North Carolina lawmakers take aim at hospitals’ prized tax perks

North Carolina lawmakers take aim at hospitals’ prized tax perks

By Michelle Crouch As North Carolina lawmakers search for ways to reduce the tax burden for state residents, they’re taking aim at the generous tax breaks the state’s nonprofit and public hospitals ha...

Mission Hospital to evaluate leadership’s “capacity and competency,” hires consultant in wake of Immediate Jeopardy

Mission Hospital to evaluate leadership’s “capacity and competency,” hires consultant in wake of Immediate Jeopardy

By Ted Clifford Asheville Watchdog Mission Hospital has hired an outside consultant following its most recent Immediate Jeopardy sanction and committed to federal regulators that it will make sweeping...

Big changes ahead for State Health Plan as trustees work to lower costs 

Big changes ahead for State Health Plan as trustees work to lower costs 

By Clayton Kenkel NC Newsline North Carolina teachers and state employees can expect more changes to the State Health Plan in 2027 as trustees work to control rising costs for care. Tom Friedman, the ...

Q&A: What to Do About Unintentional Weight Loss

Q&A: What to Do About Unintentional Weight Loss

Q: My 88-year-old father lives in his own home about 100 miles from us. He’s been living alone since my mother died five years ago. I thought he looked rather thin last time we saw him. I’m starting t...

Rising toll: Are NC sports betting protections enough?

Rising toll: Are NC sports betting protections enough?

By Anne Blythe and Michelle Crouch When Jessica Auslander set up her counseling practice in the Charlotte/Weddington area almost a decade ago, she was a true pioneer in her field. As the only gambling...

Worried you or someone you love might have a gambling problem? Here’s what to do.

Worried you or someone you love might have a gambling problem? Here’s what to do.

By Michelle Crouch The Charlotte Ledger Now that sports betting is just a tap away on your smartphone, experts say it can be easier for gambling to spiral out of control. Google searches for “gambling...

Wagering on women. Sports betting industry looks to unlock a new market.

Wagering on women. Sports betting industry looks to unlock a new market.

By Anne Blythe Now that the NCAA tournament play-in games are over and brackets are set with a maze of paths to the Final Four, many North Carolina college basketball fans are about to develop a serio...

As sports betting booms in North Carolina, so do gambling problems

As sports betting booms in North Carolina, so do gambling problems

By Michelle Crouch Two years after North Carolina legalized mobile sports betting, counselors say they are seeing the fallout: drained bank accounts, strained relationships and young people — especial...

New SNAP requirements could stress county budgets

New SNAP requirements could stress county budgets

By Morgan Casey Border Belt Independent Using a blue pen, Bladen County Board of Commissioners chair Cameron McGill signed 18 letters to state lawmakers in late January. One was for N.C. Speaker of th...

Lawmakers hear how rural women face risks to give birth

Lawmakers hear how rural women face risks to give birth

By Ashley Fredde In North Carolina, where a clinician practices can make all the difference for someone seeking maternity care — it’s the birth equivalent of “location, location, location.”  Dozens of...