North Carolina Secures $590M PFAS Settlement With DuPont and Chemours
Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson announced a $590 million settlement with DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva to resolve state litigation over the industrial contamination of waterways with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The agreement was reached just as a coordinated suit brought by the state and several municipal governments was set to go to trial, addressing widespread PFAS discharge into the Cape Fear River basin. State officials noted that additional lawsuits against related manufacturers remain pending.
All Living Former Governors File Amicus Brief Supporting Stein Against Legislative Leaders
In an uncommon cross-party maneuver, five living former North Carolina governors—Democrats Mike Easley, Bev Perdue, and Roy Cooper, alongside Republicans Jim Martin and Pat McCrory—filed a joint motion to submit an amicus brief at the state Supreme Court backing Democratic Governor Josh Stein. The underlying disputes, Stein v. Berger and Stein v. Hall, challenge separation-of-powers limits altered by the General Assembly, where Republican legislative leaders enacted laws curtailing executive appointment authorities and board control.
State Supreme Court Hears ByteDance Arguments Over North Carolina Jurisdiction
The North Carolina Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding whether the state can maintain a consumer protection lawsuit against ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Lawyers for the corporate entity argued that despite widespread downloads and usage among North Carolinians, the platform should not be subjected to personal jurisdiction in state courts. An August 2025 Business Court ruling previously cleared Attorney General Jackson’s complaint to move forward.
Fourth Circuit Revives Prisoner Lawsuit Over Incarcerated Pregnancy Care
A unanimous panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court dismissal, reviving a civil rights suit filed by former inmate Tracey Edwards against the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction. Edwards alleges that state prison officials at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh violated constitutional protections in their medical care and physical handling during and immediately following her 2019 pregnancy.
Pocketbook Issues Dominate North Carolina U.S. Senate Race as Early Voting Nears
An Elon University poll finds former Governor Roy Cooper maintaining an edge over Republican nominee Michael Whatley ahead of the October 15 start to in-person early voting. Inflation and the general cost of living were cited by 86% of surveyed voters as central priorities, followed closely by overall economic conditions and healthcare access at 73%. Both campaigns, along with national campaign committees, have ramped up activity following the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas, where Whatley and 1st Congressional District candidate Laurie Buckhout addressed party delegates.
Fourth Circuit Intervenes in Cooper Campaign Advertising Rate Dispute
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stepped back into a legal clash involving former Governor Cooper and three other Democratic candidates over discounted political ad rates regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. The circuit court's action comes shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked an earlier appellate determination in the case, leaving regional media markets navigating uncertain billing rules.
CMS Executive Leadership Resigns Amid System Shakeup
Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight, Chief Financial Officer Kelly Klutz, and Chief Human Resource Officer Angela Wood have all submitted resignations from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The sudden vacancies across CMS's upper cabinet follow a turbulent summer during which the school board placed Superintendent Crystal Hill on an investigative leave lasting two months before clearing her of misconduct.
State Auditor Finds Sinking Ratio of Education Lottery Funds Sent to Public Schools
A performance audit directed by State Auditor Dave Boliek revealed that despite total North Carolina Education Lottery revenues surging 51% from $4.3 billion in fiscal 2023 to $6.6 billion in fiscal 2025, annual net transfers dedicated to the public education fund hovered flat at approximately $1 billion. State regulators recommended reviewing the administrative distribution framework to ensure school appropriations keep pace with gaming revenue growth.
State Board of Education Prepares Major Overhaul of High School Math Standards
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has prepared a policy revision that would alter the state's longstanding high school mathematics track. Under the proposed update scheduled for consideration next month, only NC Math 1 and Math 2 will remain mandatory for graduation. While students must still earn four total mathematics credits, the final two requirements may be satisfied by a broader selection of applied or non-traditional courses rather than mandatory advanced algebra tracks.
McDowell County Places Moratorium on AI Data Center Construction
The McDowell County Board of Commissioners approved a six-month moratorium on commercial data center developments, pausing incoming projects to analyze their impact on county water capacity, electric infrastructure, and local property tax bases. McDowell joins more than 30 local jurisdictions across North Carolina that have implemented development freezes to assess the logistical strain posed by facilities powering artificial intelligence systems.
Town of Ronda Initiates Dissolution of Municipal Charter
Following a formal warning issued by the state Local Government Commission (LGC) over critical municipal accounting and governance shortfalls, town leaders in Ronda (Wilkes County) voted to begin the legal process of dissolving the municipality's municipal charter. State Treasurer and LGC Chair Brad Briner affirmed the decision, which will phase municipal responsibilities and lingering municipal debts over to county jurisdiction.
Asheville City Council Bars Landlords from Collecting Rent on Unsafe Housing
Asheville's City Council unanimously updated its municipal housing code to prohibit landlords from collecting rent payments on residential units officially designated by city code inspectors as uninhabitable or structurally unsafe. Modeled on an enforcement mechanism currently used in Durham, the regulation aims to incentivize rapid maintenance remediation for tenants facing prolonged structural and environmental violations.
Asheville and Contractors Finalize $12 Million Settlement in Fatal Riverside Drive Crash
Ending five years of wrongful death litigation, the City of Asheville, its primary municipal insurers, and two private infrastructure contractors agreed to a $12 million settlement with the widow of a driver killed on Riverside Drive. The lawsuit established that incomplete municipal drainage work on the River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project repeatedly allowed pooling water to freeze across travel lanes, producing unchecked black-ice hazards.
New Hanover County Commissioners Cancel Contract for Flock License Plate Readers
Following sustained public resistance focused on civil liberties and automated data gathering, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to terminate the sheriff's office contract with Flock Safety. The sheriff’s office immediately severed the system's national data-sharing uplink, beginning the process of decommissioning the network of automated license plate readers across the county.