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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 15h

The combined state and local sales tax has more than doubled since 1970, and Mecklenburg voters are mulling another increase. Why does a tax that hits poor people hardest have so much support? www.theassemblync.com/politics/why...

Why Politicians Learned to Love the Sales Tax

Mecklenburg County voters are mulling a sales-tax increase. Why does a tax that hits poor people hardest have so much support?

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 1d

For the last 19 years, North Carolina has been in a death penalty limbo.

But on Friday, Gov. Josh Stein signed Iryna’s Law, a bill named after a Ukrainian refugee stabbed on a Charlotte train. Republican state legislators hope the law will restart executions.

www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...

A Revived Death Penalty?

Republican state legislators hope a new crime law will restart the death penalty. Legal experts say it won’t be that easy.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 1d

Via @notus.com | Once a MAGA poster child, former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn is attempting a political comeback—this time in an open House seat in Florida—but he shouldn’t expect any help from those in President Donald Trump’s orbit.

www.theassemblync.com/politics/mad...

Trump Allies Won’t Help Madison Cawthorn's Attempted Comeback

Scandal-ridden former North Carolina lawmaker Madison Cawthorn has launched a run for a House seat in Florida.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 2d

In February, the Eastern Music Festival was abruptly canceled. This came after mounting tension between faculty musicians, who teach the festival’s students every year, and the organization’s board and administration.

Facing The Music

After the cancellation of this year’s Eastern Music Festival over a labor dispute, the future of the organization hangs in the balance.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 2d

Duke Health and Aetna have concluded a heated rate negotiation with just weeks to spare before the health care giants’ contract expired.

www.theassemblync.com/health/duke-...

Duke Health and Aetna Reach Contract Agreement

After a summer of escalating tensions, two health care giants have agreed to a new multi-year contract that determines reimbursement rates paid to providers.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 2d

MLB last expanded 27 years ago but is nearly certain to select two new teams by 2029, when Commissioner Rob Manfred retires. For seven years, a growing coalition of advocates has built a case for Raleigh.

www.theassemblync.com/culture/spor...

Raleigh Tries to Break Its 54-Year Baseball Losing Streak

Fast-growing Raleigh appears to be a good candidate for a Major League Baseball team. But even a minor league club has eluded it.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 5d

A federal judge this week upheld the North Carolina Senate map, siding with Republicans who had been accused of intentionally diluting the voting power of Black Democrats in the northeastern part of the state.

www.theassemblync.com/politics/nc-...

Where's the Line?

A U.S. district court judge found that the N.C. General Assembly didn't discriminate against Black voters in drawing a state Senate map.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 5d

Bedlack said people who are more hopeful have different brain patterns than those who lose hope. Their bodies are less inflamed. They tend to live longer. From a clinician’s perspective, these things are all interrelated. And in that sense, hope is a medicine.

www.theassemblync.com/health/als-d...

Medicine By Design

An unabashed evangelist of hope, Duke Professor Dr. Richard Bedlack built a research and support network for patients with ALS.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 6d

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is relying on its Disaster Relief Fund to keep aid flowing during the government shutdown. But already delayed payments and a depleted fund could lead to complications, lawmakers said.

Lawmakers Worry Shutdown Will Delay FEMA Funds to North Carolina

FEMA is relying on its Disaster Relief Fund to keep payments going out. Lawmakers worry the government shutdown will delay funds to North Carolina.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 6d

UNC-Chapel Hill has hired K&L Gates, a law firm with ties to Republican state legislators, to lead its investigation into the School of Civic Life and Leadership, people familiar with the probe said.

The Politically Connected Law Firm Leading Civics School Investigation

UNC-Chapel Hill hired the law firm K&L Gates, which has represented General Assembly Republicans, to review the School of Civic Life and Leadership.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 6d

Carrboro has incurred millions of dollars in damages to 47 miles of roads and other town-owned property, allegedly because of more frequent and extreme weather that resulted from a warming planet.

Is Duke Energy Liable for Climate-Related Property Damage?

The town of Carrboro filed suit against Duke Energy last year, alleging the utility has promoted a decades-long climate deception campaign.

www.theassemblync.com

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Reposted by The Assembly

ProPublica @propublica.org · 7d

Since the Trump administration began slashing FEMA’s workforce, a team focusing on improving the online application process for disaster aid has disintegrated.

In January, the team had at least 10 people.

Now, sources said, it’s down to two.

