A bipartisan North Carolina House bill would provide a one-time $50 million appropriation to create a revolving, below-market-interest loan program for affordable housing development.

Under House Bill 1072, borrowers could use the loans for land acquisition, predevelopment, and infrastructure costs. Supporters said those expenses can prevent projects from moving forward.

A report by the N.C. Chamber Foundation projected a five-year inventory gap of 764,478 units, including 442,118 for-sale homes and 322,360 rental units.

House Democratic Leader Robert Reives of Chatham County said builders call the early development stage the “pre-construction valley of death.”

“For nonprofit affordable housing builders, especially those working with limited margins and mission-driven models, those upfront costs can stop a good project before it ever gets off the ground, causing it to be stuck in limbo,” Reives said during a press conference.

Reives said the revolving structure would allow the money to be reused for future projects.

Rep. John Bell, a Wayne County Republican and House Rules Committee chairman, sponsored the bill with Reives, Rep. Chris Humphrey, a Greene County Republican, and Rep. Carla Cunningham of Mecklenburg County, a former Democrat who registered this week as an independent.

“Importantly, this is a one-time investment of a self-sustaining fund,” Bell said. “It’s not just about addressing today’s shortage, it’s about creating long-term solutions that can continue to work for years to come.”

The bill would direct the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency to create and administer the Affordable Housing Infrastructure Development Loan Program and the fund that would finance the loans.

Reeves said infrastructure costs average about $50,000 per lot statewide, which can put a 10-home subdivision above $500,000. He said the revolving fund could help create 1,000 units in its first five years.

North Carolina lawmakers moved Wednesday to remove a testing requirement for students entering teacher training programs as schools continue to face teacher shortages.

Senate Bill 840 would eliminate the requirement that students pass the Praxis Core basic skills exam before entering an Educator Preparation Program.

The bill also would remove a requirement that new teachers attempt licensure exams in their first year and would make it easier for out-of-state teachers to get licensed. An amendment approved by lawmakers would allow teachers with a limited license to earn a continuing license without passing exams if their students show positive growth for two of three years.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday that narrowed how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act can be used to challenge election maps.

In Louisiana v. Callais, the court held that plaintiffs challenging maps under Section 2 must be able to “disentangle” race from lawmakers’ race-neutral considerations so that a “strong inference” may be drawn that race was a factor.

The ruling means it is not enough to show a map had a racially discriminatory effect if lawmakers say they drew districts for partisan reasons, unless there is clear evidence of racial intent.

In dissent, Justice Elena Kagan wrote that the decision made Section 2 “all but a dead letter,” particularly in Southern states. “If other States follow Louisiana’s lead, the minority citizens residing there will no longer have an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. And minority representation in government institutions will sharply decline,” Kagan wrote.

Fair Fight Action and the Black Voters Matter Fund said the ruling could allow Republican legislatures to redraw 19 districts previously protected by the law in ways intended to favor the GOP.

In North Carolina, the ruling leaves voters with limited options to challenge the state’s 2025 mid-decade congressional map, which Republican lawmakers drew in an effort to flip the seat held by Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., in the 1st Congressional District, which includes much of the state’s historic Black Belt.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit rejected an injunction request last November, finding no evidence of “discriminatory intent” by lawmakers. Advocates did not appeal to the Supreme Court.

North Carolina House Democrats announced a bill Tuesday that would limit how public schools handle students’ immigration information and set procedures for immigration enforcement activity on campus.

House Bill 1061, the Plyler Educational Protections Act, is named for the U.S. Supreme Court case that barred schools from discriminating against undocumented students.

Rep. Julia Greenfield, D-Mecklenburg, the bill’s lead sponsor, said she was prompted by concerns after 27,000 students missed school in Charlotte during large-scale immigration operations in 2025.

The bill would require schools to develop response plans for immigration enforcement activity and designate an official to verify that immigration agents have a warrant before entering school grounds. It also would require schools to provide alternative instruction for students unable to attend because of immigration enforcement disruptions.

Greenfield said the proposal was not intended to interfere with lawful immigration operations.

