NC Gov signs gas tax break + Dems see opening as Whatley pauses ads + affordable housing win

By Laura Leslie

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein Friday signed a bill to suspend the state’s 41-cent per gallon gas tax until the end of November. State lawmakers approved it nearly unanimously Wednesday.

The measure also extends a waiver for the on-road use of dyed diesel until the end of the year. Farmers can buy red-dyed diesel, which is not subject to state or federal tax, for use in farm machinery, but it’s illegal to use it for on-road transportation. Stein had already suspended that law to help farmers get their crops to market more cheaply.

By Christine Zhu

National Democrats are rethinking their campaign strategy in North Carolina as Republican groups — and even the GOP candidate — pause spending in the state’s open U.S. Senate race.

The campaign for Michael Whatley, former chair of the Republican National Committee and North Carolina Republican Party, has temporarily pulled its ads from television while reevaluating its target audience,

By Clayton Henkel and Greg Childress

For longtime residents of Southeast Raleigh, a lack of affordable housing and the threat of gentrification are growing concerns. But on Tuesday morning, residents were all smiles as Gov. Josh Stein visited a newly constructed home built in partnership with Southeast Raleigh Promise and the City of Raleigh.

Yvette Holmes, CEO of Southeast Raleigh Promise, said the three-bedroom house just blocks from Shaw University is the first of the 25 new affordable rental homes developed through the nonprofit’s Promise of Home initiative.

By Trevon Spencer

For thousands of North Carolina families, Head Start is more than a preschool program. It can mean a safe place for children to learn, eat nutritious meals and a schedule parents can rely on while they work. 

But those services could look different under proposed federal changes that Gov. Josh Stein is urging the Trump administration to reconsider as the public comment period draws to a close. 

North Carolina records first reported flu-related death of the season| Clayton Henkel

‘We are seen as disposable’: Rural residents fight a proposed gas pipeline |Fred Clasen-Kelly

Racial disparities persist in North Carolina schools, new report finds| Ahmed Jallow

As early in-person voting approaches, North Carolina election officials seek to ease fears |Lynn Bonner

NC legislators can’t say how much of the gas tax cut will trickle down to drivers| Lynn Bonner and Christine Zhu

NC Republicans tout a gas tax cut that Democrats call an election-season desperation move | Lynn Bonner, Trevon Spencer and Christine Zhu

‘Election Day gimmick’? As NC lawmakers eye gas tax cut, Stein questions timing |Clayton Henkel

The rocky road to more manageable healthcare costs in NC|Lynn Bonner

Don’t throw away your shot: How and when you can vote in North Carolina |Clayton Henkel

Here’s what could happen if NC lawmakers pause the gas tax in a special session | Christine Zhu

North Carolina’s Latino leaders celebrate heritage, focus on voter engagement ahead of midterms | Clayton Henkel

NC legislative leaders call for special session on high gas, diesel prices| Trevon Spencer

Commentaries:
An assault on freedom and the Constitution in southeastern North Carolina |Rob Schofield

Would your campus host credit card companies or Big Tobacco? Then why Big Tech?| Elizabeth Wagner

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