Cooper, Whatley Secure Senate Nominations

North Carolina voters headed to the polls yesterday for the state’s primary election, selecting party nominees for key races ahead of the November general election.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper secured the Democratic nomination for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat with over 92% of the vote, while former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley won the Republican nomination with 64.5% of the vote.

Incumbent Rep. Chuck Edwards secured the U.S. House District 11 Republican nomination with about 70% of the vote. In the U.S. House District 4 race, incumbent Democrat Rep. Valerie Foushee led challenger Nida Allam 49.2% to 48.2%, with 98% of precincts reporting by 11:30 p.m.

Only two votes separated North Carolina Senate District 26 Republican candidates, state Senate leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, with 100% of precincts reporting. Page had 13,077 votes to Berger’s 13,075. No official winner had been declared as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

View the latest results on all North Carolina primary races here.

Solitary Alleged in Juvenile Centers

A new report by legal advocacy agency Disability Rights North Carolina alleges that solitary confinement is being used in several of the state’s juvenile detention centers. The claim comes despite policies limiting isolation and a 2016 ban on the practice for those under age 18 in federal prisons.

The February 2026 investigation draws from yearlong monitoring of 13 facilities and interviews with 398 youth. It claims some centers routinely confine teens to cells for more than 22 hours a day, often as punishment, causing severe mental health harm.

The report highlights stark disparities, with some youth describing prolonged isolation, abusive discipline, no family contact, and minimal education and recreation opportunities, which the report says violate state and federal standards.

North Carolina Department of Public Safety officials dispute that solitary confinement is practiced in the state’s juvenile facilities and say they are reviewing the report.

Lawmakers Press NC Teacher’s TikTok Videos

North Carolina Republican lawmakers are pressing a Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) special education teacher over her TikTok videos that mix classroom content with political messaging.

McAlister Huynh, known online as “the Neurodivergent Teacher,” posted a video featuring the caption: “No human is illegal, we are on stolen land, children belong in school, the government is lying, leave our students alone.”

Republican state Reps. Jake Johnson, Brenden Jones, and Harry Warren sent a Feb. 12 letter to district leaders calling the activity “deeply concerning” and arguing that classrooms should focus on education, not political activism. They also questioned the district’s compliance with North Carolina’s Parents’ Bill of Rights.

CHCCS Superintendent Rodney Trice said the district has launched a formal investigation into Huynh’s content and reminded staff of relevant board policies on political activities.

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➤ Statewide: The National Weather Service will conduct a statewide tornado drill at 9:30 a.m. today as part of Severe Weather Preparedness Week, held March 1-7. Schools, businesses, and families are urged to practice their severe weather safety plans during the drill. (More)

➤ Charlotte: NCDOT is delaying its I-77 South expansion plans, saying it won’t accept construction bids until late June 2026 to allow more community input amid opposition to proposed tolled express lanes and their impact on nearby neighborhoods. (More)

➤ Rockingham County: Republicans appeared likely to spend more than $10 million to defend Senate leader Phil Berger against District 26 challenger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page ahead of Tuesday’s Republican primary. (More)

➤ Greensboro: A former Vandalia Christian School teacher, Richard Lynn Upright, 56, faces 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor after investigators say he used AI to superimpose students’ faces onto explicit material. A $750,000 bond has been set. (More)

➤ Raleigh: UNC Health Rex has settled a religious discrimination lawsuit for $150,000, resolving claims it denied a remote employee’s COVID-19 vaccine exemption based on her religious beliefs and terminated her employment in 2021. (More)

➤ Durham: North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Steven J. Perry, killed early Sunday in a head-on crash with a wrong-way driver on NC-147, was honored Monday with a law enforcement procession to Fisher Funeral Parlor. Impairment is suspected in the crash. (See Photos)

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➤ Women’s Basketball AP Poll: Duke fell one spot to No. 13 this week, while UNC rose five spots to No. 16. (See Poll)

➤ Charlotte will host the MLS All-Star Game this summer at Bank of America Stadium, pitting MLS stars against top players from LIGA MX, Mexico’s top soccer league. (More)

➤ Wake Forest women’s basketball plays California in the ACC Tournament today at 1:30 p.m. (How to Watch)

➤ Asheville will host the Southern Conference Basketball Championships starting tomorrow, an event that could bring up to $10 million to the local economy. The women’s tournament tips off first, followed by the men’s tournament on Friday. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer

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➤ A study of Charlotte metro area communities revealed that York, South Carolina, topped the list for worst commutes, with 14.5% of workers enduring one-hour-plus drives. In North Carolina, Unionville had the worst commute score, with an average travel time of 30.9 minutes. (More)

➤ Gastonia-based Southwood Realty acquired the 174-unit Laurel View Apartments in Concord from New York City-based Gamma Real Estate for $41.39 million in a deal that closed on Feb. 26. (More)

➤ Focus Services, a call center outsourcing firm, is closing its Greenville location at 1130 Sugg Parkway, resulting in 94 job losses effective at the end of April. Its remaining U.S. location is in Roy, Utah. (More)

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➤ North Carolina is the 18th best state to be a taxpayer, based on a 9.99% effective total state and local tax rate on median households. That rate is 9.28% below the national average, resulting in annual taxes of $8,115. (See Data)

➤ NC State will receive up to $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy to create K-12 nuclear education courses for high school students and educators as part of an effort to spark early interest in nuclear energy careers. (See Photos)

➤ UNC-Chapel Hill researchers found that artificial intelligence tools known as large language models can georeference plant specimens with near-human accuracy, vastly speeding up the digitization of herbarium data and aiding biodiversity research. (More)

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Did you see the blood moon early Tuesday morning?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Who gets up that early?

Yesterday’s Results:

Are you voting in North Carolina’s primary today?

1. Yes: 37%
2. I voted early: 36%
3. No: 27%

Where did North Carolina’s most severe tornado outbreak to date occur?

Show me the answer