Howdy, Raleigh! I’m just a few days away from officially starting my new gig on the The News & Observer i-team. But before I start, I want to hear from you! Shoot me a message here if you’ve got tips, story ideas or if you just want to chat about how best to cover this state!

i am once again begging Jordan Peele to make a movie about lake lanier

Albemarle is a small city *east* of Charlotte w/ a pop of about 17,000 people. But the area, including Stanly County, is ranked in the nation’s top 10 for population growth. We took a tour of the city to find out why charlotteobserver.com/news/business/…

Please be safe in the heat. If you feel yourself overheating just sit down and hydrate with a big bowl of sancocho

Breaking: With a final vote in the NC House, Mecklenburg’s bill to put a sales tax referendum on the ballot to pay for road, rail and bus projects passes the NCGA. Next it heads to Gov. Josh Stein. County commissioners would then vote to put referendum on the Nov. ballot.

Upstairs apartment culture

BREAKING NEWS: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers : The Movie just received a 55 minute standing ovation from me in my living room after watching it for the 200th time

Charlotte NPR station plans job cuts after Congress approves funding rollback charlotteobserver.com/news/local/art…

Hit me up if this is you!

Please — if you decline a journalist reaching out to you multiple times on a story, don’t be upset your perspective does not get across. “No comment” doesn’t stop a story but your perspective is missing because you chose to be silent.

NPF has selected 35 journalists from across the country for the 2025 Local Business Journalism Fellowship. Fellows will gather in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15-18 for exclusive briefings with economists, small business owners and other experts. nationalpress.org/newsfeed/npf-n…

Nearly a year after Helene, municipalities across WNC are still waiting for much needed FEMA funding. FEMA has always been slow. But the Trump admin's attempts to rid the fed gov of waste and fraud has made a slow process even slower, state experts say. charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-…

THE REASON THE VIDEO WAS RELEASED IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE LOCAL JOURNALISTS SUBMITTED PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS FOR THE VIDEO

For some time, he has claimed he is controlled by that “object,” Brown's mother told the Observer. It started when he got out of prison for armed robbery in 2020. His family noticed a change. He was “standoffish” and talked to himself every so often. charlotteobserver.com/news/state/nor…

Ice tea! Which Chinese spot in Charlotte got the homemade ice tea?

I’m Till Eckert, a ProPublica reporter. For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been going to the same NY immigration courthouse. Nearly every time, I see ICE agents arresting immigrants. Today, a woman was slammed to the ground after begging officials not to take her husband away. Thread👇

4-year-old Jayce Edwards was a “ray of light” to his family — learning his ABCs, numbers and how to tie his shoes. Then came gunfire. This week I spoke with his family about who Jayce was, and the life taken too soon. My latest ⬇️: charlotteobserver.com/news/local/cri…