In the wake of the state Department of Health and Human Services investigation into the role… Read moreNash County board chairman: Too early to assign blame in child's death
A multi-jurisdictional traffic stop in Pitt County led to the arrest of a Rocky Mount man an… Read moreTraffic stop in Pitt County snares Rocky Mount man in drug bust
The N.C. Association of Black Elected Municipal Officials has chosen Rocky Mount as the site… Read moreState Black officials' group to hold conference in city
The City of Rocky Mount is urging customers to be cautious of scammers. Read moreCity warns about utility bill phone scams
The Dollar General store southeast of Castalia was robbed on Saturday night, and the Nash Co… Read moreNash deputies investigate robbery of Dollar General
A Rocky Mount man halted on U.S. 64 near East Raleigh Boulevard on Friday later sped away, l… Read moreLocal man facing list of traffic violations after chase
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WILLIAMSTON — The Nash Central softball team stepped out of Big East 2A/3A Conference play o… Read moreLady Bulldogs overcome Riverside
The North Carolina Wesleyan University baseball team ran its record to 16-5 overall with a t… Read moreWesleyan baseball sweeps weekend series against Southern Virginia
The Rocky Mount track teams earned a number of top finishes and swept the team championships… Read moreRocky Mount track teams sweep Cape Fear Relays
Faith Christian School jumped out to a 5-0 lead and added five more in the bottom of the fou… Read moreBaseball Roundup: Patriots pick up third win of season
The girls soccer teams from Rocky Mount Academy and Faith Christian School earned wins by sh… Read morePrep Roundup: Eagles, Patriots collect shutouts in soccer
Anyone else notice that baseball looks different? Read moreLoving the new look of baseball
For more than a decade we’ve studied the problem exhaustively, we’ve talked about it almost incessantly, we’ve engaged the latest curriculum du jour, and have spent more than $50 million, yet we still can’t solve the mystery of our children’s reading proficiency. Our patience is wearing thin. Now the finger-pointing has begun. We want to know who to blame. Read moreTom Campbell: Get back to basics to make overdue reading improvements
Now that Fox News has been exposed for peddling 45’s lies, how does he go forward with his c… Read moreLetter: Fox News prefers money over being 'fair and balanced'
There’s a good reason why you can’t place a bet on WWE professional wrestling, even in Las Vegas. It’s because everybody smart enough to come in out of the rain understands that the matches are make-believe — not merely fixed, but scripted. That’s also why sports pages don’t report the results. Read moreGene Lyons: In pro wrestling, as in Trump world, it's all kayfabe
Is Ron DeSantis qualified to be president? A small but growing number of Republicans are starting to express their doubts. Read moreSteven Roberts: Parts of GOP scratching the Teflon prince
House conservatives have devised a “new and improved” threat to the world economy if their demands are not met. Once again, they vow to vote against raising the cap on U.S. debt if desired cuts in government spending are not made. Read moreFroma Harrop: Republicans are defunding the US, not China
Widely reported in the press is that President Joe Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express his concern about judicial reforms that are currently being considered in Israel. Read moreStar Parker: Biden's job is running US, not Israel
Rocky Mount small business owners continue to look for ways to capitalize on opportunities d… Read moreJeremy Taylor: Mobile solutions can help small businesses succeed
For more than 24 years, Frank Henderson has traveled North Carolina to plant churches, stayi… Read morePastor returns home to establish church
Edgecombe Community College agribusiness technology graduates have a new option available to… Read moreMary Tom Bass: New agribusiness agreement benefits ECC students
During the week, residents at The Fountains at Albemarle can be seen pulling up a chair, tap… Read moreCouple performs for residents at retirement center
New Orleans vocalist Nayo Jones will usher in a powerhouse lineup of musicians and singers f… Read morePrime Smokehouse to launch Dinner Concert Series
Now that we’ve put winter behind us — at least on the calendar — it’s time for us to think a… Read moreNathan Lindeman: End of winter can signal time for financial ‘spring cleaning’
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State AP Stories
First Citizens will acquire much of Silicon Valley Bank, the tech-focused financial institution whose lightning-quick failure this month set off a chain reaction that rattled faith in banks around the world. The sale underscores that Silicon Valley Bank’s assets do have value and helps to rebuild some faith. Stocks of several beaten down banks rose in a show of strength after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced the deal. But investors and experts caution the sale doesn't by itself provide an immediate all-clear for other banks following the second- and third-largest U.S. failures in history. That will likely take more time.
North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell says he'll run for governor in 2024. He'll likely be required to best Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to earn the Republican nomination. Folwell announced his decision at Saturday’s Republican Party convention for Forsyth County. He told The Associated Press he would bring competence to operating government and look out for working people if elected. The state constitution prevents Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper from seeking a third consecutive term. Robinson has scheduled a rally next month to reveal his decision for 2024, but he's been leaning into a gubernatorial bid for some time. Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein announced a campaign for governor in January.
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed Republican gun legislation that would no longer require sheriff approval before someone can purchase a handgun. His action Friday initiates his first showdown of the session with a GOP majority that is just one seat shy in the House of veto-proof margins. The bill would repeal the state’s long-standing pistol purchase permit requirement that directs sheriffs to evaluate each gun applicant's character. Cooper successfully blocked a similar proposal in 2021. Bill supporters say substantial updates to the national background check system have rendered the requirement duplicative. But Democrats warn that its repeal would create a dangerous loophole.
The Republican-controlled North Carolina legislature has given final approval to a Medicaid expansion agreement. Thursday's state House vote reverses longstanding opposition to the measure, which now goes to expansion advocate and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper for his signature. GOP legislative leaders reached a deal earlier this month, capping years of debate over whether the politically closely divided state should accept the federal government’s coverage for hundreds of thousands of low-income adults. North Carolina was one of 11 states that hadn't yet adopted expansion. The bill contains one caveat: A state budget law must be passed before expansion can be carried out.
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National & World AP Stories
Authorities say a female shooter wielding two “assault-style” rifles and a pistol killed three students and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools. The female suspect was killed by police during a confrontation Monday at The Covenant School. Authorities believe the shooter was a former student. The Covenant School has had an enrollment of about 200 students from preschool to sixth grade in recent years. The killings come as communities around the nation are reeling from a spate of school violence.
Stocks closed mostly higher on a steadying Wall Street as battered banks showed more strength, at least for now. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Averate also rose, while the Nasdaq fell. Markets have been in turmoil following the second- and third-largest U.S. bank failures in history earlier this month. Investors have been hunting for which banks could be next to fall as the system creaks under the pressure of much higher interest rates. First Citizens' stock soared after saying it would buy most of Silicon Valley Bank, whose failure sparked the industry’s furor earlier this month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. The move appears to be another attempt by Putin to raise the stakes in the conflict in Ukraine. It follows statements by the Russian leader and his top lieutenants that Moscow is ready to use “all available means” to protect its territory. The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which has a long border with Ukraine, could allow Russia to reach potential targets there more easily and quickly. It would also extend Russia’s capability to target several NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe.
The U.N.’s atomic energy chief has warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the perilous situation at Europe’s largest nuclear plant “isn’t getting any better." The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has lost several of its power transmission cables during the war with Russia, and on multiple occasions has had to switch to emergency diesel generators to power its essential cooling systems to prevent a meltdown. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi met with Zelenskyy on Monday as relentless fighting in the area puts the Russian-held plant at risk of a disaster. Grossi said the situation at the plant remains tense because of the heavy military presence around it and a recent blackout that recently hit the facility.