The Nice List 2025
Hitting a Milestone
In five years, we’ve gone from two unpaid editors sending emails with hopes and prayers, to a 45-person team publishing over 1,000 stories a year.
If You Build It, Will They Come?
New charter schools are struggling to enroll enough students to stay solvent. One High Point school’s implosion shows the consequences.
Josh Stein’s Medicaid Mess
Facing lawsuits, Stein reversed his administration’s Medicaid cuts. But the crisis isn’t over.
How Tupac Came to Rest in North Carolina
The cremated remains of the rapper, still omnipresent three decades after his death, now lie in a Lumberton grave.
Politics
Their Charges Were Dismissed, But These Two Men Are Not Free
A judge said in August that two men incarcerated for 23 years didn’t kill the grandfather of NBA star Chris Paul. So why are they still in prison?
After Decades of Fighting, Congress Recognizes the Lumbee
President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes Lumbee recognition, into law.
Spruce Pine Police Shocked a Diabetic Man. He’s Suing.
Dillon Ledford argues in his lawsuit that the department didn’t maintain adequate policies for the use of Tasers. Other agencies in the state have faced similar claims.
Culture
Pining for Something Real At Frosty’s Tree Farm
In the Christmas tree capital of the world, Frosty’s Choose & Cut is a family tradition for those who want memories more than comfort.
On the Hunt for North Carolina’s Biggest Trees
Two arborists’ uncommon hobby takes them deep into the woods to look for the state’s leafy giants.
Businesses Pay to Get On Those Blue Road Signs—and the Price Just Went Up
Ever wonder how a restaurant or gas station gets its logo on those signs telling travelers where they can stop?
Higher Ed
UNC System Issues Policy Making Syllabi Public
The regulation, which includes some changes from a previous draft, takes effect on January 15.
Guilford College Off Probation, Retains Accreditation
After some financially rocky years, the college’s accrediting agency has lifted its probation. Leaders say they are ready to start growing again.
Why UNC-CH Revived a Plan to Merge Library and Data Science
Many questions remain about UNC-Chapel Hill’s plan to merge the schools of Data Science and Society and Information and Library Science.
From Our Network
Columbus Regional and Novant Health Make Their Case for New Hospital Plans
Both health care systems had public hearings this month about their proposals to build community hospitals along the U.S. 74 corridor.
After Years Spent Moving Around, the LGBT Center of Raleigh Settles Into a Longterm Space
The Cabarrus Street community center provides a safe space to access resources, connect with others, relax, or spend time in its new library, one of the largest LGBTQ+ libraries in the Southeast.
Fayetteville-Based Company Wants to Give Workers with Criminal Records a Second Chance
D3 Delivery received funding from the city to pilot a program aimed at helping people who were incarcerated or recovering from addiction.
‘We Need Young Voters’
Students and Democrats in Guilford County push for early-voting sites on college campuses as voting access becomes a more partisan issue nationwide
How an Army Novice Turned Confusion into Connection
When Lori Hawkins married her husband, a colonel in the U.S. Army, she didn’t know much about military life. But over time, she became a master trainer for the Army Reserve Command.
CHCCS Leaders Defend District in Hearing on Parents’ Bill of Rights Comments
GOP legislators have accused the district of indoctrinating students.
Featured Stories
I’ve Seen How the Neo-Nazi Movement Is Escalating. You Should Worry.
A reporter gets a first-hand look at how the ‘militant accelerationism’ movement operates.
Former Hunt Institute Employees Describe a ‘Culture of Fear’
Ex-staffers say its leader has created a toxic environment that imperils the institute’s future—and former Gov. Jim Hunt’s legacy.
UNC’s Risky Belichick Math
UNC-Chapel Hill transferred $21 million to the athletic department last year–and that was before hiring Bill Belichick.
How a Widow’s Appointment to the State Dental Board Got Spiked
Shital Patel became a patient advocate after her husband died at the dentist. Then her appointment got mysteriously nixed.
The Disappearance of Julio Zambrano
The Venezuelan asylum seeker was living in N.C. legally. So why did the Trump administration send him to El Salvador?
Pride Cometh Before The Fall
After a two-year fight over LGBTQ books and displays, Yancey County is pulling its public library out of a regional system.
Voices in the Wilderness
A traditionalist religious order is building a new home in the woods of Western N.C. Not everyone is happy to see them.
Nine Years After HB2, Trans North Carolinians Wonder Who Is Looking Out For Them
The ‘Bathroom Bill’ sparked an outpouring of protest. But a new wave of attacks on trans rights has failed to generate the same response.
How the N.C. Legislature Bankrolls Anti-Abortion Centers
Over the past three years, the state legislature has given $30 million to crisis pregnancy centers, with little oversight or outcomes.
The Cattle Con
The recent sentencing of a Surry County man sheds light on how the shady world of fraudulent cattle traders operates.
What Remains of St. Andrews
Following the sudden closure of St. Andrews University, Laurinburg grapples with a now-empty campus at the heart of the community.
An Inmate’s Unlikely Ally
Charles McNeair has been in prison for more than 45 years. He has a surprising new advocate for clemency: the police chief.