School employees would be protected from retaliation for following a school response plan. The bill also would bar employees from disclosing students’ immigration status unless required by law, and it would allow lawsuits against schools or employees that violate the protections.

Rep. Monika Johnson-Hostler, D-Wake, said schools need clear guidance and training. Rep. Marcia Morey, D-Durham, said the bill would require schools to have a response plan if immigration officers come onto campus and would help keep parents informed.

Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said Tuesday that a bill allowing permitless concealed carry would make law enforcement work more dangerous and could increase gun violence.

Birkhead spoke at a Raleigh news conference with gun control advocates urging House members to uphold Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of Senate Bill 50, which would allow more people to carry concealed handguns in public.

Under Senate Bill 50, anyone 18 and older who can legally carry a gun could carry it concealed without a permit or safety training.

Permitless carry “makes our jobs more difficult – to put a gun in the hand of someone who’s not trained, who’s 18 years of age – so we have to approach every encounter as if there’s a weapon, because we just don’t know,” Birkhead said. “It increases the risk of someone being harmed in that encounter, whether it’s the officer, the deputy, or the citizen. That to me is unacceptable.”

The North Carolinians Against Gun Violence Education Fund cited studies it said showed firearm homicide and suicide rates increased in states that loosened concealed-weapon permitting laws or adopted permitless concealed carry, and that officer-involved shootings of civilians rose more than expected in states with such laws.

The Legislature passed the bill last year. The Senate already overrode Stein’s veto along party lines, and the House now will decide whether to do the same. A three-fifths majority in both chambers is required to override a veto.

When the House passed the bill last June, two Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it. The outlook for an override may have shifted after two of three House Democrats who lost their primaries last year left the party.

More than 2,100 North Carolina homeowners were released from long-term real estate contracts after legal action by the state, Attorney General Jeff Jackson said.

Jackson said consent judgments voided all remaining Homeowner Benefit Agreements issued by MV Realty, permanently barred the company from doing business in North Carolina, and required it to pay $1.32 million in restitution.

State officials said the agreements required homeowners to pay MV Realty a 3% to 6% commission based on the value of their home when it was sold or transferred, even if the company was not involved in the sale. In exchange, homeowners received small upfront payments, sometimes as little as $300.

Officials said the contracts exposed homeowners to at least $18 million in potential costs.

The North Carolina Department of Justice sued MV Realty and its executives in 2023, alleging the agreements violated consumer protection laws. Courts later ruled that the company engaged in unfair and deceptive practices and violated telemarketing and robocall laws.

Under the judgment, MV Realty cannot enforce the agreements or collect fees from North Carolina consumers. Company officials also are restricted from operating certain businesses in the state for 10 years.

Officials said homeowners affected by the agreements no longer have to pay the commissions, collectively saving millions of dollars. The judgment also requires the company to pay restitution to consumers who previously paid fees to terminate the contracts.

North Carolina Reps. Carla Cunningham and Nasif Majeed, both of Mecklenburg County, said they are leaving the Democratic Party and becoming unaffiliated.

Their announcements came about a month after both lost Democratic primaries. Cunningham, who served about 14 years in the House, lost to Charlotte pastor Rodney Sadler. Majeed, who served eight years, lost to Veleria Levy, a consultant with a public health background. Both challengers won about 69% of the vote.

The primary campaigns criticized Cunningham and Majeed for at times voting with Republicans to override vetoes by Gov. Josh Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper.

In a Friday statement, Cunningham said she was leaving after facing “a troubling wave of hostility from individuals outside of District 106, fueled by the actions of the NC Governor and the North Carolina Democratic Party.” Stein endorsed Sadler in the primary.

“I have been a Democrat all my life, but I came to realize that I want to serve the people; not a party. Being an independent thinker does not align with party politics, and I will never compromise the needs of my constituents to satisfy a political agenda,” Cunningham said.

Last year, both voted to override Stein’s veto of an energy bill that changed how power is priced in North Carolina. Majeed also at times voted with Republicans on social issues, while Cunningham broke with Democrats on immigration.

Republicans hold a supermajority in the Senate and are one seat short of one in the House. If Cunningham and Majeed vote with Republicans on party-line votes, and no Republicans are absent, the GOP could regularly override Stein’s vetoes.

