N.C. Legislation News and In-Depth Reporting

Can Lake Mattamuskeet Be Saved?

Tundra swans and other migratory waterfowl enjoy a managed impoundment that feeds into Lake Mattamuskeet. (Andrea Bruce for The Assembly)

The largest natural lake in the state and an important national refuge for migrating birds is facing an ecological catastrophe.

New House Speaker Destin Hall in his office in Lenoir. (Robert Taylor for The Assembly)

Hall, the youngest House speaker in 200 years, will have greater influence over the Republican agenda.

Gateway Women’s Care is a crisis pregnancy center with three locations in the Triangle. (Kate Medley for The Assembly)

Over the past three years, the state legislature has given $30 million to crisis pregnancy centers, with little oversight or outcomes.

Josh Stein meets community members at Asheville-Buncombe Technical College in January 2023. (Mike Belleme for The Assembly

The Republican-led legislature’s hurricane relief bill took away a number of executive powers.

A photo of destruction Helene left behind in Chimney Rock, N.C. (Jesse Barber for The Assembly)

State Rep. Mark Pless says the legislation, which also strips power from Democrats, doesn’t do much for his area.

Long stretches of the road through Hickory Nut Gorge are completely destroyed. (Jesse Barber for The Assembly)

A Q&A with state Sen. Timothy Moffitt on the $273 million relief package.

Tiny Venus flytraps growing in the wild in Brunswick County. (Madeline Gray for The Assembly)

The Venus flytrap has survived numerous adversaries over the years, from encroaching development to bureaucratic delays.

House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate Pro Tempore Phil Berger at a D-Day commemoration ceremony in 2019. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Republicans have failed to deliver on key priorities, and some blame a diminished relationship between House and Senate leaders.

Leo near his home in North Carolina. He says it's been a relief to begin the transition process. (Photo by Matt Ramey)

After passage of legislation restricting medical treatment for transgender youth, families are seeking care across state lines.

Volunteers with the Environmental Quality Institute use a net to catch invertebrates. (Mike Belleme for The Assembly)

The governor keeps asking for more money to protect waterways. Citizen scientists are taking up the slack.