income tax cuts. Mostly along party…
State/Regional
US election officials question agency about Trump’s order overhauling election operations
By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — State and local election officials from around the country on Thursday questioned the leaders of a federal agency tasked by President Donald Trump with implementing parts of his sweeping election overhaul executive order, with some expressing concerns…
North Carolina judges block GOP law to strip governor’s election board powers
By GARY D. ROBERTSON and MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina trial judges threw out on Wednesday another Republican attempt to strip the governor of his authority to appoint State Board of Elections members, declaring that a law shifting the task…
Federal report due on Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina’s path to recognition as a tribal nation
By GRAHAM LEE BREWER and ALLEN G. BREED Associated Press PEMBROKE, N.C. (AP) — Members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina are awaiting the release of a Department of the Interior report that, as soon as this week, could light a path for federal…
Unsettled North Carolina election could be determined by which ballots are subject to court orders
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Supreme Court decided last week that ballots from two categories should have been left out of the tally of an unresolved November election for a seat on the court because state laws otherwise makes the…
North Carolina advances bill on book bans in public schools
By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — After fiery debate, a North Carolina bill advanced through the state House on Wednesday that gives parents a bigger say in which books are allowed — or banned — from the state’s public and charter schools.…
World/National
Judges blocks Trump push to cut funding to public schools over diversity programs
By HOLLY RAMER and COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked Trump administration directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the National Education…
Trump science cuts target bird feeder research, AI literacy work and more
By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer Ashley Dayer’s dream of winning a National Science Foundation grant to pursue discoveries in bird conservation started when she was an early-career professor with an infant in her arms and a shoestring laboratory budget. Competition is intense for NSF…
Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says
By ANNIE MA AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday. Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their…
Wall Street and the dollar tumble as investors retreat further from the United States
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street weakened Monday as investors worldwide get more skeptical about U.S. investments because of President Donald Trump’s trade war and his criticism of the Federal Reserve, which are shaking the traditional order. The S&P 500 sank 2.4% in…
What to know about the death of Pope Francis
By VANESSA GERA and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Here are the key things to know about the death of the Argentine pontiff, history’s first from Latin America, who presided over the Catholic…
Entertainment
Go inside the factory where Peeps are made
By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Love them or hate them, those marshmallow Peeps that come in blindingly bright colors and an array of flavors are inescapable around the Easter holiday. Millions are made daily in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by Just Born…
Wink Martindale, the genial game show host and an early TV interviewer of Elvis Presley, dies at 91
By BETH HARRIS Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wink Martindale, the genial host of such hit game shows as “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough” who also did one of the first recorded television interviews with a young Elvis Presley, has died. He was 91. Martindale died Tuesday at…
Millions tune in for 24-hour live coverage of Sweden’s epic moose migration
By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press Before Swedish slow TV hit “The Great Moose Migration” began airing Tuesday, Ulla Malmgren stocked up on coffee and prepared meals so she doesn’t miss a moment of the 20-day, 24-hour event. “Sleep? Forget it. I don’t sleep,” she said.…
Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched his fiancee Lauren Sanchez into space Monday with an all-female celebrity crew that included Katy Perry and Gayle King. It was the latest wave in space tourism, where more of the rich and famous than ever before — or lucky and well-connected — can…
So your home’s not social-media perfect? How to get over ‘house shame’ and invite people in
By LEANNE ITALIE AP Lifestyles Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Robbie Randolph is a real estate agent and interior designer for the rich, yet even he’s not immune from the anxiety of “house shame.” That’s the judged, bullied, defeated feeling you can get when Pinterest-perfect…
Sports
Judge denies injunction for four players suing NCAA in North Carolina court
By BOB SUTTON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A judge denied a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by four college football players who had sued to gain an additional season of eligibility. Judge Matthew Houston said the evidence was “not sufficient” while ruling from the bench following…
Martinook, Andersen help Hurricanes push past Devils 3-1 for 2-0 lead in 1st-round playoff series
By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Martinook scored a go-ahead shorthanded goal in the second period and Frederik Andersen came up big in net all night to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Tuesday for…
TCU and North Carolina will open ’26 in Ireland after Belichick’s debut this year at home vs. Frogs
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU and North Carolina will play their 2026 opener in Ireland, which will come a year after coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels at home against the Horned Frogs. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be played…
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick
By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The program announced Flagg’s move in a social media post Monday following after a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old…
Stankoven strikes twice in playoff debut with Carolina as Hurricanes beat Devils
By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Logan Stankoven provided an immediate jolt in his first playoff game with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 22-year-old forward scored twice in the second period Sunday to help the Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 in the…