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Caitlin Gooch isn't holding her horses in stopping childhood illiteracy

By Elsa Karcher | Jan. 25

Based in Wendell, North Carolina, equestrian Caitlin Gooch uses horses to encourage childhood reading, build confidence and increase representation within children’s literature. Savannah Truesdale, a co-worker of Gooch at the children’s daycare, said Gooch’s positivity and passion for her horses captivated her students' attention and made the lesson come to life. Childhood literacy has immense implications for the development of children.

Here's what you need to know about North Carolina's updated COVID-19 vaccination plan

By Jacob Meredith-Andrews | Jan. 21

Vaccine distribution in North Carolina has been complicated by logistical hurdles and limited supplies. Here's what you need to know about statewide and local vaccination rollout.

DTH Photo Illustration. Local governments met to discuss protections for LGBTQ+ people in Orange County.

Three Orange County towns become first in N.C. to pass LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinances

By Emma Kenfield | Jan. 19

The nondiscrimination ordinance is a step in the right direction by protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Cows graze upon the hay left over by farmworkers at Mountaire Farms in Siler City, NC on Sunday, January 10th, 2021.

North Carolina farmworkers already dealing with pandemic stress avoid wage freeze

By Kayla Guilliams | Jan. 18

N.C. farmworkers who come from Mexico to North Carolina on H-2A visas face a high vulnerability to COVID-19 due to living in migrant farmworker camps. In November, they had to face the possibility of a wage freeze.

DTH Photo Illustration. The Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative is a new partnership at UNC-Chapel Hill that is aiming to develop drugs for future pandemic diseases.

N.C. residents 65 and older can now get the COVID-19 vaccine. Tell us your questions.

By Sonia Rao | Jan. 18

There's a lot of uncertainty and questions about the COVID-19 vaccination process in North Carolina. If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, or an experience regarding the vaccine you would like to share, we want to know.

The Greene Tract is 164 acres of land in southeastern Orange County for which discussions over development  have been ongoing for more than three decades.

Greene Tract environmental assessment provides guidebook for preservation of the land

By Audrey Selley | Jan. 10

Discussions over development on the land — which is jointly owned by Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County — have been ongoing for more than three decades.

Pro-Trump protesters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, breaking windows and clashing with police officers. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images/TNS)

Federal, state and local officials speak out against the riot at the U.S. Capitol

By Brittany McGee | Jan. 10

The riot at the U.S. Capitol occurred as Congress met on Jan. 6 to certify the electoral votes, resulting in five deaths and calls for the removal of President Donald Trump.

DTH Photo Illustration. The Voice for Efland website explains the plans for and negative consequences of the construction of a Buc-ee's gas station.

Residents raise concerns about proposed gas station in Efland ahead of BOCC meeting

By Suzannah Claire Perry | Dec. 13

Despite the company’s claims of bringing jobs and tax revenue to the area, community activists say the proposal to bring the largest gas station in the world poses more threat than opportunity.

Social justice activist Kerwin Pittman speaks out against police brutality in reponse to George Floyd's death at the #RaleighDemandsJustice protest in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, May 30, 2020. This Saturday, many local organizations came together to hold a non-violent protest in Raleigh in solidarity with the other protests happening across the country.

After almost a decade of protests, Black Lives Matter activists are not done fighting

By Brittany McGee | Dec. 6

A movement that began with Trayvon Martin's death in 2012 sparked worldwide protests that have continued into 2020. “Protesting is not designed to be peaceful, but it works best when it’s nonviolent,” Greear Webb, a young activist and UNC sophomore, said. “It’s supposed to be disruptive. It’s supposed to be discomforting for people.”

As vaccines await federal approval, North Carolina finalizes its distribution plan

By David Richman | Dec. 6

A COVID--19 vaccine could be coming to North Carolina by mid-December. Here's what you need to know.

North Carolina General Assembly building in Raleigh on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020.

N.C. voted primarily red down the ballot. Here's what this means for the future.

By Guillermo Molero | Dec. 6

As another election in North Carolina comes and goes, the state’s perennially purple nature is once again made clear. Though partisanship set the stage for another two years of stalemate, the results of the general election will still have significant impacts across the state.

