North Carolina begins planning for $1B rural health initiative

North Carolina begins planning for $1B rural health initiative

By Jaymie Baxley North Carolina health officials are beginning to sketch out plans for turning the first wave of funding from a new federal program into on-the-ground changes for rural communities tha...

NC health insurance consumers left in limbo by Congress

NC health insurance consumers left in limbo by Congress

By Lucas Thomae Carolina Public Press For months, Adrian Pitts followed the news with bated breath as Congress fought — and eventually shut down the federal government — over whether to extend COVID-e...

A pregnant woman at risk of heart failure couldn’t get urgent treatment. She died waiting for an abortion.

A pregnant woman at risk of heart failure couldn’t get urgent treatment. She died waiting for an abortion.

By Lizzie Presser and Kavitha Surana ProPublica When Ciji Graham visited a cardiologist on Nov. 14, 2023, her heart was pounding at 192 beats per minute, a rate healthy people her age usually reach du...

10 things to know about measles as cases rise in North Carolina

10 things to know about measles as cases rise in North Carolina

By Michelle Crouch Co-published with The Charlotte Ledger Measles, once considered eliminated in the U.S., is back in a big way.  Driven by declining vaccine rates and growing vaccine hesitancy, the U...

NC lawmakers weight how to deal with unfunded mandates, cuts as feds overhaul SNAP

NC lawmakers weight how to deal with unfunded mandates, cuts as feds overhaul SNAP

By Ashley Fredde North Carolina could face hundreds of millions of dollars in new costs — or risk losing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program entirely — if counties fail to meet new federal r...

NC faces tight deadline, high costs to implement Medicaid work requirement

NC faces tight deadline, high costs to implement Medicaid work requirement

By Jaymie Baxley North Carolina has less than a year to implement a federal rule requiring “able-bodied” Medicaid participants to prove they are working, volunteering or attending school for at least ...

‘Shared decision-making’ for childhood vaccines sounds empowering – but it may mean less access for families already stretched thin

‘Shared decision-making’ for childhood vaccines sounds empowering – but it may mean less access for families already stretched thin

By Y. Tony Yang The Conversation When federal health officials announced on Jan. 5, 2026, that they were taking six out of 17 vaccines off the childhood immunization schedule, they argued that the mov...

Amid shortage of juvenile detention beds, a facility in Mecklenburg sits empty

Amid shortage of juvenile detention beds, a facility in Mecklenburg sits empty

By Rachel Crumpler Mecklenburg County sent the second-highest number of young people into North Carolina’s detention system last year — yet it has no juvenile detention center. In 2025, 2,186 people w...

New year, new definition: Feds set to limit water protections

New year, new definition: Feds set to limit water protections

By Jennifer Allen Coastal Review The two agencies that enforce the Clean Water Act have proposed changes to the waterbodies considered jurisdictional, or under federal protection, and the deadline for...

NC health officials urge vaccinations after CDC reduces the number of recommended shots

NC health officials urge vaccinations after CDC reduces the number of recommended shots

By Jennifer Fernandez Raleigh photographer Abigail Chopel gave birth to her daughter in January 2020, just at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  It was a scary time, she recalled. She couldn’t get h...