By Rachel Crumpler A new preliminary report from a state-funded research group identifies “key pressure points that need to be addressed” to fully implement Iryna’s Law, which passed quickly late last...
By Michelle Crouch When Dr. Jennifer Casaletto’s kids started watching The Pitt last year, her 14-year-old son had a question: Which one are you? “I’m Doctor Robby,” she told him, referencing the atte...
By Lisa M. Krieger The War Horse On a serene Saturday afternoon, thousands of miles from conflict, soldiers with the California Air National Guard are scattered among stations, hunched over a buddy. S...
By Claire Carlson The Daily Yonder The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a technical assistance program for water infrastructure in early March 2026 designed to help rural communitie...
By Rachel Crumpler Every day, people leave North Carolina prisons and return to the community — more than 18,000 people this year alone. For many, rebuilding their lives after incarceration is fraught...
By Ashley Fredde and Rose Hoban FirstHealth of the Carolinas provides proof that small, rural hospital systems can be excellent. The system, based in the Sandhills, has four hospitals and nearly 100 c...
By Will Atwater Within months of becoming chief of Double Creek Volunteer Fire and Rescue in November 2025, Jimmy Brown received sobering news: His station’s well water was contaminated with PFAS at l...
Andrew Jones KFF Health News Ollie Super has moved in and out of cancer treatment since she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma as a toddler in foster care. Now 8, the second grader is dealing with it ag...
By Jaymie Baxley Dexter “Drew” Batts, the government manager for Martin County in eastern North Carolina, often thinks about the night his close childhood friend suffered a heart attack in 2025. The f...
By Sophia Luna EdNC More than 3 million undergraduate students in the United States are parents. Over half of those student parents are enrolled at community colleges. For these students, the simultan...