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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

State AP Stories

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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.

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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.

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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.

National & World AP Stories

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.