The Assembly

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.

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-...

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

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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...

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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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.

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

Bruised, Not Broken A year after Helene, a Western North Carolina journalist moved to the city and found that it's still healing.

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...

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.

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-...

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.

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...

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.

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...

River Rescue on Edwards Avenue A Swannanoa resident describes how he saved neighbors via kayak after Hurricane Helene flooded their North Carolina community.

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-...

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.

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/...

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.

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...

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.

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.

Democrats are losing members in #ncpol. But are the Republicans gaining?

New piece by me in @theassemblync.bsky.social ⤵️

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

WRAL-TV Fights to Succeed in a New Media World WRAL confronts a precarious future as locally owned television stations deal with declining viewership and advertising revenue.

The last five years have thrown hurdles in WRAL’s path, including a string of high-profile departures. But in spite of the headwinds, WRAL is still relatively well-positioned. It has a newsroom staff of 143 and a host of profitable companies.

Lawmakers Are Now Debating Making FEMA a Cabinet-Level Agency While Trump has suggested he might do away with FEMA, there's a bipartisan push in the House to elevate its position.

While Trump has suggested he might do away with FEMA, there’s a bipartisan push in the House to elevate its position.

Appeals Court Affirms Exoneration The N.C. Court of Appeals has seemingly made it official that the men convicted as teenagers of killing NBA star Chris Paul’s grandfather are exonerated.

The North Carolina Court of Appeals effectively affirmed the exoneration of four men convicted as teenagers in the 2002 death of Nathaniel Jones, the grandfather of NBA star Chris Paul. The decision means the two who are still incarcerated could soon walk free.
www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...

Are You Still Rebuilding After Helene? We Want To Hear Your Story ProPublica and The Assembly are reporting on rebuilding after Helene. We want to hear from you about your experience.

The Assembly and @propublica.org are reporting on the impact of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, and we know recovery is far from over. We want to hear from you about your rebuilding story. www.theassemblync.com/environment/...

One Redistricting Battle After Another North Carolina Senate GOP leader Phil Berger didn't rule out redrawing congressional district lines again.

By redrawing Davis’ district, Republicans would risk opening themselves to racial gerrymandering claims and a costly legal battle. www.theassemblync.com/all-newslett...

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.

In some counties, the highest-income homeowners received two to three times as much housing assistance as those with lower incomes.

Read the full story below.

www.theassemblync.com/environment/...

Apart from Buncombe County — home to Asheville and by far the most urban county in the region — lower- and middle-income households overall got lower amounts of this aid compared to the highest-income earners.

Applicant income is self-reported to FEMA. Charts depict the median amount of housing assistance. The hardest-hit counties are the 10 counties with the highest per-capita rates of homeowners receiving housing assistance. The rural counties include Ashe, Avery, Haywood, Henderson, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Watauga and Yancey. The chart does not include Buncombe County, which is classified as urban, is the area's most densely populated county, and is home to many regional and local nonprofits that assisted with FEMA applications and appeals.

The analysis looked at counties with the highest per-capita rate of households receiving FEMA aid for housing assistance, an indicator of where Helene hit people the hardest.

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.

An analysis by @propublica.org 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.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.

Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene www.theassemblync.com/environment/...