January 2024

Mark Robinson, Teflon Man

N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson at his campaign kickoff event. (Cornell Watson for The Assembly)

Like Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner for governor is expected to easily secure his party’s nomination despite scandals and outrages.

Proclaiming the Faith

Photo illustration using Canva.

A Wilkes County proclamation celebrating Christian heritage could spell legal trouble.

Raleigh, NC - December 14th, 2023: North Carolina Supreme Court Justice, Anita Earls, sits for a portrait at her bench in the North Carolina Supreme Court in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Cornell Watson for The Assembly)

As one of two Democrats and the only Black justice on the state Supreme Court, Earls at the center of an ongoing debate about politicization.

The Wizard of Mars Hill

Ehren Cruz gazes into the horizon of North Carolina’s burgeoning psychedelic renaissance.

TikTok’s Prince of Poverty

The Assembly

Thomas Cruz gloats about building his fortune off a government housing program, but left a trail of liens and code violations in Wilmington.

Lookin’ For A Fight

Pat Harrigan gives a tour of his firearms manufacturing facility in Connelly Springs. (Matt Ramey for The Assembly)

An insider and an outsider vie to replace U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry in a strongly Republican district in the foothills.

Waste, Race, and Place

Trucks carrying waste line up at the state’s largest landfill. (Cornell Watson for The Assembly)

In Roseboro’s Snow Hill neighborhood, a community has waged a 50-year fight against the state’s largest landfill.

How To Design Safer Schools

The scene after a school shooting at Winston-Salem’s Mount Tabor High School in September 2021. One student was killed and another student was charged with his death. (Walt Unks/The Winston-Salem Journal via AP)

In an era of mass shootings, architects are striving to create safe spaces for students without making schools into fortresses.

Republicans Try To Get One of Their Own Off the Ballot

Joseph A. Gibson III appears before the Rockingham County Board of Elections. (Photo by Carli Brosseau)

In Rockingham County, a neo-Nazi podcaster will be on the ballot—if Republicans aren’t successful in their bid to have him removed.

See No Evil

The former home of No Evil Foods in Weaverville. (Photo by Hanna Raskin)

Former employees have accused the founders of No Evil, a North Carolina-based vegan food brand, of skirting accountability on labor concerns.

Month: January 2024