North Carolina’s infant mortality rate fell to 6.3 deaths per 1,000 births in 2024 from 6.9 in 2023, an 8.7% decline that state health officials said was a historic low.

The state Department of Health and Human Services said Medicaid expansion helped drive the improvement. North Carolina expanded Medicaid on Dec. 1, 2023. As of March 2, 2026, more than 720,000 North Carolinians were covered through the expansion, according to the department.

Research has found that states that expanded Medicaid saw larger declines in infant mortality than states that did not, with gains linked to lower death rates among Black and Latino infants.

In North Carolina, infant death rates fell in 2024 among white, Black, and Latino babies. Latino infants saw the largest decline, from 6 deaths per 1,000 births in 2023 to 4.4 in 2024, a 26% drop.

But the gap between Black and white infant mortality rates remained. Black infants in North Carolina were still about three times as likely as white infants to die before their first birthday.

In a news release, the Department of Health and Human Services called that disparity “unacceptable” and said it is working to narrow the gap.

The department also reported that fatal drug overdoses in North Carolina fell by more than 34% from 2023 to 2024, outpacing the national decline. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a national age-adjusted decrease of 26.2%.

Gov. Josh Stein attributed the decline in overdose deaths to Medicaid expansion and to a drug-company settlement he helped negotiate as attorney general. The settlement is expected to bring about $1.5 billion to the state through 2038, with about 85% going to local governments.

The department also said the decline in overdose deaths reflected $834 million in American Rescue Plan funding that state lawmakers approved in 2023 to expand access to behavioral health services and naloxone.

“The decrease in deaths in North Carolina marks progress in building healthier communities and is a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together,” Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai said in a statement.

North Carolina is the only state where teacher pay is projected to decline this year, according to a new report from the National Education Association.

The 2026 report ranked North Carolina 46th in the nation for average teacher pay, down three spots from last year. Average salaries were projected at $59,971 for the 2025-26 school year, down from $60,323 the year before. Nationally, the average public school teacher salary rose 3.5% to $74,495 in 2023-24.

The report said teachers nationwide earn about 5% less than they did 10 years ago when adjusted for inflation. North Carolina now trails every neighboring state in educator pay. Teachers in the state would need a 21% raise to match Georgia’s average salary of $72,758.

The report also ranked North Carolina 46th in per-student funding. The state spends about $13,680 per student, nearly $5,500 below the national average.

North Carolina Association of Educators leaders said the rankings reflected policy choices, including tax cuts and private school vouchers. “The downward trend in our rankings reflects the choices of a General Assembly that has spent years funneling public money away from public schools through corporate tax cuts and the expansion of private school vouchers,” President Tamika Walker Kelly said during a virtual press conference.

Gov. Josh Stein’s budget proposal includes about $2.3 billion for public education, an average 11% raise for teachers, and starting teacher pay that would be the highest in the Southeast.

A Cary man was arrested after a monthlong investigation into a scam targeting a Jones County family, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The Jones County Sheriff’s Office asked the SBI for assistance on March 18, 2026. x

The SBI’s Coastal District and the sheriff’s office arrested Christopher Aaron Murray, 40, of Cary. He was charged with one count of felony exploitation of a disabled or elderly person in a position of trust.

Murray was taken into custody Sunday and is pending a first court appearance scheduled for Monday.

The investigation remained ongoing, and investigators said there could be additional victims. Anyone who believes they may have been targeted or victimized was asked to contact the Jones County Sheriff’s Office or the SBI’s Coastal District office.

North Carolina House and Senate lawmakers voted last week to advance House Bill 696, which adds funding to the state’s Medicaid program after officials said it was close to running out of money because it was underfunded last year.

Supporters in both parties said the changes are needed to help preserve expanded Medicaid and maintain the program’s 90%/10% federal funding match. Advocates and some Democratic lawmakers said several provisions could make access to care harder.

Republican lawmakers did not agree last year on full Medicaid funding sought by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which said the program needed $319 million. Some Republicans had questioned that figure, but House and Senate leaders said Tuesday they had agreed to it.