With @theassemblync.bsky.social

Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene

An analysis by ProPublica and The Assembly of the more rural counties in North Carolina hardest hit by Helene shows that the households that got the most aid tended to have the highest incomes.

www.propublica.org

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 6d

The General Assembly can’t come to an agreement on legislation to fund the state’s $319M Medicaid rebase shortfall, which covers the gap between projected and actual expenses.
With no deal in sight, NC DHHS said it was planning reimbursement rate cuts.

www.theassemblync.com/all-newslett...

Stein’s Medicaid Cuts Deadline Arrives as Legislative Gridlock Continues

The governor said North Carolina’s Medicaid program would begin cutting reimbursement rates to offset a $319 million shortfall.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

A 57-year-old man who’s been incarcerated in state prison for four decades agreed this month to settle a lawsuit he brought against the North Carolina Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission for what he contended is a flawed review process.

Review Date Unknown

In agreeing to settle, the North Carolina Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission did not acknowledge any wrongdoing.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

Last week, attorneys spent 6 hours trying to answer a single question: Should a jury hear a case alleging that Duke Energy is responsible for lying about the link between climate change and extreme weather that inflicted millions in damage on Carrboro?

Is Duke Energy Liable for Climate-Related Property Damage?

The town of Carrboro filed suit against Duke Energy last year, alleging the utility has promoted a decades-long climate deception campaign.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

SALE: You can get The Assembly through next year's midterm elections for just $26! That's more than 50% off — claim your discounted subscription today.

www.theassemblync.com/subscription...

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

Continue following this coverage here: www.theassemblync.com/tag/hurrican...

Covering Hurricane Helene's Impact in North Carolina

The Assembly's continuing coverage of Hurricane Helene. Reporting on the damage, the state and federal response, and the recovery.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

Forty-three people in Buncombe County died during the storm. Survivors struggled to earn a living as businesses shuttered and tourism slowed. The county lost nearly 13,000 jobs in the month after Helene hit, according to the state Department of Commerce.

www.theassemblync.com/place/ashevi...

Bruised, Not Broken

A year after Helene, a Western North Carolina journalist moved to the city and found that it's still healing.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

Artists in Madison County and beyond have turned to their music, photography, pottery, and other crafts to help them navigate the trauma of Helene.

www.theassemblync.com/culture/art-...

Finding Solace in Art After Helene

In hard-hit Marshall, N.C., artists have found their creative work helps them process their losses after Hurricane Helene.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

According to Buncombe County’s Helene Recovery Plan, 372 residential units were destroyed during the storm, about half of them rentals. While federal programs exist to help homeowners rebuild, there are fewer options for people in other housing situations.

www.theassemblync.com/place/ashevi...

In Asheville, a Natural Disaster and a Housing Crisis Collide

The city saw an increase in the number of people living on the street after Helene. For some, it was their first brush with homelessness.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

The Assembly caught up with Governor Josh Stein over the phone to talk about the road to recovery in Western North Carolina, what gives him hope, and the stories that have stuck with him. www.theassemblync.com/place/josh-s...

Josh Stein on ‘24 Hours of Rainfall That Changed the Region Forever’

North Carolina’s governor reflects on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene and what lies ahead for the region.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

Swannanoa resident John Arndt began whitewater kayaking more than a decade ago. He had no idea the experience of navigating around fallen trees and moving debris, and the knowledge about how to bring people to safety, would come in handy in his own neighborhood.
www.theassemblync.com/place/river-...

River Rescue on Edwards Avenue

A Swannanoa resident describes how he saved neighbors via kayak after Hurricane Helene flooded their North Carolina community.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

An analysis by ProPublica and The Assembly found that among the more rural counties hardest hit by Helene, the households that got the most housing assistance tended to have the highest incomes.

www.theassemblync.com/environment/...

Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene

A ProPublica and Assembly analysis of the more rural counties Helene pummeled found households that got the most aid had higher incomes.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

For the anniversary of Hurricane Helene, The Assembly has been publishing stories about the road to recovery in Western N.C. Read the stories below: 🧵 www.theassemblync.com/tag/hurrican...

Covering Hurricane Helene's Impact in North Carolina

The Assembly's continuing coverage of Hurricane Helene. Reporting on the damage, the state and federal response, and the recovery.

www.theassemblync.com

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The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · 7d

As of September 27, Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by a mere 9,968 registered voters. At the current rate of change, Republicans will eclipse Democrats by early 2026, if not sooner.

www.theassemblync.com/politics/dem...

Democrats Are Losing Members in N.C. But Are the Republicans Gaining?

Much has been made of the decline in registered Democrats. But who is benefiting from that shift, and why, is more complicated.

www.theassemblync.com

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