Before You Vote Episode 9: Election Results

By Meredith Radford and Sonia Rao | Nov. 17

In the ninth and final episode, City & State Editor Sonia Rao breaks down the results of the 2020 election with Catawba College professor and N.C. politics expert Michael Bitzer.

Nida Allam was recently elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners, making her the first Muslim woman elected to public office in North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Nida Allam.

Meet Nida Allam, the first Muslim woman elected to office in North Carolina

By Kayla Guilliams | Nov. 10

Nida Allam is one of five women elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in the 2020 election. In 2017, she was elected as third vice chairperson of the N.C. Democratic Party, making her the first Muslim elected to the Executive Council. The following year, she was appointed to the Durham Mayor’s Council for Women and was unanimously elected as chairperson of the Council.

A young boy with a skateboard walks past the Chapel Hill Department of Housing in the Northside neighborhood of Chapel Hill on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020.

Executive order, evictions moratorium provide protection for North Carolina tenants

By Hayley Rosewall | Nov. 9

Gov. Cooper signed a new executive order on Oct. 28 that clarifies which residents are eligible for protections under a federal evictions moratorium from the CDC.

'Love in the air': Chapel Hill, Carrboro celebrate Joe Biden's presidential win

By Sonia Rao | Nov. 8

The former vice president declared victory over President Donald Trump on Saturday after securing 290 electoral votes — more than the 270 needed to win the presidency — and celebrations in Chapel Hill and Carrboro continued until well after sunset. Minutes after Joe Biden was announced as the country’s 46th president Saturday, Franklin Street filled with the sounds of cars honking and students cheering. Resident Damien Moore said he's never seen Chapel Hill celebrate like this, except for when students rush Franklin Street after a UNC basketball victory over Duke.

Cars drive down Franklin Street on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 outside of Four Corners, which has built outdoor seating to accommodate for the pandemic but poses some accessibility problems.

Push for outdoor seating on Franklin Street raises questions about accessibility

By Emma Kenfield | Nov. 5

An increase in outdoor seating options on Franklin Street could pose potential problems for the disabled community. Sarah Gilles, a chairperson of the Disability Advocates Committee of the Campus Y, said the push for outdoor seating is good for business but could shift accessibility standards to the back burner. Chelsea Laws, director of Building and Development Services for the Town of Chapel Hill, said the Town looks at accessibility requirements to make sure people can get in and out of all businesses. But UNC doctoral student Dalvin Tsay, who uses a wheelchair, said blocked sidewalks and small ramps make it extremely difficult to get around.

A student at UNC-Chapel Hill filling out their ballot for the 2020 general election on Nov. 3, 2020 at the Stone Center polling location.

Despite higher 2020 turnout, fewer N.C. voters reported their race, political party

By Michael Taffe | Nov. 4

“We’ve got a lot more voters who have not indicated their race or ethnicity," politics professor Michael Bitzer said. "Back in 2016, for all of the absentee ballots, it was a little more than three percent unknown. Now it is around nine percent. We have no way to know for those hundreds of thousands of voters, what their race or ethnicity is.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a rally ahead of Super Tuesday at St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Later that day, Biden won the South Carolina primary.

Former Vice President Joe Biden projected to win U.S. presidency in close race

By Sonia Rao | Nov. 4

President Donald Trump had the lead in North Carolina over former Vice President Joe Biden as of midnight, leading by 1.39 percent, according to unofficial results. 117,000 absentee ballots in North Carolina have yet to be returned, according to the N.C. State Board of Elections. This is larger than the number of votes Trump has over Biden as of midnight on Tuesday, which was 76,380. In North Carolina, absentee ballots received by Nov. 12 will be counted in the election.

Gov. Roy Cooper and First Lady Kristin Cooper announce their victory in the 2020 election on Nov. 3, 2020 on the steps of the N.C. Democratic Party headquarters in Raleigh.

Gov. Roy Cooper wins a second term in North Carolina

By Brittany McGee | Nov. 4

Gov. Roy Cooper will serve another term after defeating Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, according to unofficial results.

Election Day 2020: Live Updates

Nov. 3

Today is Election Day, and North Carolina is voting down the ballot from president to N.C. General Assembly members. Polls in Orange County close at 7:30 p.m. and the N.C. Board of Elections will begin to post unofficial election results at 8:15 p.m.