The measure requires county officials to review eligibility monthly instead of quarterly, raises copays for inpatient hospital care to $25 per visit, and adds a three-month lookback period for work requirements. Applicants would have to show 80 hours a month of work, education, or community service activity during the previous three months to qualify.

The bill also requires Department of Health and Human Services workers to refer Medicaid applicants or recipients whose “citizenship or satisfactory immigration status could not be verified” to the Department of Homeland Security for investigation.

Another provision gives the state auditor $500,000 to conduct a performance audit of Medicaid.

The bill passed the House 112-1, with Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, voting no, and the Senate 48-1, with Sen. Michael Garrett, D-Guilford, voting no. Final votes in both chambers were scheduled for April 28, after which the bill would go to Gov. Josh Stein.

North Carolina’s State Board of Elections voted 3-2 to seek public comment on proposed rules covering photo ID, absentee ballots, and conduct at polling places. The board’s two Democratic members opposed the move.

One proposal would make it easier for county boards of elections to reject ballots cast by voters who do not show photo ID. Voters without photo ID can cast a provisional ballot and complete an exception form explaining why they do not have ID.

Under current instructions in a “numbered memo” from former state elections staff, county boards must vote unanimously to determine that a voter lied on the form before rejecting the ballot. Under the proposal, a majority vote would be enough. Republicans currently hold three of five seats on county boards.

One lawmaker also proposed that state staff send county boards guidance on how to respond if federal agents appear at polling places or seek to seize ballots. The board rejected that proposal along party lines.

Federal law bars armed forces from polling places, and some Democrats and voting-rights advocates have said they are concerned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could appear at polling places or that ballots could be confiscated.

After a 60-day public comment period, the board will consider revisions and vote again.

Six weeks before the start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein urged lawmakers to keep focus on damage from the 2024 season and approve $792 million for the next phase of Hurricane Helene recovery.

At an oversight meeting in early April, legislators said only 30 single-family homes had been completed 18 months after the storm. Matt Calabria, director of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, said last week that recovery work was moving through multiple funding streams and partners, including nonprofits that have rebuilt or repaired 800 homes with state funds.

Calabria said nonprofits and volunteer groups have moved faster on repairs because they are not using federal funds and do not face the same requirements as the state. He said federal aid remained necessary because Helene caused $60 billion in damage across 26 North Carolina counties, about twice the size of the last state budget lawmakers enacted.

Stephanie McGarrah, deputy secretary for community revitalization at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, said housing remained a major bottleneck.

“We have a lack of space for people to move to, and also people do not have enough funds to find a place to live for the period of time that the recovery will take,” McGarrah said.

She said the agency wanted lawmakers to allow previously appropriated money to be used for temporary relocation help for residents facing hardship. The agency is also working with the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency to help fund low-income housing tax credit projects across Western North Carolina. McGarrah said fully funding submitted applications would require $600 million; the Division of Community Revitalization initially budgeted $60 million. The first round of projects is expected to be awarded in mid-2026.

North Carolina has recorded more than 550 wildfires since a statewide burn ban was issued in late March. Calabria said Stein’s latest request would include $17.3 million for wildfire-related needs, state park repairs, and natural resource protection.

Greenville police said a third victim was identified after a stabbing early Sunday, April 19, in downtown Greenville.

According to the Greenville Police Department, the third victim later arrived at a local hospital and is also believed to be younger than 18. Police said all three victims were receiving treatment.

The incident happened about 2 a.m. April 19 in the 500 block of Cotanche Street, near Jimmy John’s, police said. Two teenagers, both believed to be about 16, were initially reported injured. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening, authorities said.

Police charged 19-year-old Isaiah Whitehurst with simple affray,  a Class 2 misdemeanor involving a fight between two or more people in a public place, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

Officers reviewed area camera footage, and detectives were working to determine who had a weapon and to identify everyone involved.

Additional charges are expected, police said. Authorities said they will seek juvenile petitions for at least one 16-year-old connected to the fight, and others will be charged as they are identified.

Police asked anyone who recorded the incident to send video to Major Crimes Detective Dixon at jrdixon@greenvillenc.gov.