Mixed Ruling in Appointments Case

The North Carolina Court of Appeals issued a mixed ruling Wednesday in Gov. Josh Stein’s challenge to Republican lawmakers’ changes to seven state board appointments.

The court upheld shifts in appointment power from the governor to the commissioners of agriculture and insurance for the Wildlife Resources Commission, Emergency Management Commission, and Coastal Resources Commission. It also upheld changes to the Residential Code Council, giving the governor seven appointees, including the chair, and the General Assembly the remaining six.

Changes to the Board of Transportation, Economic Investment Committee, and the Commission for Public Health—where the governor would appoint five members and the General Assembly and North Carolina Medical Society would appoint eight—were rejected.

This modifies a 2024 trial court decision balancing legislative and executive powers, and may also impact Stein’s separate challenge to shifting a Utilities Commission appointment to Treasurer Brad Briner.

Audit Reveals $83M in SNAP Benefits Delayed

A state audit released by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor found that $83 million in SNAP benefits were delayed from 2021 to 2024, affecting over 290,000 payments.

While the state met federal timeliness standards in 2021 due to COVID-19 waivers, performance dropped to 91% after recertification requirements resumed.

Seven counties, including Wake and Mecklenburg, had 14% to 25% untimely payments, attributed to increased applications, workforce shortages, and a lack of corrective actions by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The audit recommends consistent monitoring of county SNAP payment timeliness, enforcing corrective actions for counties failing to meet federal standards, and ensuring access to data to track the extent and amount of untimely payments.

Former NASA Campus for Sale

A former 192-acre NASA satellite tracking facility in Rosman, located within the Pisgah National Forest, has been listed by commercial real estate firm NAI Piedmont Triad for $30 million.

Known as the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) since 1998, the site was originally developed for about $250 million (adjusted for inflation) by the federal government during the 1960s as part of the Space Race and helped capture early satellite images of Earth from space.

The National Security Agency also used it as a key satellite communications hub during the Cold War.

PARI encompasses more than 30 buildings—including a welcome center, library, exhibits, dorms, staff housing, and dining facilities—that, according to the listing, are ideal for “institutional, lab research, quantum data, educational, or innovative private use.” View the listing here.

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➤ Statewide: The North Carolina State Health Plan reinstated its exclusion of transition-related treatments for transgender patients after a federal appeals court ruling vacated a 2022 injunction. The case, Kadel v. Folwell, now returns to trial court. (More)

➤ Charlotte: Decarlos Brown Jr., accused of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail in August, had his Rule 24 hearing delayed until April 2026. The reason for the postponed hearing, which will determine whether the state seeks the death penalty, was redacted in court documents. (More)

➤ Durham: Former Vice President Kamala Harris promoted her new memoir, 107 Days, at the Durham Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, discussing her presidential campaign, advocating for affordable childcare, and praising former Gov. Roy Cooper. (More)

➤ High Point: Beginning in fall 2026, High Point University will offer 10 tuition-free master’s degrees to students living on campus, saving them up to $80,000 each. Available master’s degrees include business administration, business analytics, elementary education, and biomedical sciences. (See List)

➤ Colfax: Guilford Technical Community College broke ground Wednesday on its $34.6 million, 70,000-square-foot aviation campus. The new center will house aviation manufacturing and avionics programs to prepare students for jobs with JetZero and other aircraft companies. (More)

➤ Wake County: Rafael Stefan Williams, 36, was arrested for allegedly opening nearly $496,000 in fraudulent Duke Energy accounts and was charged with identity theft, obtaining property by false pretense, financial card fraud, and felony computer access. (More)

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➤ The Wake Forest women’s golf team took the No. 1 spot in Mark Broadie’s first NCAA Division I golf rankings of the season. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, UNC men’s golf was ranked No. 12 and UNC Charlotte debuted at No. 16. (More)

➤ Former UNC basketball player Marcus Ginyard has been hired by his alma mater as the school’s new director of special projects. (More)

➤ NC State forward Darrion Williams was voted as the preseason ACC men’s basketball Player of the Year, while Duke’s Cameron Boozer earned Preseason Rookie of the Year honors. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | NHL | NCAAF | NBA | Soccer | Tennis | Golf

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➤ Wilmington-based Vantaca, which produces software for managing community associations, secured more than $300 million in private-equity funding from Boston-based Cove Hill Partners, elevating the company’s value to $1.25 billion. (More)

➤ Los Angeles-based Judco Manufacturing will invest $5.3 million to move its headquarters and research-and-development operations to Greene County, creating 60 jobs with an average annual wage of $44,001. (More)

➤ Charlotte-based Krispy Kreme plans to open 50-plus locations across Spain over the next four years, with shops in Brazil and Uzbekistan expected by the end of 2025. (More)

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➤ Fall colors are peaking this weekend in Boone, Banner Elk, and Jefferson. Peak color will move into the Piedmont and Sandhills in late October to early November, then reach the coastal regions in mid to late November. (See Details)

➤ A feature on the military history of six North Carolina forts includes Forts Fisher, Raleigh, Dobbs, Macon, Johnston, and Caswell. (More)

➤ A new survey found pumpkin muffins were the most popular pumpkin-based treat in North Carolina and eight other states, with remaining states favoring pumpkin bread, cookies, soup, seeds, lattes, and pies. (More)

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What’s your favorite pumpkin-based food or drink?

1. Pumpkin muffins or bread
2. Pumpkin cookies
3. Pumpkin spice latte
4. Pumpkin soup
5. Pumpkin chili
6. Pumpkin pie
7. Other

Yesterday’s Results:

Are you a fan of The Big Show with John Boy and Billy?

1. Who?: 35%
2. Love them: 33%
3. Not my thing: 32%

Why was Rosman chosen for NASA’s East Coast satellite tracking facility?

Show me the answer