Category Archives: State/Regional

Union Pacific and Norfolk seek 1st transcontinental railroad through a massive merger

Union Pacific and Norfolk seek 1st transcontinental railroad through a massive merger

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific is seeking to buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that would create the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S, and potentially trigger a final wave of rail mergers across the country. The proposed merger, announced Tuesday, would marry Union Pacific’s rail network in the West with Norfolk’s rails that snake across Eastern states. The nation was first linked by rail in 1869, when a golden railroad spike was driven in Utah to symbolize the connection of East and West Coasts. Yet no single entity has controlled that coast-to-coast passage that so many businesses rely on.… Continue Reading

Former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will run for Senate in 2026

Former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will run for Senate in 2026

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper will run for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, giving Democrats a proven statewide winner in an open-seat race that is expected to be one of the most competitive 2026 contests. Cooper made the announcement Monday with a video released on social media and his campaign website. The former two-term governor will immediately become the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley plans to run for the GOP nomination, with President Donald Trump’s blessing. Cooper’s candidacy is a big recruiting win for Democrats, who see the open seat as a top pick-up opportunity in what will be a challenging year.… Continue Reading

Renaming of military bases stirs debate over Confederate ties

Renaming of military bases stirs debate over Confederate ties

More than half a dozen Army bases’ names were changed in 2023 because they honored Confederate leaders. Those same bases are reverting back to their original names, this time with different namesakes who share Confederate surnames. Critics of the latest name changes argue it undermines efforts to move away from Confederate associations. The issue has long split people who favor preserving an aspect of southern heritage and those who want slavery-supporting rebels stripped of valor. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to restore the names is his latest move to align with Trump’s purging of diversity, equity and inclusion programs.… Continue Reading

Parts of the Appalachian Trail are still damaged after Helene. Volunteers are fixing it by hand

Parts of the Appalachian Trail are still damaged after Helene. Volunteers are fixing it by hand

UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (AP) — Volunteers are still rebuilding parts of the iconic Appalachian Trail in eastern Tennessee nearly a year after Hurricane Helene devastated the region. Two damaged spots along the trail require hikers to take detours. A group of volunteers and staffers with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and local groups worked on repairs at a spot on the trail near the destroyed Cherry Gap Shelter in mid-July. Volunteers say their priority is fixing root ball holes in the ground caused by fallen trees. The work is intensive and slow. But the group hopes it can improve the trail’s resiliency against future severe weather.… Continue Reading

Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools

Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programs, the Education Department said Friday. President Donald Trump’s administration had withheld $6 billion in funding on July 1 as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House’s priorities. Officials later said the department would release $1.3 billion of the money for after-school programs, days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states.… Continue Reading

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley plans to run for Senate in North Carolina, with Trump’s backing

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley plans to run for Senate in North Carolina, with Trump’s backing

Michael Whatley, chairman of the national Republican Party, plans to run for an open Senate seat in North Carolina in 2026, with the blessing of President Donald Trump, after Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara, passed on the seat. Democrats see the race as their top chance to flip a seat as they try to regain control of the Senate. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced last month that he wouldn’t run for a third term, a decision that came after clashes with Trump. Whatley’s decision was confirmed by two people familiar with his thinking. They weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly before an official announcement and spoke only on condition of anonymity.… Continue Reading

Prodded by lawsuits, North Carolina seeks to tighten voter ID records for roughly 200,000 people

Prodded by lawsuits, North Carolina seeks to tighten voter ID records for roughly 200,000 people

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina election officials are taking steps to tighten up voter registration records in a pivotal swing state. On Thursday, the State Board of Elections launched an online database of 103,000 voters who need to add their driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers to the state records. Requirements for the numerical identifiers have been in place since 2004, but an outdated voter registration form helped lead to missing information. The state board is seeking to collect the ID information in part to address a lawsuit by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. Critics worry the process could disenfranchise voters.… Continue Reading

Severe weather in tropical storm’s wake triggers North Carolina state of emergency

Severe weather in tropical storm’s wake triggers North Carolina state of emergency

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina election officials are taking steps to tighten up voter registration records in a pivotal swing state. On Thursday, the State Board of Elections launched an online database of 103,000 voters who need to add their driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers to the state records. Requirements for the numerical identifiers have been in place since 2004, but an outdated voter registration form helped lead to missing information. The state board is seeking to collect the ID information in part to address a lawsuit by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. Critics worry the process could disenfranchise voters.… Continue Reading

North Carolina governor doesn’t appeal ruling on who gets say over highway patrol commander

North Carolina governor doesn’t appeal ruling on who gets say over highway patrol commander

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has decided not to appeal a trial court’s decision to dismiss one of his legal challenges against state Republican legislative leaders. The court’s decision focused on a provision in a broader state law that said Stein does not have the authority to appoint his own State Highway Patrol Commander. It instead keeps current commander Col. Freddy Johnson in his post until 2030. Stein says he challenged the provision because it was too ambiguous on if he has the ability to remove Johnson if necessary. The trial court last month ruled the provision wasn’t unconstitutional.… Continue Reading

20 states sue FEMA for canceling grant program that guards against natural disasters

20 states sue FEMA for canceling grant program that guards against natural disasters

Twenty Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency over the cancellation of a disaster mitigation grant program. The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Massachusetts claims President Donald Trump’s administration acted illegally by ending the program in April. The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program funds projects such as flood protection, wildfire prevention and earthquake safety. FEMA called the program wasteful. But supporters say it can help save lives and reduce costly damage from disasters. The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration violated constitutional separation of powers by ending the program without congressional permission to do so.… Continue Reading

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